Oil Spill
Jackson County cities fear new BP claims process will leave local claimants
out in cold
Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012, 6:20 AM
Mississippi Press
By Kaija Wilkinson
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Cities in Jackson County are objecting to a
proposed BP oil spill class action settlement set to start paying out $8
billion on June 4.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/05/not_fair_jackson_county_cities.html
Photos: BP oil spill residue found on pelicans in Minn.
MN Public Radio
Researchers are trying to determine whether pelicans carry residue from the
2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/05/16/environment/photos-pelican-bp-oil-spill-research/
Robertsdale approves final BP oil spill settlement
Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012, 7:17 AM Updated: Sunday, May 20, 2012,
9:02 AM
By Guy Busby Press-Register
ROBERTSDALE, Alabama -- The city will receive about twice the expected
amount of settlement money from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill
following a final agreement, officials said Friday.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/05/robertsdale_approves_final_bp.html
$14.4 million grant issued to provide mental health services in BP spill
affected areas
NEW ORLEANS, LA — LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans has been
provisionally awarded a $14.4 million grant over five years from the $36
million in total funding through the BP Oil Spill Settlement Agreement to
fund mental and behavioral health treatment and longer-term supportive
services to people and communities affected by the Deepwater Horizon Oil
Spill.
http://www.nbc33tv.com/news/local-news/144-million-grant-issued-to-provide-mental-health-services-in-bp-spill-affected-area
State News
MDEQ honors Northrop
Sun Herald
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has selected Northrop
Grumman's Moss Point-based Unmanned Systems Center for membership in
enHance, the department's voluntary stewardship program. Northrop also
honored the company as a leader in protecting the state's environment.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/05/19/3958378/bulletin-board-for-may-20.html
Communities Still Recovering From 2011 Flood
MPB
PUBLISHED BY DANIEL CHERRY ON 20 MAY 2012 05:51PM
Communities along the Mississippi River are remembering and recovering from
the record flood from a year ago. MPB's Daniel Cherry reports how the 2011
flood created lasting memories and lessons for the future.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/507communities_still_recovering_from_2011_flood
Students learn to love Mother Nature
WLOX
After a year of teaching young people the science behind environmental
conservation, this weekend researchers are working to help the kids develop
a heart for Mother Nature. Middle school students headed to the USM Gulf
Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs for the two day Stewardship
Summit.
http://www.wlox.com/story/18563535/students-learn-to-love-mother-nature
Extending Louisiana State Waters to 10 Miles Could Cost Mississippi
Fishermen
MPB
PUBLISHED BY RHONDA MILLER ON 18 MAY 2012 06:54PM
Recreational fishing in Mississippi could be hurt by a proposed change in
Louisiana state waters. MPB's Rhonda Miller has more.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/extending_louisiana_state_waters_to_10_miles_could_cost_mississippi_fiserme
Civil rights group looking into Moss Point cancer stats
Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012, 4:29 PM Updated: Sunday, May 20, 2012,
4:32 PM
By April M. Havens, The Mississippi Press
MOSS POINT, Mississippi -- A Memphis-based civil rights organization will
be in the city soon to investigate community complaints that an abnormal
number of Moss Point residents are being diagnosed with cancer.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/05/civil_rights_group_looking_int.html
KiOR CEO: Local contractors to thank for early completion
Commercial Dispatch
May 19, 2012 10:33:39 PM
Kristin Mamrack
KiOR officials are fond of noting the company, through its process of
converting non-food input into gasoline and diesel, is accelerating
something nature has done for a very long time.
