Oil Spill
Palazzo vows to protect shipbuilding from budget cuts during well-received
meeting in Gautier ?
Mississippi Press
Monday, July 30, 2012, 5:03 PM
By Kaija Wilkinson
GAUTIER, Mississippi -- A thriving Ingalls shipyard is critical to the
local, state and national economies.
…Palazzo also shared a few examples of how lawmakers have been able to work
together to get things done regardless of party affiliation.
One example, he said, is passage of the RESTORE Act, which shifts billions
of dollars that BP was fined as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
from the federal government to the states that were affected, including
Mississippi. He said that hundreds of millions would be controlled at the
local level in Mississippi.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/palazzo_vows_to_protect_shipbu.html
Coastal restoration fuels emerging geosynthetics industry
Daily Comet
Jeremy Alford
Published: Monday, July 30, 2012 at 10:19 a.m.
BATON ROUGE — A new study published by Duke University predicts the
oncoming wave of coastal restoration and protection work will help give
rise to the geosynthetics industry in Louisiana.
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20120730/ARTICLES/120739983
BP suffers big drop in earnings
CNN
(Financial Times) -- BP's quarterly earnings fell 35 per cent on weaker oil
and US natural gas prices and falling production.
The UK oil group reported adjusted profit of $3.7bn, compared with $5.7bn a
year ago. The steep drop shows BP is still struggling to adjust more than
two years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://edition.cnn.com/2012/07/31/business/bp-earnings/index.html
BP adds $847m to Deepwater Horizon costs
Gulf of Mexico oil spill continues to plague BP more than two years on as
it reveals another $847m hit to cover legal costs
Guardian
The Gulf of Mexico oil spill continues to plague BP more than two years
after the disaster as the company has revealed another $847m (£538m) hit to
cover rising legal costs.
The additional charge for the second quarter brings the total bill for the
fatal Deepwater Horizon incident to $38bn, BP said.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jul/31/deepwater-horizon-bp-847m-dollars?newsfeed=true
State News
Cameras to go under the streets
WTVA
CORINTH, Miss. (WTVA) -- Cameras are set to go under the streets of
Corinth.
They will be used to track leaks or other problems as part of a major sewer
system upgrade.
…Mayor Tommy Irwin says the end result becomes a violation of the
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality permit.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/Cameras-to-go-under-the-streets/I1fzeYzXD0-uAsB5K-NeRw.cspx
The How's of a Local Earthquake
WTOK
The small earthquake that shook northern Lauderdale county early Friday
morning brings about more questions than answers. The primary question is
why in the world did an earthquake hit Mississippi?
http://www.wtok.com/home/headlines/The-Hows-of-a-Local-Earthquake-164101596.html
Earthquake Hits East Miss.
WTOK
The U.S. Geological Survey says an earthquake shook East Mississippi near
the Lauderdale-Kemper county line.
http://www.wtok.com/home/headlines/Earthquake-Hits-East-Miss-164081306.html
National News
Anti-fracking rally targets Washington
UPI
WASHINGTON, July 30 (UPI) -- Anti-fracking protesters joined ranks for a
march and rally in Washington, ending at the U.S. Capitol, calling their
movement a "Stop the Frack Attack."
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2012/07/30/Anti-fracking-rally-targets-Washington/UPI-84471343657064/?spt=hs&or=bn
Ethanol Lobby Expects Opponents To Ask EPA To Suspend Law
Bloomberg
The Renewable Fuels Association, the largest U.S. ethanol trade group, said
it expects livestock and poultry industry supporters to ask the Obama
administration to suspend the nation's ethanol requirement as early as
today.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-30/ethanol-lobby-expects-opponents-to-ask-epa-to-suspend-law-1-.html
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
News Clippings 7/30/12
Oil Spill
Levels of deadly bacteria more than 100 times higher in Gulf waters during
the BP spill
Friday, July 27, 2012, 4:52 PM
By Ben Raines, Press-Register
Although the Gulf's oyster harvest was off by about 40 percent due to
fishing closures stemming from the BP oil spill, 2010 ranks as one of the
deadliest years on record for illnesses caused by eating oysters tainted
with Vibrio vulnificus.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/07/levels_of_deadly_bacteria_more.html
Gulf Coast Tourism Partnership Parceling Out $16 Million from BP to Market
Mississippi
MPB
PUBLISHED BY RHONDA MILLER ON 27 JUL 2012 06:59PM
The tourism marketing group in charge of spending $16 million from BP to
help the Mississippi Gulf Coast bounce back from oil spill has groups
lining up with grant applications. MPB's Rhonda Miller has more.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/gulf_coast_tourism_partnership_parceling_out_16_million_from_bp
Baykeepers wish list presented to Baldwin County
Monday, July 30, 2012, 7:35 AM
By Jane Nicholes, Press-Register
Now that the RESTORE Act is a reality, Baldwin County is in line for
hundreds of millions of dollars to repair and protect beaches, watersheds
and other parts of the coastline.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/07/baykeepers_wish_list_presented.html
State News
DeSoto utility panel OK's plant site expansion
Commercial Appeal
By Henry Bailey
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Looking to stay ahead of growth and service needs, the DeSoto Regional
Utility Authority Friday approved a $1 million contract with Brocato
Construction of Batesville for a three-acre site expansion at the Short
Fork Waste Water Treatment Facility.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jul/28/desoto-utility-panel-oks-plant-site-expansion/?print=1
Local leaders say meeting with Gov. Phil Bryant to discuss proposed $50
million reservoir went well
Friday, July 27, 2012, 4:17 PM
By Kaija Wilkinson
Mississippi Press
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Leaders from Jackson and George counties described
a visit with Gov. Phil Bryant to discuss the proposed Lake George reservoir
and seek $5 million as very productive.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/george_county_leaders_encourag.html
Lamar weighs recycle options
Hattiesburg American
Lamar County may be prepared to make it easier for residents who wish to
recycle their paper, metals and plastics.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20120729/NEWS01/207290341/Lamar-weighs-recycle-options
It's shark season in the Sound
Sun Herald
MISSISSIPPI SOUND -- The Mississippi Sound is a magnificent body of water.
During the winter months, the Sound appears dead with little movement of
fish other than the species, such as speckled trout, redfish and black
drum, that call the body of water home.
The summer months, however, are a different story as the Sound turns into a
nursery for many different species.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/07/28/4089257/the-mississippi-sound-is-home.html
Research lab recovery slowly coming out of the ground
WLOX
Administrators at the Gulf Coast Research Lab in Ocean Springs recently
broken ground on a new building. When it's complete, the interior will
look a lot like the picture attached to this story.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19130601/research-lab-recovery-slowly-coming-out-of-the-ground
Marine science students explore at Gulf Coast Research Lab
Published: Monday, July 30, 2012, 6:15 AM
By Special to The Mississippi Press
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- A group of marine science students recently
gathered early in the morning on the dock next to the Tom McIlwain, the
55-foot research vessel of the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf
Coast Research Lab.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-living/2012/07/marine_science_students_explor.html
Bryant: Port funds for channel, not elevation?
Sun Herald
GULFPORT -- Gov. Phil Bryant questions whether the state port should spend
time and money to elevate the port's West Pier if federal funds could
instead be used to deepen the port's channel, as other ports are doing to
attract jobs and economic development from widening of the Panama Canal.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/07/28/4090154/governor-port-money-could-pay.html
DeSoto County administrator Garriga departing for private sector
DeSoto's lauded administrator Garriga departing for private sector: 'Time
to move on'
Commercial Appeal
By Henry Bailey
Sunday, July 29, 2012
DeSotoCounty administrator Michael Garriga has announced he is resigning to
take a governmental affairs post in the private sector.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jul/29/desoto-county-administrator-garriga-departing/?print=1
Gov. Phil Bryant touting new attempt to pay teachers based on student
performance
Saturday, July 28, 2012, 7:35 AM
By The Associated Press
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Gov. Phil Bryant wants to end Mississippi's
statewide system of seniority-based teacher raises. Instead, the Republican
governor wants each of the state's 151 school districts to design their own
system to pay teachers according to student performance.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/gov_phil_bryant_touting_new_at.html
National News
Researcher says big drought means smaller dead zone in Gulf
Saturday, July 28, 2012, 5:47 PM
By The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana -- This year's Gulf of Mexico "dead zone," an area
of low oxygen that develops every spring and summer, is the fourth-smallest
since measurements of the zones began in 1985, a new report says.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/researcher_says_big_drought_me.html
Groups battle over request from ranchers to ease ethanol rule
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 07/27/12 12:44 PM ET
Interest groups on both sides of the corn ethanol debate are stepping up
their messaging on an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that
lawmakers have targeted in recent weeks.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/240749-groups-amplify-corn-ethanol-fight
Opinion
WYATT EMMERICH: Kemper plant generates a 'plethora of risks'
Brandon Presley, the northern district public service commissioner, is
looking mighty smart right now.
Presley, 35, former mayor of the small Lee County town of Nettleton, has
been clanging the alarm about the proposed Kemper lignite plant for years.
As costs escalate and huge electricity rate increases loom, Presley's
concerns about the unproven technology are proving to be on target.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/07/28/4089165/wyatt-emmerich-kemper-plant-generates.html
Press Releases
COCHRAN & WICKER BACK RIGS TO REEFS LEGISLATION
Measure Requires Interior Dept. to Assess Marine Life Benefits from Defunct
Offshore Rigs
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Under legislation cosponsored by U.S. Senators Thad
Cochran (R-Miss.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), coral reef growth and other
marine habitats surrounding offshore energy rigs are among the details that
must be assessed before the Interior Department forces removal of
nonproducing platforms from the Gulf of Mexico.
The Rigs to Reefs Habitat Protection Act (S.1555) would allow some
nonproducing offshore oil and gas platforms to remain in the Gulf of Mexico
and other U.S. waters if they have become habitats for coral populations
and other critical marine life. Current Interior Department policy requires
defunct rigs to be decommissioned and removed within five years.
"It seems counterproductive to have a blanket policy that requires the
removal of all structures even if they are fostering healthy coral and fish
ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico," Cochran said. "This legislation allows
nonproductive platforms to be assessed for potential marine life benefits
before they are summarily removed. I think this is a balanced approach."
"Coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico help promote diversity of species and
are essential for our fishery resources," said Wicker. "Unused oil and gas
rigs create a suitable environment for reef growth. In addition to job
creation, this is another benefit of energy production in the Gulf."
The Rigs to Reefs legislation would prohibit the removal of nonproducing
offshore oil and gas platforms before they are assessed to determine if
coral populations or other protected species are in the platform's
vicinity. The reviews must also identify any recreational or commercial
species in the area. Decommissioning would be suspended if it is determined
that platform removal would harm such ecosystems.
The bill would also exempt certain rig removal deadlines for rig lessees
that commit to place the platform in an artificial reef program under that
National Fishing Enhancement Act of 1984. The Rigs to Reefs legislation
also creates a Reef Maintenance Fund that would be sustained by payments
from lessees that enroll in an artificial reef program and commit to
maintaining an anode system on the remaining rig structure.
S.1555 was authored by Senator David Vitter (R-La.) and has been referred
to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. A companion measure,
HR.3429, has been introduced by Representative Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.).
That bill is cosponsored by Representatives Gregg Harper (R-Miss.) and Alan
Nunnelee (R-Miss.).
Joint Press Release
Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker
7/27/12
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces Support for Producers to Grow |
| Renewable Feedstocks for Advanced Biofuels |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Part of the Administration's 'All of the Above' Energy Strategy |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|WASHINGTON, July 27, 2012 — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today |
|announced payments for 125 advanced Biofuel producers across the country to |
|support the production and expansion of advanced biofuels from a wide |
|variety of non-food sources, including waste products. |
| |
| |
|"Advanced biofuels are a key component of President Obama's |
|'all-of-the-above' energy strategy to reduce the Nation's reliance on |
|foreign oil and take control of America's energy future," said Vilsack. |
|"These payments represent help spur an alternative fuels industry using |
|renewable feedstocks grown in America, broadening the range of feedstock |
|options available to biofuels producers, helping to create an economy built |
|to last." |
| |
| |
|The funding is being provided through USDA's Bioenergy Program for Advanced |
|Biofuels, which was established in the 2008 Farm Bill. Under this program, |
|payments are made to eligible producers based on the amount of biofuels a |
|recipient produces from renewable biomass, other than corn kernel starch. |
|Examples of eligible feedstocks include but are not limited to: crop |
|residue; animal, food and yard waste material; vegetable oil; and animal |
|fat. Through this and other programs, USDA is working to support the |
|research, investment and infrastructure necessary to build a biofuels |
|industry that creates jobs and broadens the range of feedstocks used to |
|produce renewable fuel. |
| |
| |
|For example, in Somerset, Ky., Somerset Hardwood Flooring will receive a |
|$7,040 payment for producing wood pellets from residual sawdust from its |
|hardwood flooring manufacturing process. The company produces about 40 tons |
|of wood pellets annually. FPE Renewables, LLC, based in Lyden, Wash., |
|generates nearly two million kilowatt hours of electricity annually. The |
|firm will receive a payment of $9,612 for producing biogas primarily from |
|dairy waste, which is converted to electricity. In West Point, Va., Virginia|
|Biodiesel Refinery, LLC, will receive a payment of $7,900 for making |
|biodiesel from recycled cooking oil and soybean oil. |
| |
| |
|Increased biofuel production plays a relatively minor role in retail food |
|price changes because the growing diversity of feedstock used to produce |
|biodiesel allows for flexibility and helps relieve market pressures. |
|Biodiesel is made from an increasingly diverse mix of non-food feedstocks, |
|including recycled cooking oil, agricultural oils and animal fats, allowing |
|most biodiesel producers to select from a choice of feedstocks if prices |
|rise or supplies are limited. Therefore, the industry's impact in commodity |
|markets is significantly reduced. As the market expands for home-grown |
|renewable energy, American farmers and producers will create even more |
|good-paying jobs that can't be exported. The biofuels industry in the U.S. |
|currently employs about 400,000 people and is expected to employ around a |
|million people in the U.S. by 2022. |
| |
| |
|USDA today is announcing $19.4 million in payments to 125 local producers |
|and business-owners. Below is a complete list of the 111 producers (by |
|state) receiving payments of more than $500 for production of advanced |
|biofuels. (Producers receiving payments in the amount of $500 or less are |
|not included in the list.) |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Mississippi
· Enviva, LP: $15,931.32 for Pellets
· Ethos Alternative Energy Mississippi, LLC: $11,446 for biofuel from
waste products
· Scott Petroleum Corporation: $57,294 for biofuel from waste products
The Obama administration, with Agriculture Secretary Vilsack's leadership,
has worked tirelessly to strengthen rural America, maintain a strong farm
safety net, and create opportunities for America's farmers and ranchers.
