Oil Spill
Transportation bill won't send BP fine money to the Gulf Coast
Published: Friday, March 30, 2012, 6:23 AM Updated: Friday, March 30,
2012, 7:34 AM
By The Associated Press
Congress has passed a stopgap three-month transportation bill that does not
include a provision to send 80 percent of Clean Water Act fines from the
2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill to Gulf states, according to the Associate
Press.
http://blog.al.com/wire/2012/03/transportation_bill_wont_send.html
BP Says U.S. Withholding Evidence of Extent of Oil Spill
Bloomberg
By Joe Schneider - Mar 30, 2012
BP Plc (BP/) said the U.S. government is withholding evidence that would
show the oil spill from the Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico was smaller
than claimed.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-30/bp-says-u-s-withholding-evidence-of-extent-of-oil-spill.html
Photos document BP oil still contaminates "cleaned" Louisiana marshes,
state officials say
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune
Wetland areas in north Barataria Bay and the Pass a Loutre Wildlife
Management Area at the mouth of the Mississippi River continue to show
signs of oil that state officials say is from the BP oil spill, according
to photos posted on Flickr by the state Coastal Protection and Restoration
Authority.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2012/03/photos_document_bp_oil_still_c.html
State News
Summit decides on sewage
By Matt Williamson
Enterprise-Journal
Summit officials agreed Wednesday to proceed with plans to upgrade sewage
lagoons in order to meet environmental standards in a move that is a
harbinger for higher water bills.
But first, the town must get permission from the Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality to proceed with the work.
http://www.enterprise-journal.com/news/article_010ee024-79cb-11e1-beb5-001a4bcf887a.html
Hearing today for Kemper plant
AP
JACKSON — State utility regulators will consider issuing a temporary
certificate sought by Mississippi Power Co. to continue work at its Kemper
County coal-fired power plant when the Public Service Commission meets
Friday in Jackson.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20120330/NEWS01/203300312/Hearing-today-Kemper-plant
Daisy Street project proceeds
Natchez Democrat
NATCHEZ — After a long and stormy road, residents on Daisy Street will soon
be getting the flood relief they have awaited for years.
…the city, Gardner said, had to notify the Archives and History,
Environment Quality, Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks and other departments,
as well as a representative of the Choctaw Native American tribe.
http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2012/03/30/grant-project-proceeds/
Beach advisories issued
Sun Herald
By MARY PEREZ
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality today issued advisories for
two Harrison County beaches.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/28/v-print/3850640/beach-advisories-issued.html
Our View: Consider the environmental costs of growth
Editorial – Commercial Dispatch
March 29, 2012 11:02:27 AM
Tuesday in his presentation to Columbus-Lowndes Development Link Trust
members economic development guru Bill Fruth said something that gave us
pause. Fruth was talking about how community attitudes and laws can be a
deterrent for new business.
…We all understand and welcome the benefits of new manufacturing: jobs,
higher pay, increased revenue for government coffers. But do we know the
costs? What is happening to our air and our water table? It is, after all,
our air, our water. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality is
charged with enforcing federal and state laws to "... conserve the air and
water and to protect, maintain and improve the quality thereof for public
use."
And while we don't mean to criticize DEQ, history shows that government has
not always been the most vigilant protector of the environment.
http://www.cdispatch.com/opinions/article.asp?aid=16294
National News
Memphis works on decree with EPA to comply with Clean Water Act
Commercial Appeal
By Amos Maki
Friday, March 30, 2012
The city of Memphis and state and federal agencies are working behind
closed doors to hammer out what will likely be a costly consent decree to
bring the city into compliance with the federal Clean Water Act.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/mar/30/memphis-works-on-decree-with-epa/?print=1
Senate Republicans take aim at Obama gas 'fracking' regulations
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 03/29/12 09:36 AM ET
Senior Senate Republicans are floating legislation that would slam the
brakes on Obama administration efforts to expand regulation of the
controversial oil-and-gas drilling method called "hydraulic fracturing" on
federal lands.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/218969-senate-republicans-take-aim-at-federal-gas-fracking-rules
High Methane in Pennsylvania Water Deemed Safe by EPA
Bloomberg
By Mark Drajem - Mar 30, 2012
Tests by the Environmental Protection Agency of water in Dimock,
Pennsylvania, found elevated levels of methane consistent with leakage from
gas drilling nearby, according to scientists who reviewed the data.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-29/high-methane-in-pennsylvania-water-deemed-safe-by-epa.html
Fracking Gas Is Writing America's Energy Policy
Forbes
Much of what the United States might have achieved through a visionary
energy policy—lower prices, lower carbon emissions, less reliance on dirty
coal and foreign oil—is coming to pass as a result of abundant natural gas
from hydraulic fracturing, said the recently retired CEO of one of
America's largest energy companies.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2012/03/29/fracking-gas-is-writing-americas-energy-policy/
Why fracking and coal can't get along
Washington Post Blog
By Brad Plumer, Published: March 29
Now that the EPA has set limits on carbon-dioxide emissions from new power
plants, there are basically two options left for generating electricity
from fossil fuels in the future. First are modern natural-gas plants, which
can easily meet the EPA's standards. Second, in theory, are coal-fired
plants that can capture their carbon and store it deep underground.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/why-fracking-and-coal-cant-get-along/2012/03/29/gIQA3UbqiS_blog.html
NC lawmakers lay out fracking plans this year
AP
RALEIGH, N.C. — Republican lawmakers said Wednesday they expect to take a
careful, measured approach to drafting state regulations for allowing a new
method of natural gas drilling called fracking, but an existing ban on the
activity in North Carolina is likely to remain until 2014 or later.
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2012/03/29/nc-lawmakers-lay-out-fracking-plans-this-year/
A New Weapon in the Fracking Wars
NY Times
By MIREYA NAVARRO
In recent months, efforts to restrict future natural gas drilling in New
York State have ranged from proposed buffer zones around gas wells for the
protection of watersheds and aqueducts to outright drilling bans enacted by
towns and villages.
Enter the historic preservationists.
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/29/a-new-weapon-in-the-fracking-wars/?pagemode=print
Bee research details harm from insecticides
Washington Post
By Marc Kaufman, Published: March 29
New research has begun to unravel the mystery of why bees are disappearing
in alarming numbers worldwide: Some of the pesticides most commonly used by
farmers appear to be changing bee behavior in small but fatal ways.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/new-bee-research-details-harm-from-insecticide/2012/03/29/gIQAZrnGjS_story.html
Friday, March 30, 2012
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
News Clippings 3/28/12
Oil Spill
Food pantry helping those affected by spill
Sun Herald
By NICOLE DOW
Asian Americans for Change has joined with Bethel Free Clinic, Bethel
Lutheran Church, Lee's Market and Beauvoir UMC to offer a food pantry for
families affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/27/3846724/food-pantry-helping-those-affected.html
State News
Low turnout for meeting about creosote pollution
Sun Herald
By PRISCILLA LOEBENBERG
GULFPORT -- The Department of Marine Resources' public meeting at the Good
Deeds Community Center on Tuesday had a handful of attendees and only one
commenter. The purpose of the meeting was to inform the public about
Cavenham Forest Industries' plans to further contain contamination at its
Creosote Road site and how those plans would affect wetlands.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/27/v-print/3846795/low-turnout-for-meeting-about.html
CMR proposes changing size and possession limits, requiring license to sell
reef fish
Published: Tuesday, March 27, 2012, 10:57 AM Updated: Tuesday, March
27, 2012, 11:10 AM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
BILOXI, Mississippi -- The Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources voted
during its March 13 meeting to approve a notice of intent to change state
regulations on size and possession limits of some fish and prohibit the
sale of seafood by recreational fishermen, stated a news release from the
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/cmr_approves_notice_of_intent.html
Meeting On Turbines Set For Vicksburg
Developers Seek Federal Approval
WAPT
POSTED: 10:57 am CDT March 27, 2012
VICKSBURG, Miss. -- Developers said federal approval for a pair of
power-generating turbines in the Mississippi River near Vicksburg will take
a bit longer than expected due to ongoing study.
http://www.wapt.com/news/30771578/detail.html
Personnel Board: Protections needed
Editorial – Clarion Ledger
Former Gov. Haley Barbour tried it eight years ago, and now Gov. Phil
Bryant is trying, too: Removing Personnel Board protections of public
employees.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120328/OPINION01/203280316/Personnel-Board-Protections-needed?odyssey=mod|
newswell|text|Opinion|p
National News
EPA imposes first greenhouse gas limits on new power plants
Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin,
The Environmental Protection Agency issued the first-ever limits on
greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants Tuesday, but stopped short
of imposing any restrictions on the nation's existing coal-fired fleet.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/epa-to-impose-first-greenhouse-gas-limits-on-power-plants/2012/03/27/gIQAKdaJeS_print.html
EPA unveils power-plant standards
Politico
By: Erica Martinson
March 27, 2012 12:23 PM EDT
The Obama administration took a major step forward on the regulation of
greenhouse gas emissions when the EPA on Tuesday released its long-awaited
rule limiting carbon dioxide emissions from new coal-fired power plants.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74527.html
New Rules Limit Coal Plants
EPA Tips Scales Toward Natural Gas in Power Generation; Miners, GOP Cry
Foul
Wall Street Journal
The Obama administration on Tuesday announced long-awaited rules to limit
carbon-dioxide emissions from new power plants that will effectively block
the construction of new coal-burning plants and make natural gas even more
attractive as a fuel for generating electricity.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303404704577307524051798192.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
EPA chief Jackson: 'No plans' to issue climate rules for existing power
plants
The Hill
By Andrew Restuccia - 03/27/12 12:37 PM ET
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson said Tuesday
that she has no plans to pursue regulations that would curb greenhouse gas
emissions from existing power plants.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/218433-epa-chief-jackson-no-plans-to-issue-climate-rules-for-existing-power-plants
Texas wins latest round with EPA in federal court
The Associated Press
Updated: 8:06 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Published: 6:11 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, 2012
A federal appeals court scolded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on
Tuesday for rejecting a series of state pollution control projects in Texas
that federal regulators said failed to satisfy requirements of the Clean
Air Act.
http://www.statesman.com/news/texas/texas-wins-latest-round-with-epa-in-federal-2265543.html?printArticle=y
State agency hears from public on fracking study
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The state environmental agency is listening to the
public's response to a natural gas drilling technique that could create
jobs but carries pollution risks.
http://myfox8.com/2012/03/27/state-agency-hears-from-public-on-fracking-study/
House panel hits EPA on gas prices
Politico
By: Erica Martinson
March 27, 2012 10:30 PM EDT
Once again, it's the EPA's turn to sit in the hot seat for rising gasoline
prices.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74554.html
Job growth expected from cheap natural gas
By Paul Davidson
USA TODAY
The nation's fast-growing supply of cheap natural gas is setting off a
manufacturing revival that's expected to create hundreds of thousands of
jobs as companies build or expand plants to take advantage of the low
prices.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/story/2012-03-27/natural-gas-manufacturing-boom/53812740/1
Press Releases
EPA Proposes First Carbon Pollution Standard for Future Power Plants
Achievable standard is in line with investments already being made and will
inform the building of new plants moving forward
WASHINGTON – Following a 2007 Supreme Court ruling, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed the first Clean Air Act standard for
carbon pollution from new power plants. EPA's proposed standard reflects
the ongoing trend in the power sector to build cleaner plants that take
advantage of American-made technologies, including new, clean-burning,
efficient natural gas generation, which is already the technology of choice
for new and planned power plants. At the same time, the rule creates a path
forward for new technologies to be deployed at future facilities that will
allow companies to burn coal, while emitting less carbon pollution. The
rulemaking proposed today only concerns new generating units that will be
built in the future, and does not apply to existing units already operating
or units that will start construction over the next 12 months.
"Today we're taking a common-sense step to reduce pollution in our air,
protect the planet for our children, and move us into a new era of American
energy," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "Right now there are no
limits to the amount of carbon pollution that future power plants will be
able to put into our skies – and the health and economic threats of a
changing climate continue to grow. We're putting in place a standard that
relies on the use of clean, American made technology to tackle a challenge
that we can't leave to our kids and grandkids."
Currently, there is no uniform national limit on the amount of carbon
pollution new power plants can emit. As a direct result of the Supreme
Court's 2007 ruling, EPA in 2009 determined that greenhouse gas pollution
threatens Americans' health and welfare by leading to long lasting changes
in our climate that can have a range of negative effects on human health
and the environment.
The proposed standard, which only applies to power plants built in the
future, is flexible and would help minimize carbon pollution through the
deployment of the same types of modern technologies and steps that power
companies are already taking to build the next generation of power plants.
EPA's proposal is in line with these investments and will ensure that this
progress toward a cleaner, safer and more modern power sector continues.
The proposed standards can be met by a range of power facilities burning
different fossil fuels, including natural gas technologies that are already
widespread, as well as coal with technologies to reduce carbon emissions.
Even without today's action, the power plants that are currently projected
to be built going forward would already comply with the standard. As a
result, EPA does not project additional cost for industry to comply with
this standard.
Prior to developing this standard, EPA engaged in an extensive and open
public process to gather the latest information to aid in developing a
carbon pollution standard for new power plants. The agency is seeking
additional comment and information, including public hearings, and will
take that input fully into account as it completes the rulemaking process.
EPA's comment period will be open for 60 days following publication in the
Federal Register.
More information: http://epa.gov/carbonpollutionstandard/
Statements on EPA's Proposed Carbon Pollution Standard for New Power Plants
WASHINGTON -- Following a 2007 Supreme Court ruling, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed the first Clean Air Act standard for
carbon pollution from new power plants. EPA's proposed standard reflects
the ongoing trend in the power sector to build cleaner plants that take
advantage of American-made technologies, including new, clean-burning,
efficient natural gas generation, which is already the technology of choice
for new and planned power plants. At the same time, the rule creates a path
forward for new technologies to be deployed at future facilities that will
allow companies to burn coal, while emitting less carbon pollution. The
rulemaking proposed today only concerns new generating units that will be
built in the future, and does not apply to existing units already operating
or units that will start construction over the next 12 months. Here's what
people across the country are saying about EPA's proposed carbon pollution
standard for new power plants:
John Arensmeyer, CEO, Small Business Majority:
"…National opinion polling we released in September found 76 percent of
small business owners support the EPA regulating carbon emissions under the
Clean Air Act. Another 87 percent believe improving innovation and energy
efficiency are good ways to increase prosperity for small businesses…"
Albert A. Rizzo, M.D., Chair, Board of Directors of the American Lung
Association:
"…By proposing standards for carbon pollution from new facilities, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is setting the stage for the next
generation of America's power plants to be the least toxic and most modern
in the world…"
The Clean Energy Group's Clean Air Policy Initiative:
"…EPA's action today represents a modest step that provides the industry
with business and regulatory certainty… Further, based on our review of
recent projections by the U.S. Energy Information Administration and
current market dynamics, the proposed GHG performance standards for new
sources will not impact the reliability of the electric system."
Mindy S. Lubber, president of Ceres and director of the Investor Network on
Climate Risk:
"Ceres applauds the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for releasing,
for public comment, its historic proposal to limit carbon pollution from
new power plants under the Clean Air Act. Ceres supports this new standard
because it will provide certainty to businesses and investors, clarify the
risks and opportunities for the U.S. electric power sector, and serve as a
long-term market signal to drive greater investment in lower-carbon
electric power generation…"
Dick Munson, SVP, Recycled Energy Development:
"The Environmental Protection Agency's new rules on greenhouse-gas
emissions will help U.S. businesses increase their productivity and
competitiveness. By internalizing the costs of pollution, EPA has provided
certainty to firms seeking to generate clean energy and increase
manufacturing efficiency."
Ralph Izzo, CEO, Public Service Electric and Gas:
"…The Agency's action establishes a logical and modest standard for new
electric power plants and provides the industry with much-needed regulatory
certainty. The EPA provides a framework for the industry to confront this
problem in a cost effective manner…"
Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Clean Air
and Nuclear Safety:
"...Today's proposal to ensure that new coal and natural gas power plants
take into account their greenhouse gas emissions before they commence
construction is a step in the right direction as we work to curb these
harmful emissions..."
Bill Ritter Jr., Former Colorado Governor:
"…It is welcome news, indeed, to see our nation moving forward with clean
air standards to limit the harmful carbon pollution from new coal burning
power plants as coal plants are the highest emitting source of air
pollution in our country. The proposed emission standards for carbon
pollution will unleash smart investments in cleaner, homegrown energy that
will limit dangerous pollution and build a modern clean energy economy for
the 21st Century."
Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.):
"The EPA took an important step today in the effort to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions with the release of the New Source Performance Standards…"
Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D- Calif.), Ranking Member, Committee on Energy and
Commerce:
"The proposal is a breakthrough. It sets achievable limits on dangerous
carbon pollution, spurs investments in new clean energy technologies, and
provides certainty for industry. And it shows the President is listening to
scientists, not extremists who deny the existence of climate change.
Today's action will reduce pollution, make families healthier, promote
innovation, and help us compete with China and other countries that are
investing in clean energy."
Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Ranking Member, Committee on Natural Resources:
"…The Obama administration has already put us on the path towards emitting
less pollution from our vehicle tailpipes, and now they are doing the same
thing for America's power plant smokestacks. Both efforts will spur a
generation of American-built energy innovation, and help stave off the
worse effects of climate change. This carbon standard is yet another
indication that we need to keep America's natural gas here at home to
provide affordable electricity and capitalize on this competitive advantage
to rebuild our manufacturing, chemical and fertilizer industries."
