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.
