Oil Spill
Two years later: Hancock recovering from oil 'spill'
Sea Coast Echo
By JACE PONDER
Two years since the largest oil spill in our nation's history, Hancock
County officials say it seems the worst of the economic impacts have
passed, but environmental questions remain.
http://12.68.233.230/40/article_5891.shtml
Hancock Co. leaders talk oil spill recovery
WLOX
Hancock County leaders say on the surface, recovery efforts from the oil
disaster appear to be going well. But it's the long term impact on the
environment and the economy of the area that leaves more questions than
answers.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17634855/hancock-co-leaders-talk-oil-spill-recovery
Biloxi leader wants BP penalty money to stay local
WLOX
Even two years after the BP oil spill, restoration and recovery work
continues on the Mississippi Coast. As Congress prepares to divide up BP's
fines for that restoration, local leaders want any potential jobs that
could result from the ongoing efforts to stay local.
"
http://www.wlox.com/story/17654644/biloxi-leader-wants-bp-penalty-money-to-stay-local
Charter-boat fishing bounces back after Deepwater Horizon explosion
Sun Herald
By AL JONES
LONG BEACH -- The Deepwater Horizon oil disaster forced marine closures
throughout the northern Gulf of Mexico, including the popular Chandeleur
Island chain and the Mississippi Sound, through the summer of 2010 before
they were reopened in the fall.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/04/21/v-print/3897604/charter-boat-fishing-bounces-back.html
Rally protests lack of oil spill response
Sun Herald
By KAREN NELSON
BILOXI -- More than 50 fishermen and shrimpers rallied Friday morning at
the Lee Street docks to remember those who died in the Deepwater Horizon
blowout two years ago. They were also there to protest the lack of response
to the needs of the community in the wake of the BP oil spill.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/04/20/v-print/3896679/rally-protests-lack-of-oil-spill.html
Environmental Leaders Concerned About Oil Spill Impact on Food Chain
MPB
Published by Rhonda Miller on 20 Apr 2012 03:02pm
Two years after the oil spill, BP says the clean-up of the Mississippi
shoreline is mostly done. But MPB's Rhonda Miller reports some scientists
are concerned about long-term problems below the surface.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/environmental_leaders_concerned_about_oil_spill_impact_on_food_chain
Gulf lags in progress since oil spill says group; regional council proposed
(Gallery)
Published: Friday, April 20, 2012, 5:50 PM Updated: Friday, April 20,
2012, 7:05 PM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
BILOXI, Mississippi -- With a backdrop of docked fishing boats, a coalition
of groups issued statements that recovery progress from the Deepwater
Horizon oil spill two years ago is lagging and a regional council should be
formed to oversee oil and gas activity in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/04/gulf_lags_in_progress_since_oi.html
Environmental groups grade post-oil spill progress
WLOX
Two years after the oil spill, ongoing recovery efforts by BP and the
government are largely "unacceptable." That's the feeling of several
environmental groups which released a report card Friday, on the two year
anniversary of the oil spill.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17628319/environmental-groups-grade-post-oil-spill-progress
Officials: Oil spill's impact on health far from measured
WLOX
While it's easy to detect the physical presence of oil on the beaches and
in the waters, the impact of that devastating disaster on health is much
harder to measure. Officials say the process of documenting the long term
health effects of the spill is neither easy, nor fast.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17623944/oil-spills-impact-on-health-far-from-measured-says-officials
No BP oil spill settlement for recreational fishermen
Published: Saturday, April 21, 2012, 4:39 AM Updated: Saturday, April
21, 2012, 7:50 AM
By Ben Raines, Press-Register
MOBILE, Alabama -- The new Gulf oil spill settlement offer released this
week provides a way for nearly every group affected by the BP spill to
receive a monetary award for losses attributed to the spill.