American Sustainable Business Council, Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) and
Main Street Alliance:
"…As representatives of the business community, we understand the
importance of certainty and clear market signals and believe a national
standard to reduce carbon pollution from new power plants will both clarify
risks and opportunities for U.S. businesses, while also leading to
technological innovation and investment in the domestic clean energy
market. Investing in cleaner technologies and more efficient resources can
be a pathway to profit and prosperity, boosting economic growth and
creating jobs while also providing competitive returns to investors. We
look forward to reviewing the proposal and identifying opportunities for
increased investment in innovative low and no-carbon technologies as well
as new energy infrastructure and energy efficiency…"
Food pantry helping those affected by spill
Sun Herald
By NICOLE DOW
Asian Americans for Change has joined with Bethel Free Clinic, Bethel
Lutheran Church, Lee's Market and Beauvoir UMC to offer a food pantry for
families affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/27/3846724/food-pantry-helping-those-affected.html
State News
Low turnout for meeting about creosote pollution
Sun Herald
By PRISCILLA LOEBENBERG
GULFPORT -- The Department of Marine Resources' public meeting at the Good
Deeds Community Center on Tuesday had a handful of attendees and only one
commenter. The purpose of the meeting was to inform the public about
Cavenham Forest Industries' plans to further contain contamination at its
Creosote Road site and how those plans would affect wetlands.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/27/v-print/3846795/low-turnout-for-meeting-about.html
CMR proposes changing size and possession limits, requiring license to sell
reef fish
Published: Tuesday, March 27, 2012, 10:57 AM Updated: Tuesday, March
27, 2012, 11:10 AM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
BILOXI, Mississippi -- The Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources voted
during its March 13 meeting to approve a notice of intent to change state
regulations on size and possession limits of some fish and prohibit the
sale of seafood by recreational fishermen, stated a news release from the
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/cmr_approves_notice_of_intent.html
Meeting On Turbines Set For Vicksburg
Developers Seek Federal Approval
WAPT
POSTED: 10:57 am CDT March 27, 2012
VICKSBURG, Miss. -- Developers said federal approval for a pair of
power-generating turbines in the Mississippi River near Vicksburg will take
a bit longer than expected due to ongoing study.
http://www.wapt.com/news/30771578/detail.html
Personnel Board: Protections needed
Editorial – Clarion Ledger
Former Gov. Haley Barbour tried it eight years ago, and now Gov. Phil
Bryant is trying, too: Removing Personnel Board protections of public
employees.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120328/OPINION01/203280316/Personnel-Board-Protections-needed?odyssey=mod|
newswell|text|Opinion|p
National News
EPA imposes first greenhouse gas limits on new power plants
Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin,
The Environmental Protection Agency issued the first-ever limits on
greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants Tuesday, but stopped short
of imposing any restrictions on the nation's existing coal-fired fleet.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/epa-to-impose-first-greenhouse-gas-limits-on-power-plants/2012/03/27/gIQAKdaJeS_print.html
EPA unveils power-plant standards
Politico
By: Erica Martinson
March 27, 2012 12:23 PM EDT
The Obama administration took a major step forward on the regulation of
greenhouse gas emissions when the EPA on Tuesday released its long-awaited
rule limiting carbon dioxide emissions from new coal-fired power plants.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74527.html
New Rules Limit Coal Plants
EPA Tips Scales Toward Natural Gas in Power Generation; Miners, GOP Cry
Foul
Wall Street Journal
The Obama administration on Tuesday announced long-awaited rules to limit
carbon-dioxide emissions from new power plants that will effectively block
the construction of new coal-burning plants and make natural gas even more
attractive as a fuel for generating electricity.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303404704577307524051798192.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
EPA chief Jackson: 'No plans' to issue climate rules for existing power
plants
The Hill
By Andrew Restuccia - 03/27/12 12:37 PM ET
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson said Tuesday
that she has no plans to pursue regulations that would curb greenhouse gas
emissions from existing power plants.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/218433-epa-chief-jackson-no-plans-to-issue-climate-rules-for-existing-power-plants
Texas wins latest round with EPA in federal court
The Associated Press
Updated: 8:06 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Published: 6:11 p.m. Tuesday, March 27, 2012
A federal appeals court scolded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on
Tuesday for rejecting a series of state pollution control projects in Texas
that federal regulators said failed to satisfy requirements of the Clean
Air Act.
http://www.statesman.com/news/texas/texas-wins-latest-round-with-epa-in-federal-2265543.html?printArticle=y
State agency hears from public on fracking study
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The state environmental agency is listening to the
public's response to a natural gas drilling technique that could create
jobs but carries pollution risks.
http://myfox8.com/2012/03/27/state-agency-hears-from-public-on-fracking-study/
House panel hits EPA on gas prices
Politico
By: Erica Martinson
March 27, 2012 10:30 PM EDT
Once again, it's the EPA's turn to sit in the hot seat for rising gasoline
prices.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74554.html
Job growth expected from cheap natural gas
By Paul Davidson
USA TODAY
The nation's fast-growing supply of cheap natural gas is setting off a
manufacturing revival that's expected to create hundreds of thousands of
jobs as companies build or expand plants to take advantage of the low
prices.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/energy/story/2012-03-27/natural-gas-manufacturing-boom/53812740/1
Press Releases
EPA Proposes First Carbon Pollution Standard for Future Power Plants
Achievable standard is in line with investments already being made and will
inform the building of new plants moving forward
WASHINGTON – Following a 2007 Supreme Court ruling, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed the first Clean Air Act standard for
carbon pollution from new power plants. EPA's proposed standard reflects
the ongoing trend in the power sector to build cleaner plants that take
advantage of American-made technologies, including new, clean-burning,
efficient natural gas generation, which is already the technology of choice
for new and planned power plants. At the same time, the rule creates a path
forward for new technologies to be deployed at future facilities that will
allow companies to burn coal, while emitting less carbon pollution. The
rulemaking proposed today only concerns new generating units that will be
built in the future, and does not apply to existing units already operating
or units that will start construction over the next 12 months.
"Today we're taking a common-sense step to reduce pollution in our air,
protect the planet for our children, and move us into a new era of American
energy," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "Right now there are no
limits to the amount of carbon pollution that future power plants will be
able to put into our skies – and the health and economic threats of a
changing climate continue to grow. We're putting in place a standard that
relies on the use of clean, American made technology to tackle a challenge
that we can't leave to our kids and grandkids."
Currently, there is no uniform national limit on the amount of carbon
pollution new power plants can emit. As a direct result of the Supreme
Court's 2007 ruling, EPA in 2009 determined that greenhouse gas pollution
threatens Americans' health and welfare by leading to long lasting changes
in our climate that can have a range of negative effects on human health
and the environment.
The proposed standard, which only applies to power plants built in the
future, is flexible and would help minimize carbon pollution through the
deployment of the same types of modern technologies and steps that power
companies are already taking to build the next generation of power plants.
EPA's proposal is in line with these investments and will ensure that this
progress toward a cleaner, safer and more modern power sector continues.
The proposed standards can be met by a range of power facilities burning
different fossil fuels, including natural gas technologies that are already
widespread, as well as coal with technologies to reduce carbon emissions.
Even without today's action, the power plants that are currently projected
to be built going forward would already comply with the standard. As a
result, EPA does not project additional cost for industry to comply with
this standard.
Prior to developing this standard, EPA engaged in an extensive and open
public process to gather the latest information to aid in developing a
carbon pollution standard for new power plants. The agency is seeking
additional comment and information, including public hearings, and will
take that input fully into account as it completes the rulemaking process.
EPA's comment period will be open for 60 days following publication in the
Federal Register.
More information: http://epa.gov/carbonpollutionstandard/
Statements on EPA's Proposed Carbon Pollution Standard for New Power Plants
WASHINGTON -- Following a 2007 Supreme Court ruling, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed the first Clean Air Act standard for
carbon pollution from new power plants. EPA's proposed standard reflects
the ongoing trend in the power sector to build cleaner plants that take
advantage of American-made technologies, including new, clean-burning,
efficient natural gas generation, which is already the technology of choice
for new and planned power plants. At the same time, the rule creates a path
forward for new technologies to be deployed at future facilities that will
allow companies to burn coal, while emitting less carbon pollution. The
rulemaking proposed today only concerns new generating units that will be
built in the future, and does not apply to existing units already operating
or units that will start construction over the next 12 months. Here's what
people across the country are saying about EPA's proposed carbon pollution
standard for new power plants:
John Arensmeyer, CEO, Small Business Majority:
"…National opinion polling we released in September found 76 percent of
small business owners support the EPA regulating carbon emissions under the
Clean Air Act. Another 87 percent believe improving innovation and energy
efficiency are good ways to increase prosperity for small businesses…"
Albert A. Rizzo, M.D., Chair, Board of Directors of the American Lung
Association:
"…By proposing standards for carbon pollution from new facilities, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is setting the stage for the next
generation of America's power plants to be the least toxic and most modern
in the world…"
The Clean Energy Group's Clean Air Policy Initiative:
"…EPA's action today represents a modest step that provides the industry
with business and regulatory certainty… Further, based on our review of
recent projections by the U.S. Energy Information Administration and
current market dynamics, the proposed GHG performance standards for new
sources will not impact the reliability of the electric system."
Mindy S. Lubber, president of Ceres and director of the Investor Network on
Climate Risk:
"Ceres applauds the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for releasing,
for public comment, its historic proposal to limit carbon pollution from
new power plants under the Clean Air Act. Ceres supports this new standard
because it will provide certainty to businesses and investors, clarify the
risks and opportunities for the U.S. electric power sector, and serve as a
long-term market signal to drive greater investment in lower-carbon
electric power generation…"
Dick Munson, SVP, Recycled Energy Development:
"The Environmental Protection Agency's new rules on greenhouse-gas
emissions will help U.S. businesses increase their productivity and
competitiveness. By internalizing the costs of pollution, EPA has provided
certainty to firms seeking to generate clean energy and increase
manufacturing efficiency."
Ralph Izzo, CEO, Public Service Electric and Gas:
"…The Agency's action establishes a logical and modest standard for new
electric power plants and provides the industry with much-needed regulatory
certainty. The EPA provides a framework for the industry to confront this
problem in a cost effective manner…"
Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Clean Air
and Nuclear Safety:
"...Today's proposal to ensure that new coal and natural gas power plants
take into account their greenhouse gas emissions before they commence
construction is a step in the right direction as we work to curb these
harmful emissions..."
Bill Ritter Jr., Former Colorado Governor:
"…It is welcome news, indeed, to see our nation moving forward with clean
air standards to limit the harmful carbon pollution from new coal burning
power plants as coal plants are the highest emitting source of air
pollution in our country. The proposed emission standards for carbon
pollution will unleash smart investments in cleaner, homegrown energy that
will limit dangerous pollution and build a modern clean energy economy for
the 21st Century."
Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.):
"The EPA took an important step today in the effort to reduce greenhouse
gas emissions with the release of the New Source Performance Standards…"
Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D- Calif.), Ranking Member, Committee on Energy and
Commerce:
"The proposal is a breakthrough. It sets achievable limits on dangerous
carbon pollution, spurs investments in new clean energy technologies, and
provides certainty for industry. And it shows the President is listening to
scientists, not extremists who deny the existence of climate change.
Today's action will reduce pollution, make families healthier, promote
innovation, and help us compete with China and other countries that are
investing in clean energy."
Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Ranking Member, Committee on Natural Resources:
"…The Obama administration has already put us on the path towards emitting
less pollution from our vehicle tailpipes, and now they are doing the same
thing for America's power plant smokestacks. Both efforts will spur a
generation of American-built energy innovation, and help stave off the
worse effects of climate change. This carbon standard is yet another
indication that we need to keep America's natural gas here at home to
provide affordable electricity and capitalize on this competitive advantage
to rebuild our manufacturing, chemical and fertilizer industries."
American Sustainable Business Council, Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) and
Main Street Alliance:
"…As representatives of the business community, we understand the
importance of certainty and clear market signals and believe a national
standard to reduce carbon pollution from new power plants will both clarify
risks and opportunities for U.S. businesses, while also leading to
technological innovation and investment in the domestic clean energy
market. Investing in cleaner technologies and more efficient resources can
be a pathway to profit and prosperity, boosting economic growth and
creating jobs while also providing competitive returns to investors. We
look forward to reviewing the proposal and identifying opportunities for
increased investment in innovative low and no-carbon technologies as well
as new energy infrastructure and energy efficiency…"
Monday, March 26, 2012
News Clippings 3/26/12
Oil Spill
Dolphins still sick from BP oil spill
MSNBC Video
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46840201/#46840201
Dolphins in Barataria Bay are severely ill, NOAA says
Published: Friday, March 23, 2012, 1:05 PM Updated: Friday, March 23,
2012, 8:13 PM
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune
Bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay are showing signs of severe ill
health, according to NOAA marine mammal biologists and their local, state,
federal and other research partners, NOAA announced today. Barataria Bay
received heavy and prolonged exposure to oil during the 2010 Gulf spill
after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2012/03/dolphins_in_barataria_bay_poll.html
Louisiana dolphins are 'very sick;' study of 'unusual mortality event'
continues
Published: Friday, March 23, 2012, 3:48 PM Updated: Saturday, March 24,
2012, 6:17 AM
By Ben Raines, Press-Register
Dolphins captured in Louisiana as part of a health study related to the BP
oil spill were "very sick," according to federal scientists.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/03/louisiana_dolphins_are_very_si.html
Gulf Dolphins Exposed to Oil Are Seriously Ill, Agency Says
NY Times
By LESLIE KAUFMAN
Dolphins in Barataria Bay off Louisiana, which was hit hard by the BP oil
spill in 2010, are seriously ill, and their ailments are probably related
to toxic substances in the petroleum, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration suggested on Friday.
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/23/gulf-dolphins-exposed-to-oil-are-seriously-ill-agency-says/?ref=earth
Dolphins from oiled bay show health issues
AP
By ALAN SAYRE
NEW ORLEANS -- Scientists say 32 dolphins taken from Louisiana's Barataria
Bay were in overall poor health, though they say their studies don't yet
definitely tie the illnesses to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/23/v-print/3839004/dolphins-from-oiled-bay-show-health.html
Studies look at oil spill's effect on insect populations
AP
By JANET McCONNAUGHEY
NEW ORLEANS -- Nearly two years after oil from BP's busted well in the Gulf
of Mexico fouled coastal marshes, scientists are studying the impact on
some of the area's tiniest residents: bugs.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/23/v-print/3839001/studies-look-at-oil-spills-effect.html
5,000 new claims filed after BP settlement
AP
More than 1,000 claimants have received around $27 million in the two weeks
since a court-supervised administrator took over the processing of claims
spawned by the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico from BP PLC's $20
billion compensation fund.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17239526/5000-new-claims-filed-after-bp-settlement
BP deal for North Sea gas assets is said close
LONDON -- BP PLC's (BP.LN) long-announced sale of its stakes in gas fields
in the southern North Sea is gathering momentum and is likely to be
concluded soon, a person familiar with the matter said Sunday.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/bp-deal-for-north-sea-gas-assets-is-said-close-2012-03-26
State News
Wastewater-treatment plant opens in Stone County
Sun Herald
By NICOLE DOW
WIGGINS -- Stone County Utility Authority members, Mississippi Department
of Environmental Quality Executive Director Trudy Fisher and local
officials celebrated the opening of a new wastewater treatment plant on
Cobb Road on Friday.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/23/3838904/wastewater-treatment-plant-opens.html
Moss Point installs new cameras to combat illegal dumping
WLOX
A warning for those illegally dumping trash in Moss Point, police said
they've begun installing hidden cameras to catch and punish violators. Moss
Point citizens and city leaders hope the extra eyes watching out will help
keep the city clean.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17251008/moss-point-installs-new-cameras-to-combat-illegal-dumping
Gator hunts expand More areas, more permits in new plan
Clarion Ledger
Alligator hunting opportunities will increase 40 percent in Mississippi
under an expanded plan announced Friday by state wildlife officials.
…Public waters will be defined as those deemed public by the Mississippi
Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120325/SPORTS08/203250336/Gator-hunts-expand-More-areas-more-permits-new-plan
Jobs! Alliance looking for workers
By David A. Farrell
The Picayune Item
PICAYUNE — Who is constructing a huge installation between Nicholson and
Picayune on the west side of the railroad tracks, and what the facility
will do when it comes on line, is becoming clearer.
http://picayuneitem.com/local/x1940317935/Jobs-Alliance-looking-for-workers
Water Works awarded for dealing with your waste
Natchez Democrat
Published 12:02am Saturday, March 24, 2012
NATCHEZ — Natchez Water Works has received its second award for the
solar-powered greenhouse system at the Natchez Wastewater Treatment Plant
that turns sewage sludge into organic fertilizer.
http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2012/03/24/water-works-awarded-for-dealing-with-your-waste/
Pass sand reviving Hancock beaches
Sea Coast Echo
By ANTHONY JAMES
The Hancock County Board of Supervisors learned at its Wednesday meeting
that sand would be trucked, rather than pumped, to Lakeshore.
http://12.68.233.230/40/article_5825.shtml
DeSoto County Regional Utility Authority board OKs start for bids on plant
Seek federal funds for waste treatment facility
Commercial Appeal
By Henry Bailey
Monday, March 26, 2012
Taking care of timely business in a rural, flood-prone area, the DeSoto
County Regional Utility Authority board has approved starting the bid
process for a $1 million site expansion and ground elevation at the Short
Fork Waste Water Treatment Facility in eastern DeSoto County.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/mar/26/utilities-ok-start-for-bids-on-plant/?print=1
George County supervisors return from trip to Washington to discuss Lake
George project
Published: Saturday, March 24, 2012, 6:06 AM
By Beverly Tuskan -- The Mississippi Press
LUCEDALE, Mississippi -- Four George County Supervisors returned Thursday
night from Washington where they met with Mississippi's congressional
leaders to garner support for the Lake George project.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/george_county_supervisors_retu.html
Cochran wants more support for the Gulf
AP
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Thad Cochran this week expressed strong concerns
about funding recommendations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and their "lack of emphasis on the Gulf of Mexico."
