Weather has delayed Ship Island project, not oil says corps official
Published: Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 6:21 AM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
BILOXI, Mississippi -- Weather has delayed a beach renourishment project on the north shore of West Ship Island and not oil from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, said Susan Rees, program manager of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/weather_has_delayed_ship_islan.html
Presidential spill panel regroups to press reform
AP
By DINA CAPPIELLO
The seven-member commission selected by President Barack Obama to investigate the Gulf oil spill is getting back together. This time, it will press for action to improve drilling safety.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/14/v-print/3817396/presidential-spill-panel-regroups.html
State News
Chevron: Oil leak in Bayou Casotte contained, cleanup efforts under way (photo gallery)
Published: Wednesday, March 14, 2012, 5:40 AM
By April M. Havens, The Mississippi Press
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Chevron Corp.'s Pascagoula Refinery has contained about 45 barrels, or roughly 1,900 gallons, of heavy oil that was discovered leaking into Bayou Casotte during an early morning inspection, leaders said.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/chevron_oil_leak_in_bayou_caso.html
Chevron sopping up oil spill
Sun Herald
By DONNA HARRIS
PASCAGOULA -- A line that leaked nearly 2,000 gallons of heavy oil into Bayou Cassotte from the Chevron Refinery is being repaired as cleanup of the area continues over the next few days, officials said.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/13/v-print/3815962/chevron-sopping-up-oil-spill.html
Chevron Pascagoula refinery experiences spill
Spill contained to company's wharf
WALA
PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WALA) - A spokesperson for the Chevron Pascagoula Refinery in Bayou Cassotte said a spill in the facility's wharf poses no danger to the community.
http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/mississippi/chevron-pascagoula-refinery-experiences-spill
Gulfport site one of two from Mississippi added to EPA's Superfund list
Published: Tuesday, March 13, 2012, 5:42 PM Updated: Tuesday, March 13, 2012, 5:42 PM
By The Associated Press
JACKSON, Mississippi (AP) -- Two closed manufacturing sites in Mississippi have been added to the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund list.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/gulfport_site_one_of_two_from.html
Hundreds of Coastal students attend environmental fair
WLOX
Hundreds of students from Moss Point and Long Beach are learning how to clear the air and save the earth. They are at the Biloxi Civic Center for an environmental fair geared towards third graders.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17158146/hundreds-of-coastal-students-attend-environmental-fair
Chemical spill quickly cleaned
Bolivar Commercial
by Chance Wright
Law enforcement officials were called to the intersection of White Street and U.S. Highway 61 in Cleveland Saturday morning for a minor automobile accident.
http://www.bolivarcom.com/view/full_story/17860353/article-Chemical-spill-quickly-cleaned?instance=homesecondleft
Regulations could trump rhetoric on offshore drilling
Editorial – Sun Herald
Gov. Phil Bryant used Monday’s Gulf Coast Energy Summit in Biloxi to reaffirm his conviction that drilling in state waters can be done without harming the tourism industry or the environment.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/03/13/v-print/3815445/regulations-could-trump-rhetoric.html
National News
Lawuits against EPA target chemical nutrient pollution that feeds algae blooms in US waters
By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, March 14, 3:23 PM
NEW ORLEANS — Environmental groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency to force the federal government to curb an overdose of nutrients that end up in the nation’s rivers, lakes and coastal waters, causing toxic algae blooms and the massive low-oxygen “dead zone” that crops up every summer in the Gulf of Mexico.
Ohio judge accepts Scotts Miracle-Gro guilty plea, defers decision on $4.5M payment of fine
By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, March 14, 1:21 PM
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A judge has accepted a guilty plea by Ohio lawn and garden company Scotts Miracle-Gro to violating federal environmental laws while deferring a decision on a deal that requires the company to pay a $4 million fine and give $500,000 to help support wildlife study and preservation.
Refiners Push EPA to Scrap Gasoline Rule That Automakers Want
Bloomberg
By Mark Drajem - Mar 14, 2012
Refiners are pushing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to delay tighter pollution rules for gasoline, while automakers say they need the cleaner fuel.
