Roundup: Power companies suspend appliance recycling program; Celery blend used by Costco tests positive for E. Coli; more
Power companies suspend appliance recycling program after vendor's bankruptcy
West Penn Power and Duquesne Light are among utilities nationwide that have suspended their customer appliance recycling programs after the vendor that managed the programs filed for bankruptcy protection.
Mill Creek, Wash.-based Jaco Environmental Inc. ceased operations Monday and was placed in receivership Nov. 18, according to a recorded message on the company's phone line.
Five of Akron-based FirstEnergy Corp.'s 10 subsidiaries, including West Penn Power, used Jaco for the recycling program. Jaco picked up customers' appliances and paid them $50 for each working refrigerator or freezer, and $25 for a working window air conditioner.
“We paid them to administer the program. ... They were cutting the checks,” West Penn Power spokesman Todd Meyers said.
Customers of FirstEnergy utilities who are holding checks from Jaco should not cash them because they might incur bank fees if the funds are unavailable, West Penn Power spokesman Todd Meyers said. FirstEnergy will replace those checks, he said. FirstEnergy is trying to find another vendor for the program, Meyers said.
Downtown-based Duquesne Light could not be reached for comment.
One of the largest appliance recyclers in the nation, Jaco provided services to utilities in 28 states and recycled more than 400,000 units annually, according to its website.
Celery blend used by Costco tests positive for E. coli
A blend of diced celery and onions used to make Costco Wholesale Corp. rotisserie chicken salad is the likely cause of an E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 19 people in seven states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health officials in Montana tested a sample of the celery-and-onion blend from a Costco store in that state and found E. coli, CDC said in a statement Friday. As a result of the test, Tracy, Calif.-based Taylor Farms Pacific Inc. has recalled multiple products containing celery, the agency said.
The Costco E. coli outbreak has sent five people to the hospital, including two who have developed a type of kidney failure known as hemolytic uremic syndrome, according to the CDC.
American to keep Tokyo route as regulators reject Delta claim
American Airlines Group Inc. will keep the right to fly between Los Angeles and Tokyo's Haneda airport, after federal regulators rejected claims by Delta Air Lines Inc. that the privilege should be revoked because American failed to begin service quickly enough.
American has until March 27 to begin the flights to Haneda airport, the U.S. Transportation Department ruled. The carrier said this month that it would begin daily service starting Feb. 11, after securing favorable arrival and departure times from Japanese officials.
The U.S. decision was the latest development in an almost yearlong spat between the carriers for one of only four existing routes between the United States and Haneda, which many business travelers prefer over Tokyo's Narita International Airport because it is closer to the Japanese capital.
Halliburton again seeks EU OK for Baker Hughes buyout
Halliburton Co. sought European Union approval a second time for its planned takeover of Baker Hughes Inc., four months after regulators rejected an earlier filing about the bid to combine the world's No. 2 and No. 3 providers of oil services.
The European Commission set an initial deadline of Jan. 12 to rule on the transaction that's been dogged with regulatory delays since it was agreed on last year. The EU could still opt to open an in-depth probe lasting about four months if any remedies fail to allay competition concerns.
The EU on July 31 rejected the previous filing, saying it lacked key details about the deal.