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20120323/NEWS01/120323005/Cochran-wants-more-support-Gulf
MPC continues work at Kemper Co. coal plant
AP
Environmental organizations have asked regulators and the state Supreme
Court to stop construction at Mississippi Power Company's $2.7 billion coal
power plant in Kemper County.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17239441/mpc-continues-work-at-kemper-co-coal-plant
Supreme Court decision possible setback for Kemper County coal plant
Mississippi Business Journal
by Clay Chandler
Published: March 25th, 2012
JACKSON- In a 9-0 decision March 15, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled
the Mississippi Public Service Commission's decision to issue a certificate
of public convenience and necessity to Mississippi Power Company to build a
coal-fired generation plant in Kemper County was not based on "substantial
evidence presented," as required by law.
The decision was in response to a challenge to the $2.88 billion project by
the Mississippi Chapter of the Sierra Club, which advocates for
environmental issues. The Sierra Club argued the plant was unnecessary,
dirty and expensive. A Harrison County chancellor ruled in favor of MPC,
and the Sierra Club appealed to the state's high court.
What the court's decision means is that the evidence the PSC considered in
issuing the certificate will have to be revisited. Exactly how that occurs
is still up in the air.
After denying a certificate for the project in April 2010, the PSC reversed
course two months later, voting 2-1 to issue one, and to allow MPC to pay
for the project with an average 45 percent increase in ratepayers' power
bills. Northern District Commissioner Brandon Presley was the only
dissenting vote. He expressed concern that the technology MPC planned to
use at the facility — which would rely on lignite coal that's indigenous to
East Mississippi — was unproven and could not be relied on to produce
electricity on a commercial scale. Presley also said the company should
finance the project's cost, not its ratepayers. Southern District
Commissioner Leonard Bentz and Central District Commissioner Lynn Posey,
who voted in favor of the project, did not respond to messages last week.
When the certificate will be rendered invalid will come within 21 days of
the supreme court's March 15 decision. The high court will issue a mandate
to Harrison County Chancery Court, which will most likely kick the
proceedings back to the PSC. At that point, the proceedings will be at the
point they reached in April 2010, after the last evidentiary hearing.
Commissioners can re-issue the certificate of necessity, deny it, or choose
to hold more evidentiary hearings.
Presley wouldn't speculate on what would happen then.
"We need fresh eyes on this," he said. "There needs to be a new examination
of the facts."
The Sierra Club has already asked the PSC to do just that. In a motion
seeking a status conference, filed last Tuesday, the Sierra Club provides
updated long-term forecasts from a regulated utilities expert for natural
gas prices compared with price data MPC initially used. Both sets of data
are blacked out due to confidentiality.
"This is anything but a technicality," said Louie Miller, director of the
state's Sierra Club chapter. "This, in our opinion, puts us back to square
one. This thing deserves to be looked at objectively and not politically."
The Sierra Club's motion also seeks an "orderly halt" to construction at
the plant.
For now, construction will continue, a MPC spokesperson said in a statement
issued one day after the court's decision.
"We are confident there is substantial evidence in the record to support
the Commission's approval of the certificate," said Jeff Shepard. "It is
our hope and expectation that the Commission will address this
expeditiously." Shepard did not respond to messages seeking further comment
last week.
"Right now they technically have a legal certificate," Presley said last
week, referring to MPC's decision to continue construction, which started
last year. Presley added that MPC has told PSC field monitors that it
expects a cost overrun on the project between $60 million and $100 million.
"There's an old saying that when you find yourself in a hole, you quit
digging," Presley said.
If the PSC grants the Sierra Club's motion and stops construction, any
money MPC spent on the project between March 15 and whenever the PSC rules
cannot be recouped from ratepayers.
http://msbusiness.com/2012/03/supreme-court-decision-possible-setback-for-kemper-county-coal-plant/
Destin Pipeline to work on Gulf of Mexico gas line
Reuters
Fri, Mar 23 2012
March 23 (Reuters) - Destin Pipeline Co LLC on Friday said planned
maintenance was still slated to begin April 10 on its offshore Gulf of
Mexico gas pipeline system, with offshore receipt points unavailable during
the week-long outage.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/23/pipelines-operations-destin-idUSL1E8EN46320120323
Gulf Islands National Seashore sees influx of visitors
WLOX
When you enter Gulf Islands, you're surrounded by nature; more people are
discovering the peaceful solitude of nature.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17212655/people-are-heading-back-to-gulf-islands-national-seashore
Climatologists discuss state's tornado levels
Starkville Daily News
According to a recent study conducted by tornado researchers at The Weather
Channel, data compiled from 1990-2010 by the National Weather indicates
Mississippi ranks fifth on a list of states with the most tornadoes per
10,000 square miles within that time.
http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/node/9519
Barbour also left Bryant a challenge on the Coast
AN EDITORIAL OPINION OF THE CLARION-LEDGER (Jackson)
In addition to a lengthy list of pardons, former Gov. Haley Barbour left
another highly controversial matter for Mississippians to contend with as
he went out the door -- offshore drilling.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/25/v-print/3837419/barbour-also-left-bryant-a-challenge.html
National News
The Battle Over Fracking
Edward E. Cohen, Aubrey K. McClendon and Paul Gallay debate the
environmental impact
Wall Street Journal
The U.S. is producing more oil every year. Natural gas, with huge supplies
and low prices, keeps attracting new power producers. But environmental
concerns swirl around an increasingly common drilling method: hydraulic
fracturing, which injects water and chemicals into shale formations to
extract oil and gas.
Has the industry won the engineering battle, but lost the PR war? The Wall
Street Journal's Russell Gold discussed the boom times and "fracking" with
two leading figures in the industry: Edward E. Cohen, president and chief
executive of Atlas Energy LP, ATLS -1.41% and Aubrey K. McClendon, chairman
and CEO of Chesapeake Energy Corp. CHK -0.28%
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304724404577299662637393108.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Does fracking hurt the environment or help energy costs?
Fox News Business Video
http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/1526975491001/does-fracking-hurt-the-environment-or-help-energy-costs/
Judge Overturns EPA Ruling Against Arch Coal Mine
Wall Street Journal
By KRIS MAHER
A federal judge said the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its
authority in revoking a permit for an Arch Coal Inc. ACI +0.26% surface
mine that was to be the largest proposed mountaintop-removal coal mine in
Appalachia.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303812904577299903600963644.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Republicans look to shut down EPA's overseas grants
The Hill
By Pete Kasperowicz - 03/23/12 09:21 AM ET
If House and Senate Republicans have their way, the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) will no longer be able to send grant money overseas
so other countries can study swine manure treatment, "clean cooking
technology" and other ways to protection the environment.
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/217783-republicans-look-to-shut-down-epas-overseas-grants
The Case for Trimming the EPA
The Atlantic
By E. Donald Elliott
The EPA, just as large as it ever was, is now on autopilot, churning out
rules and regulations without heed to cost or competing values. It spends
huge sums chasing the tiniest of risks.
Most of our national environmental laws were enacted from 1970 to 1990, and
have rarely been amended since. That was a time when America knew no
limits: We had gone to the moon; next we were going to cure cancer and
eliminate all pollution. Today, there is still a widely shared passion for
sound stewardship of the Earth but achieving our goals will require
amending obsolete environmental laws to adapt to our current situation.
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/03/the-case-for-trimming-the-epa/254701/
Dolphins still sick from BP oil spill
MSNBC Video
http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/46840201/#46840201
Dolphins in Barataria Bay are severely ill, NOAA says
Published: Friday, March 23, 2012, 1:05 PM Updated: Friday, March 23,
2012, 8:13 PM
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune
Bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay are showing signs of severe ill
health, according to NOAA marine mammal biologists and their local, state,
federal and other research partners, NOAA announced today. Barataria Bay
received heavy and prolonged exposure to oil during the 2010 Gulf spill
after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2012/03/dolphins_in_barataria_bay_poll.html
Louisiana dolphins are 'very sick;' study of 'unusual mortality event'
continues
Published: Friday, March 23, 2012, 3:48 PM Updated: Saturday, March 24,
2012, 6:17 AM
By Ben Raines, Press-Register
Dolphins captured in Louisiana as part of a health study related to the BP
oil spill were "very sick," according to federal scientists.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/03/louisiana_dolphins_are_very_si.html
Gulf Dolphins Exposed to Oil Are Seriously Ill, Agency Says
NY Times
By LESLIE KAUFMAN
Dolphins in Barataria Bay off Louisiana, which was hit hard by the BP oil
spill in 2010, are seriously ill, and their ailments are probably related
to toxic substances in the petroleum, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration suggested on Friday.
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/23/gulf-dolphins-exposed-to-oil-are-seriously-ill-agency-says/?ref=earth
Dolphins from oiled bay show health issues
AP
By ALAN SAYRE
NEW ORLEANS -- Scientists say 32 dolphins taken from Louisiana's Barataria
Bay were in overall poor health, though they say their studies don't yet
definitely tie the illnesses to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/23/v-print/3839004/dolphins-from-oiled-bay-show-health.html
Studies look at oil spill's effect on insect populations
AP
By JANET McCONNAUGHEY
NEW ORLEANS -- Nearly two years after oil from BP's busted well in the Gulf
of Mexico fouled coastal marshes, scientists are studying the impact on
some of the area's tiniest residents: bugs.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/23/v-print/3839001/studies-look-at-oil-spills-effect.html
5,000 new claims filed after BP settlement
AP
More than 1,000 claimants have received around $27 million in the two weeks
since a court-supervised administrator took over the processing of claims
spawned by the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico from BP PLC's $20
billion compensation fund.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17239526/5000-new-claims-filed-after-bp-settlement
BP deal for North Sea gas assets is said close
LONDON -- BP PLC's (BP.LN) long-announced sale of its stakes in gas fields
in the southern North Sea is gathering momentum and is likely to be
concluded soon, a person familiar with the matter said Sunday.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/bp-deal-for-north-sea-gas-assets-is-said-close-2012-03-26
State News
Wastewater-treatment plant opens in Stone County
Sun Herald
By NICOLE DOW
WIGGINS -- Stone County Utility Authority members, Mississippi Department
of Environmental Quality Executive Director Trudy Fisher and local
officials celebrated the opening of a new wastewater treatment plant on
Cobb Road on Friday.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/23/3838904/wastewater-treatment-plant-opens.html
Moss Point installs new cameras to combat illegal dumping
WLOX
A warning for those illegally dumping trash in Moss Point, police said
they've begun installing hidden cameras to catch and punish violators. Moss
Point citizens and city leaders hope the extra eyes watching out will help
keep the city clean.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17251008/moss-point-installs-new-cameras-to-combat-illegal-dumping
Gator hunts expand More areas, more permits in new plan
Clarion Ledger
Alligator hunting opportunities will increase 40 percent in Mississippi
under an expanded plan announced Friday by state wildlife officials.
…Public waters will be defined as those deemed public by the Mississippi
Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120325/SPORTS08/203250336/Gator-hunts-expand-More-areas-more-permits-new-plan
Jobs! Alliance looking for workers
By David A. Farrell
The Picayune Item
PICAYUNE — Who is constructing a huge installation between Nicholson and
Picayune on the west side of the railroad tracks, and what the facility
will do when it comes on line, is becoming clearer.
http://picayuneitem.com/local/x1940317935/Jobs-Alliance-looking-for-workers
Water Works awarded for dealing with your waste
Natchez Democrat
Published 12:02am Saturday, March 24, 2012
NATCHEZ — Natchez Water Works has received its second award for the
solar-powered greenhouse system at the Natchez Wastewater Treatment Plant
that turns sewage sludge into organic fertilizer.
http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2012/03/24/water-works-awarded-for-dealing-with-your-waste/
Pass sand reviving Hancock beaches
Sea Coast Echo
By ANTHONY JAMES
The Hancock County Board of Supervisors learned at its Wednesday meeting
that sand would be trucked, rather than pumped, to Lakeshore.
http://12.68.233.230/40/article_5825.shtml
DeSoto County Regional Utility Authority board OKs start for bids on plant
Seek federal funds for waste treatment facility
Commercial Appeal
By Henry Bailey
Monday, March 26, 2012
Taking care of timely business in a rural, flood-prone area, the DeSoto
County Regional Utility Authority board has approved starting the bid
process for a $1 million site expansion and ground elevation at the Short
Fork Waste Water Treatment Facility in eastern DeSoto County.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/mar/26/utilities-ok-start-for-bids-on-plant/?print=1
George County supervisors return from trip to Washington to discuss Lake
George project
Published: Saturday, March 24, 2012, 6:06 AM
By Beverly Tuskan -- The Mississippi Press
LUCEDALE, Mississippi -- Four George County Supervisors returned Thursday
night from Washington where they met with Mississippi's congressional
leaders to garner support for the Lake George project.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/george_county_supervisors_retu.html
Cochran wants more support for the Gulf
AP
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Thad Cochran this week expressed strong concerns
about funding recommendations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration and their "lack of emphasis on the Gulf of Mexico."
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20120323/NEWS01/120323005/Cochran-wants-more-support-Gulf
MPC continues work at Kemper Co. coal plant
AP
Environmental organizations have asked regulators and the state Supreme
Court to stop construction at Mississippi Power Company's $2.7 billion coal
power plant in Kemper County.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17239441/mpc-continues-work-at-kemper-co-coal-plant
Supreme Court decision possible setback for Kemper County coal plant
Mississippi Business Journal
by Clay Chandler
Published: March 25th, 2012
JACKSON- In a 9-0 decision March 15, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled
the Mississippi Public Service Commission's decision to issue a certificate
of public convenience and necessity to Mississippi Power Company to build a
coal-fired generation plant in Kemper County was not based on "substantial
evidence presented," as required by law.
The decision was in response to a challenge to the $2.88 billion project by
the Mississippi Chapter of the Sierra Club, which advocates for
environmental issues. The Sierra Club argued the plant was unnecessary,
dirty and expensive. A Harrison County chancellor ruled in favor of MPC,
and the Sierra Club appealed to the state's high court.
What the court's decision means is that the evidence the PSC considered in
issuing the certificate will have to be revisited. Exactly how that occurs
is still up in the air.
After denying a certificate for the project in April 2010, the PSC reversed
course two months later, voting 2-1 to issue one, and to allow MPC to pay
for the project with an average 45 percent increase in ratepayers' power
bills. Northern District Commissioner Brandon Presley was the only
dissenting vote. He expressed concern that the technology MPC planned to
use at the facility — which would rely on lignite coal that's indigenous to
East Mississippi — was unproven and could not be relied on to produce
electricity on a commercial scale. Presley also said the company should
finance the project's cost, not its ratepayers. Southern District
Commissioner Leonard Bentz and Central District Commissioner Lynn Posey,
who voted in favor of the project, did not respond to messages last week.
When the certificate will be rendered invalid will come within 21 days of
the supreme court's March 15 decision. The high court will issue a mandate
to Harrison County Chancery Court, which will most likely kick the
proceedings back to the PSC. At that point, the proceedings will be at the
point they reached in April 2010, after the last evidentiary hearing.
Commissioners can re-issue the certificate of necessity, deny it, or choose
to hold more evidentiary hearings.
Presley wouldn't speculate on what would happen then.
"We need fresh eyes on this," he said. "There needs to be a new examination
of the facts."
The Sierra Club has already asked the PSC to do just that. In a motion
seeking a status conference, filed last Tuesday, the Sierra Club provides
updated long-term forecasts from a regulated utilities expert for natural
gas prices compared with price data MPC initially used. Both sets of data
are blacked out due to confidentiality.
"This is anything but a technicality," said Louie Miller, director of the
state's Sierra Club chapter. "This, in our opinion, puts us back to square
one. This thing deserves to be looked at objectively and not politically."
The Sierra Club's motion also seeks an "orderly halt" to construction at
the plant.
For now, construction will continue, a MPC spokesperson said in a statement
issued one day after the court's decision.
"We are confident there is substantial evidence in the record to support
the Commission's approval of the certificate," said Jeff Shepard. "It is
our hope and expectation that the Commission will address this
expeditiously." Shepard did not respond to messages seeking further comment
last week.
"Right now they technically have a legal certificate," Presley said last
week, referring to MPC's decision to continue construction, which started
last year. Presley added that MPC has told PSC field monitors that it
expects a cost overrun on the project between $60 million and $100 million.
"There's an old saying that when you find yourself in a hole, you quit
digging," Presley said.