Natural-Gas Windfall Wanes
Boost in Tax Revenue Eases as Lower Prices Prompt a Cutback in Drilling
Wall Street Journal
MANSFIELD, La.—The brilliant green artificial turf on high-school football fields here serves as a vivid symbol of the natural-gas boom that brought prosperity to this traditionally poor corner of northwest Louisiana.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303717304577279670763618852.html
Press Releases
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
Phil Bryant, GOVERNOR
MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Trudy D. Fisher, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Robbie Wilbur
March 14, 2012 601/961-5277
(BILOXI, Miss.) –The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) was recognized Wednesday by the Environmental Protection Agency for its program to retrofit public school buses with Diesel Oxidation Catalysts (DOCs). Mississippi was the first state to retrofit 100 percent of eligible school buses.
At an event in Biloxi, MDEQ Executive Director Trudy Fisher was recognized by Gwen Keyes Fleming, EPA Region 4 Administrator, for Mississippi’s successful program. The Mississippi School Bus Retrofit Project, initiated by MDEQ’s Air Division in 2009, paid for the installation of Diesel Oxidation Catalysts on 1,931 school buses in 108 public school districts. The DOCs help protect students’ health by reducing tailpipe emissions including reducing particulate matter by 40 percent, hydrocarbons by 70 percent, and carbon monoxide by 40 percent. In addition, the Air Division has been working with the Mississippi Department of Education and the American Lung Association to reduce the amount of time that school buses idle unnecessarily which will further reduce exhaust emissions.
“MDEQ’s Air Division has been aggressive and creative in considering the issue of reducing tailpipe emissions around students, finding ways to fund the program, and implementing it to a successful conclusion. Being the first state to complete retrofitting is a significant achievement and demonstrates the ‘can do’ attitude of this agency. We were able to protect students’ health and to use the funds prudently while stimulating Mississippi’s economy at a time when it was needed. School buses are the safest and most efficient way to transport students, and we want to ensure that it’s a healthy trip,” said Trudy Fisher, MDEQ Executive Director.
A DOC is a porous ceramic honeycomb-like structure that is coated with a material that catalyzes a chemical reaction to reduce pollution. There is no maintenance needed for DOCs, and they do not affect the fuel economy of buses. The DOCs were installed statewide on eligible buses built from 1998 to 2006 in participating school districts. Newer buses do not need retrofitting due to stricter emissions standards for diesel engines implemented in 2007. Purchase and installation of these devices was paid for by MDEQ, at no cost to school districts, using Diesel Emission Reduction (DERA), American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), and Supplemental Environmental Project funds.
EPA Adds Four Hazardous Waste Sites in the Southeast to Superfund’s National Priorities List, Proposing an Additional 3 Sites
Contact Information: James Pinkney, (404) 562-9183, pinkney.james@epa.gov
(ATLANTA – March. 13, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has added four new hazardous waste sites in the southeast that pose risks to human health and the environment to the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites. EPA is also proposing to add another three sites to the list. Superfund is the federal program that investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country.
The following four sites in the Southeast have been added to the National Priorities List:
• Continental Cleaners (former dry cleaners) in Miami, Fla.;
• Chemfax, Inc. (former manufacturer of synthetic resins and waxes) in Gulfport, Miss.;
• Southeastern Wood Preserving (former wood treating operation) in Canton, Miss.; and
• CTS of Asheville, Inc. (former electronics components manufacturer) in Asheville, N.C.
The following three sites have been proposed for addition to the National Priorities List:
• Fairfax St. Wood Treaters (former wood treating operation) in Jacksonville, Fla.;
• Macon Naval Ordnance Plant (former ordnance manufacturer) in Macon, Ga.; and
• Holcomb Creosote Co (former wood treating operation) in Yadkinville, N.C.
EPA is also withdrawing its earlier proposal to add the Arnold Engineering Development Center site in Coffee and Franklin Counties, Tennessee to the NPL. This site is being addressed under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) program. Cleanup is progressing successfully, the migration of contaminated ground water is under control and measures have been taken that are protective of human health.
Since 1983, 1,661 sites have been listed on the NPL. Of these sites, 359 sites have been cleaned up resulting in 1,302 sites currently on the NPL (including the nine sites added today). There are 62 proposed sites (including the 10 announced today) awaiting final agency action.
Contaminants found at the sites include arsenic, benzene, cadmium, chromium, copper, creosote, dichloroethene (DCE), lead, mercury, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), pentachlorophenol (PCP), trichloroethane (TCA), trichloroethylene (TCE), toluene, uranium and zinc.
With all NPL sites, EPA works to identify companies or people responsible for the contamination at a site, and require them to conduct or pay for the cleanup. For the newly listed sites without viable potentially responsible parties, EPA will investigate the full extent of the contamination before starting significant cleanup at the site. Therefore, it may be several years before significant EPA clean up funding is required for these sites.
