Astec Industries, Inc. (ASTE) recently acquired Industrial Mechanical & Integration (IMI), a wood pellet machine manufacturing company based in Canada. The company did not disclose the financial terms of the acquisition.  IMI has a unique technology, which it has been testing for two years. It is now making the first group of production machines. President of IMI and key employees have agreed to remain with the company to further develop and promote this new technology.  Already with some of its business units making components required by the wood pellet industry, Astec has further strengthened its position as a turnkey supplier to this market. Astec said that with this acquisition it can provide a one-stop solution to those customers who want a pellet plant that can process material from round wood to the finished product.  The company pointed out that conventional pellet production machines do not ...

Sep. 10, 2009 (Business Wire) — GWS Technologies, Inc. (OTCBB:GWSC), an alternative energy company developing and marketing solar and wind-powered renewable energy products and solutions, today commented on the September 2, 2009 ruling by the Maricopa County Superior Court affirming that the Arizona Corporation Commission has the authority to set renewable energy standards and allow utilities to collect tariffs to meet them.

The Court ruled that the Commission has the authority to set the standards as part of its ratemaking and policy authority granted by the state’s constitution. The Commission instituted the standards in 2006 requiring all utilities that it oversees to provide 15 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2025. In order to do that, many of the utilities raised funds through special tariffs associated with renewable energy.

“This ruling is widely seen as a big win for Arizona’s solar industry and will provide incentives to promote

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