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6/26/2018
HEBREW UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES: WORKSHOP ON NEAR SHORE GAS PLATFORMS
| The School of Environmental Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem hosted a 1-day workshop to discuss issues relating to near shore natural gas treatment platforms. The discussants included members of the academia, governmental agencies, agencies and environmental organizations. The discussion centered on the potential environmental, economical and health impact of emissions to the air and discharges to water as a result of platform operations. |
4/1/2017
FINDING COMMON GROUNDS ON CLIMATE CHANGE
| Dr. Miriam Lev-On is the co-chair of an international specialty conference convened by the Air & Waste Management Association under the title “Finding Common Ground on Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation.” The conference will be held October 10–11, 2017, in Arlington, VA. The conference will engage with the new leadership on Capitol Hill to explore policy measures and recommend approaches for making meaningful progress.Topics will include: • Methodologies for identifying and estimating climate change risks and impacts; • Strategies and technologies for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and other climate-changing pollutants; and • Plans and practices for increasing the resiliency of communities and facilities to the changing climate. |
1/5/2017
A&WMA LAUNCHES CALL FOR ABSTRACTS FOR ITS 2017 CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE
| The Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) is convening an international conference on "Finding Common Grounds on Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation". The conference will address emerging policies and technologies for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions mitigation, methodologies for estimating climate change impacts, adaptation strategies and planning. The conference will be held on October 10-12, 2017 in Arlington, Virginia (Washington DC area). The call for abstracts is open until March 17, 2017. |
6/21/2016
ANNUAL CONFERENCE FOR SCIENCE AND THE ENVIRONMENT
| The Israeli Society for Ecology and Environmental Sciences held its annual conference for science and the environment on June 21-23 at Tel Aviv University in Tel Aviv, Israel. Dr. Miriam Lev-On and Dr. Perry Lev-On co-authored a paper with Prof. Ofira Ayalon titled, "What is measured is managed: a review of five years of reporting of greenhouse gas emissions in Israel"(in Hebrew). The paper highlighted the growth of the voluntary greenhouse gas registry in Israel which now includes 52 members whose annual reported greenhouse gas emissions are over 60% of the annual greenhouse gas emissions of the whole country. | Click to enlarge |
12/12/2015
COP-21 INTRODUCES THE PARIS AGREEMENT
| The aim of the Paris Conference that was held from 30 November to 12 December 2015 at the Le Bourget exhibition centre was to come up with a response to mitigate and adapt to climate change. The Paris Agreement provides the framework for global action while incorporating nationally determined contribution (NDCs) that allow each country to elaborate its action plan based on its unique circumstances. Dr. Miriam Lev-On and Dr. Perry Lev-On were part of the Israeli delegation to COP21 and participated in the negotiations of different technical articles of the agreement pertaining to transparency, reporting and the role of clean energy and water technology. |  Click to enlarge |
11/5/2015
ROLE OF ENERGY STORAGE IN ISRAEL
| The recent severe storms and widespread power outages this past October in Israel have reinforced the need for the introduction of energy storage technologies into the Israeli grid to ensure security of supply. In today's article in the Globes business newspaper the issue of energy storage is being addressed includings citing Dr. Miriam Lev-On of The LEVON Group, LLC, regarding the role of energy storage technologies and 'peak shavers' plants in the USA. The issue of emerging technologies and policy measures for advancing energy storage has been the subject of a recent Energy Forum at the Samuel Neaman Institute at the Technion in Haifa, Israel. A technical report is expected to be published later in the month. |  Click to enlarge |
9/1/2015
ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE: EMERGING POLICIES, STRATEGIES, AND TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS
| The Air & Waste Management Association has released the final program for its two-day specialty conference that will be convened on 9-10 September 2015 in Oakbrook, Illinois. The conference program features presentations from preeminent government regulators, climate scientists, regulatory compliance consultants, environmental organizations, technology experts, attorneys, and policy analysts. Dr. Miriam Lev-On of The LEVON Group, LLC, is the co-chair of the conference, which is designed to provide perspective on domestic and global policy. Dr. Perry Lev-On of The LEVON Group, LLC, will be presenting information on advances in international policies leading up to the United Nations summit on Climate Change in Paris later this year. |
| The document entitled: “Consistent Methodology for Estimating Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Operations” was released as a guidance document by the American Petroleum Institute. The document has been posted to the API webpage at: http://www.api.org/~/media/files/ehs/climate-change/api-lng-ghg-emissions-guidelines-05-2015.pdf The LEVON Group, LLC, assisted API to develop this guidance document to enable consistent and comprehensive internationally-accepted methodologies to estimate GHG emissions from the liquefied natural gas (LNG) operations. It addresses emissions from the entire LNG value chain including its specialized facilities, processing techniques, and associated infrastructure. |
12/3/2014
ISRAEL ENERGY UTILITY CONFERENCE
