Chatham, MA Chosen as Fifth “Fishing for Energy”
Port
Partnership Expands into Cape Cod in Effort to Remove
Abandoned Fishing Gear from New England Waters
CHATHAM, MA, September 9, 2008─ “Fishing
for Energy,” an innovative partnership to recycle fishing
equipment into energy, continues to catch on in New England by expanding
to Chatham, MA.
The “Fishing for Energy” partnership is an initiative
between Covanta Energy, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) Marine Debris Program, the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), and Schnitzer Steel Industries, Inc. to help
coastal communities reduce the amount of abandoned fishing gear that
ends up in the nation’s oceans.
Derelict fishing equipment can threaten marine life, impair
navigational safety, and have serious economic repercussions on shipping
and coastal communities. Since the partnership was launched in February,
over 83,000 pounds of fishing nets, trawl gear, crab pots, and line have
been collected and converted into energy.
“Mariners around coastal communities clearly understand the
need for cleaning up our marine environment,” said Stuart Smith,
Harbormaster for the Town of Chatham and Vice President of the Cape
& Islands Harbormasters Association. “The ‘Fishing for
Energy’ partnership is an important partnership to clean up the
marine debris along our shorelines and in our oceans. Fishermen
and mariners utilizing this program now have the opportunity to help
clean up our waterways and shorelines free of charge through this
cooperative effort.”
Covanta will work closely with the Town of Chatham to coordinate the
removal of abandoned gear from local coastal waters, as well as help
retire equipment that is no longer fit for use within a fishery. Once
removed from the environment, the gear will be shredded at a Schnitzer
facility and transported to Covanta’s Energy-from-Waste facility
in Haverhill, MA where it will be converted into clean, renewable energy
at no cost to the town.
“The ‘Fishing for Energy’ partnership is an excellent
way to address both used and derelict fishing gear in our waters by
working with the fishing community to dispose of it in a beneficial
way,” said Dr. Holly Bamford, Director of the NOAA Marine Debris
Program. “We are pleased to continue to make connections with
others who share a passion to eventually abate the problem of marine
debris by reusing abandoned gear as a source of energy to power the
region’s homes and businesses.”
“As we move into our fifth seaport, it is encouraging and
inspiring to see the support that we have received from local
communities,” said Paul Gilman, Chief Sustainability Officer for
Covanta Energy. “Each town has demonstrated enthusiasm for this
program, both as a way to clean up our oceans and to create renewable,
environmentally sustainable energy from the debris. Covanta is proud to
be a part of this partnership and to continue to find ways to help
communities transfer waste into clean, renewable energy.”
“The ‘Fishing for Energy’ program is already
proving to be of great value to several of New England’s busiest
and most productive ports,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director
of NFWF. “As we move forward, bringing the program into new ports,
the addition of new partners and attention to this cooperative effort
will increasingly benefit both fishermen and the marine environment. The
fact that over 83,000 pounds of gear have been collected so far is a
great indicator of the interest in the marine debris issue and need for
this important partnership.”
About Covanta
Covanta Energy is an internationally recognized owner and
operator of Energy-from-Waste and power generation projects.
Covanta’s Energy-from-Waste facilities convert municipal solid
waste into renewable energy for numerous communities, predominantly in
the United States. As a world premier operator of large-scale
Energy-from-Waste facilities, Covanta is proud to offer an
environmentally sound solution to communities’ solid waste
disposal needs. With close to 40 facilities worldwide, Covanta uses
municipal solid waste as a fuel to generate clean, renewable energy.
Covanta’s modern Energy-from-Waste facilities safely and securely
turn 15 million tons of waste into more than 8 million megawatt hours of
clean renewable electricity each year and create 10 billion pounds of
steam that are sold to a variety of industries. For more information,
visit www.covantaenergy.com.
About NOAA
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth’s
environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and
conserves and manages our coastal and marine resources. For more
information, visit: www.noaa.gov
The NOAA Marine Debris Program coordinates, strengthens, and increases
the visibility of marine debris issues and efforts within the agency,
its partners, and the public. The program supports activities at both a
national and international level focused on identifying, reducing, and
preventing debris from entering the marine environment. For more
information, visit: www.marinedebris.noaa.gov.
About National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF)
A nonprofit established by Congress in 1984, NFWF sustains,
restores, and enhances the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants, and
habitats. Through leadership conservation investments with public and
private partners, NFWF is dedicated to achieving maximum conservation
impact by developing and applying best practices and innovative methods
for measurable outcomes. Since its establishment, NFWF has awarded
nearly 9,500 grants to over 3,000 organizations in the United States and
abroad and leveraged – with its partners – more than $400
million in federal funds into more than $1.3 billion for on-the-ground
conservation. For more information, visit www.nfwf.org.
Media Contact:
Vera Carley
Covanta Energy
(973) 882-2439
vcarley@covantaenergy.com
Port Contact:
Tom Barry, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
(202) 857-0166
tom.barry@nfwf.org
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