If the PSC grants the Sierra Club's motion and stops construction, any
money MPC spent on the project between March 15 and whenever the PSC rules
cannot be recouped from ratepayers.
http://msbusiness.com/2012/03/supreme-court-decision-possible-setback-for-kemper-county-coal-plant/
Destin Pipeline to work on Gulf of Mexico gas line
Reuters
Fri, Mar 23 2012
March 23 (Reuters) - Destin Pipeline Co LLC on Friday said planned
maintenance was still slated to begin April 10 on its offshore Gulf of
Mexico gas pipeline system, with offshore receipt points unavailable during
the week-long outage.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/23/pipelines-operations-destin-idUSL1E8EN46320120323
Gulf Islands National Seashore sees influx of visitors
WLOX
When you enter Gulf Islands, you're surrounded by nature; more people are
discovering the peaceful solitude of nature.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17212655/people-are-heading-back-to-gulf-islands-national-seashore
Climatologists discuss state's tornado levels
Starkville Daily News
According to a recent study conducted by tornado researchers at The Weather
Channel, data compiled from 1990-2010 by the National Weather indicates
Mississippi ranks fifth on a list of states with the most tornadoes per
10,000 square miles within that time.
http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/node/9519
Barbour also left Bryant a challenge on the Coast
AN EDITORIAL OPINION OF THE CLARION-LEDGER (Jackson)
In addition to a lengthy list of pardons, former Gov. Haley Barbour left
another highly controversial matter for Mississippians to contend with as
he went out the door -- offshore drilling.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/25/v-print/3837419/barbour-also-left-bryant-a-challenge.html
National News
The Battle Over Fracking
Edward E. Cohen, Aubrey K. McClendon and Paul Gallay debate the
environmental impact
Wall Street Journal
The U.S. is producing more oil every year. Natural gas, with huge supplies
and low prices, keeps attracting new power producers. But environmental
concerns swirl around an increasingly common drilling method: hydraulic
fracturing, which injects water and chemicals into shale formations to
extract oil and gas.
Has the industry won the engineering battle, but lost the PR war? The Wall
Street Journal's Russell Gold discussed the boom times and "fracking" with
two leading figures in the industry: Edward E. Cohen, president and chief
executive of Atlas Energy LP, ATLS -1.41% and Aubrey K. McClendon, chairman
and CEO of Chesapeake Energy Corp. CHK -0.28%
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304724404577299662637393108.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Does fracking hurt the environment or help energy costs?
Fox News Business Video
http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/1526975491001/does-fracking-hurt-the-environment-or-help-energy-costs/
Judge Overturns EPA Ruling Against Arch Coal Mine
Wall Street Journal
By KRIS MAHER
A federal judge said the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its
authority in revoking a permit for an Arch Coal Inc. ACI +0.26% surface
mine that was to be the largest proposed mountaintop-removal coal mine in
Appalachia.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303812904577299903600963644.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Republicans look to shut down EPA's overseas grants
The Hill
By Pete Kasperowicz - 03/23/12 09:21 AM ET
If House and Senate Republicans have their way, the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) will no longer be able to send grant money overseas
so other countries can study swine manure treatment, "clean cooking
technology" and other ways to protection the environment.
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/217783-republicans-look-to-shut-down-epas-overseas-grants
The Case for Trimming the EPA
The Atlantic
By E. Donald Elliott
The EPA, just as large as it ever was, is now on autopilot, churning out
rules and regulations without heed to cost or competing values. It spends
huge sums chasing the tiniest of risks.
Most of our national environmental laws were enacted from 1970 to 1990, and
have rarely been amended since. That was a time when America knew no
limits: We had gone to the moon; next we were going to cure cancer and
eliminate all pollution. Today, there is still a widely shared passion for
sound stewardship of the Earth but achieving our goals will require
amending obsolete environmental laws to adapt to our current situation.
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/03/the-case-for-trimming-the-epa/254701/
Friday, March 23, 2012
News Clippings 3/23/12
Oil Spill
Studies look at oil spill's effect on insects
AP
By JANET McCONNAUGHEY
Nearly two years after oil from BP's busted well in the Gulf of Mexico
fouled coastal marshes, scientists are studying the impact on some of the
area's tiniest residents: bugs.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/22/v-print/3835428/studies-start-to-look-at-tiny.html
BP Oil Spill's Sticky Remnants Wash Up Sporadically On Gulf Beaches
National Geographic
Brian Handwerk
Published March 22, 2012
As they walk the sands of Orange Beach, Alabama, T. Prabhakar Clement and
Joel Hayworth have no difficulty finding traces of the Deepwater Horizon
disaster—in fact, the Auburn University researchers have a harder time
making sure those traces don't stick to their feet.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/03/120322-gulf-oil-spill-tar-balls-wash-up-on-beaches/
Cuba factors into U.S. oil spill plan
Published: Thursday, March 22, 2012, 8:30 PM
By The Associated Press
If a future oil spill in the Caribbean Sea threatens American shores, a new
federal plan obtained by The Associated Press would hinge on cooperation
from neighboring foreign governments. Now that Cuba is the neighbor
drilling for oil, cooperation is hard to guarantee.
http://blog.nola.com/2010_gulf_oil_spill/print.html?entry=/2012/03/cuba_factors_into_us_oil_spill.html
State News
High court upholds fees in debris dispute
Sun Herald
By ROBIN FITZGERALD
HARRISON COUNTY -- The state Supreme Court has upheld a decision that W.C.
Fore Trucking Inc. owed the state hundreds of thousands of dollars in
debris-removal fees for Hurricane Katrina cleanup.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/22/v-print/3836533/high-court-upholds-fees-in-debris.html
Summit seeks sewage solution
AP
Summit residents could face an increase in water bills of at least $18 a
month so the town can find an effective solution to treating wastewater.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/23/3836904/summit-seeks-sewage-solution.html
Dredging to start to remove sludge
Hattiesburg American
The City of Hattiesburg will begin dredging the south lagoon today to
remove a build-up of sludge that has caused an occasional stench within the
eastern part of the city.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20120323/NEWS01/303230005/Dredging-start-remove-sludge
More of old creosote plant may be enclosed
Sun Herald
By PRISCILLA LOEBENBERG
GULFPORT -- A public meeting Thursday at the Mt. Pleasant United Methodist
Church updated Turkey Creek–area residents about plans to further contain
contamination from the Cavenham Forest Industries site at 9502 Creosote
Road.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/22/v-print/3836675/more-of-old-creosote-plant-may.html
Electronic Recycling
WCBI
Posted by R.H. Brown | March 22, 2012
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) - Because of rapid advances in electronic
technology, many of our viewers are still holding onto items like
antiquated cell phones, computers, hard drives, fax machines, and old
television sets.
http://www.wcbi.com/article.php?subaction=showfull&id=1332448649&archive=&start_from=&ucat=2,6&
The 3 R's of Recycling: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
By Eloria Newell James
Laurel Leader Call
LAUREL — The City of Laurel's recycling program now has nine recycling
containers placed around town for the city's new residential recycling
effort.
http://leadercall.com/local/x715444644/The-3-R-s-of-Recycling-Reduce-Reuse-and-Recycle
Legislature: Floodplain regulations to apply to hunting, fishing camps
Published: Friday, March 23, 2012, 6:09 AM
By April M. Havens, The Mississippi Press
JACKSON COUNTY, Mississippi -- Mississippi legislators said Thursday they
have passed a measure that will keep the state from being excluded from the
National Flood Insurance Program, as the Senate unanimously passed House
Bill 773.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/legislature_floodplain_regulat.html
National News
EPA chief: No date yet for power plant carbon rules
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 03/22/12 12:51 PM ET
Is the environmental Protection Agency's schedule for proposing power plant
greenhouse gas standards slipping yet again? It depends on your definition
of "early."
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/217609-epa-chief-no-date-yet-for-power-plant-carbon-rules
Groups plan suit against Wyoming regulators over fracking fluid secrets
Casper Star-Tribune
By JEREMY FUGLEBERG Star-Tribune energy reporter
Two environmental groups and a watchdog group will file a petition in a
Wyoming court Monday, hoping a judge will force state regulators to release
secret lists of chemicals used by some companies in the hydraulic
fracturing process.
http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/groups-plan-suit-against-wyoming-regulators-over-fracking-fluid-secrets/article_fc849fdd-c18e-53d4-8060-58697af31e5d.html
Obama Officials May Study Safety Risks in Fracking Pipelines
Bloomberg
By William McQuillen - Mar 23, 2012
The Obama administration may start collecting data on pipelines energy
companies use to transport natural gas and oil extracted from shale by
hydraulic fracturing, according to a government report.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-23/pipelines-at-fracking-wells-seen-subject-to-further-u-s-reports.html
Audit: Gas lines tied to fracking lack oversight
By Garance Burke
Associated Press / March 23, 2012
SAN FRANCISCO—Government auditors say federal officials know nothing about
thousands of miles of pipelines that carry natural gas released through the
drilling method known as fracking, and need to step up oversight to make
sure they are running safely.
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2012/03/23/audit_gas_lines_tied_to_fracking_lack_oversight/
Fracking Fluid Soaks Ohio
BusinessWeek
By Mark Niquette on March 22, 2012
The nationwide boom in hydraulic fracturing—aka fracking—means
energy-extraction companies in the U.S. can produce thousands of barrels of
oil and millions of cubic feet of natural gas from once-inaccessible
places. They're also producing something else: oceans of brine from
drilling as well as fracking fluid, the chemical-laced water used to blast
open cracks in buried rock where fossil fuel lurks. That wastewater has to
go someplace. John Kasich, Ohio's governor, isn't sure he wants his state
to be it.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-22/fracking-fluid-soaks-ohio
Quake Risk From Fracking Seen Cut With Disclosures, U.S. Says
Bloomberg
By Katarzyna Klimasinska - Mar 22, 2012
U.S. energy companies should report information on waste water from
hydraulic fracturing to help officials reduce the risk of earthquakes, the
head of the U.S. Geological Survey said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-22/quake-risk-from-fracking-seen-cut-with-disclosures-u-s-says.html
Report: Water shortages increasingly will offer new weapons for states,
terror groups
Washington Post
By Karen DeYoung, Published: March 22
Fresh-water shortages and more droughts and floods will increase the
likelihood that water will be used as a weapon between states or to further
terrorist aims in key strategic areas, including the Middle East, South
Asia and North Africa, a U.S. intelligence assessment released Thursday
said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/report-water-shortages-increasingly-will-offer-new-weapons-for-states-terror-groups/2012/03/22/gIQA3qDdTS_story.html?hpid=z3
EPA releases 2012 biodiesel production numbers
Western Farm Press
The U.S. biodiesel industry produced 135 million gallons of fuel in the
first two months of 2012, according to new numbers released by the EPA.
http://westernfarmpress.com/management/epa-releases-2012-biodiesel-production-numbers
Press Releases
EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson Testimony Before the U.S. Senate,
Committee on Environment and Public Works
WASHINGTON -
As prepared for delivery.
Thank you for inviting me to testify on the President's Fiscal Year 2013
budget for the Environmental Protection Agency. I'm joined by the agency's
Chief Financial Officer, Barbara Bennett.
EPA's budget request of $8.344 billion focuses on fulfilling EPA's core
mission of protecting public health and the environment, while making the
sacrifices and tough decisions that Americans across the country are making
every day.
EPA's budget request fully reflects the President's commitment to reducing
government spending and finding cost savings in a responsible manner while
supporting clean air, clean water and the innovative safe guards that are
essential to an America that's built to last. In some cases we have had to
take a step back from programs - this budget reflects a savings of $50
million through the elimination of several EPA programs and activities that
have either met their goals, or can be achieved at the state or local level
or by other federal agencies.
Let me spend a moment discussing major elements of EPA's budget request.
This budget recognizes the importance of our partners at the state, local
and tribal level. As you know, they are at the front lines of implementing
our environmental laws like the Clean Water Act, and the Clean Air Act. In
fact, the largest portion – 40 percent of EPA's funding request – is
directed to the state and tribal assistance grants appropriation to support
their efforts.
Specifically, this budget proposes that $1.2 billion - nearly 15 percent of
EPA's overall request - be allocated back to the states and tribes, through
categorical grants. This includes funding for state and local air quality
management grants, pollution control grants and the tribal general
assistance program.
The budget also proposes that a combined $2 billion - another 25 percent of
EPA's budget request - also goes directly to the states for the Clean Water
and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds. This funding will help support
efficient system wide investments and development of water infrastructure
in our communities. We are working collaboratively to identify
opportunities to fund green infrastructure - projects that can reduce
pollution efficiently and less expensively than traditional grey
infrastructure.
Additionally, EPA's budget request would fund the protection of the
nation's land and water in local communities. Reflecting the President's
commitment to restoring and protecting the Great Lakes, this budget
requests that Congress maintain the current funding level of $300 million
for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. This support will continue to
be used for collaborative work with partners at the state, local and tribal
level, and also with non-profit and municipal groups. The budget also
requests support for protection of the Chesapeake Bay, and several other
treasured and economically significant water bodies. The budget reflects
the importance of cleaning up contaminated land sites in our communities by
requesting $755 million for continued support of the Superfund cleanup
programs and maintains the agency's emergency preparedness and response
capabilities.
EPA's budget request makes major investments in its science and technology
account of $807 million, or almost 10 percent of the total request. This
request includes $576 million for research, including $81 million in
research grants and fellowships to scientists and universities throughout
the country for targeted research as part of the Science to Achieve Results
- or STAR – program, including children's health, endocrine disruption, and
air monitoring research. Also, as part of this request, EPA includes
funding increases into key areas that include green infrastructure and
hydraulic fracturing.
As I've mentioned before, natural gas is an important resource which is
abundant in the United States, but we must make sure that the ways we
extract it do not risk the safety of public water supplies. This budget
continues EPA's ongoing congressionally directed hydraulic fracturing
study, which we have taken great steps to ensure is independent, peer
reviewed and based on strong and scientifically defensible data. Building
on these ongoing efforts, this budget requests $14 million in total to work
collaboratively with the United States Geological Survey, the Department of
Energy and other partners to assess questions regarding hydraulic
fracturing. Strong science means finding the answers to tough questions,
and EPA's request does that.
We are making investments to support standards for clean energy and
efficiency in this budget. Specifically, this budget supports EPA's efforts
to introduce cleaner vehicles and fuels and to expand the use of home-grown
renewable fuels. This includes funding for EPA's Federal Vehicle and Fuel
Standards and Certification program to support certification, and
compliance testing for all emissions standards. This also includes
implementation of the President's historic agreement with the auto industry
for carbon pollution and fuel economy standards through 2025 for cars and
light duty vehicles, including testing support for NHTSA's fuel economy
standards.
Taken together, the Administration's standards for cars and light trucks
are projected to result in $1.7 trillion dollars of fuel savings, and 12
billion fewer barrels of oil consumed. This funding will also help support
implementation of the first ever carbon pollution and fuel economy
standards for heavy duty trucks.
Stepping back from EPA's budget request, let me spend a moment discussing
the impact of a sequester. Madam Chairwoman, as you know, as part of the
Budget Control Act, through a sequestration, spending may be forced to be
slashed in an irresponsible manner that can endanger the public health
protections that we rely on and not invest in an America that's built to
last. By design the sequester is bad policy, bringing about deep cuts in
defense and non-defense spending to act as an incentive for congressional
action on deficit reduction.
Even without the sequester, discretionary spending has already been cut in
nominal terms for two straight years. Under the Budget Control Act, it is
on a path to reach its lowest level as a share of GDP since the Eisenhower
Administration.
If the sequester were to happen, it would bring another round of deep cuts
in discretionary spending. Although the Administration is continuing to
analyze the impact of the sequester, the Congressional Budget Office has
said that in 2013, the sequester would result in a 7.8 percent cut in
nonsecurity discretionary accounts that are not exempt from the sequester.
It would be impossible for us to manage cuts of that magnitude and still
achieve our fundamental mission to protect human health and the
environment.
The sequester would thus have a devastating effect on our country's ability
to conduct the following activities over the long haul: A sequester would
result in deep cuts to EPA's Operating Budget, which includes funds for the
enforcement of public health and environmental protections. It would
significantly harm our ability to help state and local governments finance
needed drinking water and wastewater projects that provide communities
clean and safe water. A sequester also would slash EPA grants that help
states carry out basic functions that protect human health and the
environment like water quality permitting and air quality monitoring. The
sequester would impair progress on the country's ability to clean up the
nation's hazardous waste sites over the long haul.
The President has been clear that Congress needs to avoid a sequester by
passing a balanced deficit reduction - at least as much as the Budget
Control Act required of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to
avoid sequestration. The President's Budget reflects such a balanced
proposal, and we believe Congress should enact it and cancel the sequester.
Madam Chairwoman, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. While my
testimony reflects only some of the highlights of EPA's budget request, I
look forward to answering your questions.