Everybody except recreational fishermen.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/04/no_bp_spill_settlement_for_rec.html
Landscape altered after spill
AP
By CAIN BURDEAU
CAT ISLAND, La. -- Before the BP oil spill, this shrubby island along the
Louisiana coast was a lush green rookery where noisy brown pelicans and
other birds clamored. Two years later, the island is smaller and ragged,
full of dead black mangrove stumps and muddy patches.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/04/20/v-print/3896641/landscape-altered-after-spill.html
Spilled BP oil lingers on Louisiana coast
Published: Friday, April 20, 2012, 11:00 PM Updated: Saturday, April
21, 2012, 12:35 AM
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune
When a team of scientists from the National Wildlife Federation recently
visited a marshy patch along the northern edge of Bay Jimmy in Plaquemines
Parish, high winds forced them to beach their boat on the isle's protected
side and walk across cordgrass to the Gulf-facing shoreline in search of
oil. They didn't have to search long.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2012/04/spilled_bp_oil_lingers_on_loui.html
Tar patches, deformed fish: Gulf shows signs of damage two years after oil
spill
CBS
By
Elaine Quijano
(CBS News) Two years ago tonight, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig blew
up off the Louisiana coast. Eleven workers were killed, and it caused the
largest accidental oil spill in history: 200 million gallons of crude oil
gushed from BP's well before it was capped nearly three months later.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57418248/tar-patches-deformed-fish-gulf-shows-signs-of-damage-two-years-after-oil-spill/
Oil-related pollution found in Gulf oysters
Houston Business Journal by Olivia Pulsinelli, Web producer
More research has found evidence of pollution from the 2010 Deepwater
Horizon oil spill in the food chain — this time in oysters.
http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/morning_call/2012/04/oil-spill-pollution-found-in-gulf.html
Effects of BP oil spill still seen in Gulf
UPI
Published: April 22, 2012 at 2:00 PM
HOUSTON, April 22 (UPI) -- Scientists say the environmental impact of the
2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster is still being seen in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2012/04/22/Effects-of-BP-oil-spill-still-seen-in-Gulf/UPI-20561335117637/?spt=hs&or=sn
Two years later, BP spill reminders litter gulf coast
April 20, 2012
By Debbie Elliott
NPR
It's been two years since the Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of
Mexico, killing 11 rig workers and unleashing the worst oil spill in U.S.
history. The oil has long stopped flowing and BP spent billions of dollars
to clean up oiled beaches and waterways, but the disaster isn't necessarily
over.
http://www.scpr.org/news/2012/04/20/32111/two-years-later-bp-spill-reminders-litter-gulf-coa/
Ecological answers in BP spill remain beneath the surface
Houston Chronicle
By Matthew Tresaugue
President Barack Obama was among a worried chorus in 2010 when he called
the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico the "worst
environmental disaster America has ever faced."
Was it?
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Ecological-answers-in-BP-spill-remain-beneath-the-3500271.php
Two Years After The Spill, BP Has A Secret: It's Booming
Forbes
Christopher Helman, 05.07.12, 10:00 AM ET
Two years ago, at the apex of the worst moment in the history of BP--one of
the worst for any company ever, actually--I sat with then CEO Tony Hayward
at his emergency command center in Houston. Eleven workers had died on the
Deepwater Horizon. Screens throughout the center showed oil billowing into
the murky depths of the Gulf of Mexico. Hayward was calm but also a bit
flip--his comment to me that he was sleeping fine at night roared around
the world as soon as I reported it.
http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2012/0507/global-2000-12-europe-bob-bp-booming.html
Oil spill commission chief: BP has 'learned its lesson' in the Gulf
The Hill
By Andrew Restuccia - 04/22/12 01:24 PM ET
Oil giant BP has "learned its lesson" from the massive 2010 Gulf of Mexico
oil spill, the co-chairman of a commission that investigated the disaster
said Sunday.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/222947-oil-spill-commission-chief-bp-has-learned-its-lesson
Florida DEP vows to restore beaches, communities
Pensacola News Journal
In recognition of the two-year anniversary of the Deepwater Horizon oil
spill, the top official with the Florida Department of Environmental
Protection vowed to return Florida's coastline to its condition before the
disaster.
http://www.pnj.com/article/20120421/NEWS09/204210310/Florida-DEP-vows-restore-beaches-communities?odyssey=tab|
topnews|text|FRONTPAGE
Louisiana seafood marketers recommend that Gulf build its brand around
shrimp
Published: Thursday, April 19, 2012, 7:15 PM
By Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, The Times-Picayune
About $50 million in Gulf of Mexico seafood marketing efforts will hit the
national market over the next two years, attempting to overturn the
negative perception of local seafood brought on by the BP oil spill.