| The Israel Energy Utility Conference that was held on December 2-3, 2014 in Tel-Aviv, Israel, has brought together government officials, public authorities, system integrators, vendors, entrepreneurs, investors and leaders from around the world to share their knowledge and experience and take part in discussions on energy utility, including exploration of advanced energy technologies and systems. The conference focused on topics such as Smart Energy; Alternative Solutions for Power Generation; Sustainability Considerations in Utilities; and Grid Applications. Dr. Miriam Lev-On participated in the Clean Power Panel and provided a presentation on "The Road to Clean Power in the U.S. and Globally". The panel also included discussions of the next generation of guidelines for sustainability reporting, Israel Electric Company environmental sustainability; and sustainability and economic valuation. |  Click to enlarge |
11/7/2014
7TH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON NON-CO2 GREENHOUSE GASES (NCGG7)
| Non-CO2 greenhouse gases include many substances, such as methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), fluorocarbons, black carbon, aerosols, and others that contribute significantly to climate forcing. The NCGG7 conference convened in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, on 5-7 November, 2014. The conference addressed the innovations in the science, technology and policy aspects of controlling non-CO2 greenhouse gas and precursor emissions. Areas of discussion included: atmospheric processes of non-CO2 greenhouse gases; mitigation options and emission reduction technologies; policies and measures; and the science-policy-industry interface. Dr. Miriam Lev-On participated in the conference to present a paper which was co-authored with Ms. Karin Ritter of the American Petroleum Institute and Ms. Theresa Shires of URS Corporation. The paper titled, "Industry Experience in Deriving Updated Emission Factors to Characterize Methane Emissions for Select Emission Sources in Natural Gas Systems" was part of a session on the issue of Methane emissions in the Energy sector. |  Click to enlarge |
3/31/2014
AIChE 2014 SPRING MEETING
| As part of Thematic Cluster 6 on Gas Utilization, Dr. Miriam Lev-On presented a paper on "Consistent Methodology for Addressing Greenhouse Gas Emissions from the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Value Chain". The guidance document was developed for the American Petroleum Institute (API) expecting the growing role of LNG in the global gas market. The presentation centered on the API guidance document which compiles industry appropriate, globally consistent methodology to characterize CO2 and CH4 emissions from key sources in operations throughout the LNG value chain. This guidance provides the tools needed to develop emission inventories for a myriad of projects and assess GHG emissions reduction potential when utilizing LNG as a fuel. |  Click to enlarge |
3/17/2014
SPE GLOBAL HEALTH SAFETY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE 2014
| Dr. Miriam Lev-On presented a paper titled,"Methane Emissions from Natural Gas Systems: A Comparative Assessment for Select Industry Segments" which she co-authored with the American Petroleum Institute (API) and URS Corporation. The paper compares and contrasts sources and emission characterization of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for the U.S. national GHG emissions inventory to the emissions reported by industry facilities under the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program (GHGRP). The focus of the analysis was on the onshore natural gas production segment of the industry emphasizing the contributions of key sources to methane and overall GHG emissions.The goal is to showcase similarities and differences between the national emission inventory and individual facility reporting. It also aims to highlight how information that is becoming available through the GHGRP could be used to update and improve the methodology used when developing national inventories. |  Click to enlarge |
9/10/2013
A&WMA CONFERENCE: CLIMATE CHANGE - IMPACTS, POLICY AND REGULATIONS
| The A&WMA Conference provides a forum for discussing the multiple facets of the climate change issue including its impact assessment, policy options and status of regulations for greenhouse gasses mitigation and adaptation. Dr. Perry Lev-On, Managing Director of The LEVON Group, LLC presented a paper titled, "Greenhouse Gas Emission Mitigation Plan for the State of Israel: Strategies, Incentives and Reporting". The paper addressed the process undertaken by the State of Israel to develop a plan that will guide the achievement of the country's declared goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 20% as compared to Business As Usual (BAU) by 2020. |  Click to enlarge |
7/18/2013
ECOS 2013, GUILIN, CHINA
| The 26th ECOS conference was held in Guilin, China and addressed all aspects of energy and its impacts on the environment. The topics included issues of air quality, greenhouse gas emissions, and advanced engineering technologies including carbon capture and storage. A paper titled, "Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reporting in Israel: Means to Manage Energy Use" was co-authored by Prof. Ofira Ayalon of the Samuel Neaman Institute at the Technion, with Dr. Miriam Lev-On and Dr. Perry Lev-On of The LEVON Group, LLC, and was presented at the conference. |  Click to enlarge |
4/16/2013
SPE 2013 EUROPEAN HSE CONFERENCE
| The 2013 conference of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) was convened in London, UK on April 16-17, 2013. The conference dealt with a wide range of issues relevant to the oil and gas industry sector in Europe and globally, with a special featured session on safety and potential environmental impacts of Oil Drilling. Dr. Miriam Lev-On, Executive Director of The LEVON Group, LLC, was one of the speakers in the Environmental track of the conference. She delivered a paper on "Characterization of Methane Emissions from Key Sources in the Natural Gas Production Sector" |
11/13/2012
ISRAEL GREENHOUSE GAS REPORTING AND REGISTERY: SECOND ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY
| The second annual meeting of the participants in the Israel GHG Reporting and Registering System was hosted by the Manufacturers Association of Israel. The annual summary noted that out of the 40 members of this initiative, 36 provided the annual GHG report. The data indicate that the total GHG emissions of all participants amounts to about 65% of Israel's national emissions. The meeting culminated with the distribution of Level 1 awards certificates to all entities that submitted a complete report. A discussion followed regarding criteria for receiving Level 2 awards by entities that will elect to have their emissions verified by an accredited third party verification body. |  Click to enlarge |
