FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Robert Wolfe

Manager of Marketing & Communications

240-494-2256

rwolfe@swana.org

The Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee introduced a revised draft of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 HR 2454 that included a number of changes consistent with SWANA’s recommendations in an April 28 letter.

On Friday, May 15, Chairman Waxman introduced a revised draft of HR 2454 that is much more supportive of waste-to-energy operations and recognizes their contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Consistent with SWANA’s recommendations, waste-to-energy operations would no longer be regulated under the cap in this version of the bill. The May 15 draft specifically excludes operations that derive 95% or more of their energy from municipal solid waste.

The revised renewable portfolio standard in HR 2454 includes “qualified waste-to-energy” as an eligible renewable source. Energy derived from the combustion, gasification or pyrolization of municipal solid waste and construction, demolition or disaster debris would qualify as a renewable as long as it meets a number of stipulations.

The draft also includes waste-to-energy as an eligible renewable under the federal renewable purchasing program.

“SWANA is very pleased that the renewable energy and climate benefits of waste-to-energy are now recognized in the climate bill,” said John H. Skinner, Ph.D. SWANA Executive Director and CEO. “While there are still a number of questions and concerns that need to be resolved in the bill’s language, SWANA looks forward to working with the Congress in improving this important legislation,” Skinner added.

About SWANA:

For 40 years, SWANA, the Solid Waste Association of North America, has been the leading professional association in the solid waste management field. SWANA’s mission is “to advance the practice of environmentally and economically sound management of municipal solid waste.” SWANA serves over 8,000 members and thousands more industry professionals with technical conferences, certifications, publications and a large offering of technical training courses. For more information, visit www.SWANA.org.

LEHIGH VALLEY, PA (May 20, 2009) – Mack Trucks, Inc. will again sponsor a Driving Skills Safety Challenge during the WasteExpo 2009 show. The competition will be held in the Silver lot #4 next to the Renaissance Hotel outside the Las Vegas Convention Center on June 9 and 10, 2009. The competition runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, June 10.

The competition is open to any driver at least 18 years of age with a valid CDL who shows proof of operator training, and is registered for the show. This year’s event will include individual and team competitions (two operators per team).

Contestants will operate their choice of MACK® TerraPro™ Low Entry and Cabover models in a closed course set up to simulate actual refuse conditions. Operators must complete a pre-operation safety check and successfully navigate the skills course. Each individual will have one (1) attempt. Scoring will be based on accuracy and adherence to safety procedures. Specific scoring rules will be provided at the event. Complete rules for the competition can be found at http://www.macktrucks.com/default.aspx?pageid=2218.

First-, second-, and third-place overall event winners will be announced at 4 p.m. Wednesday, June 10 during the Environmental Research and Education Foundation’s (EREF) Auction.

Mack will give away more than $15,000 in prizes during the two-day competition. In addition to trophies, the following prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers in the individual competition, as well as to each operator in the top three two-person teams:

First Place: $500 gift certificate, a GPS navigation display, watch, and sunglasses

Second Place: $300 gift certificate and a Mack Citizen Eco-Drive watch

Third Place: $100 gift certificate and a chrome Mack Bulldog

All contestants will receive a Mack hat, money clip, duffel bag and a thermos with case.

“Refuse industry drivers make a critical contribution to safety every day as they travel crowded urban streets or make thousands of pickups on neighborhood roads,” said Michael Reardon, Mack vice president of marketing. “It takes real skill and awareness to be safe and productive in this type of operation. Mack designed this competition to highlight the professionalism of refuse truck drivers.”

Dedicated to quality, reliability, and total customer satisfaction, Mack Trucks, Inc. has provided its customers with innovative transportation solutions for more than a century. Today, Mack is one of North America’s largest producers of heavy-duty trucks, and MACK® vehicles are sold and serviced in more than 45 countries worldwide. All Mack manufacturing locations are certified to the internationally recognized ISO 9001 standard for quality and ISO 14001 standard for environmental management systems. Mack is also a proud sponsor of Share the Road, an American Trucking Associations’ public information campaign aimed at enhancing the safety of our nation’s roadways.

Mack Trucks, Inc. is part of the Volvo Group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses and construction equipment, drive systems for marine and industrial applications, aerospace components and services, and one of the world’s leading producers of heavy-diesel engines (9-16 liter). The Group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. The Volvo Group, which employs about 100,000 people, has production facilities in 19 countries and sells their products in more than 180 markets. Volvo Group sales for 2008 amounted to over $46 billion. The Volvo Group is a publicly-held company headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden. Volvo Shares are listed on Nasdaq OMX Nordic Exchange and are traded OTC in the U.S.

For more information about Mack, visit our Web site at www.macktrucks.com.