Louisiana will receive $30 million of that chunk donated by BP, with
Alabama, Florida and Mississippi receiving pieces of the remaining share.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2012/04/louisiana_seafood_still_battle.html
BP Gulf Oil Spill Trial Delay Opposed by U.S. Justice Department
Bloomberg
The U.S. Justice Department opposes delaying a liability trial for the 2010
Gulf of Mexico oil spill, said acting U.S. Associate Attorney General Tony
West.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-04-20/bp-gulf-oil-spill-trial-delay-opposed-by-u-dot-s-dot-justice-department
AG urges judge to set trial in BP oil spill case
Montgomery Advertiser
MONTGOMERY — Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange has urged a Louisiana
federal judge to set a trial date to hear claims of lost revenue by Alabama
and Louisiana because of the massive BP oil spill.
http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/article/20120420/NEWS/120420014/AG-urges-judge-set-trial-BP-oil-spill-case-?odyssey=tab|
topnews|text|Frontpage
Gulf of Mexico still vulnerable to another oil well blowout
Published: Sunday, April 22, 2012, 6:01 AM Updated: Monday, April 23,
2012, 7:47 AM
By Ben Raines, Press-Register
MOBILE, Alabama -- While the Gulf oil industry is back to drilling at full
steam, critics ranging from former government regulators to members of
President Obama's Oil Spill Commission say little has changed when it comes
to the ability to fight or prevent another major spill.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/04/gulf_of_mexico_still_vulnerabl.html
Thousands sought for oil spill health study
WWL
Don Ames Reporting
A massive federal study is underway looking at the long-term health effects
from the BP oil spill and the subsequent cleanup efforts.
http://www.wwl.com/pages/12906097.php?contentType=4&contentId=10450172
Regulatory overhaul may be Gulf oil spill's legacy
Published: Friday, April 20, 2012, 11:30 PM Updated: Saturday, April
21, 2012, 3:13 PM
By David Hammer, The Times-Picayune
Two years after the massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill, these are the
memories and images that endure: BP emails detailing risky cost-cutting
decisions before the Macondo well blew, harrowing tales of survival and
death on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, images of millions of barrels of
oil spewing into the sea for months on a 24-hour "spill cam," photos of
tar-marred beaches and oiled pelicans. By contrast, the testimony of
Minerals Management Service engineer Frank Patton has mostly been
forgotten. But anyone who wonders whether the government has improved its
oversight of the drilling industry should probably bear it in mind.
He added that he had never required oil companies to make such a promise
while reviewing more than 100 applications for permits to drill each year.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2012/04/regulatory_overhaul_may_be_gul.html
Fears remain two years after BP oil spill on Gulf Coast
Published: Monday, April 23, 2012, 5:38 AM Updated: Monday, April 23,
2012, 7:42 AM
By Kathy Jumper, Press-Register
GULF SHORES, Alabama -- Fear of the unknown. That's the biggest concern two
years after the BP oil spill.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/04/fears_remain_two_years_after_b.html
Feinberg promised to be more generous than the courts, but was he right?
Published: Sunday, April 22, 2012, 7:00 AM Updated: Sunday, April 22,
2012, 6:28 PM
By Brendan Kirby, Press-Register
MOBILE, Alabama -- Ken Feinberg pledged during his tenure as the Gulf Coast
oil spill claims czar that he would be more generous to victims of the
disaster than the legal system. Soon, the opening of a court settlement
will reveal whether he was right.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/04/feinberg_promised_to_be_more_g.html
WLOX Editorial: Restoring the MS Sound
Posted: Apr 20, 2012 11:53 AM CDT Updated: Apr 22, 2012 3:01 PM CDT
Good news this past week for our seafood and fishing industry. Governor
Phil Bryant announced a plan to restore our damaged oyster reefs. Part of
this restoration will include clutch planting which involves spreading
crushed oyster shells or limestone onto damaged oysters reefs in the
Mississippi Sound.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17608936/wlox-editorial-restoring-the-ms-sound
BP exec: After two years, grandeur of the Gulf is returning (Op-ed)
Published: Monday, April 23, 2012, 6:04 AM
By Press-Register Editorial Board
By Mike Utsler
Special to the Press-Register
Two years ago, when I viewed the Gulf Coast from a helicopter window, I was
devastated to see oil in the water, on many beaches and in fragile
marshlands, and humbled at the thought of the cleanup job that lay ahead.