U.S. agriculture is currently experiencing one of its most productive
periods in American history thanks to the productivity, resiliency, and
resourcefulness of our producers.
To most assist farmers and ranchers impacted by the most wide-spread
drought in seven decades, USDA agencies have been working for weeks with
state and local officials, as well as individuals, businesses, farmers and
ranchers, as they begin the process of helping to get people back on their
feet. USDA offers a variety of resources for states and individuals
affected by the recent disasters. For additional information and updates
about USDA's efforts, please visit www.usda.gov/drought.
Creating new markets for the nation's agricultural products through
biobased manufacturing is one of the many steps the Administration has
taken over the past three years to strengthen the rural economy. Since
August 2011, the White House Rural Council has supported a broad spectrum
of rural initiatives including a Presidential Memorandum to create jobs in
rural America through biobased and sustainable product procurement, a $350
million commitment in SBA funding to rural small businesses over the next 5
years, launching a series of conferences to connect investors with rural
start-ups, creating capital marketing teams to pitch federal funding
opportunities to private investors interested in making rural and making
job search information available at 2,800 local USDA offices nationwide.
Since taking office, President Obama's Administration has taken historic
steps to improve the lives of rural Americans, put people back to work and
build thriving economies in rural communities. From proposing the American
Jobs Act to establishing the first-ever White House Rural Council - chaired
by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack - the President is committed to a
smarter use of existing Federal resources to foster sustainable economic
prosperity and ensure the government is a strong partner for businesses,
entrepreneurs and working families in rural communities.
USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, has an active portfolio
of more than $170 billion in loans and loan guarantees. These programs are
designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities,
businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life
in rural America.
#
Levels of deadly bacteria more than 100 times higher in Gulf waters during
the BP spill
Friday, July 27, 2012, 4:52 PM
By Ben Raines, Press-Register
Although the Gulf's oyster harvest was off by about 40 percent due to
fishing closures stemming from the BP oil spill, 2010 ranks as one of the
deadliest years on record for illnesses caused by eating oysters tainted
with Vibrio vulnificus.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/07/levels_of_deadly_bacteria_more.html
Gulf Coast Tourism Partnership Parceling Out $16 Million from BP to Market
Mississippi
MPB
PUBLISHED BY RHONDA MILLER ON 27 JUL 2012 06:59PM
The tourism marketing group in charge of spending $16 million from BP to
help the Mississippi Gulf Coast bounce back from oil spill has groups
lining up with grant applications. MPB's Rhonda Miller has more.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/gulf_coast_tourism_partnership_parceling_out_16_million_from_bp
Baykeepers wish list presented to Baldwin County
Monday, July 30, 2012, 7:35 AM
By Jane Nicholes, Press-Register
Now that the RESTORE Act is a reality, Baldwin County is in line for
hundreds of millions of dollars to repair and protect beaches, watersheds
and other parts of the coastline.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/07/baykeepers_wish_list_presented.html
State News
DeSoto utility panel OK's plant site expansion
Commercial Appeal
By Henry Bailey
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Looking to stay ahead of growth and service needs, the DeSoto Regional
Utility Authority Friday approved a $1 million contract with Brocato
Construction of Batesville for a three-acre site expansion at the Short
Fork Waste Water Treatment Facility.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jul/28/desoto-utility-panel-oks-plant-site-expansion/?print=1
Local leaders say meeting with Gov. Phil Bryant to discuss proposed $50
million reservoir went well
Friday, July 27, 2012, 4:17 PM
By Kaija Wilkinson
Mississippi Press
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Leaders from Jackson and George counties described
a visit with Gov. Phil Bryant to discuss the proposed Lake George reservoir
and seek $5 million as very productive.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/george_county_leaders_encourag.html
Lamar weighs recycle options
Hattiesburg American
Lamar County may be prepared to make it easier for residents who wish to
recycle their paper, metals and plastics.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20120729/NEWS01/207290341/Lamar-weighs-recycle-options
It's shark season in the Sound
Sun Herald
MISSISSIPPI SOUND -- The Mississippi Sound is a magnificent body of water.
During the winter months, the Sound appears dead with little movement of
fish other than the species, such as speckled trout, redfish and black
drum, that call the body of water home.
The summer months, however, are a different story as the Sound turns into a
nursery for many different species.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/07/28/4089257/the-mississippi-sound-is-home.html
Research lab recovery slowly coming out of the ground
WLOX
Administrators at the Gulf Coast Research Lab in Ocean Springs recently
broken ground on a new building. When it's complete, the interior will
look a lot like the picture attached to this story.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19130601/research-lab-recovery-slowly-coming-out-of-the-ground
Marine science students explore at Gulf Coast Research Lab
Published: Monday, July 30, 2012, 6:15 AM
By Special to The Mississippi Press
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- A group of marine science students recently
gathered early in the morning on the dock next to the Tom McIlwain, the
55-foot research vessel of the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf
Coast Research Lab.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-living/2012/07/marine_science_students_explor.html
Bryant: Port funds for channel, not elevation?
Sun Herald
GULFPORT -- Gov. Phil Bryant questions whether the state port should spend
time and money to elevate the port's West Pier if federal funds could
instead be used to deepen the port's channel, as other ports are doing to
attract jobs and economic development from widening of the Panama Canal.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/07/28/4090154/governor-port-money-could-pay.html
DeSoto County administrator Garriga departing for private sector
DeSoto's lauded administrator Garriga departing for private sector: 'Time
to move on'
Commercial Appeal
By Henry Bailey
Sunday, July 29, 2012
DeSotoCounty administrator Michael Garriga has announced he is resigning to
take a governmental affairs post in the private sector.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jul/29/desoto-county-administrator-garriga-departing/?print=1
Gov. Phil Bryant touting new attempt to pay teachers based on student
performance
Saturday, July 28, 2012, 7:35 AM
By The Associated Press
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Gov. Phil Bryant wants to end Mississippi's
statewide system of seniority-based teacher raises. Instead, the Republican
governor wants each of the state's 151 school districts to design their own
system to pay teachers according to student performance.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/gov_phil_bryant_touting_new_at.html
National News
Researcher says big drought means smaller dead zone in Gulf
Saturday, July 28, 2012, 5:47 PM
By The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana -- This year's Gulf of Mexico "dead zone," an area
of low oxygen that develops every spring and summer, is the fourth-smallest
since measurements of the zones began in 1985, a new report says.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/researcher_says_big_drought_me.html
Groups battle over request from ranchers to ease ethanol rule
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 07/27/12 12:44 PM ET
Interest groups on both sides of the corn ethanol debate are stepping up
their messaging on an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that
lawmakers have targeted in recent weeks.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/240749-groups-amplify-corn-ethanol-fight
Opinion
WYATT EMMERICH: Kemper plant generates a 'plethora of risks'
Brandon Presley, the northern district public service commissioner, is
looking mighty smart right now.
Presley, 35, former mayor of the small Lee County town of Nettleton, has
been clanging the alarm about the proposed Kemper lignite plant for years.
As costs escalate and huge electricity rate increases loom, Presley's
concerns about the unproven technology are proving to be on target.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/07/28/4089165/wyatt-emmerich-kemper-plant-generates.html
Press Releases
COCHRAN & WICKER BACK RIGS TO REEFS LEGISLATION
Measure Requires Interior Dept. to Assess Marine Life Benefits from Defunct
Offshore Rigs
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Under legislation cosponsored by U.S. Senators Thad
Cochran (R-Miss.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), coral reef growth and other
marine habitats surrounding offshore energy rigs are among the details that
must be assessed before the Interior Department forces removal of
nonproducing platforms from the Gulf of Mexico.
The Rigs to Reefs Habitat Protection Act (S.1555) would allow some
nonproducing offshore oil and gas platforms to remain in the Gulf of Mexico
and other U.S. waters if they have become habitats for coral populations
and other critical marine life. Current Interior Department policy requires
defunct rigs to be decommissioned and removed within five years.
"It seems counterproductive to have a blanket policy that requires the
removal of all structures even if they are fostering healthy coral and fish
ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico," Cochran said. "This legislation allows
nonproductive platforms to be assessed for potential marine life benefits
before they are summarily removed. I think this is a balanced approach."
"Coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico help promote diversity of species and
are essential for our fishery resources," said Wicker. "Unused oil and gas
rigs create a suitable environment for reef growth. In addition to job
creation, this is another benefit of energy production in the Gulf."
The Rigs to Reefs legislation would prohibit the removal of nonproducing
offshore oil and gas platforms before they are assessed to determine if
coral populations or other protected species are in the platform's
vicinity. The reviews must also identify any recreational or commercial
species in the area. Decommissioning would be suspended if it is determined
that platform removal would harm such ecosystems.
The bill would also exempt certain rig removal deadlines for rig lessees
that commit to place the platform in an artificial reef program under that
National Fishing Enhancement Act of 1984. The Rigs to Reefs legislation
also creates a Reef Maintenance Fund that would be sustained by payments
from lessees that enroll in an artificial reef program and commit to
maintaining an anode system on the remaining rig structure.
S.1555 was authored by Senator David Vitter (R-La.) and has been referred
to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. A companion measure,
HR.3429, has been introduced by Representative Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.).
That bill is cosponsored by Representatives Gregg Harper (R-Miss.) and Alan
Nunnelee (R-Miss.).
Joint Press Release
Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker
7/27/12
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces Support for Producers to Grow |
| Renewable Feedstocks for Advanced Biofuels |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Part of the Administration's 'All of the Above' Energy Strategy |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|WASHINGTON, July 27, 2012 — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today |
|announced payments for 125 advanced Biofuel producers across the country to |
|support the production and expansion of advanced biofuels from a wide |
|variety of non-food sources, including waste products. |
| |
| |
|"Advanced biofuels are a key component of President Obama's |
|'all-of-the-above' energy strategy to reduce the Nation's reliance on |
|foreign oil and take control of America's energy future," said Vilsack. |
|"These payments represent help spur an alternative fuels industry using |
|renewable feedstocks grown in America, broadening the range of feedstock |
|options available to biofuels producers, helping to create an economy built |
|to last." |
| |
| |
|The funding is being provided through USDA's Bioenergy Program for Advanced |
|Biofuels, which was established in the 2008 Farm Bill. Under this program, |
|payments are made to eligible producers based on the amount of biofuels a |
|recipient produces from renewable biomass, other than corn kernel starch. |
|Examples of eligible feedstocks include but are not limited to: crop |
|residue; animal, food and yard waste material; vegetable oil; and animal |
|fat. Through this and other programs, USDA is working to support the |
|research, investment and infrastructure necessary to build a biofuels |
|industry that creates jobs and broadens the range of feedstocks used to |
|produce renewable fuel. |
| |
| |
|For example, in Somerset, Ky., Somerset Hardwood Flooring will receive a |
|$7,040 payment for producing wood pellets from residual sawdust from its |
|hardwood flooring manufacturing process. The company produces about 40 tons |
|of wood pellets annually. FPE Renewables, LLC, based in Lyden, Wash., |
|generates nearly two million kilowatt hours of electricity annually. The |
|firm will receive a payment of $9,612 for producing biogas primarily from |
|dairy waste, which is converted to electricity. In West Point, Va., Virginia|
|Biodiesel Refinery, LLC, will receive a payment of $7,900 for making |
|biodiesel from recycled cooking oil and soybean oil. |
| |
| |
|Increased biofuel production plays a relatively minor role in retail food |
|price changes because the growing diversity of feedstock used to produce |
|biodiesel allows for flexibility and helps relieve market pressures. |
|Biodiesel is made from an increasingly diverse mix of non-food feedstocks, |
|including recycled cooking oil, agricultural oils and animal fats, allowing |
|most biodiesel producers to select from a choice of feedstocks if prices |
|rise or supplies are limited. Therefore, the industry's impact in commodity |
|markets is significantly reduced. As the market expands for home-grown |
|renewable energy, American farmers and producers will create even more |
|good-paying jobs that can't be exported. The biofuels industry in the U.S. |
|currently employs about 400,000 people and is expected to employ around a |
|million people in the U.S. by 2022. |
| |
| |
|USDA today is announcing $19.4 million in payments to 125 local producers |
|and business-owners. Below is a complete list of the 111 producers (by |
|state) receiving payments of more than $500 for production of advanced |
|biofuels. (Producers receiving payments in the amount of $500 or less are |
|not included in the list.) |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Mississippi
· Enviva, LP: $15,931.32 for Pellets
· Ethos Alternative Energy Mississippi, LLC: $11,446 for biofuel from
waste products
· Scott Petroleum Corporation: $57,294 for biofuel from waste products
The Obama administration, with Agriculture Secretary Vilsack's leadership,
has worked tirelessly to strengthen rural America, maintain a strong farm
safety net, and create opportunities for America's farmers and ranchers.