9/12/2012
AIChE/A&WMA WEBINAR - EPA GREENHOUSE GAS REPORTING RULE: Lessons Learned
| Dr. Miriam Lev-On was among the panelists of the joint Webinar presented by the American Institute of Chemical Engineeering (AIChE) and the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA). The Webinar addressed the changes and updates to the EPA GHG Reporting Program for the upcoming reporting by the second tier of 12 sectors, which brings to 41 the total number of sectors reporting under this federal program. Topics and examples discussed included regulatory updates, navigating EPA's electronic greenhouse gas reporting tool (e-GGRT), the treatment of confidential business information, and practical implementatioon issues for reporting facilities. |
9/11/2012
IAEE 2012 EUROPEAN CONFERENCE PRESENTATION ON GHG MITIGATION
| Drs. Miriam and Perry Lev-On in collaboration with Professor Ofira Ayalon have co-authored a paper titled, "GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION MITIGATION ACTION PLAN FOR THE STATE OF ISRAEL: STRATEGIES, INCENTIVES AND REPORTING", which was presented at the 2012 European Conference of the International Association of Energy Economists that took place in Venice, Italy. The paper covered various aspects of the Israel National Climate Action Plan including: government commitment and allocation of funds to mitigate GHG; the development and implementation of a voluntary GHG Reporting scheme, and the establishment of a national knowledge hub for adaptation, known as the Israeli Climate Change Information Center (ICCIC). |
4/29/2012
A&WMA PANEL ON AIR EMISSIONS FROM SHALE GAS PRODUCTION
| The annual convention and exhibition of the Air & Waste Management Association will be held in San Antonio, TX on June 19-22, 2012. The convention is organized around several thematic tracks including one devoted to environmental issues assoiated with oil and natural gas production. This topic will be addressed during technical sessions and discussions throughout the convention culminating on Friday June 22nd with a panel chaired by Dr. Miriam Lev-On. The panel discussion will be centered on understanding air emissions, including greenhouse gases, associated with natural gas production and their policy implications. The panelists will provide diverse perspectives on the role of shale gas (and hydraulic fracturing techniques) in the U.S. domestic natural gas supply and will focus on identifying emissions sources, methods used for quantifying emissions and existing data gaps. |
2/7/2012
REPORT LAUNCH: WATER MANAGEMENT CHALLANGES IN THE OIL AND NATURAL GAS INDUSTRY
| Israel's NewTech initiative at the Ministry of Indsutry, Trade and Labor, was established to advance innovative CleanTech technologies. In a collaborative effort with researchers from the Samuel Neaman Institute, at the Technion in Haifa, Israel, including Dr. Perry Lev-On and Dr. Miriam Lev-On, a series of technical background reports (in Hebrew) are being developed on water management challenges for selected inudstry sectors. The Israel Export Institute hosted the meeting to launch the first report in the series addressing challenges for the oil and natural gas industry. The report addresses existing challanges and potential technologies that could be used to address them for both offshore and onshore oil and gas exploration and production. |  Click to enlarge |
11/8/2011
ISRAEL MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AWARDS TO GHG REGISTRY REPORTERS
| The Israel greenhouse gas (GHG) registry program was launched jointly by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Energy & Environment Team of the Samuel Neaman Institute for National Policy Research at the Technion in Haifa, Israel. The team that includes Dr. Miriam Lev-On and Dr. Perry Lev-On has been instrumental in developing the reporting protocol and tools to facilitate emissions estimation and reproting. Twenty one companies reported their 2010 GHG emissions from operations in Israel as part of a 'pilot year'. The reported GHG emissions amount to about 60% of nationwide emissions, attributable mainly to fuel combustion for power, heat and process steam. On November 8, 2011 Mr. Gilad Erdan, the Minister of Environmental Protection (shown in the picture with Dr. Perry Lev-On) awarded recognition certificates to the reporting companies while empahsizing the importance of the program for the government, industy, acedmia and civil society. |  Click to enlarge |
7/6/2011
A&WMA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GREENHOUSE GAS STRATEGIES
| Dr. Miriam Lev-On was appointed as the technical co-chair of the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) international conference titled, "Greenhouse Gas Strategies in a Changing Climate". The conference will address regulation, mitigation, and adaptation, focusing on how the political climate might alter the way climate change is addressed at all levels. It will be held on November 16–17, 2011, at the Hyatt Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, California, USA. The conference will feature keynote addresses by top government officials and is designed to provide a forum for in-depth discussion among governmental regulators at all levels, academics, industry and civil society to address barriers, opportunities and best practices for policy development, technical implementation tools, climate impacts and adaptation. |  Click to enlarge |
11/11/2010
BAQ 2010 CONCLUDES IN SINGAPORE
| The BAQ Conference, organized biannually by the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia), convened in Singapore on 9-11 November 2010. Dr. Miriam Lev-On and Dr. Perry Lev-On were among some 600 delegates from 35 countries around the world that participated in the event whose theme was “Air Quality in a Changing Climate”. All the speakers touched on the link between air pollution and climate change, as air pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions come from similar sources and thus have overlapping solutions. The main conference was preceded by a number of 'pre-event workshops' including a collaobrative effort between CAI-Asia and the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) titled "Experiences in Developing and Implementing Stationary Source Emission Standards" (http://www.baq2010.org/node/713). This workshop was developed and co-facilitated by Dr. Miriam Lev-On in order to engage stakeholders to undertake a collaborative program to develop relevant emission standards to control stationary source emissions. |  Click to enlarge |
