Oil Spill
Legislature approves plan to use oil spill fines for coastal restoration
Times-Picayune
BATON ROUGE -- Money Louisiana receives from fines resulting from the
Deepwater Horizon disaster will go directly into the state's Coastal
Protection and Restoration Fund under a bill that won final approval in the
last hours of the legislative session Monday.
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/06/legislature_approves_plan_to_u.html
New Gulf oil spill claims administrator's message: We are not BP. We are
here to help.
By David Hammer, The Times-Picayune
Patrick Juneau, the new court-appointed oil-spill claims administrator,
began his four-state tour of 18 claims offices Monday with a powerful
message: We are not from BP or the government, and we are here to help.
Monday was the first day that victims of the 2010 Gulf oil spill could file
claims under a class settlement negotiated in March, estimated to cost BP
around $7.8 billion.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2012/06/new_gulf_oil_spill_claims_admi.html
GuLF STUDY looking for oil spill workers
WWL
Shana Rose Reporting
The researchers with the GuLF STUDY are still looking for anyone who worked
on the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico two years ago.
http://www.wwl.com/pages/13314276.php?contentType=4&contentId=10744599
State News
Mountains of mulch
by Emily Le Coz
NEMS Daily Journal
06.05.12 - 08:00 am
TUPELO - Gnawing 40 tons of debris per hour, an industrial wood chipper
Monday spewed its meal into mountains of mulch that Tupelo will freely
distribute this summer to anyone who wants it.
…The program launched with a $50,000 grant from the Mississippi Department
of Environmental Quality, said MDEQ spokesman Robbie Wilbur. Since then,
funding has come from a $3.51 monthly fee automatically tacked onto
residential garbage collection bills, which is collected by Tupelo Water
amp& Light.
http://nems360.com/view/full_story/18856404/article-Mountains-of-mulch?instance=lead_story_left_column
Deer Island reef enhanced by Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
project
By Susan Ruddiman, The Mississippi Press
BILOXI, Mississippi - The Mississippi Department of Marine
Resources' (MDMR) Artificial Reef Bureau and Shellfish Bureau have
completed an enhancement project on the near shore reef, Deer Island North,
which is just north of the eastern end of Deer Island.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/06/deer_island_reef_enhanced_by_m.html
Tiny Menhaden fill Long Beach Harbor
WLOX
If you see thousands of shiny, little fish swimming around in the Long
Beach Harbor, don't be alarmed. They're just Menhaden.
http://www.wlox.com/story/18698875/tiny-menhaden-fill-long-beach-harbor
ICC Joins 'Green' Initiative
WCBI
Posted by Steve Rogers
Itawamba Community College has announced a partnership with The Institute
of Sustainability, a green certification agreement to further the College's
ongoing efforts to promote environmental awareness and preservation.
http://www.wcbi.com/article.php?subaction=showfull&id=1338837537&archive=&start_from=&ucat=2,6,41&
Pascagoula River Audubon Center needs volunteers to protect Least Tern
nesting areas
By Susan Ruddiman, The Mississippi Press
BILOXI, Mississippi -- As the temperatures continue to rise and tourists
are steadily flocking to the beaches on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the
Pascagoula River Audubon Center is looking for people to help to protect
nesting Least Terns across the coast.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-living/2012/06/pascagoula_river_audubon_cente_1.html
National News
Emissions Fell Under Cap and Trade Program, Report Says
NY Times
By MIREYA NAVARRO
The cap and trade system known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
announced on Monday that carbon dioxide emissions from power plants in the
nine participating states on the East Coast fell by an average of 23
percent during the first three years of the program.
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/04/emissions-fell-under-cap-and-trade-program-report-says/?ref=earth
New Value for Land in Rural Ohio
NY Times
By KEITH SCHNEIDER
CALDWELL, Ohio — The energy boom has swept into the rural counties of the
upper Ohio River Valley, producing a torrent of investment in mineral
leasing that is jolting the economies of small towns and swelling the bank
accounts of some working-class families.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/05/us/mineral-leases-give-boost-to-rural-ohio.html?_r=2&hp
Industry groups: Administration overestimating emissions at 'fracking'
sites
The Hill
By Joe Picard - 06/04/12 04:31 PM ET
The amount of methane released from hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is
half what the Obama administration estimates, according to a study released
Monday by the American Petroleum Institute and the America's Natural Gas
Alliance.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/230773-industry-groups-administration-overestimating-emissions-at-fracking-sites
EPA defends aerial surveillance
By Joe Duggan
OMAHA WORLD-HERALD BUREAU
LINCOLN — Snapping photos of livestock farms from an airplane is a legal
and cost-effective way to help protect Nebraska and Iowa streams from
runoff contamination, say officials with the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency.
http://www.omaha.com/article/20120604/NEWS01/706049932
Opinion
Your Garbage Questions, Answered
Freakanomics Blog
Last week, we solicited your questions for journalist Edward Humes, who
seems to love trash as much as we do. His new book is Garbology: Our Dirty
Love Affair with Trash.
Below are his answers to some of your questions.
http://www.freakonomics.com/2012/06/05/your-garbage-questions-answered/
Press Releases
Governor Bryant Declares June 4-8 as Hurricane Preparedness Week
Pearl –Governor Phil Bryant has declared this first week of June as
Hurricane Preparedness Week in Mississippi to get everyone thinking about
tropical weather hazards. The 2012 Hurricane season has already seen two
named storms this year.
"Personal preparedness is a critical factor in determining how well your
family will cope if a natural disaster strikes this hurricane season" Gov.
Bryant said. "Now is the time to talk about your family evacuation plan and
stock your emergency supply kit. Don't wait until a storm enters the Gulf."
Governor Bryant signed the proclamation to coincide with the Gulf States
Hurricane Conference that is being held in Biloxi from June 6-8. Emergency
managers, first responders and other agencies from Mississippi, Alabama,
Louisiana and Texas are meeting to discuss hurricane plans and
preparedness.
MEMA Director Robert Latham says local and state governments are ready for
hurricane season, but adds personal preparedness needs to be a major focus.
"Families need to have conversations at the dinner table about what they
will do and where they will go if they are forced to evacuate," said
Latham. "From children to senior citizens, we all need to have preparedness
plans in place."
Here are some items you and your family should have in an emergency supply
kit before tropical weather threatens:
· Flashlight and battery-powered radio with extra batteries.
· Canned and non-perishable food.
· Bottled water.
· Toiletry items.
· Pet food and pet supplies.
· Medicine and prescription medication.
· Copies of important family papers and documents.
For more information, go to www.msema.org. You can also follow MEMA on
Twitter using keyword MSEMA and on Facebook under Mississippi Emergency
Management.
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