U.S. agriculture is currently experiencing one of its most productive
periods in American history thanks to the productivity, resiliency, and
resourcefulness of our producers.
To most assist farmers and ranchers impacted by the most wide-spread
drought in seven decades, USDA agencies have been working for weeks with
state and local officials, as well as individuals, businesses, farmers and
ranchers, as they begin the process of helping to get people back on their
feet. USDA offers a variety of resources for states and individuals
affected by the recent disasters. For additional information and updates
about USDA's efforts, please visit www.usda.gov/drought.
Creating new markets for the nation's agricultural products through
biobased manufacturing is one of the many steps the Administration has
taken over the past three years to strengthen the rural economy. Since
August 2011, the White House Rural Council has supported a broad spectrum
of rural initiatives including a Presidential Memorandum to create jobs in
rural America through biobased and sustainable product procurement, a $350
million commitment in SBA funding to rural small businesses over the next 5
years, launching a series of conferences to connect investors with rural
start-ups, creating capital marketing teams to pitch federal funding
opportunities to private investors interested in making rural and making
job search information available at 2,800 local USDA offices nationwide.
Since taking office, President Obama's Administration has taken historic
steps to improve the lives of rural Americans, put people back to work and
build thriving economies in rural communities. From proposing the American
Jobs Act to establishing the first-ever White House Rural Council - chaired
by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack - the President is committed to a
smarter use of existing Federal resources to foster sustainable economic
prosperity and ensure the government is a strong partner for businesses,
entrepreneurs and working families in rural communities.
USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, has an active portfolio
of more than $170 billion in loans and loan guarantees. These programs are
designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities,
businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life
in rural America.
#
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
News Clippings 7/24/12
Oil Spill
How should Restore Act money be spent?
Jul 24, 2012 5:53 AM CDT
WLOX
Beth Jowers enjoys her early morning beach walk. Looking out over the
beauty of the water, she wants Restore Act money to keep it that way.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19091463/how-should-restore-act-money-be-spent
Research team checks "flow" around oil spill site
WLOX
Scientists are tossing strange-looking devices into the waters around the
Deepwater Horizon oil spill site.
It's part of a half-million dollar research effort looking at ocean flow.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19092272/research-team-checks-flow-around-oil-spill-site
Scientists drop drifters in Gulf of Mexico to study small currents
Updated: Tuesday, July 24, 2012, 7:30 AM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
GULFPORT, Mississippi -- About 300 drifters are being deployed in the Gulf
of Mexico around the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill site to help
scientists develop a better model for predicting how material travels in
the currents.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/scientists_drop_drifters_in_gu.html
Research expedition could help with future oil spills, search and rescue
Sun Herald
Research expedition could help with future oil spills, search and rescue
By GEOFF PENDER — glpender@sunherald.com
GULFPORT -- Scientists hope data from special buoys can help guide response
to oil spills and other pollution disasters in the ocean, aid in
search-and-rescue operations and predict the movement of red-tide dead
zones.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/07/23/4078759/research-expedition-could-help.html
Board: BP missed the big hazard issues in spill
AP
HOUSTON — BP focused too much on the little details of personal worker
safety instead of the big systemic hazards that led to the 2010 Gulf of
Mexico oil spill and wasn't as strict on overall safety when drilling rigs
involved other companies that they hired, a government safety panel
concludes.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120724/NEWS03/120724001/Board-BP-missed-big-hazard-issues-spill-?odyssey=tab|
topnews|text|Home
Largest oil-spill health study needs volunteers
Updated: Tuesday, July 24, 2012, 7:31 AM
By The Associated Press
HOUMA, Louisiana -- Scientists studying long-term effects of the Gulf of
Mexico oil spill are looking for 15,000 more people who helped with the
cleanup, even for one day.
Nearly 25,000 former oil spill workers already have signed up for what the
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences says is the largest
study ever of long-term effects in oil spill workers.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/largest_oil-spill_health_study.html
National News
Wood-Fired Plants Generate Violations
Wall Street Journal
By JUSTIN SCHECK and IANTHE JEANNE DUGAN
BLUE LAKE, Calif.—Malodorous brown smoke from a power plant enveloped this
logging town on April 29, 2010, and several hundred residents fled until
it passed.
Six months later, the plant got $5.4 million from a federal program to
promote environmentally preferable alternatives to fossil fuel.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303740704577524822063133842.html
Devon Energy, Texas Sue EPA Over Ozone Limits Set by Bush
Bloomberg
Devon Energy Corp. and the state of Texas sued the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency to challenge the way ozone emission limits set by
President George W. Bush's administration are being implemented.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-07-23/devon-energy-texas-sue-epa-over-ozone-limits-set-by-bush
Citing drought, livestock groups push bill to limit production of ethanol
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 07/23/12 05:03 PM ET
Livestock producers are backing legislation that would let the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limit the amount of corn used for
biofuels.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/239553-bipartisan-bill-looks-to-limit-ethanol-production-during-corn-shortages
Senate committee to vote on chemical policy overhaul
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 07/23/12 12:56 PM ET
The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee is slated to vote
Wednesday on Sen. Frank Lautenberg's (D-N.J.) sweeping plan to toughen
federal chemicals regulation, Capitol Hill aides and environmentalists say.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/239485-senate-committee-to-vote-on-chemical-policy-overhaul
WV Farm Bureau seeks to intervene in EPA lawsuit
State Journal
The West Virginia Farm Bureau and the American Farm Bureau Federation filed
a motion to intervene in a lawsuit regarding EPA's authority to regulate
poultry and livestock farms under the Clean Water Act.
http://www.statejournal.com/story/19091584/wv-farm-bureau-seeks-to-intervene-in-epa-lawsuit
EPA agrees to air pollution limits for Florida
AP
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The federal Environmental Protection Agency has agreed
to set deadlines for limiting haze-causing air pollution from aging power
plants and factories in Florida.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57478121/epa-agrees-to-air-pollution-limits-for-florida/
Press Releases
EPA Awarded Highest Honor at Annual GIS Conference
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was
awarded the Esri President's Award at the annual Esri International User
Conference in San Diego, Calif. Esri is a company specializing in GIS
mapping software. The President's Award is given to one organization each
year that exemplifies a model for others to follow in implementing
geographic information systems (GIS) successfully, as well as making a
positive impact on the environment and society.
EPA was recognized for their pioneering use of GIS in protecting the
nation's environment, efficiently organizing their GIS assets, and bringing
geospatial thinking to the public. One example of EPA's use of GIS to help
people use environmental information to make important health decisions is
the AirNOW program – which provides local air quality data in real time.
Additionally, EPA recently launched their Geospatial Platform, which is
intended to support internal data sharing and operations, as well as the
publication of public maps and data services.
This award has been given to 20 different organizations in the past two
decades and winners are chosen from among hundreds of thousands of GIS
users across the world.
More information on the Esri conference:
http://www.esri.com/events/user-conference/index.html
More information on EPA's Geospatial program:
http://www.epa.gov/geospatial/
EPA Fines Violators for Failure to Report Chemical Data
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued
complaints seeking civil penalties against three companies for alleged
violations of the reporting and recordkeeping requirements under the Toxic
Substances Control Act (TSCA). The alleged violations involved the
companies' failure to comply with EPA's TSCA section 8 Inventory Update
Reporting (IUR) regulations, which require companies to submit accurate
data about the production and use of chemical substances manufactured or
imported during a calendar year. Under TSCA, penalties can be assessed up
to $37,500 per day, per violation.
Formerly known as the IUR, the TSCA Chemical Data Reporting Rule requires
the collection of information about existing chemicals on the market by
requiring periodic reports about the production and use of chemicals to
help understand the risks they may pose to human health and the
environment. The data collected by EPA is the most comprehensive source of
information for chemicals currently in commerce in the U.S.
The reporting deadline for the 2006 IUR rule ended in March of 2007. EPA's
enforcement efforts have led to 43 civil enforcement actions and
approximately $2.3 million dollars in civil penalties against companies
that failed to report required chemical data information. The reporting
deadline for the 2012 submission period of the Chemical Data Reporting Rule
is August 13, 2012.
The three most recent cases are against Chemtura Corporation, Bethlehem
Apparatus Company, and Haldor Topsoe, Inc., and resulted in penalties
totaling $362,113.
The Chemtura Corporation is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pa. and has a
facility located in El Dorado, Arizona. In a May 31, 2012 complaint, EPA
alleged that the facility failed to report two chemicals pursuant to the
2006 IUR rule and assessed a penalty of $55,901. The company corrected the
violations, paid the penalty and a final order was issued by the
Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) on June 25, 2012.
During an inspection of the Bethlehem Apparatus Company, located in
Hellertown, Pa., EPA found that the facility was in violation of the 2006
IUR Rule for one chemical substance. EPA also determined during the
inspection that the company had failed to comply with the export
notification requirements as required under TSCA section 12(b) and the
import certification requirements as required under TSCA section 13 on a
number of occasions for the same chemical substance. The company corrected
the violations and paid a $103,433 penalty proposed in a May 31, 2012
complaint.
Haldor Topsoe, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is subject to a TSCA
complaint that was filed on June 20, 2012. The complaint alleged that that
the company had violated the 2006 IUR rule for 13 chemical substances. The
complaint assessed a proposed penalty of $202,779, which the company paid
on July 2, 2012.
More information about the settlements and EPA's TSCA enforcement program:
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/civil/tsca/tscaiur.html
More information about TSCA reporting requirements: http://www.epa.gov/iur/
EPA Scientists Receive Presidential Honor
WASHINGTON –Today two U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientists
were named as recipients of the 2011 Presidential Early Career Award for
Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). This award, which is being given to
EPA's Dr. Mehdi Hazai and Mr. Adam Eisele, is the highest honor bestowed by
the U.S. government on outstanding science and engineering professionals in
the early stages of their independent research careers. The purpose of the
award is to encourage the development of science leaders and highlight the
importance of science and technology.
Dr. Hazari was nominated for demonstrating how inhalation of low levels of
air pollutants like particulate matter and ozone could increase
susceptibility to cardiac events, such as heart attacks. His research is
receiving international recognition and is under consideration for
inclusion in the update of worldwide standards.
Mr. Eisele developed and used automated air sampling instrumentation in a
project that was the first to identify and characterize local sources of
air pollution in high altitude areas (5,000 to 10,000 feet above mean sea
level). His research is being used to identify community health risks due
to air pollution, and to develop a mobile measurement approach that allows
for remote emission assessment of oil and gas production sources.
Dr. Glenn Paulson, EPA's Science Advisor, sent his congratulations to Dr.
Hazari and Mr. Eisele for receiving this prestigious award, "EPA scientists
continue to be leaders in the environmental and public health research
arenas." Paulson said, "This year's winners are not only conducting
groundbreaking research, but they are also engaging their communities and
inspiring the next generation to become scientists and researchers."
In addition to their innovative research, which is advancing EPA's mission
to protect the environment and public health, both Dr. Hazari and Mr.
Eisele have also demonstrated strong commitments to community service
through their leadership in various mentoring, teaching, and community
outreach activities. They will be presented the award with other recipients
at a ceremony to be held shortly in Washington, D.C.
Today, President Obama named 96 researchers across the Federal Government
as PECASE recipients. The PECASE awards embody the Obama Administration's
commitment to producing outstanding scientists and engineers by granting
recipients a five-year research grant to further their study in support of
critical government missions.
Secretary Vilsack Announces Proposed Rule to Help Utilities Assist Home and
Business Owners' Energy Conservation Efforts
Posted by Dawn Bonsell, Pennsylvania USDA Public Information Officer, on
July 20, 2012 at 10:33 AM
As Harrisburg, Penn., temperatures reached 93 degrees on Tuesday and
continued to climb throughout the afternoon, it seemed an appropriate time
for Secretary Tom Vilsack to announce a new proposed Federal Rule that
could help rural homeowners and entrepreneurs save on their utility bills
and create jobs in rural areas. The new energy efficiency effort will make
federal loans available for rural electric cooperatives to re-lend to
electric cooperative customers throughout America who want to make their
homes and businesses more energy efficient. The partnership demonstrates a
new "pathway to prosperity" according to Secretary Vilsack, and is "a
reminder of President Obama's commitment to stronger rural communities, a
stronger rural economy, and strengthening rural values."