Studies look at oil spill's effect on insects
AP
By JANET McCONNAUGHEY
Nearly two years after oil from BP's busted well in the Gulf of Mexico
fouled coastal marshes, scientists are studying the impact on some of the
area's tiniest residents: bugs.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/22/v-print/3835428/studies-start-to-look-at-tiny.html
BP Oil Spill's Sticky Remnants Wash Up Sporadically On Gulf Beaches
National Geographic
Brian Handwerk
Published March 22, 2012
As they walk the sands of Orange Beach, Alabama, T. Prabhakar Clement and
Joel Hayworth have no difficulty finding traces of the Deepwater Horizon
disaster—in fact, the Auburn University researchers have a harder time
making sure those traces don't stick to their feet.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/03/120322-gulf-oil-spill-tar-balls-wash-up-on-beaches/
Cuba factors into U.S. oil spill plan
Published: Thursday, March 22, 2012, 8:30 PM
By The Associated Press
If a future oil spill in the Caribbean Sea threatens American shores, a new
federal plan obtained by The Associated Press would hinge on cooperation
from neighboring foreign governments. Now that Cuba is the neighbor
drilling for oil, cooperation is hard to guarantee.
http://blog.nola.com/2010_gulf_oil_spill/print.html?entry=/2012/03/cuba_factors_into_us_oil_spill.html
State News
High court upholds fees in debris dispute
Sun Herald
By ROBIN FITZGERALD
HARRISON COUNTY -- The state Supreme Court has upheld a decision that W.C.
Fore Trucking Inc. owed the state hundreds of thousands of dollars in
debris-removal fees for Hurricane Katrina cleanup.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/22/v-print/3836533/high-court-upholds-fees-in-debris.html
Summit seeks sewage solution
AP
Summit residents could face an increase in water bills of at least $18 a
month so the town can find an effective solution to treating wastewater.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/23/3836904/summit-seeks-sewage-solution.html
Dredging to start to remove sludge
Hattiesburg American
The City of Hattiesburg will begin dredging the south lagoon today to
remove a build-up of sludge that has caused an occasional stench within the
eastern part of the city.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20120323/NEWS01/303230005/Dredging-start-remove-sludge
More of old creosote plant may be enclosed
Sun Herald
By PRISCILLA LOEBENBERG
GULFPORT -- A public meeting Thursday at the Mt. Pleasant United Methodist
Church updated Turkey Creek–area residents about plans to further contain
contamination from the Cavenham Forest Industries site at 9502 Creosote
Road.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/22/v-print/3836675/more-of-old-creosote-plant-may.html
Electronic Recycling
WCBI
Posted by R.H. Brown | March 22, 2012
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) - Because of rapid advances in electronic
technology, many of our viewers are still holding onto items like
antiquated cell phones, computers, hard drives, fax machines, and old
television sets.
http://www.wcbi.com/article.php?subaction=showfull&id=1332448649&archive=&start_from=&ucat=2,6&
The 3 R's of Recycling: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
By Eloria Newell James
Laurel Leader Call
LAUREL — The City of Laurel's recycling program now has nine recycling
containers placed around town for the city's new residential recycling
effort.
http://leadercall.com/local/x715444644/The-3-R-s-of-Recycling-Reduce-Reuse-and-Recycle
Legislature: Floodplain regulations to apply to hunting, fishing camps
Published: Friday, March 23, 2012, 6:09 AM
By April M. Havens, The Mississippi Press
JACKSON COUNTY, Mississippi -- Mississippi legislators said Thursday they
have passed a measure that will keep the state from being excluded from the
National Flood Insurance Program, as the Senate unanimously passed House
Bill 773.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/legislature_floodplain_regulat.html
National News
EPA chief: No date yet for power plant carbon rules
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 03/22/12 12:51 PM ET
Is the environmental Protection Agency's schedule for proposing power plant
greenhouse gas standards slipping yet again? It depends on your definition
of "early."
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/217609-epa-chief-no-date-yet-for-power-plant-carbon-rules
Groups plan suit against Wyoming regulators over fracking fluid secrets
Casper Star-Tribune
By JEREMY FUGLEBERG Star-Tribune energy reporter
Two environmental groups and a watchdog group will file a petition in a
Wyoming court Monday, hoping a judge will force state regulators to release
secret lists of chemicals used by some companies in the hydraulic
fracturing process.
http://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/groups-plan-suit-against-wyoming-regulators-over-fracking-fluid-secrets/article_fc849fdd-c18e-53d4-8060-58697af31e5d.html
Obama Officials May Study Safety Risks in Fracking Pipelines
Bloomberg
By William McQuillen - Mar 23, 2012
The Obama administration may start collecting data on pipelines energy
companies use to transport natural gas and oil extracted from shale by
hydraulic fracturing, according to a government report.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-23/pipelines-at-fracking-wells-seen-subject-to-further-u-s-reports.html
Audit: Gas lines tied to fracking lack oversight
By Garance Burke
Associated Press / March 23, 2012
SAN FRANCISCO—Government auditors say federal officials know nothing about
thousands of miles of pipelines that carry natural gas released through the
drilling method known as fracking, and need to step up oversight to make
sure they are running safely.
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2012/03/23/audit_gas_lines_tied_to_fracking_lack_oversight/
Fracking Fluid Soaks Ohio
BusinessWeek
By Mark Niquette on March 22, 2012
The nationwide boom in hydraulic fracturing—aka fracking—means
energy-extraction companies in the U.S. can produce thousands of barrels of
oil and millions of cubic feet of natural gas from once-inaccessible
places. They're also producing something else: oceans of brine from
drilling as well as fracking fluid, the chemical-laced water used to blast
open cracks in buried rock where fossil fuel lurks. That wastewater has to
go someplace. John Kasich, Ohio's governor, isn't sure he wants his state
to be it.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-22/fracking-fluid-soaks-ohio
Quake Risk From Fracking Seen Cut With Disclosures, U.S. Says
Bloomberg
By Katarzyna Klimasinska - Mar 22, 2012
U.S. energy companies should report information on waste water from
hydraulic fracturing to help officials reduce the risk of earthquakes, the
head of the U.S. Geological Survey said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-22/quake-risk-from-fracking-seen-cut-with-disclosures-u-s-says.html
Report: Water shortages increasingly will offer new weapons for states,
terror groups
Washington Post
By Karen DeYoung, Published: March 22
Fresh-water shortages and more droughts and floods will increase the
likelihood that water will be used as a weapon between states or to further
terrorist aims in key strategic areas, including the Middle East, South
Asia and North Africa, a U.S. intelligence assessment released Thursday
said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/report-water-shortages-increasingly-will-offer-new-weapons-for-states-terror-groups/2012/03/22/gIQA3qDdTS_story.html?hpid=z3
EPA releases 2012 biodiesel production numbers
Western Farm Press
The U.S. biodiesel industry produced 135 million gallons of fuel in the
first two months of 2012, according to new numbers released by the EPA.
http://westernfarmpress.com/management/epa-releases-2012-biodiesel-production-numbers
Press Releases
EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson Testimony Before the U.S. Senate,
Committee on Environment and Public Works
WASHINGTON -
As prepared for delivery.
Thank you for inviting me to testify on the President's Fiscal Year 2013
budget for the Environmental Protection Agency. I'm joined by the agency's
Chief Financial Officer, Barbara Bennett.
EPA's budget request of $8.344 billion focuses on fulfilling EPA's core
mission of protecting public health and the environment, while making the
sacrifices and tough decisions that Americans across the country are making
every day.
EPA's budget request fully reflects the President's commitment to reducing
government spending and finding cost savings in a responsible manner while
supporting clean air, clean water and the innovative safe guards that are
essential to an America that's built to last. In some cases we have had to
take a step back from programs - this budget reflects a savings of $50
million through the elimination of several EPA programs and activities that
have either met their goals, or can be achieved at the state or local level
or by other federal agencies.
Let me spend a moment discussing major elements of EPA's budget request.
This budget recognizes the importance of our partners at the state, local
and tribal level. As you know, they are at the front lines of implementing
our environmental laws like the Clean Water Act, and the Clean Air Act. In
fact, the largest portion – 40 percent of EPA's funding request – is
directed to the state and tribal assistance grants appropriation to support
their efforts.
Specifically, this budget proposes that $1.2 billion - nearly 15 percent of
EPA's overall request - be allocated back to the states and tribes, through
categorical grants. This includes funding for state and local air quality
management grants, pollution control grants and the tribal general
assistance program.
The budget also proposes that a combined $2 billion - another 25 percent of
EPA's budget request - also goes directly to the states for the Clean Water
and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds. This funding will help support
efficient system wide investments and development of water infrastructure
in our communities. We are working collaboratively to identify
opportunities to fund green infrastructure - projects that can reduce
pollution efficiently and less expensively than traditional grey
infrastructure.
Additionally, EPA's budget request would fund the protection of the
nation's land and water in local communities. Reflecting the President's
commitment to restoring and protecting the Great Lakes, this budget
requests that Congress maintain the current funding level of $300 million
for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. This support will continue to
be used for collaborative work with partners at the state, local and tribal
level, and also with non-profit and municipal groups. The budget also
requests support for protection of the Chesapeake Bay, and several other
treasured and economically significant water bodies. The budget reflects
the importance of cleaning up contaminated land sites in our communities by
requesting $755 million for continued support of the Superfund cleanup
programs and maintains the agency's emergency preparedness and response
capabilities.
EPA's budget request makes major investments in its science and technology
account of $807 million, or almost 10 percent of the total request. This
request includes $576 million for research, including $81 million in
research grants and fellowships to scientists and universities throughout
the country for targeted research as part of the Science to Achieve Results
- or STAR – program, including children's health, endocrine disruption, and
air monitoring research. Also, as part of this request, EPA includes
funding increases into key areas that include green infrastructure and
hydraulic fracturing.
As I've mentioned before, natural gas is an important resource which is
abundant in the United States, but we must make sure that the ways we
extract it do not risk the safety of public water supplies. This budget
continues EPA's ongoing congressionally directed hydraulic fracturing
study, which we have taken great steps to ensure is independent, peer
reviewed and based on strong and scientifically defensible data. Building
on these ongoing efforts, this budget requests $14 million in total to work
collaboratively with the United States Geological Survey, the Department of
Energy and other partners to assess questions regarding hydraulic
fracturing. Strong science means finding the answers to tough questions,
and EPA's request does that.
We are making investments to support standards for clean energy and
efficiency in this budget. Specifically, this budget supports EPA's efforts
to introduce cleaner vehicles and fuels and to expand the use of home-grown
renewable fuels. This includes funding for EPA's Federal Vehicle and Fuel
Standards and Certification program to support certification, and
compliance testing for all emissions standards. This also includes
implementation of the President's historic agreement with the auto industry
for carbon pollution and fuel economy standards through 2025 for cars and
light duty vehicles, including testing support for NHTSA's fuel economy
standards.
Taken together, the Administration's standards for cars and light trucks
are projected to result in $1.7 trillion dollars of fuel savings, and 12
billion fewer barrels of oil consumed. This funding will also help support
implementation of the first ever carbon pollution and fuel economy
standards for heavy duty trucks.
Stepping back from EPA's budget request, let me spend a moment discussing
the impact of a sequester. Madam Chairwoman, as you know, as part of the
Budget Control Act, through a sequestration, spending may be forced to be
slashed in an irresponsible manner that can endanger the public health
protections that we rely on and not invest in an America that's built to
last. By design the sequester is bad policy, bringing about deep cuts in
defense and non-defense spending to act as an incentive for congressional
action on deficit reduction.
Even without the sequester, discretionary spending has already been cut in
nominal terms for two straight years. Under the Budget Control Act, it is
on a path to reach its lowest level as a share of GDP since the Eisenhower
Administration.
If the sequester were to happen, it would bring another round of deep cuts
in discretionary spending. Although the Administration is continuing to
analyze the impact of the sequester, the Congressional Budget Office has
said that in 2013, the sequester would result in a 7.8 percent cut in
nonsecurity discretionary accounts that are not exempt from the sequester.
It would be impossible for us to manage cuts of that magnitude and still
achieve our fundamental mission to protect human health and the
environment.
The sequester would thus have a devastating effect on our country's ability
to conduct the following activities over the long haul: A sequester would
result in deep cuts to EPA's Operating Budget, which includes funds for the
enforcement of public health and environmental protections. It would
significantly harm our ability to help state and local governments finance
needed drinking water and wastewater projects that provide communities
clean and safe water. A sequester also would slash EPA grants that help
states carry out basic functions that protect human health and the
environment like water quality permitting and air quality monitoring. The
sequester would impair progress on the country's ability to clean up the
nation's hazardous waste sites over the long haul.
The President has been clear that Congress needs to avoid a sequester by
passing a balanced deficit reduction - at least as much as the Budget
Control Act required of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to
avoid sequestration. The President's Budget reflects such a balanced
proposal, and we believe Congress should enact it and cancel the sequester.
Madam Chairwoman, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. While my
testimony reflects only some of the highlights of EPA's budget request, I
look forward to answering your questions.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
News Clippings 3/22/12
State News
Phil Bryant wants Mississippi to adopt statewide energy policy centered on
natural gas
Published: Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 1:50 PM Updated: Wednesday, March
21, 2012, 2:42 PM
By Kaija Wilkinson
Mississippi Press
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Gov. Phil Bryant is pushing for the state to adopt
a statewide energy policy and advocates natural gas development as a key
component of a diverse energy economy.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/phil_bryant_wants_mississippi.html
Leaders: State can spearhead shift away from foreign oil
Sun Herald
By GEOFF PENDER
JACKSON -- Mississippi, and South Mississippi, can lead the way in a shift
from dependence on foreign oil to domestic natural gas, billionaire energy
guru T. Boone Pickens, Gov. Phil Bryant and private industry leaders said
Wednesday.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/21/v-print/3834184/leaders-state-can-spearhead-shift.html
Bryant, Pickens tout natural gas as vehicle fuel
AP
By JEFF AMY
Gov. Phil Bryant and oil-and-gas investor T. Boone Pickens say using
natural gas to fuel vehicles can provide savings for Mississippi government
and businesses.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/21/v-print/3833754/bryant-pickens-tout-natural-gas.html
Hank Zuber among officials who met with natural gas proponent T. Boone
Pickens
Published: Thursday, March 22, 2012, 6:51 AM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- Rep. Hank Zuber said he was among officials
meeting with T. Boone Pickens Wednesday morning as Gov. Phil Bryant
announced a push to use natural gas development to diversify the state's
energy economy.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/zuber_among_officials_who_met.html
Natural Gas For Vehicles Touted at Trade Show
WCBI
Posted by Jeremy Wiggins | March 21, 2012 / 05:38pm
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) - Tom Sewell drove his 2009 Chevy work truck more than
500 miles from his home in Tulsa Oklahoma to Tupelo and didn't break the
bank.
http://www.wcbi.com/article.php?subaction=showfull&id=1332369518&archive=&start_from=&ucat=2,5,6&
MDEQ opens one Coast beach, lifts advisory on another
by MBJ Staff
Published: March 21,2012
BILOXI and GULFPORT — The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
(MDEQ), through its Beach Monitoring Program, has lifted a preemptive beach
closure issued March 19 for a station in Biloxi:
http://msbusiness.com/2012/03/mdeq-opens-one-coast-beach-lifts-advisory-on-another/
Clarke Co. anti-litter effort boosted
AP
QUITMAN — The Mississippi Department of Transportation has presented the
Clarke County Sheriff's Department with a new 12-foot trailer to help the
county fight litter.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120322/NEWS/203220337/Clarke-Co-anti-litter-effort-boosted
National News
Supreme Court sides with Idaho property owners over EPA
Published March 21, 2012
FoxNews.com
The Supreme Court has come forcefully down on the side of an Idaho couple
in its fight against the Environmental Protection Agency, unanimously
ruling Wednesday that the couple can challenge an EPA order to stop
construction of their home on property designated a wetland.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/03/21/supreme-court-sides-with-idaho-property-owners-over-epa/?test=latestnews
Supreme Court allows Idaho couple to challenge EPA on wetlands ruling
Washington Post
By Robert Barnes and Juliet Eilperin, Published: March 21
The Supreme Court on Wednesday unanimously ruled for an Idaho couple who
have been in a four-year battle with the Environmental Protection Agency
over the government's claim that the land on which they plan to build a
home contains sensitive wetlands.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-allows-idaho-couple-to-challenge-epa-on-wetlands-ruling/2012/03/21/gIQAFgdsRS_story.html
Justices Allow Challenge to E.P.A. Control of Wetlands
NY Times
By FELICITY BARRINGER
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Wednesday that an Idaho couple had
the right to file an immediate court challenge to a federal Environmental
Protection Agency decision designating their property as wetlands and
forbidding them from building a home there.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/22/us/supreme-court-allows-lawsuit-in-epa-wetlands-case.html?_r=1&ref=earth&pagewanted=print
Gas Set to Test Capacity Limits
Wall Street Journal
By DAN STRUMPF
The boom in natural-gas production has hit a new pressure point: The U.S.
is running out of storage space.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303812904577295873283143892.html
Controversy surrounds U.S. fracking rule
UPI
Published: March. 21, 2012 at 8:10 AM
WASHINGTON, March 21 (UPI) -- The White House is preventing government
agencies from protecting the public from dangers associated with hydraulic
fracturing, an advocate said.
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2012/03/21/Controversy-surrounds-US-fracking-rule/UPI-80191332331804/?spt=hs&or=er
MPT looks at fracking
Documentary examines pros, con in Pa.
March 21, 2012|Tim Wheeler
With "fracking" once again in the news, Maryland Public Television is
airing a timely examination of the controversy around the controversial
method for extracting natural gas.