Contaminated sites may be placed on the list through various mechanisms:
• Numeric ranking established by EPA’s Hazard Ranking System
• Designation by states or territories of one top-priority site
• Meeting all three of the following requirements:
- The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued a health advisory that recommends removing people from the site;
- EPA determines the site poses a significant threat to public health; and
- EPA anticipates it will be more cost-effective to use its remedial authority than to use its emergency removal authority to respond to the site.
Federal Register notices and supporting documents for the final and proposed sites: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/current.htm
Information about how a site is listed on the NPL:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/npl_hrs.htm
Superfund sites in local communities:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/index.htm
EPA Adds Nine Hazardous Waste Sites to Superfund’s National Priorities List, Proposing an Additional 10 Sites
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is adding nine new hazardous waste sites that pose risks to people’s health and the environment to the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites, and is proposing to include 10 additional sites. Superfund is the federal program that investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country.
“Protecting human health and the environment and restoring contaminated properties to environmental and economic vitality are EPA priorities," said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. “When property is cleaned up and revitalized, the reuse may result in new income to the community in the form of taxes, jobs to local residents, increases to the values of properties nearby cleaned up sites, or it may provide recreational or other services to make the community a better place to live.”
Since 1983, 1,661 sites have been listed on the NPL. Of these sites, 359 sites have been cleaned up resulting in 1,302 sites currently on the NPL (including the nine sites added today). There are 62 proposed sites (including the 10 announced today) awaiting final agency action.
Contaminants found at the sites include arsenic, benzene, cadmium, chromium, copper, creosote, dichloroethene (DCE), lead, mercury, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), tetrachloroethylene (PCE), pentachlorophenol (PCP), trichloroethane (TCA), trichloroethylene (TCE), toluene, uranium and zinc.
With all NPL sites, EPA works to identify companies or people responsible for the contamination at a site, and require them to conduct or pay for the cleanup. For the newly listed sites without viable potentially responsible parties, EPA will investigate the full extent of the contamination before starting significant cleanup at the site. Therefore, it may be several years before significant EPA clean up funding is required for these sites.
The following nine sites have been added to the National Priorities List:
• Continental Cleaners (former dry cleaners) in Miami, Fla.;
• Sauer Dump (inactive dump) in Dundalk, Md.;
• Compass Plaza Well TCE (contaminated ground water plume) in Rogersville, Mo.;
• Chemfax, Inc. (former manufacturer of synthetic resins and waxes) in Gulfport, Miss.;
• Southeastern Wood Preserving (former wood treating operation) in Canton, Miss.;
• CTS of Asheville, Inc. (former electronics components manufacturer) in Asheville, N.C.;
• Eighteenmile Creek (contaminated creek) in Niagara County, N.Y.;
• Metro Container Corporation (former drum recycler) in Trainer, Pa.; and
• Corozal Well (contaminated ground water plume) in Corozal, Puerto Rico;
The following 10 sites have been proposed for addition to the National Priorities List:
• Cedar Chemical Corporation (former chemical manufacturer) in West Helena, Ark.;
• Fairfax St. Wood Treaters (former wood treating operation) in Jacksonville, Fla.;
• Macon Naval Ordnance Plant (former ordnance manufacturer) in Macon, Ga.;
• Bautsch-Gray Mine (former lead and zinc mine) in Galena, Ill.;
• EVR-Wood Treating/Evangeline Refining Company (former wood treating operation) in Jennings, La.;
• Holcomb Creosote Co (former wood treating operation) in Yadkinville, N.C.;
• Orange Valley Regional Ground Water Contamination (contaminated ground water plume) in Orange/West Orange, N.J.;
• Jackpile-Paguate Uranium Mine (former uranium mine) in Laguna Pueblo, N.M.;
• West Troy Contaminated Aquifer (contaminated ground water plume) in Troy, Ohio; and
• Circle Court Ground Water Plume (contaminated ground water plume) in Willow Park, Texas.
EPA is also withdrawing its earlier proposal to add the Arnold Engineering Development Center site in Coffee and Franklin Counties, Tennessee to the NPL. This site is being addressed under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) program. Cleanup is progressing successfully, the migration of contaminated ground water is under control and measures have been taken that are protective of human health.
Federal Register notices and supporting documents for the final and proposed sites: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/current.htm
Information about how a site is listed on the NPL:
http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/npl/npl_hrs.htm
Superfund sites in local communities: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/index.htm