The Secretary unveiled the details of the plan during a meeting with the
Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association in downtown Harrisburg—a meeting
attended by over 50 residents and businesses. The electric cooperatives,
which distribute electricity in rural areas, will manage the loans and will
collect payments on utility bills, allowing customers to spread out the
loan payments. Homeowners and businesses will be able to seal air leaks and
replace inefficient heating and air-conditioning systems through the
program.
In addition to helping homeowners and businesses, the energy efficiency
program will also create jobs for contractors who retrofit homes to make
them more energy efficient and will help to reduce our dependence on
foreign oil.
USDA Rural Development is accepting comments on the proposed Rule for 60
days. To find out more, click here. To hear audio of the Secretary's
announcement, click here.
How should Restore Act money be spent?
Jul 24, 2012 5:53 AM CDT
WLOX
Beth Jowers enjoys her early morning beach walk. Looking out over the
beauty of the water, she wants Restore Act money to keep it that way.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19091463/how-should-restore-act-money-be-spent
Research team checks "flow" around oil spill site
WLOX
Scientists are tossing strange-looking devices into the waters around the
Deepwater Horizon oil spill site.
It's part of a half-million dollar research effort looking at ocean flow.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19092272/research-team-checks-flow-around-oil-spill-site
Scientists drop drifters in Gulf of Mexico to study small currents
Updated: Tuesday, July 24, 2012, 7:30 AM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
GULFPORT, Mississippi -- About 300 drifters are being deployed in the Gulf
of Mexico around the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill site to help
scientists develop a better model for predicting how material travels in
the currents.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/scientists_drop_drifters_in_gu.html
Research expedition could help with future oil spills, search and rescue
Sun Herald
Research expedition could help with future oil spills, search and rescue
By GEOFF PENDER — glpender@sunherald.com
GULFPORT -- Scientists hope data from special buoys can help guide response
to oil spills and other pollution disasters in the ocean, aid in
search-and-rescue operations and predict the movement of red-tide dead
zones.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/07/23/4078759/research-expedition-could-help.html
Board: BP missed the big hazard issues in spill
AP
HOUSTON — BP focused too much on the little details of personal worker
safety instead of the big systemic hazards that led to the 2010 Gulf of
Mexico oil spill and wasn't as strict on overall safety when drilling rigs
involved other companies that they hired, a government safety panel
concludes.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120724/NEWS03/120724001/Board-BP-missed-big-hazard-issues-spill-?odyssey=tab|
topnews|text|Home
Largest oil-spill health study needs volunteers
Updated: Tuesday, July 24, 2012, 7:31 AM
By The Associated Press
HOUMA, Louisiana -- Scientists studying long-term effects of the Gulf of
Mexico oil spill are looking for 15,000 more people who helped with the
cleanup, even for one day.
Nearly 25,000 former oil spill workers already have signed up for what the
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences says is the largest
study ever of long-term effects in oil spill workers.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/largest_oil-spill_health_study.html
National News
Wood-Fired Plants Generate Violations
Wall Street Journal
By JUSTIN SCHECK and IANTHE JEANNE DUGAN
BLUE LAKE, Calif.—Malodorous brown smoke from a power plant enveloped this
logging town on April 29, 2010, and several hundred residents fled until
it passed.
Six months later, the plant got $5.4 million from a federal program to
promote environmentally preferable alternatives to fossil fuel.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303740704577524822063133842.html
Devon Energy, Texas Sue EPA Over Ozone Limits Set by Bush
Bloomberg
Devon Energy Corp. and the state of Texas sued the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency to challenge the way ozone emission limits set by
President George W. Bush's administration are being implemented.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-07-23/devon-energy-texas-sue-epa-over-ozone-limits-set-by-bush
Citing drought, livestock groups push bill to limit production of ethanol
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 07/23/12 05:03 PM ET
Livestock producers are backing legislation that would let the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limit the amount of corn used for
biofuels.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/239553-bipartisan-bill-looks-to-limit-ethanol-production-during-corn-shortages
Senate committee to vote on chemical policy overhaul
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 07/23/12 12:56 PM ET
The Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee is slated to vote
Wednesday on Sen. Frank Lautenberg's (D-N.J.) sweeping plan to toughen
federal chemicals regulation, Capitol Hill aides and environmentalists say.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/239485-senate-committee-to-vote-on-chemical-policy-overhaul
WV Farm Bureau seeks to intervene in EPA lawsuit
State Journal
The West Virginia Farm Bureau and the American Farm Bureau Federation filed
a motion to intervene in a lawsuit regarding EPA's authority to regulate
poultry and livestock farms under the Clean Water Act.
http://www.statejournal.com/story/19091584/wv-farm-bureau-seeks-to-intervene-in-epa-lawsuit
EPA agrees to air pollution limits for Florida
AP
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The federal Environmental Protection Agency has agreed
to set deadlines for limiting haze-causing air pollution from aging power
plants and factories in Florida.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57478121/epa-agrees-to-air-pollution-limits-for-florida/
Press Releases
EPA Awarded Highest Honor at Annual GIS Conference
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was
awarded the Esri President's Award at the annual Esri International User
Conference in San Diego, Calif. Esri is a company specializing in GIS
mapping software. The President's Award is given to one organization each
year that exemplifies a model for others to follow in implementing
geographic information systems (GIS) successfully, as well as making a
positive impact on the environment and society.
EPA was recognized for their pioneering use of GIS in protecting the
nation's environment, efficiently organizing their GIS assets, and bringing
geospatial thinking to the public. One example of EPA's use of GIS to help
people use environmental information to make important health decisions is
the AirNOW program – which provides local air quality data in real time.
Additionally, EPA recently launched their Geospatial Platform, which is
intended to support internal data sharing and operations, as well as the
publication of public maps and data services.
This award has been given to 20 different organizations in the past two
decades and winners are chosen from among hundreds of thousands of GIS
users across the world.
More information on the Esri conference:
http://www.esri.com/events/user-conference/index.html
More information on EPA's Geospatial program:
http://www.epa.gov/geospatial/
EPA Fines Violators for Failure to Report Chemical Data
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued
complaints seeking civil penalties against three companies for alleged
violations of the reporting and recordkeeping requirements under the Toxic
Substances Control Act (TSCA). The alleged violations involved the
companies' failure to comply with EPA's TSCA section 8 Inventory Update
Reporting (IUR) regulations, which require companies to submit accurate
data about the production and use of chemical substances manufactured or
imported during a calendar year. Under TSCA, penalties can be assessed up
to $37,500 per day, per violation.
Formerly known as the IUR, the TSCA Chemical Data Reporting Rule requires
the collection of information about existing chemicals on the market by
requiring periodic reports about the production and use of chemicals to
help understand the risks they may pose to human health and the
environment. The data collected by EPA is the most comprehensive source of
information for chemicals currently in commerce in the U.S.
The reporting deadline for the 2006 IUR rule ended in March of 2007. EPA's
enforcement efforts have led to 43 civil enforcement actions and
approximately $2.3 million dollars in civil penalties against companies
that failed to report required chemical data information. The reporting
deadline for the 2012 submission period of the Chemical Data Reporting Rule
is August 13, 2012.
The three most recent cases are against Chemtura Corporation, Bethlehem
Apparatus Company, and Haldor Topsoe, Inc., and resulted in penalties
totaling $362,113.
The Chemtura Corporation is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pa. and has a
facility located in El Dorado, Arizona. In a May 31, 2012 complaint, EPA
alleged that the facility failed to report two chemicals pursuant to the
2006 IUR rule and assessed a penalty of $55,901. The company corrected the
violations, paid the penalty and a final order was issued by the
Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) on June 25, 2012.
During an inspection of the Bethlehem Apparatus Company, located in
Hellertown, Pa., EPA found that the facility was in violation of the 2006
IUR Rule for one chemical substance. EPA also determined during the
inspection that the company had failed to comply with the export
notification requirements as required under TSCA section 12(b) and the
import certification requirements as required under TSCA section 13 on a
number of occasions for the same chemical substance. The company corrected
the violations and paid a $103,433 penalty proposed in a May 31, 2012
complaint.
Haldor Topsoe, Inc., headquartered in Houston, Texas, is subject to a TSCA
complaint that was filed on June 20, 2012. The complaint alleged that that
the company had violated the 2006 IUR rule for 13 chemical substances. The
complaint assessed a proposed penalty of $202,779, which the company paid
on July 2, 2012.
More information about the settlements and EPA's TSCA enforcement program:
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/resources/civil/tsca/tscaiur.html
More information about TSCA reporting requirements: http://www.epa.gov/iur/
EPA Scientists Receive Presidential Honor
WASHINGTON –Today two U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientists
were named as recipients of the 2011 Presidential Early Career Award for
Scientists and Engineers (PECASE). This award, which is being given to
EPA's Dr. Mehdi Hazai and Mr. Adam Eisele, is the highest honor bestowed by
the U.S. government on outstanding science and engineering professionals in
the early stages of their independent research careers. The purpose of the
award is to encourage the development of science leaders and highlight the
importance of science and technology.
Dr. Hazari was nominated for demonstrating how inhalation of low levels of
air pollutants like particulate matter and ozone could increase
susceptibility to cardiac events, such as heart attacks. His research is
receiving international recognition and is under consideration for
inclusion in the update of worldwide standards.
Mr. Eisele developed and used automated air sampling instrumentation in a
project that was the first to identify and characterize local sources of
air pollution in high altitude areas (5,000 to 10,000 feet above mean sea
level). His research is being used to identify community health risks due
to air pollution, and to develop a mobile measurement approach that allows
for remote emission assessment of oil and gas production sources.
Dr. Glenn Paulson, EPA's Science Advisor, sent his congratulations to Dr.
Hazari and Mr. Eisele for receiving this prestigious award, "EPA scientists
continue to be leaders in the environmental and public health research
arenas." Paulson said, "This year's winners are not only conducting
groundbreaking research, but they are also engaging their communities and
inspiring the next generation to become scientists and researchers."
In addition to their innovative research, which is advancing EPA's mission
to protect the environment and public health, both Dr. Hazari and Mr.
Eisele have also demonstrated strong commitments to community service
through their leadership in various mentoring, teaching, and community
outreach activities. They will be presented the award with other recipients
at a ceremony to be held shortly in Washington, D.C.
Today, President Obama named 96 researchers across the Federal Government
as PECASE recipients. The PECASE awards embody the Obama Administration's
commitment to producing outstanding scientists and engineers by granting
recipients a five-year research grant to further their study in support of
critical government missions.
Secretary Vilsack Announces Proposed Rule to Help Utilities Assist Home and
Business Owners' Energy Conservation Efforts
Posted by Dawn Bonsell, Pennsylvania USDA Public Information Officer, on
July 20, 2012 at 10:33 AM
As Harrisburg, Penn., temperatures reached 93 degrees on Tuesday and
continued to climb throughout the afternoon, it seemed an appropriate time
for Secretary Tom Vilsack to announce a new proposed Federal Rule that
could help rural homeowners and entrepreneurs save on their utility bills
and create jobs in rural areas. The new energy efficiency effort will make
federal loans available for rural electric cooperatives to re-lend to
electric cooperative customers throughout America who want to make their
homes and businesses more energy efficient. The partnership demonstrates a
new "pathway to prosperity" according to Secretary Vilsack, and is "a
reminder of President Obama's commitment to stronger rural communities, a
stronger rural economy, and strengthening rural values."
The Secretary unveiled the details of the plan during a meeting with the
Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association in downtown Harrisburg—a meeting
attended by over 50 residents and businesses. The electric cooperatives,
which distribute electricity in rural areas, will manage the loans and will
collect payments on utility bills, allowing customers to spread out the
loan payments. Homeowners and businesses will be able to seal air leaks and
replace inefficient heating and air-conditioning systems through the
program.
In addition to helping homeowners and businesses, the energy efficiency
program will also create jobs for contractors who retrofit homes to make
them more energy efficient and will help to reduce our dependence on
foreign oil.
USDA Rural Development is accepting comments on the proposed Rule for 60
days. To find out more, click here. To hear audio of the Secretary's
announcement, click here.
Monday, July 23, 2012
News Clippings 7/23/12
Oil Spill
Scientists Link Melting Snow to 186 Dolphin Deaths in the Gulf
MPB
PUBLISHED BY RHONDA MILLER ON 19 JUL 2012 07:12PM
Marine researchers say cold water flowing into the Gulf of Mexico may have contributed to the death of baby dolphins. MPB’s Rhonda Miller has more.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/scientists_tie_melting_snow_to_dolphin_deaths_in_gulf_of_mexico
RESTORE Act 'monumental' to coastal economies
Wakulla could receive about $10 million
Tallahassee Democrat
The first checks remain a long way off, and much is uncertain, but federal and Florida legislation committing billions in fines from Deepwater Horizon operator BP will mean unprecedented cash windfalls for eight Florida counties, Wakulla and Franklin among them.http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20120723/NEWS01/307230017/RESTORE-Act-monumental-coastal-Economies?nclick_check=1
Panhandle counties wary of state tampering with BP funds
TOM McLAUGHLIN / Daily News
2012-07-19 16:53:33
OKALOOSA ISLAND — Representatives from eight Northwest Florida counties labeled “disproportionally affected” by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill declared Thursday their intention to keep as much control as possible over millions in RESTORE Act funds.http://www.nwfdailynews.com/articles/act-51140-restore-.html
State News
MDEQ fines City of Hattiesburg for wastewater penalties
WDAM
The city of Hattiesburg has to hand over 8-thousand dollars to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.
