Pat Juneau, new BP spill settlement claims boss, taking hands-on approach,
upbeat about Round 2
Mississippi Press
By Kaija Wilkinson
BILOXI, Mississippi -- The data and formulas that went into determining
who's entitled to share in a multibillion-dollar BP settlement "would fill
up this room," claims administrator Pat Juneau said, gesturing around a
makeshift office this afternoon.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/06/pat_juneau_new_bp_spill_settle.html
New BP Claims Administrator Promises Claimant-Friendly, Transparent Process
MPB
PUBLISHED BY RHONDA MILLER ON 05 JUN 2012 06:53PM
Eighteen BP claims offices re-opened this week across five Gulf Coast
states affected by the oil spill. The new man in charge of administering
claims is on a road trip to deliver his message that it is a friendly and
transparent process. MPB's Rhonda Miller caught up with him Tuesday at the
claims office in D'Iberville.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/new_bp_claims_administrator_promises_claimant_friendly_transparent_process
Louisiana: Two Scientists Surrender E-Mail to BP
NY Times
By LESLIE KAUFMAN
Two prominent scientists involved in estimating the flow rate from a
ruptured oil well during BP's 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico have
surrendered more than 3,000 of their private e-mails to the company in
response to a subpoena by the United States District Court in New Orleans.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/06/science/earth/louisiana-two-scientists-surrender-e-mail-to-bp.html?_r=1
State News
Air quality near Port of Gulfport will be tested
WLOX
There's been an ongoing battle surrounding expansion plans at the Port of
Gulfport. Residents who will be directly affected by the increased traffic
resulting from that expansion worry about how their lives will be impacted.
http://www.wlox.com/story/18712288/gulfport-council-votes-yes-to-port-expansion-health-study
Jones County struggles to stop illegal dumping
WDAM
If you venture down Cut Off Road in south Jones County you can see the
garbage that has been illegally dumped; broken toilets, old building
materials, and other garbage scatter the roadside.
http://www.wdam.com/story/18709247/jones-county-illegal-dumping-gets
Shrimpers take stand against proposed turtle protection rules
By The Associated Press
BELLE CHASSE, Louisiana (AP) -- Shrimpers who make a living in the bays and
marshes of the Gulf of Mexico say pending rules forcing them to install
clunky devices on their nets to save endangered sea turtles may push their
struggling industry over the edge.
http://blog.al.com/wire/2012/06/shrimpers_take_stand_against_p.html
Forum slated on expansion of Dahomey Wildlife Refuge
Bolivar Commercial
by Chance Wright
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has announced a public forum from 6-9
p.m. on Wednesday at the Bolivar County Extension Office in Cleveland to
discuss its proposal to expand the acquisition boundary of the Dahomey
National Wildlife Refuge.
http://www.bolivarcom.com/view/full_story/18819131/article-Forum-slated-on-expansion-of-Dahomey-Wildlife-Refuge?instance=homethirdleft
KiOR to research bamboo as biofuel
Commercial Dispatch
June 5, 2012 9:53:13 AM
Alcorn State University, in Lorman, is partnering with Pasadena,
Texas-based KiOR, researching bamboo as a biofuel.
http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=17373
National News
EPA, Lung Association Set to Agree on Soot Rule Schedule
Bloomberg
By Mark Drajem - Jun 5, 2012
The Environmental Protection Agency and American Lung Association said
they're close to settling a lawsuit filed by the advocacy group to force
regulators to issue overdue rules on soot.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-05/epa-lung-association-set-to-agree-on-december-for-new-soot-rule.html
Squeezing the Shale: Contaminated water, cancer potential dangers of
fracking
Some experts say the benefits and dollars outweigh environmental concerns.
By BRITTANY HOOVER (Embedded image moved to file: pic31115.jpg)
Lubbock AVALANCHE-JOURNAL
Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, as it's known, carries with it certain
risks, but some experts say the benefits and dollars outweigh
environmental concerns.
http://lubbockonline.com/local-news/2012-06-05/squeezing-shale-contaminated-water-cancer-potential-dangers-fracking#.T89Z3dXY-4I
House votes to block enforcement of energy efficient light bulb standards
The Hill
By Pete Kasperowicz - 06/05/12 09:14 PM ET
The House approved two amendments to a 2013 spending bill late Tuesday
night that would prohibit the government from enforcing federal light bulb
standards that Republicans say are too intrusive.
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/231117-house-votes-to-block-enforcement-of-light-bulb-standards
Honda Fit EV gets highest EPA fuel economy rating
The Associated Press
TORRANCE, CALIF. — Honda says its 2013 Fit EV has received the highest fuel
efficiency rating ever from the Environmental Protection Agency.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/06/06/3991324/honda-fit-ev-gets-highest-epa.html
Asheville man says EPA visit was heavy-handed
Local man claims he was targeted because of email
Asheville Citizen Times
ASHEVILLE — When Larry Keller opened his front door to find two men from
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standing with a city police
officer, he thought smokestacks.
http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20120606/NEWS/306060016/Asheville-can-calls-EPA-visit-his-home-heavy-handed-?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFrontpage
Press Releases
Wetland Reserve Enhancement Program Sign-up Ends June 18
Owners of land along the Mississippi River in Mississippi may be eligible
for financial and technical assistance with increasing bottomland forest
acreage and enhancing water quality under the Wetlands Reserve Enhancement
Program (WREP), part of the Wetlands Reserve Program. Eligible land is
between the Mississippi River and the river's primary levees. These lands
are called "batture" lands and are in the river's active floodplain.
Landowners enrolling in the voluntary WREP in Mississippi can receive up to
$1,700 per acre for cropland placing an easement on the land.
When fully implemented, the program will reduce sediment and nutrients
entering waterways, decrease flooding, and improve bird and fish habitat in
six states. The USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will
manage the program in partnership with two conservation organizations, the
Mississippi River Trust and the Lower Mississippi River Conservation
Committee. The program will provide $20 million to landowners in Arkansas,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee.
"The goal of this program is to increase the number of acres with
bottomland hardwood trees along the river," said Decunda Duke-Bozeman,
Natural Resources Specialist for Programs
.
All applications received by Monday, June 18 will be evaluated and
considered for funding. Applications received after June 18, 2012 will be
considered in the next funding period.
Contact your nearest NRCS office for more information.
NRCS is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Wetlands Reserve Program.
More than 11,000 of America's private landowners have voluntarily enrolled
more than 2.3 million acres in the program. Learn more about WREP at
http://go.usa.gov/m24.
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