http://blog.al.com/press-register-commentary/2012/04/bp_exec_after_two_years_grande.html
Three lessons linger from BP oil spill
By Donna Brazile, CNN Contributor
(CNN) -- As we prepare to celebrate Earth Day on Sunday, let us not forget
that Friday marks the second anniversary of the start of the BP oil spill.
It deserves more than a shrug, an "oh, yeah," and "how's the fishing?" It
deserves more than a solemn voiced announcer relegating it to a "this day
in history," with a picture from the archives to jog our memory.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/20/opinion/brazile-earth-day-bp/index.html
State News
Gator Bait Regatta aimed at water preservation
WLBT
It was a cool morning out on the water and those preparing for the Gator
Bait Regatta at Old Trace Park on the reservoir knew it first-hand.
The Gator Bait Regatta consists of a three-mile boat race and a competitive
nine-mile race on the open water. It's part of Waterfest an annual event
which highlights the importance of improving and protecting the main
drinking water source for Jackson and the surrounding areas.
It's sponsored by the State Department of Environmental Quality.
http://www.wlbt.com/story/17651407/gator-bait-regatta-aimed-at-water-perservation
Utility Authority receives favorable audit
By Jeremy Pittari
The Picayune Item
PICAYUNE — Pearl River County's Utility Authority received a positive audit
at its Thursday meeting, and the first phase of the work to bring sewer
treatment to Hide-A-Way Lake is nearing completion.
http://picayuneitem.com/local/x2086603631/Utility-Authority-receives-favorable-audit
Earth Day recycling challenge is full of surprises
by Emily Le Coz
NEMS Daily Journal
04.23.12 - 06:48 am
TUPELO – As part of an Earth Day challenge, this Daily Journal reporter
accumulated two days' worth of trash and hauled it around in a tote bag.
http://nems360.com/view/full_story/18327747/article-Earth-Day-recycling-challenge-is-full-of-surprises?instance=lead_story_left_column
Saturday's joint cleanup efforts a "huge success," say promoters.
By David A. Farrell
The Picayune Item
PICAYUNE — "Not a whole lot of people recognized what an asset of nature we
have right within our own city limits, but things are changing," said
Friends of Boley President Keith Kingery during a short chat with the press
before getting things organized Saturday morning for another cleanup of the
bucolic West Hobolochitto Creek and the main stream, Hobolochitto Creek.
http://picayuneitem.com/local/x733698181/Saturday-s-joint-cleanup-efforts-a-huge-success-say-promoters
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day draws record participation
Published: Sunday, April 22, 2012, 6:45 AM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
GAUTIER Mississippi -- A record number of vehicles visited the Household
Hazardous Waste Collection Day on Saturday, with residents dropping off
some 800 gallons of oil and 90 cubic yards of paint, said Ronda Powell,
Jackson County solid waste director.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/04/household_hazardous_waste_coll.html
City briefed on recycling service status
Starkville Daily News
Last year, participating citizens and businesses in Starkville recycled
295.25 tons of material, or 590,500 pounds. That's approximately 243 pounds
per each of the 2,425 people signed up with the city of Starkville's
recycling program. So far this year, 79.92 tons have been recycled.
http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/news
Children's innovations cap MSU Earth Week
Starkville Daily News
It's a mistake to leave the cap on a bottle of water when throwing it in
the recycling bin.
http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/node/9788
Time to rid home of all that rubbish
Commercial Appeal
By Henry Bailey
Saturday, April 21, 2012
OK DeSoto County, today and the week ahead is the time to clean up your act
-- or rather, your attic, garage or yard -- with the annual Countywide
Spring Cleanup that ends next Saturday.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/apr/21/time-to-rid-home-of-all-that-rubbish/?print=1
Gulfport students join global challenge to clean neighborhoods
WLOX
Millions of young people in more than 100 countries tried to change the
world Friday. On Global Youth Service Day, they took on problems like
poverty, pollution, and human rights. In Gulfport, more than 50 students
also put their talents to work.