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-03-21/features/bal-mpt-special-looks-at-fracking-20120320_1_shale-gas-fracking-drilling
Iowa joins lawsuits against EPA
By The Associated Press | Posted: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 10:40 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Iowa Environmental Council (IEC) is among
environmental groups suing the EPA to force the federal government to curb
an overdose of nutrients from farms and cities that pollute water in Iowa,
the Mississippi River Basin and the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.iowafarmertoday.com/news/regional/iowa-joins-lawsuits-against-epa/article_e087e008-736c-11e1-95c2-0019bb2963f4.html
Beekeepers, environmentalists ask EPA to suspend use of pesticide that may
be harmful to bees
By Associated Press,
FRESNO, Calif. — Commercial beekeepers and environmental organizations
filed a petition Wednesday, asking federal regulators to suspend use of a
pesticide they say harms honeybees.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/industries/beekeepers-environmentalists-ask-epa-to-suspend-use-of-pesticide-that-may-be-harmful-to-bees/2012/03/21/gIQAOwnfSS_story.html
Phil Bryant wants Mississippi to adopt statewide energy policy centered on
natural gas
Published: Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 1:50 PM Updated: Wednesday, March
21, 2012, 2:42 PM
By Kaija Wilkinson
Mississippi Press
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Gov. Phil Bryant is pushing for the state to adopt
a statewide energy policy and advocates natural gas development as a key
component of a diverse energy economy.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/phil_bryant_wants_mississippi.html
Leaders: State can spearhead shift away from foreign oil
Sun Herald
By GEOFF PENDER
JACKSON -- Mississippi, and South Mississippi, can lead the way in a shift
from dependence on foreign oil to domestic natural gas, billionaire energy
guru T. Boone Pickens, Gov. Phil Bryant and private industry leaders said
Wednesday.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/21/v-print/3834184/leaders-state-can-spearhead-shift.html
Bryant, Pickens tout natural gas as vehicle fuel
AP
By JEFF AMY
Gov. Phil Bryant and oil-and-gas investor T. Boone Pickens say using
natural gas to fuel vehicles can provide savings for Mississippi government
and businesses.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/21/v-print/3833754/bryant-pickens-tout-natural-gas.html
Hank Zuber among officials who met with natural gas proponent T. Boone
Pickens
Published: Thursday, March 22, 2012, 6:51 AM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- Rep. Hank Zuber said he was among officials
meeting with T. Boone Pickens Wednesday morning as Gov. Phil Bryant
announced a push to use natural gas development to diversify the state's
energy economy.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/zuber_among_officials_who_met.html
Natural Gas For Vehicles Touted at Trade Show
WCBI
Posted by Jeremy Wiggins | March 21, 2012 / 05:38pm
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) - Tom Sewell drove his 2009 Chevy work truck more than
500 miles from his home in Tulsa Oklahoma to Tupelo and didn't break the
bank.
http://www.wcbi.com/article.php?subaction=showfull&id=1332369518&archive=&start_from=&ucat=2,5,6&
MDEQ opens one Coast beach, lifts advisory on another
by MBJ Staff
Published: March 21,2012
BILOXI and GULFPORT — The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
(MDEQ), through its Beach Monitoring Program, has lifted a preemptive beach
closure issued March 19 for a station in Biloxi:
http://msbusiness.com/2012/03/mdeq-opens-one-coast-beach-lifts-advisory-on-another/
Clarke Co. anti-litter effort boosted
AP
QUITMAN — The Mississippi Department of Transportation has presented the
Clarke County Sheriff's Department with a new 12-foot trailer to help the
county fight litter.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120322/NEWS/203220337/Clarke-Co-anti-litter-effort-boosted
National News
Supreme Court sides with Idaho property owners over EPA
Published March 21, 2012
FoxNews.com
The Supreme Court has come forcefully down on the side of an Idaho couple
in its fight against the Environmental Protection Agency, unanimously
ruling Wednesday that the couple can challenge an EPA order to stop
construction of their home on property designated a wetland.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/03/21/supreme-court-sides-with-idaho-property-owners-over-epa/?test=latestnews
Supreme Court allows Idaho couple to challenge EPA on wetlands ruling
Washington Post
By Robert Barnes and Juliet Eilperin, Published: March 21
The Supreme Court on Wednesday unanimously ruled for an Idaho couple who
have been in a four-year battle with the Environmental Protection Agency
over the government's claim that the land on which they plan to build a
home contains sensitive wetlands.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-allows-idaho-couple-to-challenge-epa-on-wetlands-ruling/2012/03/21/gIQAFgdsRS_story.html
Justices Allow Challenge to E.P.A. Control of Wetlands
NY Times
By FELICITY BARRINGER
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously on Wednesday that an Idaho couple had
the right to file an immediate court challenge to a federal Environmental
Protection Agency decision designating their property as wetlands and
forbidding them from building a home there.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/22/us/supreme-court-allows-lawsuit-in-epa-wetlands-case.html?_r=1&ref=earth&pagewanted=print
Gas Set to Test Capacity Limits
Wall Street Journal
By DAN STRUMPF
The boom in natural-gas production has hit a new pressure point: The U.S.
is running out of storage space.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303812904577295873283143892.html
Controversy surrounds U.S. fracking rule
UPI
Published: March. 21, 2012 at 8:10 AM
WASHINGTON, March 21 (UPI) -- The White House is preventing government
agencies from protecting the public from dangers associated with hydraulic
fracturing, an advocate said.
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2012/03/21/Controversy-surrounds-US-fracking-rule/UPI-80191332331804/?spt=hs&or=er
MPT looks at fracking
Documentary examines pros, con in Pa.
March 21, 2012|Tim Wheeler
With "fracking" once again in the news, Maryland Public Television is
airing a timely examination of the controversy around the controversial
method for extracting natural gas.
http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-03-21/features/bal-mpt-special-looks-at-fracking-20120320_1_shale-gas-fracking-drilling
Iowa joins lawsuits against EPA
By The Associated Press | Posted: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 10:40 am
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Iowa Environmental Council (IEC) is among
environmental groups suing the EPA to force the federal government to curb
an overdose of nutrients from farms and cities that pollute water in Iowa,
the Mississippi River Basin and the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.iowafarmertoday.com/news/regional/iowa-joins-lawsuits-against-epa/article_e087e008-736c-11e1-95c2-0019bb2963f4.html
Beekeepers, environmentalists ask EPA to suspend use of pesticide that may
be harmful to bees
By Associated Press,
FRESNO, Calif. — Commercial beekeepers and environmental organizations
filed a petition Wednesday, asking federal regulators to suspend use of a
pesticide they say harms honeybees.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/industries/beekeepers-environmentalists-ask-epa-to-suspend-use-of-pesticide-that-may-be-harmful-to-bees/2012/03/21/gIQAOwnfSS_story.html
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
News Clippings 3/21/12
Oil Spill
Hood hires ex-AG Mike Moore to sue BP
AP
By JEFF AMY
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood confirmed Tuesday to The Associated
Press that he has hired former Attorney General Mike Moore and others to
handle the state's claims against BP PLC stemming from the 2010 Gulf of
Mexico oil spill.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/20/v-print/3831308/apnewsbreak-hood-hires-ex-ag-mike.html
Oil from gulf disaster found in food chain
UPI
Published: March. 20, 2012 at 8:50 PM
CAMBRIDGE, Md., March 20 (UPI) -- Oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon
disaster entered the food chain in the Gulf of Mexico through zooplankton,
the tiniest of organisms, researchers say.
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2012/03/20/Oil-from-gulf-disaster-found-in-food-chain/UPI-30551332291029/
Judge tosses investors' suit against Transocean alleging shareholders were
misled
By Associated Press, Published: March 20
NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge in New York on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit
from investors who alleged top executives of Transocean Ltd. misled
shareholders about safety problems in the months leading up to a
catastrophic oil well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/industries/judge-tosses-investors-suit-against-transocean-alleging-shareholders-were-misled/2012/03/20/gIQADJi9PS_print.html
State News
Vancleave High School team wins Envirothon competition
Published: Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 7:38 AM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
VANCLEAVE, Mississippi -- One of two Vancleave High School teams in the
South Area Envirothon won first place in the competition on Tuesday at the
Vancleave Park.
…Other state sponsors of the local event Tuesday were the Mississippi
Association of Conservation Districts and the Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality. The Pascagoula Chevron Refinery was a local sponsor.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/vancleave_team_wins_envirothon.html
Recycling event set for Thursday
Starkville Daily News
By STEVEN NALLEY
Drowned cell phones, burned-out televisions, blown-out speakers,
virus-riddled computers and other broken or obsolete electronics have their
place. Amy Counterman, a safety and environmental assistant at Gulf States
Manufacturing, said she wants Starkville citizens to know that place is not
the trash can.
http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/node/9485
E-waste recycling events
WTVA
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WTVA) - If you own any old or unwanted electronic
equipment and are looking for a way to unload it, you can drop it off
during a recycling drive Thursday and Friday.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/E-waste-recycling-events/Ny0mFlYugEis-k1HeEECtg.cspx
T. Boone Pickens to discuss Coast natural gas stations
Sun Herald
By GEOFF PENDER
JACKSON -- Billionaire financier and alternative energy guru T. Boone
Pickens is scheduled to visit with Gov. Phil Bryant, Coast lawmakers and
others in Jackson today, to discuss the state's energy future and the
opening of natural gas vehicle filling stations, starting with Harrison and
Jackson counties.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/20/v-print/3831702/t-boone-pickens-to-discuss-coast.html
AGO advises against storm sewer charge
Starkville Daily News
By NATHAN GREGORY
Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman announced at Tuesday's board of alderman
meeting discussion on a proposed storm sewage fee which would have funded
drainage projects around the city would not continue, citing an opinion
from the Mississippi Attorney General's office received Monday.
http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/node/9486
National News
Greens see politics in EPA delays
Politico
By: Erica Martinson
March 20, 2012 10:46 PM EDT
The Environmental Protection Agency's silence on a slew of pending
rulemakings is worrying some supporters, who fear the regulations will
remain trapped in the White House when an election-year window for new
announcements slams shut.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74253.html
'Global warming' gets a rebranding
Politico
By: Erica Martinson and Jonathan Allen
March 21, 2012 12:09 AM EDT
Shhhh! Don't talk about global warming!
There's been a change in climate for Washington's greenhouse gang, and
they've come to this conclusion: To win, they have to talk about other
topics, like gas prices and kids choking on pollutants.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74263.html
Residents fractured over fracking in Lee County shale basin
WRAL (NC)
For hundreds of people who showed up in Sanford Tuesday night for a public
hearing about natural gas drilling in North Carolina, fracking is a dirty
word. Others, however, said they're open to cautious energy exploration
that could help the state's struggling economy.
http://www.wral.com/news/state/nccapitol/story/10883310/
Fracking Rule for Federal Land to Use Industry's Cement Standard
Bloomberg
By Katarzyna Klimasinska - Mar 20, 2012
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which is drafting rules for natural gas
production by hydraulic fracturing on federal property, said it will use
industry standards for cementing.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-20/fracking-rule-for-federal-land-to-use-industry-s-cement-standard.html
EPA calls for tighter chemical regulations
Western Farm Press
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed that companies be
required to report to EPA all new uses, including in domestic or imported
products, of five groups of potentially harmful chemicals. Over the years,
these chemicals have been used in a range of consumer products and
industrial applications, including paints, printing inks, pigments and dyes
in textiles, flame retardants in flexible foams, and plasticizers. This
action is part of EPA's work to ensure chemical safety in order to protect
Americans' health and the environment.
http://westernfarmpress.com/government/epa-calls-tighter-chemical-regulations
Press Releases
Rules Proposed to Limit New Uses of Potentially Harmful Chemicals
EPA also calls for additional testing on health and environmental impacts
of PBDEs
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed that
companies be required to report to EPA all new uses, including in domestic
or imported products, of five groups of potentially harmful chemicals. Over
the years, these chemicals have been used in a range of consumer products
and industrial applications, including paints, printing inks, pigments and
dyes in textiles, flame retardants in flexible foams, and plasticizers.
This action is part of EPA's work to ensure chemical safety in order to
protect Americans' health and the environment.
The five chemicals EPA is targeting are polybrominated diphenylethers
(PBDEs), benzidine dyes, a short chain chlorinated paraffin,
hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), and phthalate di-n-pentyl phthalate (DnPP).
The agency is also proposing additional testing on the health and
environmental effects of PBDEs.
"Although a number of these chemicals are no longer manufactured or used in
the U.S. they can still be imported in consumer goods or for use in
products. Today's proposed actions will ensure that EPA has an opportunity
to review new uses of the chemicals, whether they are domestically produced
or imported, and if warranted, take action to prohibit or limit the
activity before human health or environmental effects can occur," said Jim
Jones, EPA's acting assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical
Safety and Pollution Prevention. "These actions also signal EPA's ongoing
commitment to the American people that the agency is taking significant
steps to make sure that the chemicals manufactured and used in this country
are safe."
The proposed regulatory actions are known as significant new use rules
(SNUR) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The proposed rules
would require that anyone who intends to manufacture, import, or process
any of the chemicals for an activity that is designated as a significant
new use to submit a notification to EPA at least 90 days before beginning
the activity. This notification means EPA can evaluate the intended new use
and take action to prohibit or limit that activity, if warranted. For
PBDEs, the agency will also issue simultaneously a proposed test rule under
section 4(a) of TSCA that would require manufacturers or processors to
conduct testing on health and environmental effects of PBDEs.
Today's proposed SNURs were identified in action plans the agency issued on
these and other chemicals during the last two years. Information on these
chemical-specific rules and the agency's action plans, including additional
actions under consideration or development, can be found at
http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/
Hood hires ex-AG Mike Moore to sue BP
AP
By JEFF AMY
Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood confirmed Tuesday to The Associated
Press that he has hired former Attorney General Mike Moore and others to
handle the state's claims against BP PLC stemming from the 2010 Gulf of
Mexico oil spill.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/20/v-print/3831308/apnewsbreak-hood-hires-ex-ag-mike.html
Oil from gulf disaster found in food chain
UPI
Published: March. 20, 2012 at 8:50 PM
CAMBRIDGE, Md., March 20 (UPI) -- Oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon
disaster entered the food chain in the Gulf of Mexico through zooplankton,
the tiniest of organisms, researchers say.
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2012/03/20/Oil-from-gulf-disaster-found-in-food-chain/UPI-30551332291029/
Judge tosses investors' suit against Transocean alleging shareholders were
misled
By Associated Press, Published: March 20
NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge in New York on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit
from investors who alleged top executives of Transocean Ltd. misled
shareholders about safety problems in the months leading up to a
catastrophic oil well blowout in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/industries/judge-tosses-investors-suit-against-transocean-alleging-shareholders-were-misled/2012/03/20/gIQADJi9PS_print.html
State News
Vancleave High School team wins Envirothon competition
Published: Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 7:38 AM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
VANCLEAVE, Mississippi -- One of two Vancleave High School teams in the
South Area Envirothon won first place in the competition on Tuesday at the
Vancleave Park.
…Other state sponsors of the local event Tuesday were the Mississippi
Association of Conservation Districts and the Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality. The Pascagoula Chevron Refinery was a local sponsor.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/vancleave_team_wins_envirothon.html
Recycling event set for Thursday
Starkville Daily News
By STEVEN NALLEY
Drowned cell phones, burned-out televisions, blown-out speakers,
virus-riddled computers and other broken or obsolete electronics have their
place. Amy Counterman, a safety and environmental assistant at Gulf States
Manufacturing, said she wants Starkville citizens to know that place is not
the trash can.
http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/node/9485
E-waste recycling events
WTVA
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WTVA) - If you own any old or unwanted electronic
equipment and are looking for a way to unload it, you can drop it off
during a recycling drive Thursday and Friday.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/E-waste-recycling-events/Ny0mFlYugEis-k1HeEECtg.cspx
T. Boone Pickens to discuss Coast natural gas stations
Sun Herald
By GEOFF PENDER
JACKSON -- Billionaire financier and alternative energy guru T. Boone
Pickens is scheduled to visit with Gov. Phil Bryant, Coast lawmakers and
others in Jackson today, to discuss the state's energy future and the
opening of natural gas vehicle filling stations, starting with Harrison and
Jackson counties.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/20/v-print/3831702/t-boone-pickens-to-discuss-coast.html
AGO advises against storm sewer charge
Starkville Daily News
By NATHAN GREGORY
Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman announced at Tuesday's board of alderman
meeting discussion on a proposed storm sewage fee which would have funded
drainage projects around the city would not continue, citing an opinion
from the Mississippi Attorney General's office received Monday.
http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/node/9486
National News
Greens see politics in EPA delays
Politico
By: Erica Martinson
March 20, 2012 10:46 PM EDT
The Environmental Protection Agency's silence on a slew of pending
rulemakings is worrying some supporters, who fear the regulations will
remain trapped in the White House when an election-year window for new
announcements slams shut.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74253.html
'Global warming' gets a rebranding
Politico
By: Erica Martinson and Jonathan Allen
March 21, 2012 12:09 AM EDT
Shhhh! Don't talk about global warming!
