Wednesday, July 25, 2012

NS Government; Neither Port Hawk Owner Nor Taxpayers Will Pay More


Taxpayers could be the ones footing the bill if more renewable energy has to be added to the electrical grid because of a deal to help restart a shuttered Cape Breton paper mill.
The province told the regulator Friday that neither the mill’s would-be owner, Pacific West Commercial Corp. of Vancouver, nor Nova Scotia Power customers would have to pay any such cost.
But the government didn’t say exactly who would foot the bill to ensure provincially mandated renewable energy targets are met.
“The government commits to ensuring that if the mill load does trigger an additional (renewable energy) obligation during the term of the proposed mechanism, and if this results in incremental costs, then the province guarantees that neither (Pacific West) nor other ratepayers will be required to pay these incremental costs,” deputy energy minister Murray Coolican said in a letter to the province’s Utility and Review Board.
Pacific West has asked the board for an expedited decision on the rate proposal because it wants to reopen the mill by Sept. 1.

Three More Pulp Producers Lower Price


Domtar has informed North American customers that its two grades of bleached softwood kraft (BSK) pulp price will decline $30/tonne, effective August 1 until further notice, RISI has learned.
West Fraser told North American customers that its northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) pulp price would decline to $850/tonne, effective August 1 until further notice, industry contacts said.
Resolute Forest Products today told customers in North America that it is decreasing its bleached softwood kraft pulp prices by US$30/tonne, effective Aug. 1.

Two Sides U.S. & FLA Join to Promote Forest Policies

Two Sides U.S. and the Forest Legality Alliance Collaborate to Promote the Responsible Production and Use of Paper: (USA) Two Sides U.S. has joined the Forest Legality Alliance (FLA), a joint effort of WRI and the Environmental Investigation Agency, supported by the United States Agency for International Development and companies in the paper and forest products sector. With goals to reduce illegal logging and eliminate illegal fiber in paper products, FLA’s diverse membership includes organizations such as Staples, Ikea, and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, the American Forest and Paper Association and the Retail Industry Leaders Association.

Groups Form TruST to Fight On-Line Sales Tax

Marketing groups forge sales tax law opposition: New York—A newly formed group of direct marketing organizations is claiming that proposed federal bills, allowing states to impose sales tax collections on purchases from out-of-state e-commerce companies, unduly burden e-commerce vendors. The American Catalog Mailers Association, the Direct Marketing Association, the Electronic Retailers Association and e-commerce advocacy group NetChoice have formed the True Simplification of Taxation (TruST) coalition.

Food News Media Launches 'FSR' magazine

Food News Media to debut 'FSR' magazine: Food News Media announced it will launch in October FSR magazine, which will target the full-service restaurant industry.
The premier issue will feature an interview with New Orleans restaurant owner Ralph Brennan, as well as a report on the top states for full-service restaurant growth. FSR will be the first print magazine for Food News Media, which launched a digital publication called Restaurant Management last year.

Wired Named Top "Genius Brand"

Wired Takes Top "Genius Brand" Spot in Digital IQ Index Study:
There's been some movement in the rankings in the second annual Digital IQ Index study on the magazine industry from market research firm L2, which measures digital strategy execution among 80 magazine brands.
TIME, which last year ranked as the number-one brand executing across digital, social and mobile platforms, was knocked off the top spot by Wired, which this year was the only brand to achieve "Genius" status. 

Printing Industries of America's InterTech Award Recipients

Printing Industries of America Announces the 2012 InterTech Award Recipients: PITTSBURGH—July 24, 2012—Printing Industries of America has announced the recipients of the 2012 InterTech Technology Awards. The technologies receiving this prestigious award have been judged as truly innovative and are expected to advance the performance of the graphic communications industry.
A total of 12 innovative technologies were selected to receive the 2012 InterTech Technology Award:

  • Kodak NexPress Red Fluorescing Solution – Eastman Kodak
  • Enterworks Enable – Enterworks, Inc.
  • i-cut Suite – EskoArtwork
  • Fujifilm J Press 720 – Fujifilm North America
  • Prinect Performance Benchmarking – Heidelberg USA
  • Keen MIS and Web-to-Print – Keen Systems, Inc.
  • Color Control and Web Inspection System with AccuCam – QuadTech, Inc.
  • SunPak LMQ – Sun Chemical
  • iTechnique – Technique Business Systems
  • Avatrex Transportable Imaging – Utopia Digital Technologies
  • Xeikon X-800 VariLane – Xeikon
  • i1Pro 2 – X-Rite Inc.

Newsweek May Convert to Online-Only

Newsweek Taking Steps Closer to Online-Only:
During IAC's second quarter earnings call today, chairman Barry Diller provided some feedback on the future of Newsweek as a print magazine. While the print version's survivability has been endlessly speculated on, Diller took an opportunity in the call to put the issue in better, if not entirely clear, focus.
In answering a question from an analyst on the outlook for Newsweek/The Daily Beast and whether there were plans to make it a "lighter asset," Diller noted that the brand is doing better overall.

Email Open Rates Falling


Email open rates are declining somewhat, according to a study of email marketing trends by marketing automation company Silverpop, but email efficiency as measured by click-throughs are up.
According to the company's “2012 Silverpop Email Marketing Metrics Benchmark Study," open rates in the U.S. in all of 2011 and into the first quarter of this year averaged 19.9%, down from the 21.3% recorded in a similar study in 2009.

Zite Adds Hearst and Other Publishers to Program


Zite, a free, personalized news reading app, yesterday announced a new set of publishers joining its Zite Publisher Program. Along with current partners CNN, FOX Sports, and Bleacher Report, Zite has added the Chicago Tribune, Cult of Mac, Hearst Magazines Digital Media, Entrepreneur, International Business Times, Los Angeles Times, IDG's Macworld and PC World, and TechHive.

Russia to Adopt New Forest Policy Standards


The Russian government has now announced that as much as 400 billion rubles ($12.4 billion) will be spent on forestry protection over the next eight years, in a new, far-reaching program to remedy the system’s inadequacies.
Russia’s pending entry into the World Trade Organization, however, provides another spur for change across all industries. Forestry companies, among others, will have to introduce significant changes to comply with requirements for timber.

Washington's Forests Under Threat of Increased Wildfires


Forests in the Pacific Northwest store more carbon than any other region in the United States, but our warming climate may undermine their storage potential.
A new study conducted by the U.S. Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Research Station and the Climate Impacts Group at the University of Washington has found that, by 2040, parts of Washington State could lose as much as a third of their carbon stores, as an increasing area of the state's forests is projected to be burned by more-frequent wildfires, triggered by a warming climate .

GWI Acquires RailAmerica


Genesee & Wyoming Inc. (GWI) (GWR) and RailAmerica, Inc. (RA) jointly announced today that they have entered into an agreement under which GWI will acquire RailAmerica for an all cash purchase price of $27.50 per share. GWI's acquisition of RailAmerica will combine the two largest short line and regional rail operators in North America.

IFABC Offers Free Newspaper Database

IFABC launches free newspaper circulation database:
The International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Circulation, the umbrella association for the worldwide network of newspaper and magazine audit bureaus, has developed the free online resource using data collated from its international membership. It is accessible on the IFABC's newly revamped website.
Site visitors will be able to access and compare circulation data from as far back as 2008 for paid-for and free national newspapers around the world.