Group investigating toxins in Moss Point considers filing lawsuit
WLOX
A civil rights group, investigating claims of a cancer epidemic in Moss Point, is considering to file a lawsuit against companies they believe are creating the toxins.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19084982/group-investigating-toxins-in-moss-point-considers-filing-lawsuit
Gas well still leaking 48 hours after explosion
WDAM
More than two days after the incident, Saturday emergency management teams remained on the scene of a gas well head that was blown off Thursday evening in Wayne County.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19070455/gas-well-head-blows-in-wanyne-county
Hydrogen sulfide leaks from well blowout in Wayne County
Friday, July 20, 2012, 2:25 PM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
PEARL, Mississippi -- The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is monitoring a well blowout which is leaking hydrogen sulfide near the town of Clara in Wayne County.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/hydrogen_sulfide_leaks_from_we.html
Volunteers cleanup Biloxi's trash
WLOX
Fourth of July celebrations took place more than two weeks ago, but the trash still remains.
Saturday, Biloxi became a lot cleaner, thanks to around 30 volunteers who got up early, put on gloves and headed down Highway 90 with garbage bags in hand.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19081175/volunteers-cleanup-trash-the-city-could-not-get-to
Lionfish population is exploding in the Gulf just two years after they first arrived (video)
Monday, July 23, 2012, 7:48 AM
By Ben Raines, Press-Register
A small fish nestled among swaying stalks of sea whip coral about 11 miles off the Alabama coast may be poised to shift the balance of life in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/07/lionfish_population_is_explodi.html
Auditor releases annual report on costs of Legislature
by Associated Press
Published: July 20,2012
JACKSON — Just like any business or state agency, the Mississippi Legislature needs supplies, staff and equipment to operate. Lawmakers need coffee to jump-start the day.
http://msbusiness.com/2012/07/auditor-releases-annual-report-on-costs-of-legislature/
National News
Appeals court rejects challenge to sulfur dioxide rule designed to protect people with asthma
By Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A federal appeals court has rejected a challenge to a tough new clean air requirement limiting sulfur dioxide emissions.
EPA reviewing rule on toxic air pollution; standards for future plants targeted
By Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing part of a controversial rule that sets the first federal standards to reduce toxic air pollution from power plants.
EPA Urged to Expand Water Quality Trading, Include Pollutants Other Than Nutrients
Friday, July 20, 2012
Bloomberg
The National Association of Clean Water Agencies urged the Environmental Protection Agency on July 19 to allow water quality trading for waters other than those that have total maximum daily load plans for restoration.
http://www.bna.com/epa-urged-expand-n12884910747/
Experts: Some fracking critics use bad science
By KEVIN BEGOS, Associated Press
PITTSBURGH (AP) — In the debate over natural gas drilling, the companies are often the ones accused of twisting the facts. But scientists say opponents sometimes mislead the public, too.
Critics of fracking often raise alarms about groundwater pollution, air pollution, and cancer risks, and there are still many uncertainties. But some of the claims have little — or nothing— to back them.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jCUQcMjaT-TJqizs7WRB1zIw8rzA?docId=cef00570f618477d8e9fcb53579af91c
Fracking Foes Build Momentum for Recycling
Bloomberg
The worst U.S. drought in a half century is putting pressure on natural-gas drillers to conserve the millions of gallons of water used in hydraulic fracturing to free trapped gas and oil from underground rock.http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-07-23/drought-helps-fracking-foes-build-momentum-for-recycling
Will the U.S. export fracking to the rest of the world?
Washington Post
By Brad Plumer , Updated: July 21, 2012
Quick, name the most significant American innovation of the past ten years. How about hydraulic fracturing?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/07/21/will-the-u-s-export-fracking-to-the-rest-of-the-world/
Opinion
Op-Ed: Mississippi universities ready to help RESTORE the Gulf
Published: Friday, July 20, 2012, 6:01 AM
By Mississippi Press Editorial Board
By Denis Wiesenburg
Special to The Mississippi Press
All of us who respect and admire the natural beauty of the Gulf of Mexico want to see this important piece of the world's oceans restored to its pre-oil spill magnificence.
Thankfully, a bill passed by the U.S. Congress this summer will go a long way toward bringing that objective to reality.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-opinion/2012/07/op-ed_mississippi_universities_ready_to_help_restore_the_gulf.html
RESTORE Act a big win for the Gulf Coast
Shreveport Times
The damage inflicted by the massive BP oil spill in April 2010 took a terrible toll on ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico, including the diverse and valuable bird populations that call the Gulf Coast states home.http://www.shreveporttimes.com/article/20120718/OPINION03/207180320/RESTORE-Act-big-win-Gulf-Coast
BP and Coast Guard should address Louisiana's concerns about oil cleanup: An editorial
Published: Friday, July 20, 2012, 7:31 AM
By Editorial page staff, The Times-Picayune
Louisiana coastal officials continue to raise concerns about the lack of monitoring and response to oil from the BP spill along our coast, and it's important that the company and the Coast Guard address these complaints.http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2012/07/bp_and_coast_guard_should_addr.html
WLOX Editorial: If you don't recycle, why don't you?
Posted: Jul 20, 2012 5:25 PM CDTUpdated: Jul 22, 2012 3:51 PM CDT
Do you recycle? According to a report our news department recently did only about 15 percent of people in Harrison County and its five cities put out the blue recycle bins each week. Our question to you is why don't you recycle? It is a way to keep paper, plastic, cans and bottles out of our landfills.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19077407/wlox-editorial-if-you-dont-recycle-why-dont-you
Press Releases
EPA to Review Technical Information on Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for New Power Plants
Routine review has no impact on cost or vital health benefits of first national standards for mercury pollution
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reviewing technical information that is focused on pollution limits for new power plants under the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, based on new information provided by industry stakeholders after the rule was finalized. This review, which is not an uncommon step for major standards, will have no impact on the sensible, achievable, and cost-effective standards already set for existing power plants, which will protect millions of families and, especially, children from air pollution. By moving quickly to review the new information, this action will provide greater certainty for five planned future facilities, in Georgia, Kansas, Texas, and Utah, that would be covered by the standards. This review will not change the expected costs or public health benefits of the rule.
EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, which take advantage of existing flexibilities, are the first national standards to protect American families from power plant emissions of mercury and toxic air pollution like arsenic, acid gas, nickel, selenium, and cyanide. By ensuring that existing power plants install widely available pollution control equipment, the standards will prevent as many as 11,000 premature deaths and 4,700 heart attacks a year. The standards will also help America’s children grow up healthier-- preventing 130,000 cases of childhood asthma symptoms and about 6,300 fewer cases of acute bronchitis among children each year.
EPA will review monitoring issues related to the mercury standards for new power plants and will address other technical issues on the acid gas and particle pollution standards for these plants. The agency’s review will not change the types of state-of-the-art pollution controls new power plants are expected to use to reduce this harmful pollution.
This type of review, known as a “reconsideration,” is a routine tool that EPA often uses to ensure that its standards incorporate all relevant information, in cases where information only becomes available after a rule is promulgated. The agency’s decision to reconsider the standards for new sources reflects its ongoing commitment to work with industry and other stakeholders to ensure that all of EPA’s standards protect public health while being achievable and cost-effective. The agency will follow an expedited, open and transparent process that includes public comment on any proposed changes. The agency will complete the rulemaking by March 2013 and will also use its Clean Air Act authority to stay the final standards for new power plants for three months during this review.
More information: http://epa.gov/mats/actions.html
Friday, July 20, 2012
News Clippings 7/20/12
State News
Sewage leak in Biloxi closes section of beach
Sun Herald
BILOXI -- The state Department of Environmental Quality has closed the
beach near Rodenberg Avenue because of a sewage leak.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/07/19/4073035/around-south-mississippi.html
MDEQ closes beach; lightning could have caused contamination
by MBJ Staff
Published: July 19,2012
BILOXI — The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ),
through its Beach Monitoring Program, has issued a precautionary beach
closure for one sampling station in Harrison County.
http://msbusiness.com/2012/07/mdeq-closes-beach-lightning-could-have-caused-contamination/
Gulf Foundation seeking project proposals
WLOX
A group called the Gulf of Mexico Foundation is looking for some good ideas
to restore wetlands and waterways. That organization has already awarded
millions of dollars in grant money to fund such environmental work.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19068810/gulf-foundation-seeking-project-proposals
Houston solar car teams win, again
by Floyd Ingram
Chickasaw Journal
07.20.12 - 05:55 am
HOUSTON - The Houston solar car teams soundly defeated all comers from
schools around the country to win the Solar Car Challenge at Texas Motor
Speedway in Dallas.
http://djournal.com/view/full_story/19473074/article-Houston-solar-car-teams-win--again?instance=secondary_stories_left_column
National News
Tribes ask for action on climate change
By REBECCA COHEN
McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON - Climate change is sweeping indigenous villages into the sea in
Alaska, flooding the taro fields of native Hawaiians and devastating the
salmon population from which Indian tribes in Washington state draw their
livelihood, tribal leaders testified Thursday at a Senate hearing.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/07/19/4072775/tribes-ask-for-action-on-climate.html
Navy pushes forward with 'Green Fleet' despite GOP resistance
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 07/19/12 02:33 PM ET
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus insisted plans for a "green fleet" that uses
biofuels will move forward despite efforts by Republicans in Congress to
stop it.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/239023-navy-pushes-forward-with-qgreen-fleetq-despite-gop-resistance
Press Releases
EPA Provides $950,000 to Improve Water Quality Using Green Infrastructure
in 17 Communities
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today
that it is providing $950,000 to help 17 communities expand green
infrastructure use to improve water quality and protect people's health and
benefit communities. Green infrastructure uses vegetation and soil to
manage rainwater where it falls, keeping polluted stormwater from entering
sewer systems and waterways in local communities. The EPA funding is
intended to increase incorporation of green infrastructure into stormwater
management programs, protect water quality, and provide community benefits
including job creation and neighborhood revitalization.
"Effective stormwater management is one of the most widespread challenges
to water quality in the nation," said Nancy Stoner, EPA's Acting Assistant
Administrator for Water. She announced the funds today at a stormwater
symposium in Baltimore held by the Water Environment Federation. "Polluted
stormwater can be harmful to the health of our nation's waterbodies. These
funds will help expand the use of green infrastructure, revitalize local
neighborhoods and help safeguard people's health and the environment."
EPA is awarding the funds to diverse communities across 16 states. Some
communities – like Beaufort, South Carolina and Neosho, Missouri – are
small towns in urban growth areas interested in preserving and protecting
their healthy waterways. Others – such as Camden, New Jersey and
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – are large cities interested in adding green
infrastructure into their redevelopment projects to restore degraded urban
waters and help revitalize their communities. The selected communities also
provide an opportunity to demonstrate the potential of green infrastructure
across a range of climate zones.
Green infrastructure captures and filters pollutants by passing stormwater
through soils and retaining it on site. Effective green infrastructure
tools and techniques include green roofs, permeable materials, alternative
designs for streets and buildings, trees, rain gardens and rain harvesting
systems. Communities are increasingly using green infrastructure to
supplement or substitute for single-purpose "gray" infrastructure
investments such as pipes, filters, and ponds.
In April 2011, EPA renewed its commitment to green infrastructure with the
release of the "Strategic Agenda to Protect Waters and Build More Livable
Communities through Green Infrastructure." The agenda identifies community
partnerships as one of five key activities that EPA will pursue to
accelerate the implementation of green infrastructure and EPA announced
partnerships with 10 "model communities."
In February 2012, EPA announced the availability of $950,000 in technical
assistance to a second set of partner communities to help overcome some of
the most common barriers to green infrastructure. EPA received letters of
interest from over 150 communities across the country.