7/1/2010
ISRAEL GREENHOUSE GAS REGISTRY STARTING TO ACCEPT PARTICIPANTS
| A collaborative effort between the Samuel Neaman Institute and the Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection has launched a new voluntary greenhouse gas registry for Israel. The registry is designed to serve as the national platform for reporting direct greenhouse gas emissions from operations and indirect emissions from energy consumption. It allows companies and organizations to employ consistent methods that meet internationally accepted greenhouse gas accounting standards. The registry is based on the premise that joining is voluntary - no governmental mandate - but once organizations join they commit themselves to submit an annual report of their greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the Reporting Protocol and Operations Guidance provided. Companies that are interested in joining the registry can submit an 'Intent to Join' form that is available for download from the Ministry website (in Hebrew). |
4/28/2010
CADER CONFERENCE 2010: COMMUNITY ENERGY SYSTEMS
| CADER, or Communities for Advanced Distributed Energy Resources, is an organization that facilitates successful integration of clean, secure, reliable, and efficient distributed energy resources (DERs) in communities internationally. CADER's primary role is to provide education and raise awareness to support the market development of distributed energy resources. CADER's 2010 conference was held on April 28-29, 2010 at the Scripps Institute in La Jolla, California. The theme of the 2010 conference was the Global Rise of Community Energy Systems. At the conference, Dr. Perry Lev-On presented on behalf of the Samuel Neaman Institute (SNI) at the Technion, Haifa, Israel. Dr. Lev-On discussed "Emerging Community Energy Systems in Israel" and both he and Dr. Miriam Lev-On, the principals of The LEVON Group, LLC, participated in the panel to discuss measures to integrate the players in community energy systems. |
4/12/2010
EPA PROPOSES MANDATORY REPORTING FOR ADDITIONAL SECTORS
| On April 12 EPA published in the federal register proposed rules which amend the Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Rule initially promulgated on September 22, 2009. The subparts added include: Petroleum and Natural Gas Systems (Subpart W); Carbon Dioxide Injection and Geologic Sequestration (Subpart RR); Electronics Manufacturing (Subpart I); Fluorinated Gas Production (Subpart L); Imports and Exports of Equipment Pre-charged with Fluorinated GHGs or Containing Fluorinated GHGs in Closed-cell Foams (Subpart DD); Use of Electric Transmission and Distribution Equipment (Subpart OOa) Manufacture of Electric Transmission; and Distribution Equipment (Subpart SS). Two public hearings are scheduled the one on April 19 to address the first two subpart listed and the second one on April 20 to address all other subparts. |
3/21/2010
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS REGISTRY IN ISRAEL
| Israel is currently on the threshold of setting national goals for greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions and devising regulations and legislation that will grant Ministries the authority required for achieving these goals. The NEW national voluntary registry for reporting and registering GHG emissions will enable monitoring the progress towards reaching these goals. tHE processes and reporting methods for the Israeli registry were defined by a team lead by the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Samuel Neaman Institute at the Technion, in which Dr. Miriam Lev-On and Dr. Perry Lev-On of the LEVON Group, LLC, were senior researchers. The process was undertaken in cooperation with a large team of stakeholders, from governmental ministries, industry, academia, and the public sector. The goal of the team was to establish a registry protocol that would meet international norms and standards and provide guidance to Israeli reporting organizations. |  Click to enlarge |
10/30/2009
EPA MANDATORY GREENHOUSE GAS REPORTING RULE
| The final greenhouse gas (GHG) Mandatory Reporting Rule (MRR) was published today in the Federal Register. The rule will become effective on December 29, 2009 and data collection should start on January 1, 2010. Under this rule the GHGs that ought to be reported include: carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons (PFC), sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), and other fluorinated gases such as nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) and hydrofluorinated ethers (HFE). The rule sets an annual reporting obligation of GHG emissions from large sources/facilities; suppliers of fossil fuels or industrial gases; and manufacturers of vehicles and engines. The LEVON Group was actively involved throughout the rule development and public comment process. |
8/11/2009
HARMONIZING GREENHOUSE GAS ASSESSMENT AND REPORTING PROCESSES
| The Air & Waste Management Association is convening an international specialty conference on various facets of greenhouse gas (GHG) reporting and the importance of harmonizing GHG assessment and reporting methodologies. Dr. Miriam Lev-On of the LEVON Group, LLC, and Mr. Thomas Driscoll of the U.S. EPA are the technical co-chairs of the conference that will be held on 1-2 September 2009 at the inner harbor in Baltimore, Maryland. Participants will include key government regulators, and experts from industry, academia and non-governmental organizations to discuss the convergency of mandatory and voluntary GHG reporting and the role of robust data in the development of climate change strategies and action plans. Advance registration has been extended to Monday, August 17, 2009. |
2/19/2009
EILAT-EILOT INTERNATIONAL RENEWABLE ENERGY CONFERENCE ATTRACTS 1000 DELEGATES TO RED SEA RESORT
| The Eilat International renewable energy conference attracted over 1000 delegates - amongst them Drs. Miriam and Perry Lev-On - over a three day period from 17-19 February 2009. The confernce offered a platform for leaders of industry, academia, government, and finance to share information and take actions towards a post fossil fuel economy. This conference is part of an ambitious program in the southern Israel Arava desert, to attain 100% of the regional energy from renewable sources within a decade. The collaborative study performed by the Samuel Neaman Institute (at the Technion) and The LEVON Group, which was sponsored by GM Foundation, Israel, was featured in the conference to highlight the opportunities for Israel to develop and use waste-based cellulosic bioethanol in the national transportation sector. |  Click to enlarge |
