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/