More information:
http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/gi_support.cfm
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Obama Administration Officials Discuss Navy's Successful Demonstration of |
| Domestic Biofuel and New Energy Efficiencies in Major Maritime Exercise |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|Demonstration is an achievement of a Navy Energy Goal and Furthers Progress |
| on Administration's Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|WASHINGTON. D.C., July 19, 2012 – U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, |
|Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and Deputy Assistant to the President |
|for Energy and Climate Change Heather Zichal held a conference call today to|
|brief media on the demonstration in local operations of a U.S. Navy Carrier |
|Strike Group operating on advanced biofuel, and to discuss the Obama |
|Administration's commitment to strengthening national energy security and |
|developing domestic fuel sources. |
| |
| |
|The Navy is pursuing alternatives because the nation's reliance on foreign |
|oil is a significant and well-recognized military vulnerability. "The |
|ability to use fuels other than petroleum is critical to our energy |
|security, because it will increase our flexibility and reduce the services' |
|vulnerability to rapid and unforeseen changes in the price of oil," stated |
|Mabus. |
| |
| |
|For two days, the U.S. Navy powered the "Great Green Fleet," a Carrier |
|Strike Group's aircraft and surface ships, on advanced biofuel to test the |
|fuel's performance in an operational setting. The demonstration took place |
|off the coast of Hawaii as part of the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC).|
|Secretary Mabus observed operations, which included fueling helicopters and |
|jets from the deck of a nuclear-powered carrier; completing arrested |
|landings of aircraft onto a carrier, the first ever using biofuels; |
|refueling a destroyer while underway; and air-to-air refueling. |
| |
| |
|"The successful demonstration was a unique opportunity to watch our highly |
|skilled sailors doing what they do best, and to witness in an operational |
|setting the seamless integration of advanced biofuel and energy efficient |
|technologies in some of the U.S. Navy's most sophisticated air and sea |
|platforms," stated Mabus. |
| |
| |
|In addition to operating on alternative fuels, including nuclear power, the |
|Great Green Fleet showcased energy efficiency technology that increase |
|combat capability by allowing Navy ships to achieve greater range and by |
|reducing dependence on a vulnerable logistics supply chain. More information|
|on the demonstration, including a list of participating ships, is available |
|HERE. |
| |
| |
|Secretary Mabus also signed a Statement of Cooperation with the Royal |
|Australian Navy (RAN) to formalize future cooperation on alternative fuel |
|deployment. |
| |
| |
|The entire demonstration will burn 450,000 gallons of biofuel made from |
|non-food waste (used cooking oil). The biofuel was purchased from |
|Louisiana-based Dynamic Fuels LLC, Dynamic Fuels, LLC, a joint-venture of |
|Tyson Foods, Inc., and Syntroleum Corporation, and algae, produced by |
|Solazyme. This fuel was blended with aviation gas or marine diesel fuel to |
|produced 900,000 gallons of 50/50 blend biofuel. |
| |
| |
|"The historic significance of the Navy's operation, in real theater-like |
|conditions, of their ships and planes on biofuels should not be |
|underestimated," stated Secretary Vilsack. "USDA's goal is to help make our |
|US military less dependent on foreign oil and on oil that has to be |
|transported long distances in supply lines that could be disrupted during |
|times of conflict. Hawaii has arable land and a willing and able |
|agricultural community that could produce readily usable fuels in the |
|future. USDA is working to help Hawaii become a local producer of biofuels |
|for the Navy. We can, as a nation, change the fuel production and |
|distribution paradigm in the world, if we are consistent in our efforts to |
|increase our production and use of domestic biofuels which are important to |
|our energy and national security as well a create jobs." |
| |
| |
|Navy Demonstration Advances Administration's Broad Energy Agenda |
| |
| |
|The demonstration is a component of a broader Administration effort to |
|reduce reliance on imported petroleum by partnering with the private sector |
|to speed the commercialization of next-generation biofuels. For example, |
|Navy, USDA and DOE recently announced $30 million in funding to support |
|commercialization of "drop-in" biofuel substitutes for diesel and jet fuel |
|through the Defense Production Act Title III (DPA), an authority that dates |
|back to 1950 and has been used to support the industrialization of |
|defense-critical domestic industries such as steel, aluminum, titanium, |
|semiconductors, beryllium, and radiation-hardened electronics. At the same |
|time, the Department of Energy announced an additional $32 million to |
|support research into advanced biofuel technologies that are in earlier |
|stages of development. |
| |
| |
|"Increasing domestic biofuels helps meet the President's goal of reducing |
|our reliance on foreign oil while increasing our nation's energy security, |
|and that is why advanced biofuels are a pillar of the President's |
|all-of-the-above energy strategy," stated Zichal. "In fact, under President |
|Obama, domestic biofuel production has climbed to an all-time high, |
|supporting jobs and rural economies. That's why this Administration has been|
|focused on deploying the biofuels technologies we have today, while also |
|accelerating the development of new fuel technologies in our nation's labs |
|and at commercial scale." |
| |
| |
|In his Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future released in March 2011, |
|President Obama set a goal of reducing oil imports by one-third by 2025 and |
|laid out an all-of-the-above energy plan to achieve that goal by developing |
|domestic oil and gas energy resources, increasing energy efficiency, and |
|speeding development of biofuels and other alternatives. Domestic oil and |
|gas production has increased each year the President has been in office as |
|efforts continue to take to reduce America's reliance on foreign oil. As |
|part of that effort, the Blueprint directed the Navy, USDA and DOE to |
|collaborate to support commercialization of "drop-in" biofuel substitutes |
|for diesel and jet fuel. Competitively-priced drop-in biofuels will help |
|improve America's energy security, meeting the fuel needs of U.S. armed |
|forces, as well as the commercial aviation and shipping sectors. |
| |
| |
|# |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Sewage leak in Biloxi closes section of beach
Sun Herald
BILOXI -- The state Department of Environmental Quality has closed the
beach near Rodenberg Avenue because of a sewage leak.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/07/19/4073035/around-south-mississippi.html
MDEQ closes beach; lightning could have caused contamination
by MBJ Staff
Published: July 19,2012
BILOXI — The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ),
through its Beach Monitoring Program, has issued a precautionary beach
closure for one sampling station in Harrison County.
http://msbusiness.com/2012/07/mdeq-closes-beach-lightning-could-have-caused-contamination/
Gulf Foundation seeking project proposals
WLOX
A group called the Gulf of Mexico Foundation is looking for some good ideas
to restore wetlands and waterways. That organization has already awarded
millions of dollars in grant money to fund such environmental work.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19068810/gulf-foundation-seeking-project-proposals
Houston solar car teams win, again
by Floyd Ingram
Chickasaw Journal
07.20.12 - 05:55 am
HOUSTON - The Houston solar car teams soundly defeated all comers from
schools around the country to win the Solar Car Challenge at Texas Motor
Speedway in Dallas.
http://djournal.com/view/full_story/19473074/article-Houston-solar-car-teams-win--again?instance=secondary_stories_left_column
National News
Tribes ask for action on climate change
By REBECCA COHEN
McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON - Climate change is sweeping indigenous villages into the sea in
Alaska, flooding the taro fields of native Hawaiians and devastating the
salmon population from which Indian tribes in Washington state draw their
livelihood, tribal leaders testified Thursday at a Senate hearing.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/07/19/4072775/tribes-ask-for-action-on-climate.html
Navy pushes forward with 'Green Fleet' despite GOP resistance
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 07/19/12 02:33 PM ET
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus insisted plans for a "green fleet" that uses
biofuels will move forward despite efforts by Republicans in Congress to
stop it.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/239023-navy-pushes-forward-with-qgreen-fleetq-despite-gop-resistance
Press Releases
EPA Provides $950,000 to Improve Water Quality Using Green Infrastructure
in 17 Communities
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today
that it is providing $950,000 to help 17 communities expand green
infrastructure use to improve water quality and protect people's health and
benefit communities. Green infrastructure uses vegetation and soil to
manage rainwater where it falls, keeping polluted stormwater from entering
sewer systems and waterways in local communities. The EPA funding is
intended to increase incorporation of green infrastructure into stormwater
management programs, protect water quality, and provide community benefits
including job creation and neighborhood revitalization.
"Effective stormwater management is one of the most widespread challenges
to water quality in the nation," said Nancy Stoner, EPA's Acting Assistant
Administrator for Water. She announced the funds today at a stormwater
symposium in Baltimore held by the Water Environment Federation. "Polluted
stormwater can be harmful to the health of our nation's waterbodies. These
funds will help expand the use of green infrastructure, revitalize local
neighborhoods and help safeguard people's health and the environment."
EPA is awarding the funds to diverse communities across 16 states. Some
communities – like Beaufort, South Carolina and Neosho, Missouri – are
small towns in urban growth areas interested in preserving and protecting
their healthy waterways. Others – such as Camden, New Jersey and
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – are large cities interested in adding green
infrastructure into their redevelopment projects to restore degraded urban
waters and help revitalize their communities. The selected communities also
provide an opportunity to demonstrate the potential of green infrastructure
across a range of climate zones.
Green infrastructure captures and filters pollutants by passing stormwater
through soils and retaining it on site. Effective green infrastructure
tools and techniques include green roofs, permeable materials, alternative
designs for streets and buildings, trees, rain gardens and rain harvesting
systems. Communities are increasingly using green infrastructure to
supplement or substitute for single-purpose "gray" infrastructure
investments such as pipes, filters, and ponds.
In April 2011, EPA renewed its commitment to green infrastructure with the
release of the "Strategic Agenda to Protect Waters and Build More Livable
Communities through Green Infrastructure." The agenda identifies community
partnerships as one of five key activities that EPA will pursue to
accelerate the implementation of green infrastructure and EPA announced
partnerships with 10 "model communities."
In February 2012, EPA announced the availability of $950,000 in technical
assistance to a second set of partner communities to help overcome some of
the most common barriers to green infrastructure. EPA received letters of
interest from over 150 communities across the country.
More information:
http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/gi_support.cfm
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Obama Administration Officials Discuss Navy's Successful Demonstration of |
| Domestic Biofuel and New Energy Efficiencies in Major Maritime Exercise |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|Demonstration is an achievement of a Navy Energy Goal and Furthers Progress |
| on Administration's Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|WASHINGTON. D.C., July 19, 2012 – U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, |
|Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and Deputy Assistant to the President |
|for Energy and Climate Change Heather Zichal held a conference call today to|
|brief media on the demonstration in local operations of a U.S. Navy Carrier |
|Strike Group operating on advanced biofuel, and to discuss the Obama |
|Administration's commitment to strengthening national energy security and |
|developing domestic fuel sources. |
| |
| |
|The Navy is pursuing alternatives because the nation's reliance on foreign |
|oil is a significant and well-recognized military vulnerability. "The |
|ability to use fuels other than petroleum is critical to our energy |
|security, because it will increase our flexibility and reduce the services' |
|vulnerability to rapid and unforeseen changes in the price of oil," stated |
|Mabus. |
| |
| |
|For two days, the U.S. Navy powered the "Great Green Fleet," a Carrier |
|Strike Group's aircraft and surface ships, on advanced biofuel to test the |
|fuel's performance in an operational setting. The demonstration took place |
|off the coast of Hawaii as part of the Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC).|
|Secretary Mabus observed operations, which included fueling helicopters and |
|jets from the deck of a nuclear-powered carrier; completing arrested |
|landings of aircraft onto a carrier, the first ever using biofuels; |
|refueling a destroyer while underway; and air-to-air refueling. |
| |
| |
|"The successful demonstration was a unique opportunity to watch our highly |
|skilled sailors doing what they do best, and to witness in an operational |
|setting the seamless integration of advanced biofuel and energy efficient |
|technologies in some of the U.S. Navy's most sophisticated air and sea |
|platforms," stated Mabus. |
| |
| |
|In addition to operating on alternative fuels, including nuclear power, the |
|Great Green Fleet showcased energy efficiency technology that increase |
|combat capability by allowing Navy ships to achieve greater range and by |
|reducing dependence on a vulnerable logistics supply chain. More information|
|on the demonstration, including a list of participating ships, is available |
|HERE. |
| |
| |
|Secretary Mabus also signed a Statement of Cooperation with the Royal |
|Australian Navy (RAN) to formalize future cooperation on alternative fuel |
|deployment. |
| |
| |
|The entire demonstration will burn 450,000 gallons of biofuel made from |
|non-food waste (used cooking oil). The biofuel was purchased from |
|Louisiana-based Dynamic Fuels LLC, Dynamic Fuels, LLC, a joint-venture of |
|Tyson Foods, Inc., and Syntroleum Corporation, and algae, produced by |
|Solazyme. This fuel was blended with aviation gas or marine diesel fuel to |
|produced 900,000 gallons of 50/50 blend biofuel. |
| |
| |
|"The historic significance of the Navy's operation, in real theater-like |
|conditions, of their ships and planes on biofuels should not be |
|underestimated," stated Secretary Vilsack. "USDA's goal is to help make our |
|US military less dependent on foreign oil and on oil that has to be |
|transported long distances in supply lines that could be disrupted during |
|times of conflict. Hawaii has arable land and a willing and able |
|agricultural community that could produce readily usable fuels in the |
|future. USDA is working to help Hawaii become a local producer of biofuels |
|for the Navy. We can, as a nation, change the fuel production and |
|distribution paradigm in the world, if we are consistent in our efforts to |
|increase our production and use of domestic biofuels which are important to |
|our energy and national security as well a create jobs." |
| |
| |
|Navy Demonstration Advances Administration's Broad Energy Agenda |
| |
| |
|The demonstration is a component of a broader Administration effort to |
|reduce reliance on imported petroleum by partnering with the private sector |
|to speed the commercialization of next-generation biofuels. For example, |
|Navy, USDA and DOE recently announced $30 million in funding to support |
|commercialization of "drop-in" biofuel substitutes for diesel and jet fuel |
|through the Defense Production Act Title III (DPA), an authority that dates |
|back to 1950 and has been used to support the industrialization of |
|defense-critical domestic industries such as steel, aluminum, titanium, |
|semiconductors, beryllium, and radiation-hardened electronics. At the same |
|time, the Department of Energy announced an additional $32 million to |
|support research into advanced biofuel technologies that are in earlier |
|stages of development. |
| |
| |
|"Increasing domestic biofuels helps meet the President's goal of reducing |
|our reliance on foreign oil while increasing our nation's energy security, |
|and that is why advanced biofuels are a pillar of the President's |
|all-of-the-above energy strategy," stated Zichal. "In fact, under President |
|Obama, domestic biofuel production has climbed to an all-time high, |
|supporting jobs and rural economies. That's why this Administration has been|
|focused on deploying the biofuels technologies we have today, while also |
|accelerating the development of new fuel technologies in our nation's labs |
|and at commercial scale." |
| |
| |
|In his Blueprint for a Secure Energy Future released in March 2011, |
|President Obama set a goal of reducing oil imports by one-third by 2025 and |
|laid out an all-of-the-above energy plan to achieve that goal by developing |
|domestic oil and gas energy resources, increasing energy efficiency, and |
|speeding development of biofuels and other alternatives. Domestic oil and |
|gas production has increased each year the President has been in office as |
|efforts continue to take to reduce America's reliance on foreign oil. As |
|part of that effort, the Blueprint directed the Navy, USDA and DOE to |
|collaborate to support commercialization of "drop-in" biofuel substitutes |
|for diesel and jet fuel. Competitively-priced drop-in biofuels will help |
|improve America's energy security, meeting the fuel needs of U.S. armed |
|forces, as well as the commercial aviation and shipping sectors. |
| |
| |
|# |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Thursday, July 19, 2012
News Clippings 7/19/12
Oil Spill
New report links cold Gulf water, dolphin deaths
AP
NEW ORLEANS — Surges of snowmelt pouring into the Gulf of Mexico may have
been a final stress affecting when and where 86 baby dolphins were aborted
or died shortly after birth in early 2011, researchers say.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120719/NEWS/207190363/New-report-links-cold-Gulf-water-dolphin-deaths
Dolphin deaths investigated by Southern Miss marine science researchers
WLOX
Scientists with The University of Southern Mississippi Department of Marine
Science are part of a collaboration of colleagues from Dauphin Island Sea
Lab and the University of Central Florida that last year examined a
mysterious case of dolphin deaths along the Gulf Coast.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19058810/dolphin-deaths-investigated-by-southern-miss-marine-science-researchers
Scientists see South Mississippi jobs resulting from a healthy Gulf of
Mexico
Sun Herald
OCEAN SPRINGS -- Three fisheries experts and scientists who built lifelong
careers at the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research
Laboratory discussed their experiences studying marine life in the Gulf of
Mexico at a panel discussion Wednesday sponsored by the Sun Herald and USM.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/07/18/4070867/scientists-see-south-mississippi.html
A look at proposals on how to restore Gulf
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Environmental groups released a report on Wednesday making 39
recommendations of how to repair damage to the Gulf of Mexico's ecosystem
caused by the catastrophic BP oil spill in 2010. The amount BP will have to
pay is subject to ongoing litigation with the government, which also will
choose how to spend the money.
