Oil Spill
Ex-BP worker claims in whistleblower lawsuit he was axed for airing
concerns about oil cleanup
By Associated Press, Published: January 25
NEW ORLEANS — A former BP employee has filed a whistleblower lawsuit
against the company, claiming he was fired for airing concerns about the
cleanup of Mississippi's shoreline after the Gulf oil spill.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/ex-bp-worker-claims-in-whistleblower-lawsuit-he-was-axed-for-airing-concerns-about-oil-cleanup/2012/01/25/gIQAL6RaQQ_print.html
Scientists were asked to downplay Deepwater Horizon spill rates
LA Times
By Bettina Boxall
2:22 PM PST, January 25, 2012
Estimates of the amount of oil spewing from BP's blown-out deep-sea well
were an ongoing subject of debate and controversy during the Deepwater
Horizon disaster, which wound up on the record books as the nation's
largest offshore oil spill.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/environment/la-me-gs-scientists-asked-downplay-deepwater-horizon-spill-20120125,0,2061380.story?track=rss&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=142902
State News
Audubon Society makes bold move into downtown Moss Point
Editorial – Sun Herald
Downtown Moss Point will soon boast an attraction that will enhance its
reputation as "The River City." The Audubon Society has broken ground on a
$2 million facility on 10 acres in the heart of downtown. The center is
expected to become a gateway to the Singing River ecosystem.
The Pascagoula River Audubon Center, which has occupied a temporary site
north of Interstate for the last six years, will now be located along
Rhodes Bayou, near where the Escatawpa River meets the Pascagoula River.
At ceremonies last week, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Director Trudy Fisher said she hopes the Pascagoula, preserved so well for
400 years, will remain unspoiled for "our children and grandchildren."
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/01/25/v-print/3710601/audubon-society-makes-bold-move.html
Study: Drilling could hurt tourism
Sun Herald
By NICOLE DOW
GULFPORT -- Stakeholders concerned about the economic and environmental
impact of gas and oil drilling in state waters met at Ship Island
Excursions in Gulfport on Wednesday to discuss their thoughts and a study
they commissioned.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/01/25/v-print/3711115/study-drilling-could-hurt-tourism.html
Critics say offshore oil and gas activity threatens tourism, economy on
Mississippi Gulf Coast
Published: Thursday, January 26, 2012, 6:09 AM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
GULFPORT, Mississippi -- A proposal to open up areas of Mississippi's
offshore waters for energy production came under fire Wednesday from
environmental organizations and the owner of Ship Island Excursions.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/01/critics_say_offshore_oil_and_g.html
Controlled burns to begin soon
Clarion Ledger
Residents and passersby may see some smoke in the air beginning this month
when the U.S. Forest Service starts its prescribed fire season to prevent
wildfires and promote a healthy forest for plants and animals.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120126/NEWS/201260337/Controlled-burns-begin-soon
George County Supervisors approve digital mapping service contract
Published: Thursday, January 26, 2012, 6:55 AM
By Beverly Tuskan -- The Mississippi Press
LUCEDALE, Mississippi -- The George County Board of Supervisors approved a
contract for its part of a six-county aerial photography project during the
supervisor's recessed meeting on Wednesday.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/01/george_county_supervisors_appr.html
Dirt pit plans raise residents' concerns
Rankin Ledger
By Dustin Barnes
A request to create a dirt pit off of Andrew Chapel Road has some county
residents upset over what they believe would be problems created by the
traffic and work conducted at the site.
http://www.rankinledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120124/NEWS/201240311/-1/NEWS01/Dirt
+pit+plans+raise+residents++concerns
Aldermen hit reset button on Memphis Stone plans
Panolian
By John Howell Sr.
Batesville aldermen voted unanimously January 17 to dismiss a variance
request to allow gravel mining within city limits.
http://www.panolian.com/v2/content.aspx?module=ContentItem&ID=232019&MemberID=1180
More than 34 tons of garbage recycled in countywide program; more bins
being sought
Calhoun County Journal
By JOEL McNEECE
Sister Judy Sinnwell told the Bruce Chamber of Commerce Monday that more
than 34 tons of garbage have been recycled since the countywide recycling
program was implemented in 2009.
http://calhouncountyjournal.com/index.php/component/content/article/1-latest-news/4907-more-than-34-tons-of-garbage-recycled-in-countywide-program-more-bins-being-sought
Supervisors discuss rash of rubbish
South Reporter
By SUE WATSON
The Marshall County Board of Supervisors is looking at ways to contain the
illegal dumping of rubbish both at the county's rubbish pit and in the
roadside ditches and waterways.
http://southreporter.com/supervisors.html
DMR should work harder to win friends in Pascagoula
Editorial – Sun Herald
The decision by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources to mothball
the Greenwood Island project is an odd turn of events.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/01/25/v-print/3710604/dmr-should-work-harder-to-win.html
National News
Obama turns attention to energy in key states
AP
By JIM KUHNHENN
President Barack Obama is announcing the sale of oil and gas drilling
leases for nearly 38 million acres in the Gulf Coast and promoting the
completion of a highway corridor for vehicles that run on liquefied natural
gas, a response to critics who say his policies have stifled domestic
energy production.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/01/26/v-print/3711664/obama-turns-attention-to-energy.html
California to vote on new 'clean car' regulations
Published January 26, 2012
Associated Press
California is poised to vote on new rules that would require automakers to
build cars and trucks by 2025 that emit about three-quarters less smog
producing pollutants and also mandate that one of every seven new cars sold
in the state be a zero emission or plug-in hybrid vehicle.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/01/26/california-to-vote-on-new-clean-car-regulations/#ixzz1kYLVhVeV?test=latestnews