11/14/2008
BAQ 2008 CONCLUDES IN BANGKOK, THAILAND
| The Better Air Quality (BAQ) 2008 conference was held at the Imperial Queen's Park Hotel in Bangkok on 12-14 November 2008. The first BAQ conference was convened in 2001 in Hong Kong to bring together policy makers, adcademia and industry stakeholders to discuss how to improve air quality management in Asian cities. Drs. Miriam and Perry Lev-On were amongst over 900 delegates that attended the conference. Dr. Miriam Lev-On, in her capacity as the chair of the International Affairs Committee of the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA), has organized an event titled "Training Needs on Air Quality Management in Asia". This event is part of A&WMA collaboration with the Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia) and will assist in planning other training events in 2009 to meet the needs of the local country networks. |  Click to enlarge |
5/18/2008
MANDATORY REPORTING OF GHG IN CALIFORNIA - FINAL RULE
| The Draft Regulation for mandatory reporting of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in California was originally approved by the Air Resources Board (ARB) on December 6, 2007. Today ARB Staff has released for a final 15-days public review and comments the revised regulatory language, reflecting previously received public comments. The comment period ends on June 6, 2008, and ARB has scheduled a series of workshops in June and July to clarify the final rulemaking and the compliance obligations for the industry sectors, including: power genertion, co-generation, refining, hydrogen production, cement, oil & gas, and large stationary combustors. |
4/17/2008
SPE 9th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON HSE IN NICE, FRANCE
| The Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) has convened the International Conference on Health, Safety & Environment (HSE) highlighting HSE best practices and challenges for Oil & Gas industry. The conference theme this year was “In Search of Sustainable Excellence”. Dr. Mriam Lev-On was among over 600 delegates to the conference and presented a paper on "Uncertainty and Accuracy of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimation for Oil & Natural Gas Operations" (SPE # 111827). |  Click to enlarge |
3/6/2008
WIREC 2008 CONCLUDES IN WASHINGTON DC
| The Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC) was held on 4-6 March 2008 in Washington DC. It was hosted by the U.S. Government in cooperation with the American Counil on Renewable Energy (ACORE). It brought together government, civil society and private business leaders to address the benefits and costs of a major and rapid scale-up in the global deployment of renewable energy technology. Dr. Perry Lev-On and Dr. Ofira Ayalon were part of the ministerial conference representing the Samuel Neaman Institue (SNI) of the Technion in Haifa, Israel. SNI is the Israeli affiliate of the Global Energy Network (GEN) and the convener of the SNI Energy Forum. |  Click to enlarge |
3/4/2008
A&WMA CONFERENCE: THE CLIMATE CHANGE POLICY PUZZLE
| The Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) will be hosting a major climate change policy symposium on April 2-3, 2008, in Crystal City, Virginia. The keynote speaker, Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-Connecticut), will be discussing his efforts to lead the U.S. to meaningful climate change policy. The conference will also feature top executives from key industry sectors, U.S. EPA office directors and state government officials. The symposium will feature interactive panels designed to allow ample opportunities for discussion on U.S. policy developments. The advance registration deadline for the conference is March 17, 2008. |
2/14/2008
ISRAEL WORKSHOP ON ESTABLISHING A VOLUNTARY GREENHOUSE GAS REGISTRY
| The Israeli Ministry of the Environment in collaboration with the German and Mexican Federal Environmental Ministries, convened an international workshop to address the process for establishing a Voluntary National Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Registry in Israel. The workshop was attended by over 100 participants representing industry, academia, governmental ministries and non-governmental organizations and focused on sharing information and global experiences. Dr. Miriam Lev-On of The LEVON Group, LLC, was one of the featured speakers focusing on lessons learned from the California Climate Action Registry. |  Click to enlarge |
11/2/2007
WATEC ISRAEL 2007
| Visitors from over 100 countries attended Israel's WATEC 2007 international conference and exhibition that took place at the Israel Trade Fairs & Convention Center, Tel-Aviv, Israel from October 31st to November 1st, 2007. The conference and exhibition highlighted Israeli water technologies such as management of water resources, water desalination, envrionmental control, as well as emerging renewable energy technologoes. The LEVON Group, LLC has worked with the Israel Export Institute and the Israeli Economic Mission in Los Angeles, California, in promoting WATEC 2007 in the Western U.S. as well as in Australia. Both LEVON Group principles were among the conference delegates. |  Click to enlarge |
5/2/2007
UNITED NATIONS EVENT SHOWCASING ISRAEL SUSTAINABLE ENERGY AT CSD-15
| The 15th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) convenes at the United Nations headquarters in New York City on 30 April to 11 May, 2007. The discussions center on: sustainable energy; industrial development; air pollution and atmosphere; and climate change. Dr. Perry Lev-On was among the participants at one of the featured side event that showcased Israel sustainable energy technologies, especially the use of solar thermal technologies in which Israel is the global leader (on a per capita basis). Dr. Lev-On emphasized the breadth of academic and tehcnology research in Israel highlighting the role of the Samuel Neaman Institute for Advanced Studies in Science and Technology as the convener of the Israel Energy forum and an affiliate of the Global Energy Network (GEN). The institute which is based in the Technion in Haifa, Israel, is promoting colalborative approaches to accelarate the introduction of alternative and renewable energy technologies and innovative implementation strategies. |  Click to enlarge |