Below are some of the environmental groups' costlier proposals.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/18/2900326/a-look-at-proposals-on-how-to.html
Gulf of Mexico oil spill cleanup draws fresh criticism
Published: Wednesday, July 18, 2012, 10:45 PM
By Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
With oil from the 2010 BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico continuing to show up
on beaches and in wetlands along Louisiana's coast, the Coastal Protection
and Restoration Authority on Wednesday passed a resolution criticizing the
Coast Guard for prematurely allowing BP to pull cleanup teams from coastal
areas it declares clean. The authority passed a second resolution
requesting the governor's office and the state attorney general's office to
brief its members on whether any of the state's criminal statutes can be
applied to BP.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2012/07/gulf_of_mexico_oil_spill_clean_5.html
Groups Ready for BP Money Fight
By: Michael Peltier News Service of Florida | Posted: July 19, 2012 3:55 AM
The payoff may be years away, but Florida stakeholders are already
coordinating efforts to make sure the state gets its share of BP oil spill
compensation in what could be the largest Gulf restoration effort in
history.http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/groups-ready-bp-money-fight
State News
New flood maps shown to Lee County residents
WTVA
VERONA, Miss. (WTVA)--Wednesday night, Lee County residents had an
opportunity to view new flood maps.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/New-flood-maps-shown-to-Lee-County-residents/jePQm6PCKUmOYw4uhb41tA.cspx
Volunteers sought for odor assessment program at Jackson County Utility
Authority
Wednesday, July 18, 2012, 6:44 PM
By Beverly Tuskan
The Mississippi Press
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- The Jackson County Utility Authority in
Pascagoula is seeking volunteers to become a part of a comprehensive odor
assessment program.
The objective of this study is to identify and address any opportunity to
reduce or eliminate offensive odors in the community.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/volunteers_sought_for_odor_ass.html
DCRUA awards wastewater bid
DeSoto Times
By ROBERT LEE LONG
Published: Thursday, July 19, 2012 1:01 AM CDT
Come October, DeSoto County could have a new wastewater treatment operator
following action by the DeSoto County Regional Utility Authority on
Wednesday.
http://www.desototimes.com/articles/2012/07/19/news/doc50074d9cdfb4e089325470.txt
Aldermen discuss limb, debris removal
July 12, 2012
By Ellen Graves
The Choctaw Plaindealer
The Ackerman Board of Aldermen discussed the collection of limb and debris
removal in their monthly board meeting held Tuesday, July 3 at 6 p.m.
The board discussed the fact that Ackerman does not have a permitted
dumping ground for limbs and debris. Mike Brasher, Public Works director,
told the board that they collect several trailers of limbs and brush no
matter what time of year.
http://choctaw.winstonnewsonline.com/2012/07/12/aldermen-discuss-limb-debris-removal/
National News
In North Dakota, the gritty side of an oil boom
Washington Post
By Steven Mufson, Published: July 18
KEENE, N.D. — Donny Nelson is the epitome of old-time North Dakota. A lean,
sharp-featured man sporting a thick goatee, jeans and dirty boots, Nelson
is the grandson of homesteaders. Over the past century his family has
collected 8,000 acres of prime cattle grazing acreage and cropland.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/in-north-dakota-the-gritty-side-of-an-oil-boom/2012/07/18/gJQAZk5ZuW_story.html?hpid=z2
Opinion
Ho hum, PERS costs jump again
Op-Ed – Bill Crawford
Ho hum ... 14.26 percent is now the public employer "contribution" rate to
the Mississippi retirement system (PERS). Cities, counties, schools,
colleges and universities along with state agencies are required to
contribute this percentage of payroll to support PERS.
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/DB/20120718/OPINION/207180305/Ho-hum-PERS-costs-jump-again?odyssey=nav%7Chead&nclick_check=1
New report links cold Gulf water, dolphin deaths
AP
NEW ORLEANS — Surges of snowmelt pouring into the Gulf of Mexico may have
been a final stress affecting when and where 86 baby dolphins were aborted
or died shortly after birth in early 2011, researchers say.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120719/NEWS/207190363/New-report-links-cold-Gulf-water-dolphin-deaths
Dolphin deaths investigated by Southern Miss marine science researchers
WLOX
Scientists with The University of Southern Mississippi Department of Marine
Science are part of a collaboration of colleagues from Dauphin Island Sea
Lab and the University of Central Florida that last year examined a
mysterious case of dolphin deaths along the Gulf Coast.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19058810/dolphin-deaths-investigated-by-southern-miss-marine-science-researchers
Scientists see South Mississippi jobs resulting from a healthy Gulf of
Mexico
Sun Herald
OCEAN SPRINGS -- Three fisheries experts and scientists who built lifelong
careers at the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research
Laboratory discussed their experiences studying marine life in the Gulf of
Mexico at a panel discussion Wednesday sponsored by the Sun Herald and USM.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/07/18/4070867/scientists-see-south-mississippi.html
A look at proposals on how to restore Gulf
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Environmental groups released a report on Wednesday making 39
recommendations of how to repair damage to the Gulf of Mexico's ecosystem
caused by the catastrophic BP oil spill in 2010. The amount BP will have to
pay is subject to ongoing litigation with the government, which also will
choose how to spend the money.
Below are some of the environmental groups' costlier proposals.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/07/18/2900326/a-look-at-proposals-on-how-to.html
Gulf of Mexico oil spill cleanup draws fresh criticism
Published: Wednesday, July 18, 2012, 10:45 PM
By Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
With oil from the 2010 BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico continuing to show up
on beaches and in wetlands along Louisiana's coast, the Coastal Protection
and Restoration Authority on Wednesday passed a resolution criticizing the
Coast Guard for prematurely allowing BP to pull cleanup teams from coastal
areas it declares clean. The authority passed a second resolution
requesting the governor's office and the state attorney general's office to
brief its members on whether any of the state's criminal statutes can be
applied to BP.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2012/07/gulf_of_mexico_oil_spill_clean_5.html
Groups Ready for BP Money Fight
By: Michael Peltier News Service of Florida | Posted: July 19, 2012 3:55 AM
The payoff may be years away, but Florida stakeholders are already
coordinating efforts to make sure the state gets its share of BP oil spill
compensation in what could be the largest Gulf restoration effort in
history.http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/groups-ready-bp-money-fight
State News
New flood maps shown to Lee County residents
WTVA
VERONA, Miss. (WTVA)--Wednesday night, Lee County residents had an
opportunity to view new flood maps.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/New-flood-maps-shown-to-Lee-County-residents/jePQm6PCKUmOYw4uhb41tA.cspx
Volunteers sought for odor assessment program at Jackson County Utility
Authority
Wednesday, July 18, 2012, 6:44 PM
By Beverly Tuskan
The Mississippi Press
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- The Jackson County Utility Authority in
Pascagoula is seeking volunteers to become a part of a comprehensive odor
assessment program.
The objective of this study is to identify and address any opportunity to
reduce or eliminate offensive odors in the community.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/volunteers_sought_for_odor_ass.html
DCRUA awards wastewater bid
DeSoto Times
By ROBERT LEE LONG
Published: Thursday, July 19, 2012 1:01 AM CDT
Come October, DeSoto County could have a new wastewater treatment operator
following action by the DeSoto County Regional Utility Authority on
Wednesday.
http://www.desototimes.com/articles/2012/07/19/news/doc50074d9cdfb4e089325470.txt
Aldermen discuss limb, debris removal
July 12, 2012
By Ellen Graves
The Choctaw Plaindealer
The Ackerman Board of Aldermen discussed the collection of limb and debris
removal in their monthly board meeting held Tuesday, July 3 at 6 p.m.
The board discussed the fact that Ackerman does not have a permitted
dumping ground for limbs and debris. Mike Brasher, Public Works director,
told the board that they collect several trailers of limbs and brush no
matter what time of year.
http://choctaw.winstonnewsonline.com/2012/07/12/aldermen-discuss-limb-debris-removal/
National News
In North Dakota, the gritty side of an oil boom
Washington Post
By Steven Mufson, Published: July 18
KEENE, N.D. — Donny Nelson is the epitome of old-time North Dakota. A lean,
sharp-featured man sporting a thick goatee, jeans and dirty boots, Nelson
is the grandson of homesteaders. Over the past century his family has
collected 8,000 acres of prime cattle grazing acreage and cropland.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/in-north-dakota-the-gritty-side-of-an-oil-boom/2012/07/18/gJQAZk5ZuW_story.html?hpid=z2
Opinion
Ho hum, PERS costs jump again
Op-Ed – Bill Crawford
Ho hum ... 14.26 percent is now the public employer "contribution" rate to
the Mississippi retirement system (PERS). Cities, counties, schools,
colleges and universities along with state agencies are required to
contribute this percentage of payroll to support PERS.
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/DB/20120718/OPINION/207180305/Ho-hum-PERS-costs-jump-again?odyssey=nav%7Chead&nclick_check=1
News Clippings July 18, 2012
Oil Spill
Coalition offers vision for Gulf restoration
AP
NEW ORLEANS — More than two years after the catastrophic BP oil spill,
environmental groups say billions of dollars the British oil giant is
expected to spend on restoration should go toward buying tens of thousands
of acres of coastal land for conservation, rebuilding Louisiana's eroding
wetlands and creating nearly 200 miles of oyster reefs.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20120718/NEWS01/207180309/Coalition-offers-vision-Gulf-restoration
State News
MDEQ issues $8K fine for lagoons
Hattiesburg American
With the City of Hattiesburg in the midst of working to make its waste
treatment system better, the mess at the city's lagoons recently got even
worse.
The city was notified June 29 of discharge violations by the Mississippi
Department of Environmental Quality, and was assessed $8,000 in fines.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20120718/NEWS01/207180317/MDEQ-issues-8K-fine-lagoons
Madison Landfill Denied
WJTV
The dispute over a madison county landfill is over.. at least for now
A permit board for mississippi environmental equality voted unanimously...
not to allow a landfill to move in near residential homes. It proposed a
setback of 250 feet away from other properties.
http://www2.wjtv.com/news/2012/jul/17/madison-landfill-denied-ar-4153017/
Aldermen approve getting cleanup bids
Commercial Appeal
Hernando aldermen approved seeking written statements of qualifications
from professional consulting firms interested in contracting with the city
to perform grant-management services, environmental analysis and related
activities tied to the $400,000 federal Brownfields Community-wide
Assessment Grant that Hernando recently received from the Environmental
Protection Agency to identify sites for possible cleanup and development.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jul/18/top-of-the-news/
Sewer work underway in West Point
WTVA
WEST POINT, Miss. (WTVA) — Some heavy duty construction is being done in
parts of West Point.