There's been a change in climate for Washington's greenhouse gang, and
they've come to this conclusion: To win, they have to talk about other
topics, like gas prices and kids choking on pollutants.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0312/74263.html
Residents fractured over fracking in Lee County shale basin
WRAL (NC)
For hundreds of people who showed up in Sanford Tuesday night for a public
hearing about natural gas drilling in North Carolina, fracking is a dirty
word. Others, however, said they're open to cautious energy exploration
that could help the state's struggling economy.
http://www.wral.com/news/state/nccapitol/story/10883310/
Fracking Rule for Federal Land to Use Industry's Cement Standard
Bloomberg
By Katarzyna Klimasinska - Mar 20, 2012
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which is drafting rules for natural gas
production by hydraulic fracturing on federal property, said it will use
industry standards for cementing.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-20/fracking-rule-for-federal-land-to-use-industry-s-cement-standard.html
EPA calls for tighter chemical regulations
Western Farm Press
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed that companies be
required to report to EPA all new uses, including in domestic or imported
products, of five groups of potentially harmful chemicals. Over the years,
these chemicals have been used in a range of consumer products and
industrial applications, including paints, printing inks, pigments and dyes
in textiles, flame retardants in flexible foams, and plasticizers. This
action is part of EPA's work to ensure chemical safety in order to protect
Americans' health and the environment.
http://westernfarmpress.com/government/epa-calls-tighter-chemical-regulations
Press Releases
Rules Proposed to Limit New Uses of Potentially Harmful Chemicals
EPA also calls for additional testing on health and environmental impacts
of PBDEs
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed that
companies be required to report to EPA all new uses, including in domestic
or imported products, of five groups of potentially harmful chemicals. Over
the years, these chemicals have been used in a range of consumer products
and industrial applications, including paints, printing inks, pigments and
dyes in textiles, flame retardants in flexible foams, and plasticizers.
This action is part of EPA's work to ensure chemical safety in order to
protect Americans' health and the environment.
The five chemicals EPA is targeting are polybrominated diphenylethers
(PBDEs), benzidine dyes, a short chain chlorinated paraffin,
hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD), and phthalate di-n-pentyl phthalate (DnPP).
The agency is also proposing additional testing on the health and
environmental effects of PBDEs.
"Although a number of these chemicals are no longer manufactured or used in
the U.S. they can still be imported in consumer goods or for use in
products. Today's proposed actions will ensure that EPA has an opportunity
to review new uses of the chemicals, whether they are domestically produced
or imported, and if warranted, take action to prohibit or limit the
activity before human health or environmental effects can occur," said Jim
Jones, EPA's acting assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical
Safety and Pollution Prevention. "These actions also signal EPA's ongoing
commitment to the American people that the agency is taking significant
steps to make sure that the chemicals manufactured and used in this country
are safe."
The proposed regulatory actions are known as significant new use rules
(SNUR) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The proposed rules
would require that anyone who intends to manufacture, import, or process
any of the chemicals for an activity that is designated as a significant
new use to submit a notification to EPA at least 90 days before beginning
the activity. This notification means EPA can evaluate the intended new use
and take action to prohibit or limit that activity, if warranted. For
PBDEs, the agency will also issue simultaneously a proposed test rule under
section 4(a) of TSCA that would require manufacturers or processors to
conduct testing on health and environmental effects of PBDEs.
Today's proposed SNURs were identified in action plans the agency issued on
these and other chemicals during the last two years. Information on these
chemical-specific rules and the agency's action plans, including additional
actions under consideration or development, can be found at
http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
News Clippings 3/20/12
Oil Spill
Jackson County Justice Court seeks central location; supervisors have
concerns
Mississippi Press
Also on Monday, supervisors passed a resolution in support of Senate Bill
2622, which requires contractors to hire local workers if they are awarded
contracts funded from federally declared disasters or spills of national
significance.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/jackson_county_justice_court_s.html
BP Settlement, Milestone for Some Victims, a Setback for Others
NY Times
By JOHN SCHWARTZ
Denise Spivacke Haralson and her husband, Larry, figured that they almost
had their money. They had settled Mr. Haralson's claims against BP for the
losses he suffered as a construction worker in the economic slump after the
2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/us/bp-settlement-leaves-some-spill-victims-unhappy.html?_r=1&ref=earth&pagewanted=print
Doctor Says Symptoms of Gulf War Illness and Oil Spill Illness Are
'Identical'
Courthouse News
By SABRINA CANFIELD
RACELAND, La. (CN) - A bayou detoxification program is helping ill
coastal residents, many of whom lack health insurance nearly 2 years after
the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. By most accounts the treatments have
helped, and thanks to donors they are free.
http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/03/20/44836.htm
Poll: Support for offshore drilling returns to pre-spill levels
The Hill
By Andrew Restuccia - 03/19/12 10:38 AM ET
Support for expanded offshore drilling, which dropped after the massive
2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, has shot back up to pre-spill levels,
according to a new poll.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/216655-poll-support-for-offshore-drilling-returns-to-pre-spill-levels
State News
MDEQ closes section of Biloxi beach after sewer station overflow
Published: Monday, March 19, 2012, 1:56 PM Updated: Monday, March 19,
2012, 2:02 PM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
BILOXI, Mississippi -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
has closed the beach from Eisenhower Drive westward to Debuys Road and also
continuing west to Mockingbird Lane in Biloxi.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/mdeq_closes_section_of_biloxi.html
MDEQ closes section of beach in Biloxi
WLOX
A section of the beach in Biloxi is closed from Eisenhower Drive westward
past Debuys Road to Mockingbird Lane. The closure is considered preemptive,
and officials aren't even sure if sewage actually made it to the beach.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17193805/mdeq-closes-section-of-beach-in-biloxi
Section of beach closed temporarily
SUN HERALD
BILOXI -- A pump-station malfunction has resulted in the temporary closing
of a section of beach from Edgewater Drive in Biloxi to Mockingbird Lane in
Gulfport.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/19/v-print/3829053/section-of-beach-closed-temporarily.html
Energy efficiency plan in the works
WTVA
WEST POINT, Miss. (WTVA) - West Point hopes a series of changes will lead
to fewer expenses and less money coming out of the wallets of residents who
use city services.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/Energy-efficiency-plan-in-the-works/JTOWKVod8UefogpYNV0eWw.cspx
Presley supports Supreme Court's reversal on Kemper power plant
by MBJ Staff
Published: March 19,2012
KEMPER COUNTY — Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley has issued the
following statement in response to the Supreme Court's reversal of
Mississippi Power Company's Kemper County Coal Plant:
http://msbusiness.com/2012/03/presley-supports-supreme-courts-reversal-on-kemper-power-plant/
Miss. revenue trends could bolster budget projections
AP
Because of relatively robust tax collections, top Mississippi lawmakers say
they may increase the estimate of how much money the state can spend during
the coming fiscal year.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120320/NEWS010504/203200335/Miss-revenue-trends-could-bolster-budget-projections
Lawmakers to tackle budget; look for hot Medicaid debate
Clarion Ledger
The state Legislature will attack the budget this week, with the committee
deadline for each chamber's own general bills behind them.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120320/NEWS010504/203200331/Lawmakers-tackle-budget-look-hot-Medicaid-debate
National News
Fracking Wells' Air Emissions Pose Health Risks, Study Finds
Bloomberg
By Jim Polson and Jim Efstathiou Jr. on March 19, 2012
Chemicals released into the air when natural gas is produced by hydraulic
fracturing may pose a health risk to those living nearby, the Colorado
School of Public Health said.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-03-19/fracking-wells-air-emissions-pose-health-risks-study-finds
CU Denver study links fracking to higher concentration of air pollutants
By Mark Jaffe
The Denver Post
People living within a half-mile of oil- and gas-well fracking operations
were exposed to air pollutants five times above a federal hazard standard,
according to a new Colorado study.
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_20210720/cu-denver-study-links-fracking-higher-concentration-air
Can Fracking and Carbon Sequestration Coexist?
Drilling for natural gas and storing CO2 deep underground may be headed for
a collision
Scientific American
By Christa Marshall and ClimateWire | Friday, March 16, 2012 | 4
Natural gas production and carbon sequestration may be headed for an
underground collision course.
That is the message from a new study finding that many of the same shale
rock formations where companies want to extract gas also happen to sit
above optimal sites envisioned for storing carbon dioxide underground that
is captured from power plants and industrial facilities.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=can-fracking-and-carbon-sequestration-co-exist
Chevron, Transocean execs banned from leaving Brazil
Bloomberg News
March 20, 2012
The chief executives of Chevron Corp.'s and Transocean Ltd.'s Brazilian
units are among 17 executives at the two companies banned from leaving the
country pending an investigation into an offshore oil spill.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-chevron-20120320,0,5825587.story
Jackson County Justice Court seeks central location; supervisors have
concerns
Mississippi Press
Also on Monday, supervisors passed a resolution in support of Senate Bill
2622, which requires contractors to hire local workers if they are awarded
contracts funded from federally declared disasters or spills of national
significance.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/jackson_county_justice_court_s.html
BP Settlement, Milestone for Some Victims, a Setback for Others
NY Times
By JOHN SCHWARTZ
Denise Spivacke Haralson and her husband, Larry, figured that they almost
had their money. They had settled Mr. Haralson's claims against BP for the
losses he suffered as a construction worker in the economic slump after the
2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/20/us/bp-settlement-leaves-some-spill-victims-unhappy.html?_r=1&ref=earth&pagewanted=print
Doctor Says Symptoms of Gulf War Illness and Oil Spill Illness Are
'Identical'
Courthouse News
By SABRINA CANFIELD
RACELAND, La. (CN) - A bayou detoxification program is helping ill
coastal residents, many of whom lack health insurance nearly 2 years after
the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. By most accounts the treatments have
helped, and thanks to donors they are free.
http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/03/20/44836.htm
Poll: Support for offshore drilling returns to pre-spill levels
The Hill
By Andrew Restuccia - 03/19/12 10:38 AM ET
Support for expanded offshore drilling, which dropped after the massive
2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, has shot back up to pre-spill levels,
according to a new poll.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/216655-poll-support-for-offshore-drilling-returns-to-pre-spill-levels
State News
MDEQ closes section of Biloxi beach after sewer station overflow
Published: Monday, March 19, 2012, 1:56 PM Updated: Monday, March 19,
2012, 2:02 PM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
BILOXI, Mississippi -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
has closed the beach from Eisenhower Drive westward to Debuys Road and also
continuing west to Mockingbird Lane in Biloxi.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/mdeq_closes_section_of_biloxi.html
MDEQ closes section of beach in Biloxi
WLOX
A section of the beach in Biloxi is closed from Eisenhower Drive westward
past Debuys Road to Mockingbird Lane. The closure is considered preemptive,
and officials aren't even sure if sewage actually made it to the beach.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17193805/mdeq-closes-section-of-beach-in-biloxi
Section of beach closed temporarily
SUN HERALD
BILOXI -- A pump-station malfunction has resulted in the temporary closing
of a section of beach from Edgewater Drive in Biloxi to Mockingbird Lane in
Gulfport.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/19/v-print/3829053/section-of-beach-closed-temporarily.html
Energy efficiency plan in the works
WTVA
WEST POINT, Miss. (WTVA) - West Point hopes a series of changes will lead
to fewer expenses and less money coming out of the wallets of residents who
use city services.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/Energy-efficiency-plan-in-the-works/JTOWKVod8UefogpYNV0eWw.cspx
Presley supports Supreme Court's reversal on Kemper power plant
by MBJ Staff
Published: March 19,2012
KEMPER COUNTY — Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley has issued the
following statement in response to the Supreme Court's reversal of
Mississippi Power Company's Kemper County Coal Plant:
http://msbusiness.com/2012/03/presley-supports-supreme-courts-reversal-on-kemper-power-plant/
Miss. revenue trends could bolster budget projections
AP
Because of relatively robust tax collections, top Mississippi lawmakers say
they may increase the estimate of how much money the state can spend during
the coming fiscal year.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120320/NEWS010504/203200335/Miss-revenue-trends-could-bolster-budget-projections
Lawmakers to tackle budget; look for hot Medicaid debate
Clarion Ledger
The state Legislature will attack the budget this week, with the committee
deadline for each chamber's own general bills behind them.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120320/NEWS010504/203200331/Lawmakers-tackle-budget-look-hot-Medicaid-debate
National News
Fracking Wells' Air Emissions Pose Health Risks, Study Finds
Bloomberg
By Jim Polson and Jim Efstathiou Jr. on March 19, 2012
Chemicals released into the air when natural gas is produced by hydraulic
fracturing may pose a health risk to those living nearby, the Colorado
School of Public Health said.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-03-19/fracking-wells-air-emissions-pose-health-risks-study-finds
CU Denver study links fracking to higher concentration of air pollutants
By Mark Jaffe
The Denver Post
People living within a half-mile of oil- and gas-well fracking operations
were exposed to air pollutants five times above a federal hazard standard,
according to a new Colorado study.
http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_20210720/cu-denver-study-links-fracking-higher-concentration-air
Can Fracking and Carbon Sequestration Coexist?
Drilling for natural gas and storing CO2 deep underground may be headed for
a collision
Scientific American
By Christa Marshall and ClimateWire | Friday, March 16, 2012 | 4
Natural gas production and carbon sequestration may be headed for an
underground collision course.
That is the message from a new study finding that many of the same shale
rock formations where companies want to extract gas also happen to sit
above optimal sites envisioned for storing carbon dioxide underground that
is captured from power plants and industrial facilities.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=can-fracking-and-carbon-sequestration-co-exist
Chevron, Transocean execs banned from leaving Brazil
Bloomberg News
March 20, 2012
The chief executives of Chevron Corp.'s and Transocean Ltd.'s Brazilian
units are among 17 executives at the two companies banned from leaving the
country pending an investigation into an offshore oil spill.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-chevron-20120320,0,5825587.story
Monday, March 19, 2012
News Clippings 3/19/12
Oil Spill
Gulf Islands National Seashore visitors spent $29.7 million in 2010
Published: Monday, March 19, 2012, 6:00 AM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- Visitors to Gulf Islands National Seashore
spent $29.7 million in communities near the park in 2010 and that supported
430 jobs in the area, according to a National Park Service report.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/gulf_islands_national_seashore_1.html
Dolphin deaths drop dramatically
WLOX
Marine scientists are investigating the death of an adult dolphin that
washed ashore just west of Hewes Avenue in Gulfport.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17178843/dolphin-deaths-drop-dramatically
Tourism Folks Optimistic About The Summer Season
WLOX
The Summer tourism season is not here yet, but Spring Break is.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17179699/toursim-folks-optimistic-about-the-summer-season
Louisiana blue crab earns a blue ribbon
Published: Monday, March 19, 2012, 7:10 AM
By Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, The Times-Picayune
Thanks to a first-in-the-Gulf of Mexico designation, Louisiana blue crabs
might appear more readily in restaurants and grocery stores across the
globe. The designation of blue crab as a "certified sustainable fishery''
might also fetch the state's 3,000 blue crab commercial fishers more money
by further differentiating their product.
http://blog.nola.com/entertainment_impact_dining/print.html?entry=/2012/03/blue_crab_now_a_certified_sust.html
Filing of settlement expected by April 16
AP
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Attorneys in the proposed multibillion dollar settlement
of lawsuits against BP over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster expect to
present a federal judge with the details of the proposal by April 16.
http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/143009665.html
Oil companies invest in Gulf spill response
Daily Comet
A coalition of oil companies has increased its spill-cleanup capacity in
the Gulf of Mexico by tens of thousands of barrels a day.
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20120318/ARTICLES/120319616/1214?p=2&tc=pg
New Book Helps Kids Cope With BP Oil Spill
Former Journalist Pens Story On Tragic Disaster
WDSU
NEW ORLEANS -- The aftermath of the BP oil spill still crowds the airwaves
each night making it tough on adults, but kids are feeling the effects too.
http://www.wdsu.com/r/30697518/detail.html
Oil from BP disaster contaminated ocean food chain, research confirms
Facing South Blog
Scientists have confirmed that oil from BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster has
entered the marine food chain.
http://southernstudies.org/2012/03/oil-from-bp-disaster-contaminated-ocean-food-chain-research-confirms.html
State News
Resident still concerned about Woolmarket oak trees
WLOX
It was a proud day for Woolmarket residents when they convinced the
Harrison County Utility Authority to burrow under some historic oak trees,
instead of tearing them down in order to install new sewer lines. But one
resident, worries the trees have been damaged anyway.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17186961/resident-still-concerned-about-woolmarket-oak-trees
Mississippi Power and Sierra Club talk about ruling
WLOX
The Mississippi Supreme Court unanimously ruled the Public Service
Commission must go back and provide more details on why commissioners eased
the financial terms under which the Kemper County Power Plant could be
built.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17182580/mississippi-power-and-siera-club-talk-about-ruling
Mississippi Power will keep building Kemper County
WLOX
Mississippi Power will keep building its new Kemper County Integrated
Gasification Combined Cycle facility, despite a ruling by the Mississippi
Supreme Court to send the certification process back to the Public Service
Commission.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17177424/mississippi-power-will-keep-building-kemper-county
Suit challenges Mississippi Development Authority's offshore seismic,
leasing rule (updated with pdf document)
Published: Friday, March 16, 2012, 6:13 AM Updated: Friday, March 16,
2012, 7:38 PM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- A lawsuit filed by two environmental groups
seeks to halt implementation of Mississippi Development Authority seismic
and leasing rules for the state's offshore waters.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/suit_challenges_mississippi_de.html
Amite Co. expects good, bad from oil activity
Enterprise Journal
By RANDY HAMMONS
At first glance, Amite County's entry into the oil boom business could be a
two-headed monster.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/19/v-print/3827061/amite-co-expects-good-bad-from.html
Jack Ryan: A fracking update
Enterprise Journal
A couple of interesting items about fracking came my way last week, and
they are worth sharing.
http://www.enterprise-journal.com/opinion/article_611af676-70af-11e1-bc15-0019bb2963f4.html
Water/sewer improvements on Council agenda again
By Eloria Newell James
Laurel Leader Call
LAUREL — The Laurel City Council will consider pursuing funding options for
the city to do more water and sewer improvements.
http://leadercall.com/local/x1284941013/Water-sewer-improvements-on-Council-agenda-again
Boley cleanup to team up with Great American cleanup
By Jeremy Pittari
The Picayune Item
PICAYUNE — Cleanup of not only the Hobolochitto Creek, but also the city,
is planned for April.
http://picayuneitem.com/local/x1690520071/Boley-cleanup-to-team-up-with-Great-American-cleanup
Volunteers clearing 800-acre greenspace in Gautier (photo gallery)
Published: Monday, March 19, 2012, 6:03 AM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
GAUTIER, Mississippi -- An 800-acre preserve off the Gautier-Vancleave Road
is gradually being cleared of debris and its fire lines turned into trails
with the work of volunteers in the Wildlife Federation's Habitat Stewards
program.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/volunteers_clearing_800-acre_g.html
Coast: Offshore drilling moves too fast
Editorial – Clarion Ledger
In addition to a lengthy list of pardons, former Gov. Haley Barbour left
another highly controversial matter for Mississippians to contend with as
he went out the door - offshore drilling.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120319/OPINION01/203190307/Coast-Offshore-drilling-moves-too-fast?odyssey=mod|
newswell|text|Opinion|p
National News
With Gas Prices Rising, Smog Rules May Stall
Wall Street Journal
By TENNILLE TRACY
The Obama administration, facing political heat over high gasoline prices,
may delay new rules that would cut pollution from cars but also could bring
higher prices at the pump, environmental and industry leaders said.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303812904577289492012447990.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
EPA finds Pennsylvania well water safe after drilling
In Dimock, Pa., some residents had complained of contamination in the wake
of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The agency will continue testing.
