Year: 2022

Airgas, an Air Liquide company, is purchasing wind power for an Air Separation Unit (ASU) in Cleburne, Texas, outside of Dallas, making it the first Airgas primary production unit to be powered with an energy mix that includes locally sourced renewable energy. The ASU produces liquid argon, nitrogen and oxygen and will run on wind power mixed with other energy sources, cutting the overall carbon footprint by an estimated 15,840 metric tons per year. This is equivalent to the CO2 emissions associated with the electricity used by approximately 3,000 U.S. homes every year.   Airgas began receiving wind power at the…

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FMCSA to Proceed with Speed Limiter Rulemaking.  The Federal Motor Carrier Safety administration has announced its intent to proceed with a rulemaking to require speed limiting devices on commercial motor vehicles over 26,000 pounds GVW (or CVW weight rating, whichever is greater).  The agency intends to issue a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking to follow up on a joint proposed rule that is published with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2016. Speed limiters would be required on all vehicles that are equipped with an electronic engine control unit (ECU) capable of governing the maximum speed be required to…

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FMCSA Chief Safety Officer Sets Out Agency Agenda, Priorities.  Jack Van Steenburg, Chief Safety Officer for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, set out the agency’s agenda and priorities in a presentation at a recent trucking industry meeting.  He started by noting that there were 38,824 highway fatalities recorded in 2020, including 5,125 fatalities involving heavy trucks and buses.  Both of these numbers are expected to increase when the 2021 numbers are final. In addition, some 831 large truck occupants were killed in crashes in 2020, and 43% of them were not wearing seat belts. Van Steenburg noted that the…

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Airgas, an Air Liquide company, continues to expand its High School Welding Education Initiative. For the 2022 academic year, 20 returning schools and 16 new schools will be participating. These programs were chosen based on four key factors: high unmet need at the school; a productive welding program with the potential to graduate job-ready welders; passionate teachers; and enthusiastic local Airgas champions. Since the start of the high school welding program in 2012 with a pilot program in Philadelphia followed by a national expansion in 2018, Airgas has assisted 70 total schools, 2,700 students and more than 350 teachers. Participating programs receive…

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