http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=17133
New facilities spotlight next-generation biofuels
Reuters
By Matt Daily
(Reuters) - After a decade of promise, advanced biofuels makers are
entering a crucial make-or-break period with the first of a new generation
of production facilities about to come on line.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/21/uk-biofuels-plants-idUSLNE84K00320120521
National News
Anadarko Was Part of $25 Billion Scheme, U.S. Says
Bloomberg
By Tiffany Kary - May 15, 2012
Anadarko Petroleum Corp. (APC)'s Kerr-McGee Corp. hid the true reason for
the 2005 spinoff of Tronox Inc. (TROX) -- dumping billions of dollars in
environmental liabilities -- from its own board, a lawyer said at the start
of a $25 billion trial.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-05-15/anadarko-was-part-of-25-billion-scheme-u-s-says.html
Opinion
Feds should prosecute, jail some BP execs (Insight)
Published: Sunday, May 20, 2012, 6:04 AM Updated: Sunday, May 20, 2012,
9:22 AM
By Press-Register Editorial Board
By Antonia Juhasz
Special to the Press-Register
The criminal charges brought against former BP engineer Kurt Mix for
allegedly deleting text messages detailing how much oil was gushing from
BP's Macondo oil well should, I believe, be just the beginning of a host of
far more serious charges brought against those in the most senior positions
of authority at BP.
http://blog.al.com/press-register-commentary/2012/05/feds_should_prosecute_jail_som.html
A viable clean-energy bill at last?
Washington Post
By Editorial Board, Published: May 19
WILL AMERICA do anything significant to slow climate change? Cap-and-trade
died in 2010. Clean-energy subsidies are expensive and inadequate to
address the sprawling issue of global warming. The Environmental Protection
Agency's new carbon regulations have the same drawbacks.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-viable-clean-energy-bill-at-last/2012/05/19/gIQAhILcbU_story.html
Press Releases
EPA Honors Top Energy-Efficient Building Designs
'Designed to Earn the Energy Star' Projects Featured at the American
Institute of Architects National Convention
WASHINGTON – Today, at the American Institute of Architects (AIA) National
Convention in Washington, DC, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) recognized nearly 100 commercial building design projects submitted
by 43 architecture firms that achieved Designed to Earn the Energy Star
certification in the past year.
Projects that receive Designed to Earn the Energy Star certification are
estimated to be nearly 40 percent more energy efficient than typical
buildings. In total, the projects recognized at the convention are
estimated to prevent nearly 175,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions
annually and save more than $23 million in annual energy costs across 10
million square feet of commercial space.
"Building owners and architects who achieve EPA's Designed to Earn the
Energy Star for commercial buildings are getting it right from the start,"
said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Air and
Radiation. "From city skyscrapers to rural elementary schools, these new
building design projects are helping to save energy and money from the
ground up for American families and businesses."
By 2035, 75 percent of all buildings will be new or renovated, and
architecture firms are uniquely positioned to design energy efficient
buildings and reduce carbon emissions. For the past five years, EPA has
worked with AIA to promote energy efficiency in new commercial construction
by highlighting Designed to Earn the Energy Star projects at the AIA
National Convention. This year, EPA's Energy Star Challenge: Race to DC
created competition across the country to see who could submit the most
Designed to Earn the Energy Star projects. The country was divided into
three regions and the Big Easy Central, representing the mid-section of the
country, won with nearly 50 projects achieving certification.
Project highlights from the three regions include:
· East Coast Region—High Performance Computing Research Center at
Princeton University (Princeton, N.J.); Architect of Record, Gensler:
This project design provides power to the computers while using as
little energy as possible. During winter, the air conditioning system
can be switched off and giant louvers, or movable slates, can be
opened to let in cold outside air.
· Central Region—Kroger Store (Dallas, Texas); Architect of Record,
Robertson Loia Roof: This design incorporates energy efficient
features such as cooler/freezer refrigerant heat replacement systems
and roof planters for heat island effect reduction and shading. White
high solar reflective roof material is also in the project plan to
minimize sunlight absorption.
· Western Region—Red Hawk Elementary School (Erie, Colo.); Architect
of Record, RB+B Architects: The sustainable design of Red Hawk
Elementary School creates a vibrant place for kids to learn with a
central space connected to all parts of the school which allows for
interactions amongst students and teachers. Sustainable features
include proper orientation of classrooms to maximize daylight,
displacement ventilation coupled with ground source heat pumps as
well as radiant floor heating, low flow fixtures, and highly
insulated building envelope.