By Neela Banerjee
LA Times Washington Bureau
The Environmental Protection Agency said it did not find significant
contamination in well water serving 11 Pennsylvania families who feared
that natural gas drilling had polluted their well.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-fracking-dimock-20120318,0,1300487.story
Push Comes to Shove Over Water Restrictions
NY Times
By KATE GALBRAITH
FLOYDADA — J. O. Dawdy, who has been a farmer for 36 years, is so worried
about getting enough groundwater that he is considering a lawsuit to
protect his right to it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/us/in-west-texas-push-comes-to-shove-over-water-restrictions.html?_r=1&ref=earth&pagewanted=print
As climate changes, Louisiana seeks to lift a highway
Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin, Published: March 18
GOLDEN MEADOW, La.— Here on the side of Louisiana's Highway 1, next to
Raymond's Bait Shop, a spindly pole with Global Positioning System
equipment and a cellphone stuck on top charts the water's gradual
encroachment on dry land.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/as-climate-changes-louisiana-seeks-to-lift-a-highway/2012/03/12/gIQAJoEQLS_print.html
Coast Guard orders ships to cleanse ballast water to protect against
foreign species invasions
By Associated Press, Published: March 16
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Oceangoing cargo ships will be required to zap their
ballast water with ultraviolet light, chemicals or other treatments before
dumping it in U.S. waters under a regulation the Coast Guard announced
Friday to prevent species invasions that damage the environment and cause
billions in economic losses.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/coast-guard-orders-ships-to-cleanse-ballast-water-to-protect-against-foreign-species-invasions/2012/03/16/gIQAKqPJHS_print.html
Hunters fire back at environmental group's effort to ban 'toxic' lead
bullets
Fox News
By Perry Chiaramonte
Hunters are up in arms over an Arizona-based conservation group latest bid
to get the federal government to ban lead bullets, which the
environmentalists claim contaminates the food chain.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/03/16/hunting-industry-fires-back-at-environmental-groups-effort-to-ban-toxic-lead/
Press Releases
Mississippi River Commission schedules high-water inspection trip
VICKSBURG, Miss., March 12, 2012 -- The Mississippi River Commission will
conduct its annual high-water inspection trip on the Mississippi River
March
26-30, 2012.
Four public meetings have been scheduled aboard the Motor Vessel
MISSISSIPPI
in selected towns along the river so commission members have the
opportunity
to meet with local residents and hear their concerns, ideas and issues.
The
meeting places, dates and times are as follows:
* March 26 9:00 a.m. Tiptonville, Tenn., at
River Park
* March 27 9:00 a.m. Memphis, Tenn., at Mud
Island
* March 28 1:00 p.m. Vicksburg, Miss., at City
Front
* March 30 9:00 a.m. New Orleans, La., at
Thalia Street
Wharf
All meetings are open to the public. Local interests are invited to
present
their views and suggestions on matters affecting the water resources
infrastructure needs in the valley, including flood control and the
Mississippi River and Tributaries project, environmental issues, recreation
and navigation.
The agenda for each public meeting will be as follows:
1. Summary report by President of the Commission on national and regional
issues affecting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Commission programs
and
projects on the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
2. District Commander's overview for the Commission on current project
issues in the respective District area.
3. Presentations to the Commission by local organizations and members of
the
public giving views or comments on any issue affecting the programs or
projects of the Commission and the Corps of Engineers.
The MRC, established in 1879, is composed of seven members, each nominated
by
the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. Three of
the
organization's members are officers of the Corps of Engineers; one member
is
from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and three members
are civilians, two of whom are civil engineers.
General duties of the commission include recommendation of policy and work
programs, the study of and reporting upon the necessity for modifications
or
additions to the flood control and navigation project, recommendation upon
any matters authorized by law, and making semi-annual inspection trips. The
duties of the commission include the entire length of the Mississippi River
from its headwaters at Lake Itasca, Minn., to Head of Passes, La., where
the
Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico.
The purpose of the public meetings is to maintain a dialogue, an exchange
of
viewpoints and ideas flowing between the public and the Corps.
Presentations
by the public are made orally, but a copy of the remarks should be
presented
to the commission for the official record.
The public hearing process is unique to the Mississippi River Commission
and
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The benefits of hearing the issues and
concerns first hand through the public hearing process are invaluable to
the
commission and the Corps. Also, the interaction with congressional,
federal
and state interests, local boards and non-government organizations and the
public is crucial to the decision-making process of the commission.
Since 1879, the seven-member Presidentially appointed Mississippi River
Commission has developed and matured plans for the general improvement of
the
Mississippi River from the Head of Passes to the Headwaters. The
Mississippi
River Commission brings critical engineering representation to the drainage
basin, which impacts 41% of the United States and includes 1.25 million
square miles, over 250 tributaries, 31 states, and 2 Canadian provinces.
Listening, Inspecting, Partnering and Engineering since 1879.
- end -
Gulf Islands National Seashore visitors spent $29.7 million in 2010
Published: Monday, March 19, 2012, 6:00 AM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- Visitors to Gulf Islands National Seashore
spent $29.7 million in communities near the park in 2010 and that supported
430 jobs in the area, according to a National Park Service report.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/gulf_islands_national_seashore_1.html
Dolphin deaths drop dramatically
WLOX
Marine scientists are investigating the death of an adult dolphin that
washed ashore just west of Hewes Avenue in Gulfport.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17178843/dolphin-deaths-drop-dramatically
Tourism Folks Optimistic About The Summer Season
WLOX
The Summer tourism season is not here yet, but Spring Break is.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17179699/toursim-folks-optimistic-about-the-summer-season
Louisiana blue crab earns a blue ribbon
Published: Monday, March 19, 2012, 7:10 AM
By Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, The Times-Picayune
Thanks to a first-in-the-Gulf of Mexico designation, Louisiana blue crabs
might appear more readily in restaurants and grocery stores across the
globe. The designation of blue crab as a "certified sustainable fishery''
might also fetch the state's 3,000 blue crab commercial fishers more money
by further differentiating their product.
http://blog.nola.com/entertainment_impact_dining/print.html?entry=/2012/03/blue_crab_now_a_certified_sust.html
Filing of settlement expected by April 16
AP
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Attorneys in the proposed multibillion dollar settlement
of lawsuits against BP over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster expect to
present a federal judge with the details of the proposal by April 16.
http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/143009665.html
Oil companies invest in Gulf spill response
Daily Comet
A coalition of oil companies has increased its spill-cleanup capacity in
the Gulf of Mexico by tens of thousands of barrels a day.
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20120318/ARTICLES/120319616/1214?p=2&tc=pg
New Book Helps Kids Cope With BP Oil Spill
Former Journalist Pens Story On Tragic Disaster
WDSU
NEW ORLEANS -- The aftermath of the BP oil spill still crowds the airwaves
each night making it tough on adults, but kids are feeling the effects too.
http://www.wdsu.com/r/30697518/detail.html
Oil from BP disaster contaminated ocean food chain, research confirms
Facing South Blog
Scientists have confirmed that oil from BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster has
entered the marine food chain.
http://southernstudies.org/2012/03/oil-from-bp-disaster-contaminated-ocean-food-chain-research-confirms.html
State News
Resident still concerned about Woolmarket oak trees
WLOX
It was a proud day for Woolmarket residents when they convinced the
Harrison County Utility Authority to burrow under some historic oak trees,
instead of tearing them down in order to install new sewer lines. But one
resident, worries the trees have been damaged anyway.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17186961/resident-still-concerned-about-woolmarket-oak-trees
Mississippi Power and Sierra Club talk about ruling
WLOX
The Mississippi Supreme Court unanimously ruled the Public Service
Commission must go back and provide more details on why commissioners eased
the financial terms under which the Kemper County Power Plant could be
built.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17182580/mississippi-power-and-siera-club-talk-about-ruling
Mississippi Power will keep building Kemper County
WLOX
Mississippi Power will keep building its new Kemper County Integrated
Gasification Combined Cycle facility, despite a ruling by the Mississippi
Supreme Court to send the certification process back to the Public Service
Commission.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17177424/mississippi-power-will-keep-building-kemper-county
Suit challenges Mississippi Development Authority's offshore seismic,
leasing rule (updated with pdf document)
Published: Friday, March 16, 2012, 6:13 AM Updated: Friday, March 16,
2012, 7:38 PM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- A lawsuit filed by two environmental groups
seeks to halt implementation of Mississippi Development Authority seismic
and leasing rules for the state's offshore waters.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/suit_challenges_mississippi_de.html
Amite Co. expects good, bad from oil activity
Enterprise Journal
By RANDY HAMMONS
At first glance, Amite County's entry into the oil boom business could be a
two-headed monster.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/19/v-print/3827061/amite-co-expects-good-bad-from.html
Jack Ryan: A fracking update
Enterprise Journal
A couple of interesting items about fracking came my way last week, and
they are worth sharing.
http://www.enterprise-journal.com/opinion/article_611af676-70af-11e1-bc15-0019bb2963f4.html
Water/sewer improvements on Council agenda again
By Eloria Newell James
Laurel Leader Call
LAUREL — The Laurel City Council will consider pursuing funding options for
the city to do more water and sewer improvements.
http://leadercall.com/local/x1284941013/Water-sewer-improvements-on-Council-agenda-again
Boley cleanup to team up with Great American cleanup
By Jeremy Pittari
The Picayune Item
PICAYUNE — Cleanup of not only the Hobolochitto Creek, but also the city,
is planned for April.
http://picayuneitem.com/local/x1690520071/Boley-cleanup-to-team-up-with-Great-American-cleanup
Volunteers clearing 800-acre greenspace in Gautier (photo gallery)
Published: Monday, March 19, 2012, 6:03 AM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
GAUTIER, Mississippi -- An 800-acre preserve off the Gautier-Vancleave Road
is gradually being cleared of debris and its fire lines turned into trails
with the work of volunteers in the Wildlife Federation's Habitat Stewards
program.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/volunteers_clearing_800-acre_g.html
Coast: Offshore drilling moves too fast
Editorial – Clarion Ledger
In addition to a lengthy list of pardons, former Gov. Haley Barbour left
another highly controversial matter for Mississippians to contend with as
he went out the door - offshore drilling.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120319/OPINION01/203190307/Coast-Offshore-drilling-moves-too-fast?odyssey=mod|
newswell|text|Opinion|p
National News
With Gas Prices Rising, Smog Rules May Stall
Wall Street Journal
By TENNILLE TRACY
The Obama administration, facing political heat over high gasoline prices,
may delay new rules that would cut pollution from cars but also could bring
higher prices at the pump, environmental and industry leaders said.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303812904577289492012447990.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
EPA finds Pennsylvania well water safe after drilling
In Dimock, Pa., some residents had complained of contamination in the wake
of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. The agency will continue testing.
By Neela Banerjee
LA Times Washington Bureau
The Environmental Protection Agency said it did not find significant
contamination in well water serving 11 Pennsylvania families who feared
that natural gas drilling had polluted their well.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-fracking-dimock-20120318,0,1300487.story
Push Comes to Shove Over Water Restrictions
NY Times
By KATE GALBRAITH
FLOYDADA — J. O. Dawdy, who has been a farmer for 36 years, is so worried
about getting enough groundwater that he is considering a lawsuit to
protect his right to it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/us/in-west-texas-push-comes-to-shove-over-water-restrictions.html?_r=1&ref=earth&pagewanted=print
As climate changes, Louisiana seeks to lift a highway
Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin, Published: March 18
GOLDEN MEADOW, La.— Here on the side of Louisiana's Highway 1, next to
Raymond's Bait Shop, a spindly pole with Global Positioning System
equipment and a cellphone stuck on top charts the water's gradual
encroachment on dry land.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/as-climate-changes-louisiana-seeks-to-lift-a-highway/2012/03/12/gIQAJoEQLS_print.html
Coast Guard orders ships to cleanse ballast water to protect against
foreign species invasions
By Associated Press, Published: March 16
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Oceangoing cargo ships will be required to zap their
ballast water with ultraviolet light, chemicals or other treatments before
dumping it in U.S. waters under a regulation the Coast Guard announced
Friday to prevent species invasions that damage the environment and cause
billions in economic losses.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/coast-guard-orders-ships-to-cleanse-ballast-water-to-protect-against-foreign-species-invasions/2012/03/16/gIQAKqPJHS_print.html
Hunters fire back at environmental group's effort to ban 'toxic' lead
bullets
Fox News
By Perry Chiaramonte
Hunters are up in arms over an Arizona-based conservation group latest bid
to get the federal government to ban lead bullets, which the
environmentalists claim contaminates the food chain.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/03/16/hunting-industry-fires-back-at-environmental-groups-effort-to-ban-toxic-lead/
Press Releases
Mississippi River Commission schedules high-water inspection trip
VICKSBURG, Miss., March 12, 2012 -- The Mississippi River Commission will
conduct its annual high-water inspection trip on the Mississippi River
March
26-30, 2012.
Four public meetings have been scheduled aboard the Motor Vessel
MISSISSIPPI
in selected towns along the river so commission members have the
opportunity
to meet with local residents and hear their concerns, ideas and issues.
The
meeting places, dates and times are as follows:
* March 26 9:00 a.m. Tiptonville, Tenn., at
River Park
* March 27 9:00 a.m. Memphis, Tenn., at Mud
Island
* March 28 1:00 p.m. Vicksburg, Miss., at City
Front
* March 30 9:00 a.m. New Orleans, La., at
Thalia Street
Wharf
All meetings are open to the public. Local interests are invited to
present
their views and suggestions on matters affecting the water resources
infrastructure needs in the valley, including flood control and the
Mississippi River and Tributaries project, environmental issues, recreation
and navigation.
The agenda for each public meeting will be as follows:
1. Summary report by President of the Commission on national and regional
issues affecting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Commission programs
and
projects on the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
2. District Commander's overview for the Commission on current project
issues in the respective District area.
3. Presentations to the Commission by local organizations and members of
the
public giving views or comments on any issue affecting the programs or
projects of the Commission and the Corps of Engineers.
The MRC, established in 1879, is composed of seven members, each nominated
by
the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate. Three of
the
organization's members are officers of the Corps of Engineers; one member
is
from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; and three members
are civilians, two of whom are civil engineers.
General duties of the commission include recommendation of policy and work
programs, the study of and reporting upon the necessity for modifications
or
additions to the flood control and navigation project, recommendation upon
any matters authorized by law, and making semi-annual inspection trips. The
duties of the commission include the entire length of the Mississippi River
from its headwaters at Lake Itasca, Minn., to Head of Passes, La., where
the
Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico.
The purpose of the public meetings is to maintain a dialogue, an exchange
of
viewpoints and ideas flowing between the public and the Corps.
Presentations
by the public are made orally, but a copy of the remarks should be
presented
to the commission for the official record.
The public hearing process is unique to the Mississippi River Commission
and
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The benefits of hearing the issues and
concerns first hand through the public hearing process are invaluable to
the
commission and the Corps. Also, the interaction with congressional,
federal
and state interests, local boards and non-government organizations and the
public is crucial to the decision-making process of the commission.
Since 1879, the seven-member Presidentially appointed Mississippi River
Commission has developed and matured plans for the general improvement of
the
Mississippi River from the Head of Passes to the Headwaters. The
Mississippi
River Commission brings critical engineering representation to the drainage
basin, which impacts 41% of the United States and includes 1.25 million
square miles, over 250 tributaries, 31 states, and 2 Canadian provinces.
Listening, Inspecting, Partnering and Engineering since 1879.
- end -
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