On Tuesday, May 5, 2009, the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) and the National Solid Wastes Management Association submitted joint comments on the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) proposed revisions to AP-42, Fifth Edition, Volume I, Chapter 2.4 Municipal Solid Waste Landfills and the Background Information Document for Updating AP-42 Section 2.4 for Estimating Emissions from Municipal Solid Waste Landfills. These emission standards are very important to the landfill industry because they affect federal, state and local air quality permits.

John H. Skinner, Executive Director and CEO stated that: “SWANA was very pleased to work with NSWMA to provide substantial data to EPA that we believe will significantly improve the emission factors in the EPA document.” Bruce J. Parker, NSWMA President and CEO, stated that: “Both public and private landfill owner/operators have an important stake in ensuring that EPA’s Final AP-42 guidance truly represent the emissions occurring at their landfills.”

SWANA and NSWMA expressed concern on the following issues:

The rejection of non-methane organic compounds concentration data from NSPS/EG Tier 2 studies using the geoprobe method; and

The rejection of data submitted in 2000 and 2001 and the failure of EPA to advise of the rejection until 2009.

The two associations hope that through the further review of new data submitted by their members and a thorough review of current published technical literature, EPA can revise the draft AP-42 and background information document accordingly.

To view the letter SWANA and NSWMA sent to the Environmental Protection Agency, visit http://swana.org/portals/solutions/SWANANSWMAFinalLetter.pdf.

About SWANA:

For 40 years, SWANA, the Solid Waste Association of North America, has been the leading professional association in the solid waste management field. SWANA’s mission is “to advance the practice of environmentally and economically sound management of municipal solid waste.” SWANA serves over 8,000 members and thousands more industry professionals with technical conferences, certifications, publications and a large offering of technical training courses. For more information, visit www.SWANA.org.

About NSWMA:

The National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWMA) – a sub-association of the Environmental Industry Associations (EIA) – represents for-profit companies in North America that provide solid, hazardous and medical waste collection, recycling and disposal services, and companies that provide professional and consulting services to the waste services industry. NSWMA members conduct business in all 50 states. For more information, visit www.nswma.org.

Contact: Latisha Petteway, (202) 564-4355 / 3191 / petteway.latisha@epa.gov

(Washington, D.C. – May 5, 2009) EPA is announcing next steps on two hazardous waste rules to respond to concerns raised by stakeholders: the Definition of Solid Waste rule and the Emission Comparable Fuels rule.

EPA is planning to hold a public meeting to discuss possible revisions to the Definition of Solid Waste (DSW) rule in response to an administrative petition asking the agency to reconsider and repeal the rule. The rule became effective on December 29, 2008. The meeting is planned for the end of June, and a Federal Register notice with the details of the meeting will be published in May.

The DSW rule modified the regulations for recycling hazardous secondary materials to encourage the recycling of certain materials to help conserve resources. The rule includes conditions designed to ensure that the recycling of the materials is protective of human health and the environment. The rule also takes into account a series of opinions in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on the meaning of the term “discard,” which forms the basis of the definition of solid waste.

Since publication of the DSW rule, the Sierra Club has raised concerns about the effectiveness and protectiveness of the rule and has requested EPA stay the rule in an administrative petition. In addition, the Sierra Club and the American Petroleum Institute have filed judicial petitions for review in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Various industry groups have also filed letters opposing the Sierra Club’s administrative petition.

EPA expects that stakeholders’ input at the public meeting will assist the agency in deciding whether to make revisions to the rule and how such revisions would further ensure that the rule appropriately and safely encourages resource conservation for those hazardous secondary materials that are conditionally excluded. The Federal Register notice announcing the meeting will raise specific questions for consideration, particularly related to reclamation that is not under the control of the generator. Any revisions to the rule would be made through the full public rulemaking process.

EPA is also planning to propose a rule to withdraw the Emission Comparable Fuels (ECF) rule, which became effective on January 20, 2009. The proposal will present the agency’s concerns and request comments from the public after publication in the Federal Register, planned for November 2009. After evaluating the public comments, the EPA will make a decision on whether to repeal the exclusion.

The ECF rule removed regulatory costs by reclassifying certain manufacturing byproducts as non-wastes. ECF is fuel that is produced from a hazardous waste, but which generates emissions when burned in an industrial boiler that are comparable to emissions from burning fuel oil. The materials must also be stored under an elaborate set of requirements. The final rule has been criticized for allowing hazardous waste to evade the hazardous waste regulatory system, and also for being difficult to administer. Industry members have also criticized it because of the detailed and prescriptive conditions for reclassification, which they believe will limit the rule’s use.

More information on the Definition of Solid Waste rule: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/dsw/rulemaking.htm

More information on the Emission Comparable Fuels rule: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/tsd/td/combust/compfuels/exclusion.htm