1/24/2007
THE ISRAEL ENERGY FORUM ADDRESSES TRENDS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOLAR THERMAL TECHNOLOGIES
| The Israel Energy Forum convened its first quarterly meeting of 2007 to address Solar Thermal Energy. The participants were engaged in a wide ranging discussion on available technologies, research needs, oppportunities and barriers to market penetration. Dr. Perry Lev-On presented a short overview titled "Trends in the Solar Thermal Energy Markets in the USA and the EU". The Forum formulated a set of recommendations for policy measures that are needed to incentivize projects for solar thermal energies with special focus on industrial processing applications that could reduce fossil fuel usage. |
12/15/2006
BAQ 2006 CONCLUDES IN YOGYAKAETA, INDONESIA
| The Clean Air Initiative for Asian Cities (CAI-Asia) organized an international conference to promote Better Air Quality (BAQ) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The conference, convened over a three days period with two days of pre-events and a governmental meeting preceding it. The conference drew over 900 participants from governments, civil society, regulatory agencies, industry and academia to discuss the state of air quality in Asia and means to improve it. Drs. Miriam & Perry Lev-On, the principals of The LEVON Group, LLC, were among the participants, representing the US based Air & Waste Management Association (AWMA) that was one of the sponsoring organizations. |  Click to enlarge |
11/21/2006
CALIFORNIA STATE AGENCIES ARE RAMPING UP THEIR ACTIVITIES TO IMPLEMENT AB32
| With the enactment of AB32 the California Air Resources Board is gearing up for implementing two immediate tasks. The one is the establishment of a 1990 GHG emissions baseline that will set the emission levels to be achieved in California by 2020. The other is to set up regulations for mandatory reporting and verification of GHG emissions by major industrial and commercial sectors. A series of workshops is anticipated to initiate public discussion on these topics. |
| The Israel Energy Forum was established by The Samuel Neaman Institute for Advanced Studies and Technology at the Technion in Haifa, Israel in 2005. Its goal is to help accelarate the introduction of renewable energy technologies into the Israeli economy. The Samuel Neaman Institute that became an affiliate of the U.S. DOE led Global Energy Network under the facilitation of The LEVON Group, LLC, convenes the Israel Energy Forum on a quarterly basis to discuss technology clusters and relevant policies. The meetings in 2006 were so far devoted to electricity generation from Solar-PV; combined heat and power (CHP) co-generation systems; and Waste-to-Energy technologies. |
9/27/2006
GOVERNER SCHWARZENEGGER SIGNS THE CALIFORNIA GLOBAL WARMING SOLUTIONS ACT OF 2006
| Governor Schwarzenegger signed into law AB32 - California's landmark bill that establishes a first-in-the-world comprehensive program of regulatory and market mechanisms to achieve real, quantifiable, cost-effective reductions of greenhouse gases. AB32 requires the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to develop regulations and market mechanisms that will ultimately reduce California's greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by the year 2020. Mandatory caps will begin in 2012 for significant sources and ratchet down to meet the 2020 goals. |
7/27/2006
NEW DRAFT GHG REPORTING FORM PUBLISHED TODAY BY EIA
| The Energy Information Administration (EIA) posted in today's Federal Register a 60 days request for public comments (http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/E6-12039[1].pdf). The request seeks information and feedback on the revised EIA-1605 Forms and accompanying instructions for the Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases to the US DOE administered national GHG registry. The forms reflect the revisions to the 1605b reporting program as finalized on April 21, 2006 (10 CFR 300, Guidelines for the Voluntary Greenhouse Gas Reporting). The EIA has also developed a Simplified Emissions Inventory Tool (SEIT) that can be used to determine deMinimis emissions and minor source status. Comments on the Revised Form, Instructions and SEIT Tool could be submitted to EIA by September 25, 2006. |
6/23/2006
SMART-LDAR SYMPOSIUM CONCLUDES AT A&WMA ANNUAL MEETING
| Dr. Miriam Lev-On was one of two dozen authors that presented a total of 25 technical papers on various aspects of adopting an alternative work practice for refineries Leak Detection and Repair (LDAR) programs. This mini-symposium was a special feature of the A&WMA Annnual Conference and Exhibition that concluded in New Orleans today. At this symposium the US EPA presented the alternative work practice regulation that will enable the use of optical gas imaging technologies for leak monitoring. Refiners along with technology vendors discussed testing and field experience gathered while utilizing this emerging technology. |  Click to enlarge |
4/21/2006
US DOE GUIDELINES FOR VOLUNTARY GREENHOUSE GAS REPORTING - FINAL RULE PUBLISHED
| The US Department of Energy (US DOE) has published in today's Federal Register the Final Rule revising the existing guidance under Section 1605(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992. This final rule contains the revised General Reporting Guidelines and announces the availability of revised final Technical Reporting Guidelines. This represents the culmination of a multi-year collaborative effort of several governmental departments in conjunction with a broad range of stakeholers (including Dr. Miriam Lev-On of The LEVON Group) that have participated in providing input, reviewing and commnenting on Draft Guidelines throughout the development process. Both the final General Guidelines and Technical Guidelines (incorportated by reference) will be effective June 1, 2006. Starting in 2007 these will be the governing guidelines for voluntary reporting of entity greenhouse gas emissions and registering greenhouse gas emission reductions for a variety of Projects. The Energy Information Administration that manages this national registry will issue - by the end of 2006 - new reporting forms and applicable software for electronic reporting. |