http://www.wlox.com/story/17627480/gulfport-students-join-global-challenge-to-cleanup-neighborhoods
Free trees highlight Earth Day festival
Sun Herald
By LINDSAY KNOWLES
BILOXI -- Despite an overcast sky, dozens of people still made their way to
the Biloxi Town Green on Saturday to attend the third annual Go Green on
the Green festival, an Earth Day celebration hosted by the city.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/04/21/v-print/3897815/free-trees-highlight-earth-day.html
National News
N.J. drops out of EPA ozone suit
Politico
By: Erica Martinson
April 22, 2012 10:36 PM EDT
New Jersey has dropped out of a lawsuit challenging the White House
decision to bypass strict ozone standards that the EPA had recommended as
necessary to protect human health.
…Mississippi, several energy industry groups and the National Association
of Home Builders argue that the Bush administration shouldn't have set new
standards in the first place. They want the court to require a return to a
higher ozone standard set in 1997.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0412/75444.html
Is the EPA a victim of its own success more than 40 Earth Days after its
creation under Nixon?
By Associated Press, Published: April 19 | Updated: Saturday, April 21,
9:49 AM
WASHINGTON — A polluted drainage ditch that once flowed with industrial
waste from Lake Charles, La., petrochemical plants teems with overgrown,
wild plants today.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/industries/is-the-epa-a-victim-of-its-own-success-more-than-40-earth-days-after-its-creation-under-nixon/2012/04/19/gIQA7o7eTT_print.html
Promoting the recycling of e-waste
Washington Post
By The Partnership for Public Service, Published: April 12 | Updated:
Monday, April 16, 11:01 PM
Karen Pollard has a laudable goal: to increase the recycling of discarded
electronic products in order to limit environmental harm and encourage
reuse of valuable metals found in computers, televisions and mobile
devices.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/promoting-the-recycling-of-e-waste/2012/04/12/gIQASdRXDT_print.html
Press Releases
Earth Day: No Act Is Ever Wasted
By Gwen Keyes Fleming, U.S. EPA Regional Administrator for the Southeast
Eight-year-old Brooklyn Wright calls herself Earth Saver Girl and uses
entertainment as a tool to achieve her mission of spreading the word about
preventing litter and going green.
At 10, Avalon Theissen has travelled to Nicaragua and Costa Rica in her
quest to protect frogs and fragile ecosystems.
Andrew Day, age 17, started a club in his community focused on tagging
storm drains and organizing other service projects to clean up the
environment.
These are just a few of the students across the Southeast that the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency is recognizing this year for their
commitment to environmental protection. The incredible achievements of
these young people remind us this Earth Day that no act is too small, and
no one is too small to act.
In 1968, ecologist Garrett Hardin wrote the influential article, "The
Tragedy of the Commons." The article describes the dilemma that arises when
multiple individuals act in their own self-interest to deplete a shared
resource when—in the long term—no one benefits. Conversely, I often think
about the dilemma that arises when people fail to act to protect a resource
because they mistakenly believe that their action alone will be a drop in
the bucket. If everyone thinks this way, what a far greater tragedy it will
be!
EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson has made it a priority to expand outreach
to communities that are historically under-represented in environmental
action. The agency is focused on engaging the vulnerable groups, including
children, the elderly and low-income communities, that are particularly
susceptible to environmental and health threats.
That is why this year, EPA Region 4 is calling on you—whoever you are,
wherever you are, and no matter how big or small you are—to take five
simple steps to protect the environment. You do not need to consider
yourself an "environmentalist," or even take part in an organized activity,
to observe Earth Day. Visit EPA's Pick 5 website (www.epa.gov/pick5) to
learn more about actions you can take today and choose at least 5 actions
that you will commit to.
Actions range from simply using less water and electricity to cleaner
commuting, reuse and recycling. Many of these actions have no or low
cost—some may even save you money!
Aesop is credited with the saying, "No act is ever wasted." Remember that
your actions to conserve resources—however small—can collectively make a
big difference this Earth Day and beyond. For more information about Earth
Day and to learn about related volunteer opportunities and events, visit:
www.epa.gov/earthday.
