Tetra Tech has been awarded two contracts to support the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its efforts to reduce emissions of methane, a potent greenhouse gas and potential source of clean energy. [ + ]

Online mass spectrometry specialist Ionicon Analytik and environmental monitoring instruments and services company Ecotech are teaming up in Australia and New Zealand. [ + ]

A grant worth almost $300,000 from Commercialisation Australia is set to help a South Australian company to commercialise an innovative technology to inform crop irrigation scheduling. The technology responds to the need for farmers to have sophisticated measurement tools to help them optimise their total water usage. [ + ]

New grants from the $1 billion Clean Technology Investment Programs will help four Western Australian-based manufacturers become more efficient and reduce their power bills. [ + ]

Energy prices will be higher and investment will be lost without continued binding targets, policy stability and bipartisan support for clean energy, according to new Clean Energy Council Chief Executive David Green. [ + ]

Having a smaller board that meets more frequently is just one of a number of governance changes made to the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA) to ensure its ongoing strength and influence. [ + ]

The impact of climate change on the quality of water and the ecosystems that depend on it is the focus of a collaborative research project led by the University of Canberra. [ + ]

The International RiverFoundation has announced the finalists for the 2012 Australian Riverprize. This year’s finalists represent a diverse group of river restoration and river protection projects from across Australia. [ + ]

Wurrumiyanga residents on Bathurst Island now have a secure water supply, with the opening of a new water production and storage project last week. The Australian Government is providing $2.7 million in funding for this project - one of eight in the Northern Territory receiving a total of $20.25 million under the National Water Security Plan for Cities and Towns. [ + ]

Adding nutrients to belts of mallee trees integrated into paddocks with pasture or crops can significantly increase mallee growth, according to the latest research from the Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre’s Woody Crops Program. [ + ]

On the back of its growing water business, Hyder Consulting has appointed two new Associate Business Directors for its water team - Colin Carr and Damien Abbott. [ + ]

Last week, the Clean Energy Council honoured three outstanding contributions to Australia’s clean energy industry at a gala dinner in Sydney. The Clean Energy Council Industry Awards, now in their second year, were awarded in three categories for Business Community Engagement, Innovation and Media. [ + ]

Following a tender process, the City of Sydney has selected Solgen Energy to undertake a $6 million project to fit solar photovoltaic (PV) panels to more than 30 sites over the next two years to generate 12.5% of the electricity needs of all city properties. [ + ]

Australia’s east coast urban planners and state governments need to hold their nerve on using major seawater desalination plants for effective drought‐proofing and not give in to short-term politics and vocal minorities. That’s the opinion of National Centre of Excellence in Desalination CEO Neil Palmer. [ + ]

New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is opening two funding rounds this month to promote sustainable resource use in the primary industries. MPI’s Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF) provides co-funding for small to medium-scale innovation projects. [ + ]