4/6/2006
US EPA PROPOSES RULE ON ALTERNATIVE WORK PRACTICE TO DETECT LEAKS FROM PROCESS EQUIPMENT
| A work practice that is based on a monitoring technique that uses 25-year-old technology underpins numerous US EPA Air Pollution Standards for process equipment leak detection and repair (LDAR). A large collaborative effort of the US EPA, US DOE, several technology vendors, industry trade associations (involving The LEVON Group) took place over the past 5-years to test new optical gas imaging technologies and demonstrate that they could provide equal, or better, environmental protection than the one currently practiced. The rule issued by the US EPA today proposes a voluntary alternative work practice (AWP) for finding leaking equipment using optical gas imaging. The US EPA is soliciting public comments by June 5, 2006 and will finalize the rule later in 2006 based on the comments received. |
| Advance registration deadline for the Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) specialty conference on Climate Change is February 26, 2006. The conference will be held in San Francisco, California, on March 7-9, 2006, and will focus on the linkages between clean energy technologies, greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Dr. Miriam Lev-On, Chair of A&WMA technical committee on Global Sustainable Developmenthas is the Technical Conference Chair. Under her leadership the conference steering committee has shaped a program that blends technical papers with panels dealing with policies and implementation strategies and which provides ample time for dialogue among the participants. |
| The LEVON Group, serving as the point of contact for coordination and communication, initiated contact and facilitated the signing of an agreement between the Global Energy Network (GEN) and the S. Neaman Institute - Israel Energy Forum. GEN is an international affiliation of organizations collaborating to develop and disseminate resources for energy and resource-smart community development and management. The Gas Technology Institute (GTI) administers GEN on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the U.S. Clean Energy Initiative. Affiliates of GEN commit to sharing information, case studies, best practices and lessons learned to improve each other’s effectiveness in carrying out this joint mission. The Memorandum of Agreement signed today establishes the S. Neaman Institute – Israel Energy Forum as an affiliate of GEN, serving communities in Israel. The S. Neaman Institute is an independent, interdisciplinary public-policy research institute, located at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. |  Click to enlarge |
8/8/2005
PRESIDENT BUSH SIGNS INTO LAW THE NATIONAL ENERGY PLAN
| Today, President Bush signed into law the new National Energy Act. The national energy plan will encourage energy efficiency and conservation, promote alternative and renewable energy sources, reduce the US dependence on foreign sources of energy, increase domestic production, modernize the electricity grid, and encourage the expansion of nuclear energy. The Energy Plan promotes investments in energy conservation and efficiency by supporting new energy efficient technologies, and increasing spending on energy efficiency research & development. |
6/24/2005
7TH INTERNATIONAL URBAN AIR QUALITY FORUM CONCLUDES IN MINNEAPOLIS
| The International Urban Air Quality Forum that addressed the “Impact of Fuel Choices on the Environment in Developing Countries” has concluded today. The Forum was convened for the seventh straight year, in conjunction with the Air & Waste Management Association’s Annual Conference & Exhibition. Expert panelists addressed topics such as barriers to multi-stakeholder engagement in public policy discussions; the role of fuel choices on transportation and mobility related concerns; and considerations of energy sources for industrial, commercial, and residential sectors. The Forum was led by Dr. Miriam Lev-On, co-founder and executive director of The LEVON Group,LLC. In addition, Dr. Alan Lloyd, Secretary of the California EPA, was the guest lunch speaker for the Friday luncheon. |  Click to enlarge |
5/30/2005
2005 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF THE ISEEQS, Weizmann Institute, Rehovot, Israel
| Mr. Perry Lev-On was among over 300 participatns at this international conference. As part of the session on Environmental Dispute Resolution, he presented a paper titled: "Facilitated Processes for Avoiding and Resolving Environmental Conflicts: U.S. Experiences". The paper focused on facilitated processes that employ a variety of instruments designed to provide an opportunity for all affected parties to share their comments, ask questions and exchange information. The emergence of these consultative processes in the U.S. were discussed within the context of attempts to lessen litigation and reach consensus by facilitating communication among diverse interest groups. These processes allow each interest group to hear others' perspectives, alleviate their concerns and resolve conflicts. |
4/29/2005
U.S. PARTNERSHIP FOR THE DECADE OF EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (USPDESD)
| The U.S. Partnership for the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, in which The LEVON Group, LLC, is a partner, has launched a new and enhanced website providing details about its activities. The USPDESD is dedicated to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014). It aims to leverage the UN Decade to foster education for sustainable development in the United States. |
4/21/2005
7th INTERNATIONAL URBAN AIR QUALITY FORUM, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| Dr. Miriam Lev-On will be the moderator of the 7th International Urban Air Quality Forum in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Forum will take place on June 23-24, 2005, in conjunction with the Annual Conference and Exhibition of the Air & Waste Management Association. The theme for this year's forum will focus on strategic fuel choices and their impact on the environment in developing countries. |
4/11/2005
SAE 2005 WORLD CONGRESS, Detroit, Michigan
