Oil Spill
Judge: BP contract shielded Halliburton in spill
AP
By CAIN BURDEAU
A federal judge ruled Tuesday that Halliburton can avoid paying most of the
pollution claims that resulted from the catastrophic 2010 Gulf of Mexico
oil spill because it was shielded in a contract with well-owner BP.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/01/31/v-print/3722033/judge-bp-contract-shielded-halliburton.html
State News
Greenwood Island project permanently off table; dredge-spoil marsh will be
built elsewhere
Published: Wednesday, February 01, 2012, 6:00 AM Updated: Wednesday,
February 01, 2012, 7:41 AM
By Kaija Wilkinson , Mississippi Press
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Greenwood Island is permanently off the table as
a potential site to build some 650 acres of marsh with dredge spoils,
according to Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Director Dr. Bill
Walker.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/02/greenwood_island_project_perma.html
Jackson County replenishing sand in Ocean Springs, Pascagoula
Published: Wednesday, February 01, 2012, 6:40 AM Updated: Wednesday,
February 01, 2012, 7:42 AM
By April M. Havens, The Mississippi Press
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- Jackson County road crews were working
Tuesday to add sand to East Beach in Ocean Springs, one of three
replenishment projects planned.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/02/jackson_county_replenishing_sa.html
Hearing held on habitats for the endangered Gopher Frog
Sun Herald
By PRISCILLA LOEBENBERG
GULFPORT -- In 2001, the Mississippi Gopher Frog was listed as an
endangered species. It is found in only South Mississippi, primarily around
Glen's Pond in the De Soto National Forest.
A public hearing on the areas to be designated as critical habitats under
the Endangered Species Act was held at Gulfport High School on Tuesday.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/01/31/v-print/3722786/hearing-held-on-habitats-for-the.html
Firm's silence on gas plant has Moss Point residents wondering
Sun Herald
By LINDSAY KNOWLES
MOSS POINT -- Concerned community members gathered at First Christian
Church of Moss Point on Tuesday evening to hear updates on a potential
Mississippi Gasification Plant, which was proposed to the city in 2009 by
Leucadia National Corp.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/01/31/v-print/3722835/firms-silence-on-gas-plant-has.html
Flood program membership still in limbo
By CALEB BEDILLION
DAILY LEADER
More than a year after Lincoln County supervisors passed a resolution
stating their intent to join the National Flood Insurance Program, it is
unclear whether the county has made progress toward joining the program.
http://www.dailyleader.com/news/article_e723fb3c-4909-11e1-9c4f-0019bb2963f4.html
Court rules government can't be sued over FEMA trailers
WLOX
The U.S. government can't be sued for the health problems of Mississippians
who lived in FEMA trailers after Hurricane Katrina.
http://www.wlox.com/story/16645809/court-rules-government-cant-be-sued-over-fema-trailers
National News
New Risks for Nuclear Plants
Reactors in Central, Eastern U.S. Face Greater Earthquake Threat, Study
Finds
Wall Street Journal
By REBECCA SMITH
Nuclear reactors in the central and eastern U.S. face previously
unrecognized threats from big earthquakes, the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission said Tuesday. Experts said upgrading the plants to withstand
more substantial earth movements would be costly and could force some to
close.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203920204577195121591806242.html
Map of Earthquake Risks Is Updated
NY Times
By MATTHEW L. WALD
A new map detailing all known geologic faults east of Denver was issued
Tuesday by the government and a nonprofit electric research group, opening
the way for nuclear power plants in the United States to embark on a broad
re-evaluation of their vulnerability to earthquakes.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/01/science/earth/map-of-earthquake-risks-is-updated.html?_r=1&ref=earth
Navistar Faces EPA Fines of Up To $2,000 Per Heavy-Duty Engine
Bloomberg
By Mark Drajem and Mark Clothier - Feb 1, 2012
Navistar International Corp. (NAV), the maker of International brand
trucks, faces fines of as much as $2,000 for each of its heavy-duty engines
because they don't meet pollution standards, according to a federal
regulation.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2012-02-01/navistar-faces-epa-fines-of-up-to-2-000-per-heavy-duty-engine.html
Press Releases
Applications for Gulf of Mexico Initiative due March 1
Jackson, Miss., Feb. 1, 2012 – USDA's Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) is encouraging agriculture producers in Harrison and Hancock
counties to apply for assistance through the Gulf of Mexico Initiative
(GoMI), a new initiative focusing on improving the water quality of the
Gulf.
Producers in the Bayou LaTerre and Rotten Bayou watersheds are eligible.
The deadline to participate in GoMI through the Environmental Quality
Incentives Program (EQIP) is March 1, 2012. Interested producers should
visit their local field offices.
"The Gulf of Mexico Initiative encourages the use of conservation practices
in Mississippi's coastal rivers and streams," Acting State Conservationist
Al Garner said. "The Gulf of Mexico is an important environmental and
economic resource of this state, and it is important we help our farmers do
their part in improving water quality."
GoMI was launched in December as a way to work with producers in targeted
watersheds draining into the Gulf to implement sustainable agricultural
systems that will reduce the amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment
traveling from the farm to the Gulf of Mexico. The initiative is focusing
on 16 watersheds across the Gulf states, including Rotten Bayou and Bayou
LaTerre in Mississippi.
EQIP is a voluntary conservation program administered by the NRCS.
Reauthorized in the 2008 Farm Bill, it supports production agriculture and
environmental quality as compatible goals. Through EQIP, agricultural
producers may receive financial and technical help with structural and
management conservation practices on agricultural land.
To find your local USDA service center, call (601) 296-1173 or visit
http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?state=MS&agency=NRCS.
For more on GoMI, visit
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/national/home/?&cid=stelprdb1046039