Since the Designed to Earn the Energy Star certification was launched in
2004, nearly 430 projects from almost 180 architecture firms have achieved
the certification. If these buildings are operated as designed, EPA
estimates that they will prevent more than 452,000 metric tons of
greenhouse gas emissions annually and save almost $50 million in annual
energy costs. Projects that achieve Designed to Earn the Energy Star
certification meet specific energy performance criteria set by EPA, perform
in the top 25 percent nationwide on EPA's national energy performance
scale, and are independently verified by a licensed professional engineer
or registered architect.
Launched in 1992 by EPA, Energy Star is a market-based partnership to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. This year marks
Energy Star's 20th anniversary. Over the past 20 years, with help from
Energy Star, American families and businesses have saved about $230 billion
on utility bills and prevented more than 1.7 billion metric tons of carbon
pollution. To date, more than 1.3 million new homes and nearly 16,500
buildings across all 50 states have earned EPA's Energy Star certification.
The Energy Star label can be found on more than 60 different kinds of
products with more than 5 billion sold over the past 20 years.
More on the winners of the Projects receiving Designed to Earn the Energy
Star Certification:
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=new_bldg_design.top_design_firms
More on Designed to Earn the Energy Star Certification:
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cbd_guidebook.cbd_guidebook
More on the 2012 Energy Star Challenge: Race to DC:
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=new_bldg_design.architects_challenge
More on commercial building design:
www.energystar.gov/CommercialBuildingDesign
EPA Recognizes Environmental Innovation at Science Competition for High
School Students
Thabit Pulak, age 16, wins the Patrick H. Hurd Sustainability Award, and
will participate in National Sustainable Design Expo in 2013
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today
recognized this year's winner of the EPA's Patrick H. Hurd Sustainability
award for demonstrating a commitment to environmental sustainability and
stewardship. Thabit Pulak, a sophomore at Richardson High School in
Richardson, Texas, was named the recipient of the award. Pulak's project, a
Home-Based Arsenic Bio-Sand Water Filter, uses nano particles made with
kitchen materials easily found in Southeast Asia to enhance a bio-sand
water filter, so that it removes arsenic from water. Pulak was one of
1,549 student scientists and engineers competing in the Intel
Internationals Science and Engineering Fair this week in Pittsburgh, Pa.
"Out of thousands of local and regional science fairs, the best come to the
Intel International Science and Engineering Fair," said Lek Kadeli, acting
assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Research and Development. "EPA
is honored to recognize a project that applies science and engineering to
create environmental solutions for this and future generations."
The EPA Patrick H. Hurd award grants funding for the winning student and a
chaperone to participate in and display the student's project at EPA's
National Sustainable Design Expo featuring the P3: People, Prosperity, and
the Planet (P3) Student Design Competition for Sustainability in 2013. Held
each spring on the National Mall in Washington, DC, the National
Sustainable Design Expo brings together the P3 students, nonprofit
organizations, government agencies, and businesses that are working to
create a sustainable future.
The expo, which is free and open to the public, is a unique opportunity to
discover innovative, cutting-edge environmental technologies developed by
university students and their faculty advisors, learn what nonprofit
organizations and government agencies are doing to advance sustainability,
experience sustainable products that are currently available, and recruit
talented hires with diverse educational backgrounds.
The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair is a pre-college
competition. Students advance to it from several levels of local and
school-sponsored, regional, and state fairs showcasing their independent
research. The Society for Science & the Public, a non-profit organization
dedicated to public engagement in scientific research and education,
founded and runs the fair.
More information about EPA's participation in the Intel ISEF:
http://www.epa.gov/ord/scievents/isef/index.htm
More information about the Intel ISEF:
http://www.societyforscience.org/ISEF/
More information about EPA's People, Prosperity and the Planet Student
Design Competition for Sustainability: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/p3/