| Dr. Miriam Lev-On moderated a panel at the session on the Evolution of Automotive Standards and Regualtions. The panel focused on a new paradigm of multistakeholder partnerships for implementing environemtnal strategies. The panel participants included the UN Environment Programme, the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and the American Petroleum Institute. The panelists used the experiences gained with the global Partnership for Clean Fuels & Vehicles to highlight progress made along with issues, barriers and opportunities for such a collaborative model. |
3/4/2005
PRESIDENT BUSH NOMINATES STEVE JOHNSON AS EPA ADMINISTRATOR, Washington, DC, USA
| President Bush announced his nomination of Stephen Johnson to be the new administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Steve is currently the Acting Administrator and he has 24 years of experience at the Agency. When confirmed by the senate, Steve will become the first professional scientist to head the US EPA. |
12/6/2004
CLEAN AIR INITIATIVE FOR ASIAN CITIES: BAQ 2004, Agra, India
| Dr. Miriam Lev-On was among 650 scientists and policy makers from over 30 countries that attended the gathering to discuss air quality management in Asia. The 3-day conference concluded with commitments from 11 countries to take specific steps to improve their air quality. |  Click to enlarge |
12/2/2004
PARTNERSHIP FOR CLEAN FUELS AND VEHICLES (PCFV): 3rd Global Partnership Meeting, New Delhi, India
| Dr. Miriam Lev-On participated in the 3rd global PCFV meeting that was hosted by the Society of Indian Automotive Manufacturers in New Delhi, India. The meeting focused on reviewing 2004 accomplishments and discussing the 2005 work plan. |  Click to enlarge |
9/29/2004
3rd API CONFERENCE ON VOLUNTARY ACTIONS, Arlington, Virginia, USA
| Dr. Miriam Lev-On was one of the invited speakers at the 3rd API Conference on Voluntary Climate Change Actions by the Oil and Gas Industry. She discussed the industry response to the myriad of greenhouse gas emissions estimation protocols and registries. |
| The LEVON Group helped the Neaman Institute at the Israel Technion to organize a workshop on vehicle emission reductions. Dr. Miriam Lev-On addressed the audience in the opening plenary on “Current Global Trends in Clean Transportation Fuels”. The workshop brought together technology and policy experts from academia, government and industry to discus strategies for reducing vehicular emissions. Round table discussions were conducted on topics of improved penetration of clean transportation fuels, options for retrofitting the existing vehicle fleet and transportation management strategies. |  Click to enlarge |
2/4/2004
MOCK TRIAL: 55TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ISRAELI KNESSET, Jerusalem, Israel
| A Mock Trial titled “Future Generations Accuse Past and Present Generations” was convened at the Israeli parliament (Knesset) as part of the “Knesset Thinks of the Future” week. The issues of contention were whether decision makers have done enough to protect Israel’s and the World’s natural resources and whether they have advanced Sustainable Development issues for the benefit of Future Generations. Parliament members, accompanied by their children, represented the Prosecution and the Defense and the panel of distinguished judges included members of Parliament, the Commissioner for Future Generations and Dr. Miriam Lev-On. |  Click to enlarge |
| Dr. Miriam Lev-On participated in the 2nd global meeting of the PCFV that took place at The Netherlands Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment in The Hague. The meeting established governance rules; received updates from the Global Working Groups on Sulfur, Valve Seat Recession, and Octane; and reviewed regional progress in the phase out of leaded gasoline. |
| The Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles (PCFV) was launched at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in September 2002 to reduce vehicular air pollution in developing countries through the promotion of clean fuels and vehicles.The LEVON Group, an associate member of the PCFV, convened, on behalf of the UNEP Clearinghouse an ad-hoc meeting focusing on Western Hemisphere partners and issues. The meeting was designed to begin to map out a strategy for next steps in the region. |
12/16/2002
ISRAELI SOCIETY FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES AND ECOLOGY: CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| The LEVON Group participated in the meeting and briefed the participants on the key outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) that concluded in Johannesburg, South Africa in early September 2002. The presentation by Miriam Lev-On and Perry Lev-On emphasized the opportunities for Israel and Israeli industry to participate in collaborative partnerships that are being formed to further promote Sustainable Development. |  Click to enlarge |
8/24/2002
IMPLEMENTATION CONFERENCE:STAKEHOLDERS ACTION FOR OUR COMMON FUTURE
| An Implementation Conference was convened in Johannesburg just days prior to the official start of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). Some four hundred stakeholders from over 50 different countries worked in 25 working groups, supported by 25 facilitators from around the globe (including Perry Lev-On). After three days of intense multistakeholders discussions and structured activities, fourteen draft agreements have been prepared and presented at the WSSD and included new action plans, programs and collaborative partnerships aimed at advancing Sustainable Development. |  Click to enlarge |
5/27/2002
4TH WORLD SUMMIT PREPARATORY MEETING, Bali, Indonesia
| Miriam Lev-On and Perry Lev-On were part of the Business and Industry delegation to the 4th preparatory meeting for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). Dr. Miriam Lev-On participated in the multistakeholders dialogue with governmental delegates discussing the role of business and industry in Sustainable Development. |  Click to enlarge |
4/28/2002
HEALTH EFFECTS INSTITUTE ANNUAL CONFERENCE, Seattle, Washington, USA
| The LEVON Group created and presented a poster on the results of a field program that was designed to evaluate ultra-low sulfur diesel fuels and passive diesel particle filters (DPF) in several truck and bus fleets operating in Southern California. The results presented provided vehicle emissions profiles and demonstrated the reductions observed in particulate matter mass and particle-bound compounds for the vehicles equipped with diesel particulate filters and contrasted them with comparable emissions from natural gas fueled vehicles. |  Click to enlarge |