Puna Geothermal fined for air violations

Puna Geothermal fined for air violations

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it has reached a settlement with Puna Geothermal Venture regarding Clean Air Act violations by the company.

The EPA says the company has agreed to pay a $76,500 fine and has complied with rules to minimize accidental chemical releases.

The agency says it inspected the Big Island facility in August 2013 after Puna Geothermal accidentally released hydrogen sulfide into the atmosphere earlier that year.

The inspection found the company failed to test and inspect its equipment in line with manufacturer recommendations, good engineering practices and prior operating experience.

Puna Geothermal is owned by Ormat Technologies of Reno, Nev. It sells power to Hawaii Electric Light Co.

Ormat Technologies didn’t immediately return a phone message seeking comment.

Starbucks expects China to be top market

NEW YORK >> Starbucks said it expects China to eventually overtake the U.S. as the coffee chain’s largest market.

The Seattle company said it is on track to open 500 stores in China this year. It expects to have 3,400 stores in China by 2019.

Starbucks currently has 2,000 stores in China, making it the company’s second-largest market after the U.S. The company has more than 12,000 stores in the U.S. that it either operates or licenses to others.

U.S. job openings rose in November

WASHINGTON >> U.S. employers advertised slightly more jobs in November as overall hiring edged up and more Americans quit their jobs in signs of a healthier environment for workers.

The Labor Department said Tuesday that the number of job postings rose 1.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted 5.4 million. That figure has slipped after peaking at a record 5.7 million in July but stands 11 percent higher than a year ago.

MetLife weighs life insurance unit spinoff

NEW YORK >> MetLife says it plans to carve off its U.S. life insurance business via a sale, spinoff or an initial public offering as the parent company challenges harsher regulatory oversight.

The New York company said the potential stand-alone business would have about $240 billion in total assets and represent about 20 percent of its operating earnings. MetLife Inc. would keep its property-casualty and other businesses under the proposed plan.

MetLife has been challenging its designation as a “systemically important” entity that’s deemed “too big to fail,” and therefore subject to greater government oversight and, MetLife says, exorbitant costs.

PC sales fall for fourth consecutive year

SAN FRANCISCO >> The PC industry had another down year in 2015 as global shipments fell for the fourth consecutive year despite new models and the release of Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system.

Even holiday sales had a limited impact on shipments during the final months of 2015. Analysts at the Gartner research firm estimate manufacturers shipped 288.7 million personal computers in 2015, down 8 percent from 2014.

Gartner says Apple was the only major computer maker to see an increase in global shipments last year, while Lenovo, HP, Dell and Asus all saw declines.

On the Move

CHART Rehabilitation of Hawaii has promoted Norman T. Kawakami to president from executive vice president of CHART’s outpatient physical rehabilitation clinics on Oahu. Kawakami previously served five years as executive vice president of CHART and also was a senior vice president of Easter Seals Hawaii.

PBS Hawaii has hired Tina Yamaki as its new director of business support. She has more than 20 years’ experience in the business industry, including time as executive director of Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Association. She also worked at a nonprofit serving at-risk youth.