Crews are digging up the ground along Industrial Access Road and installing
pipe to allow residents and businesses to connect to city sewer service.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/Sewer-work-underway-in-West-Point/1QaAO3UBYkuJXZ67-MKsJg.cspx
New flood riskfacts to be shown
by NEMS Daily Journal
07.18.12 - 07:00 am
VERONA – Lee County will hold a "Flood Risk Open House" from 5 to 7 p.m.
today at the Mississippi State University Extension Center to show the
public its preliminary Flood Insurance Study and Map.
http://djournal.com/view/full_story/19363892/article-New-flood-risk-facts-to-be-shown?instance=secondary_stories_left_column
More about clearing Gautier's water presented
Updated: Tuesday, July 17, 2012, 9:20 PM
By Harlan Kirgan
Mississippi Press
GAUTIER, Mississippi -- The first of three phases of work to clear up the
city‚s brownish water was estimated to cost $2.6 million, said Chad Jordan,
an engineer with Goodwyn, Mills and Caywood engineers of Mobile.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/more_about_clearing_gautiers_w.html
Study asked on spotted seatrout quota for commercial fishermen
Tuesday, July 17, 2012, 2:57 PM
By Harlan Kirgan
Mississippi Press
BILOXI, Mississippi -- A study on the 40,000-pound quota on the commercial
annual catch of spotted seatrout was requested by theCommission on Marine
Resources at a meeting Tuesday.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/study_asked_on_spotted_seatrou.html
National News
White House weakened EPA soot proposal, documents show
Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin,
The White House recently modified an Environmental Protection Agency
proposal to limit soot emissions, according to documents obtained by The
Washington Post, inviting public comment on a slightly weaker standard than
the agency had originally sought.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/white-house-weakened-epa-soot-proposal-documents-show/2012/07/17/gJQANH3yrW_story.html
Industry Group Loses Challenge To Nitrogen Dioxide Rules
Bloomberg
The first new U.S. standard for nitrogen dioxide in at least 35 years was
upheld by a federal appeals court, which said the Environmental Protection
Agency had the authority to attempt to improve air quality around the
nation's busiest roadways.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-17/industry-group-loses-challenge-to-nitrogen-dioxide-rules.html
Environmentalists sue EPA over Mississippi River nutrients
Western Farm Press
In March, environmental groups, led by the Natural Resources Defense
Council, filed suit in New Orleans to require EPA to reduce nutrient runoff
– nitrogen and phosphorous in particular - from farms and cities in the
Mississippi River Basin (MRB).
http://westernfarmpress.com/management/environmentalists-sue-epa-over-mississippi-river-nutrients
Dead Zone Pollution Is Growing Despite Decades of Work, So Who's the
Culprit?
By Sara Shipley Hiles
Environmental Health News
12 July 2012
HERMANN, Mo. – The Missouri River stretches more than a quarter-mile from
shore to shore here, its muddy water the color of coffee with a shot of
cream.
http://www.gulfhypoxia.net/news/default.asp?XMLFilename=201207161229.xml
Coalition offers vision for Gulf restoration
AP
NEW ORLEANS — More than two years after the catastrophic BP oil spill,
environmental groups say billions of dollars the British oil giant is
expected to spend on restoration should go toward buying tens of thousands
of acres of coastal land for conservation, rebuilding Louisiana's eroding
wetlands and creating nearly 200 miles of oyster reefs.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20120718/NEWS01/207180309/Coalition-offers-vision-Gulf-restoration
State News
MDEQ issues $8K fine for lagoons
Hattiesburg American
With the City of Hattiesburg in the midst of working to make its waste
treatment system better, the mess at the city's lagoons recently got even
worse.
The city was notified June 29 of discharge violations by the Mississippi
Department of Environmental Quality, and was assessed $8,000 in fines.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20120718/NEWS01/207180317/MDEQ-issues-8K-fine-lagoons
Madison Landfill Denied
WJTV
The dispute over a madison county landfill is over.. at least for now
A permit board for mississippi environmental equality voted unanimously...
not to allow a landfill to move in near residential homes. It proposed a
setback of 250 feet away from other properties.
http://www2.wjtv.com/news/2012/jul/17/madison-landfill-denied-ar-4153017/
Aldermen approve getting cleanup bids
Commercial Appeal
Hernando aldermen approved seeking written statements of qualifications
from professional consulting firms interested in contracting with the city
to perform grant-management services, environmental analysis and related
activities tied to the $400,000 federal Brownfields Community-wide
Assessment Grant that Hernando recently received from the Environmental
Protection Agency to identify sites for possible cleanup and development.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jul/18/top-of-the-news/
Sewer work underway in West Point
WTVA
WEST POINT, Miss. (WTVA) — Some heavy duty construction is being done in
parts of West Point.
Crews are digging up the ground along Industrial Access Road and installing
pipe to allow residents and businesses to connect to city sewer service.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/Sewer-work-underway-in-West-Point/1QaAO3UBYkuJXZ67-MKsJg.cspx
New flood riskfacts to be shown
by NEMS Daily Journal
07.18.12 - 07:00 am
VERONA – Lee County will hold a "Flood Risk Open House" from 5 to 7 p.m.
today at the Mississippi State University Extension Center to show the
public its preliminary Flood Insurance Study and Map.
http://djournal.com/view/full_story/19363892/article-New-flood-risk-facts-to-be-shown?instance=secondary_stories_left_column
More about clearing Gautier's water presented
Updated: Tuesday, July 17, 2012, 9:20 PM
By Harlan Kirgan
Mississippi Press
GAUTIER, Mississippi -- The first of three phases of work to clear up the
city‚s brownish water was estimated to cost $2.6 million, said Chad Jordan,
an engineer with Goodwyn, Mills and Caywood engineers of Mobile.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/more_about_clearing_gautiers_w.html
Study asked on spotted seatrout quota for commercial fishermen
Tuesday, July 17, 2012, 2:57 PM
By Harlan Kirgan
Mississippi Press
BILOXI, Mississippi -- A study on the 40,000-pound quota on the commercial
annual catch of spotted seatrout was requested by theCommission on Marine
Resources at a meeting Tuesday.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/study_asked_on_spotted_seatrou.html
National News
White House weakened EPA soot proposal, documents show
Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin,
The White House recently modified an Environmental Protection Agency
proposal to limit soot emissions, according to documents obtained by The
Washington Post, inviting public comment on a slightly weaker standard than
the agency had originally sought.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/white-house-weakened-epa-soot-proposal-documents-show/2012/07/17/gJQANH3yrW_story.html
Industry Group Loses Challenge To Nitrogen Dioxide Rules
Bloomberg
The first new U.S. standard for nitrogen dioxide in at least 35 years was
upheld by a federal appeals court, which said the Environmental Protection
Agency had the authority to attempt to improve air quality around the
nation's busiest roadways.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-07-17/industry-group-loses-challenge-to-nitrogen-dioxide-rules.html
Environmentalists sue EPA over Mississippi River nutrients
Western Farm Press
In March, environmental groups, led by the Natural Resources Defense
Council, filed suit in New Orleans to require EPA to reduce nutrient runoff
– nitrogen and phosphorous in particular - from farms and cities in the
Mississippi River Basin (MRB).
http://westernfarmpress.com/management/environmentalists-sue-epa-over-mississippi-river-nutrients
Dead Zone Pollution Is Growing Despite Decades of Work, So Who's the
Culprit?
By Sara Shipley Hiles
Environmental Health News
12 July 2012
HERMANN, Mo. – The Missouri River stretches more than a quarter-mile from
shore to shore here, its muddy water the color of coffee with a shot of
cream.
http://www.gulfhypoxia.net/news/default.asp?XMLFilename=201207161229.xml
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
News Clippings 7/17/12
State News
DeSoto County weighing ozone options as it backs business expansions
Also OKs tax breaks for 5 companies
Commercial Appeal
By Henry Bailey
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The DeSoto Board of Supervisors vowed action to meet Environmental
Protection Agency deadlines on an ozone "nonattainment" rating Monday,
while also approving tax breaks to five companies for job growth and
expansions of the sort they say the EPA action could threaten.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jul/17/desoto-county-weighing-ozone-options-as-it-backs/
Air quality issue crucial for jobs
DeSoto Times
By ROBERT LEE LONG
Published: Tuesday, July 17, 2012 1:03 AM CDT
A favorable air quality ranking for northern DeSoto County could ultimately
affect job growth, since industries (otherwise) might have to outfit their
factories and manufacturing plants with expense anti-pollution devices.
http://www.desototimes.com/articles/2012/07/17/news/doc5004a5112c8b7459450601.txt
Recyclables make long journey from curbside to final destination
WLOX
In Harrison County, about 3,000 tons of recyclable materials are expected
to be collected this year alone. That's 3,000 tons of waste that will not
end up in our landfills. Have you ever wondered where all that stuff goes?
http://www.wlox.com/story/19038708/recyclables-make-long-journey-from-curbside-to-final-destination
Dead sea turtle found in Hancock County
WLOX
A dead sea turtle washed up on the beach in Hancock County Monday morning.
Someone on the beach reported the turtle not far the Silver Slipper
campground.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19034706/dead-sea-turtle-found-in-hancock-county
Ethanol fuels controversy for those who fill up frequently
Some say it takes toll on vehicles, machinery
Clarion Ledger
Tommy's Trading Post, by the reservoir, has a lot of people who come in and
fill up their cars, their boats, their ATVs and sometimes just lots of gas
cans.
That's because the gas Tommy's sells is still ethanol-free.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120717/NEWS/207170319/Ethanol-fuels-controversy-those-who-fill-up-frequently
National News
Republican-led House panel keeps 'activist' EPA in its crosshairs
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 07/16/12 04:07 PM ET
Republicans in the House Energy and Commerce Committee say they have more
work to do to "rein in the activist" Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
before the congressional session ends.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/238183-rep-upton-lays-out-house-gop-energy-priorities
GOP leaders slam the door on carbon taxes
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 07/16/12 01:23 PM ET
Capitol Hill's most powerful Republicans say advocates who have been
discussing a carbon tax behind closed doors are wasting their breath.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/238111-boehner-mcconnell-slam-door-on-carbon-taxes
How states are regulating fracking (in maps)
Washington Post
By Brad Plumer , Updated: July 16, 2012
Armed with new drilling techniques, companies are spreading out across the
United States, cracking open shale rock in search of vast new stores of
natural gas. It's not an exaggeration to say that hydraulic fracturing, or
"fracking," has revolutionized the U.S. energy industry. Cheap natural gas
has become America's top source for electricity, displacing coal and
bringing back jobs toonce-decaying states like Ohio.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/07/16/how-states-are-regulating-fracking-in-maps/
DeSoto County weighing ozone options as it backs business expansions
Also OKs tax breaks for 5 companies
Commercial Appeal
By Henry Bailey
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The DeSoto Board of Supervisors vowed action to meet Environmental
Protection Agency deadlines on an ozone "nonattainment" rating Monday,
while also approving tax breaks to five companies for job growth and
expansions of the sort they say the EPA action could threaten.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jul/17/desoto-county-weighing-ozone-options-as-it-backs/
Air quality issue crucial for jobs
DeSoto Times
By ROBERT LEE LONG
Published: Tuesday, July 17, 2012 1:03 AM CDT
A favorable air quality ranking for northern DeSoto County could ultimately
affect job growth, since industries (otherwise) might have to outfit their
factories and manufacturing plants with expense anti-pollution devices.
http://www.desototimes.com/articles/2012/07/17/news/doc5004a5112c8b7459450601.txt
Recyclables make long journey from curbside to final destination
WLOX
In Harrison County, about 3,000 tons of recyclable materials are expected
to be collected this year alone. That's 3,000 tons of waste that will not
end up in our landfills. Have you ever wondered where all that stuff goes?
http://www.wlox.com/story/19038708/recyclables-make-long-journey-from-curbside-to-final-destination
Dead sea turtle found in Hancock County
WLOX
A dead sea turtle washed up on the beach in Hancock County Monday morning.
Someone on the beach reported the turtle not far the Silver Slipper
campground.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19034706/dead-sea-turtle-found-in-hancock-county
Ethanol fuels controversy for those who fill up frequently
Some say it takes toll on vehicles, machinery
Clarion Ledger
Tommy's Trading Post, by the reservoir, has a lot of people who come in and
fill up their cars, their boats, their ATVs and sometimes just lots of gas
cans.
That's because the gas Tommy's sells is still ethanol-free.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120717/NEWS/207170319/Ethanol-fuels-controversy-those-who-fill-up-frequently
National News
Republican-led House panel keeps 'activist' EPA in its crosshairs
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 07/16/12 04:07 PM ET
Republicans in the House Energy and Commerce Committee say they have more
work to do to "rein in the activist" Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
before the congressional session ends.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/238183-rep-upton-lays-out-house-gop-energy-priorities
GOP leaders slam the door on carbon taxes
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 07/16/12 01:23 PM ET
Capitol Hill's most powerful Republicans say advocates who have been
discussing a carbon tax behind closed doors are wasting their breath.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/238111-boehner-mcconnell-slam-door-on-carbon-taxes
How states are regulating fracking (in maps)
Washington Post
By Brad Plumer , Updated: July 16, 2012
Armed with new drilling techniques, companies are spreading out across the
United States, cracking open shale rock in search of vast new stores of
natural gas. It's not an exaggeration to say that hydraulic fracturing, or
"fracking," has revolutionized the U.S. energy industry. Cheap natural gas
has become America's top source for electricity, displacing coal and
bringing back jobs toonce-decaying states like Ohio.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/07/16/how-states-are-regulating-fracking-in-maps/
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