Oil Spill
BP sued over Deepwater Horizon equipment dispute
Houston Business Journal by Shaina Zucker, Reporter
A Minneapolis-area company is seeking $13 million from BP Plc (NYSE: BP)
for allegedly losing and damaging oil-skimming equipment it rented to clean
up the Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business
Journal reports.
http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/morning_call/2012/08/bp-is-sued-over-equipment-dispute-and.html?s=print
BP Not Out Of The Woods Yet, Sells Carson Refinery For $2.5B To Tesoro
Forbes
Still looking to recover from the disastrous Gulf of Mexico oil spill,BP
announced the sale of its Carson refinery in California for $2.5 billion in
cash on Monday. Tesoro will be buying the refinery along with affiliated
businesses and the ARCO brand, helping BP take its total asset divestitures
to $26.5 billion since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/afontevecchia/2012/08/13/bp-not-out-of-the-woods-yet-sells-carson-refinery-for-2-5b-to-tesoro/
RESTORE money to come from three 'buckets'
Gulf Coast News
Posted: Monday, August 13, 2012 1:42 pm
BY JOHN MULLEN
GULF SHORES — In the past two years, the leaders of Gulf Shores and Orange
Beach have been drawn closer together as the two cities try to cope with
the ongoing recovery from the 2010 BP oil spill.
According to the RESTORE Act, 80 percent of that fine will go to the five
states.
http://www.gulfcoastnewstoday.com/area_news/article_b22e851e-e576-11e1-a509-001a4bcf887a.html
State News
Crew cleaning up site while city looks for prospective buyer
by Associated Press
Published: August 13,2012
VICKSBURG — City crews began work last week to repair drainage and erosion
problems on city land off Fisher Ferry Road.
http://msbusiness.com/2012/08/crew-cleaning-up-site-while-city-looks-for-prospective-buyer/
Options for State Port Expansion Outlined at Gulfport Workshop
MPB
PUBLISHED BY RHONDA MILLER ON 13 AUG 2012 11:11PM
A restoration project using $570 million in federal money is underway at
the state port in Gulfport. But that's just rebuilding from Katrina. As
MPB's Rhonda Miller reports, a proposal for long-term expansion of the port
is adding to concerns in the community.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/options_for_state_port_expansion_outlined_at_gulfport_workshop
Phosphate Holdings reports second-quarter profit of $900,000
Monday, August 13, 2012, 3:33 PM
By April M. Havens, The Mississippi Press
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Phosphate Holdings Inc., owner of Mississippi
Phosphates in Pascagoula, today reported a second-quarter net income of
$0.9 million, or 10 cents per share, compared to a loss of $1.8 million, or
21 cents per share, in the same quarter last year.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-business/2012/08/phosphate_holdings_reports_second-quarter_profit_of_900000.html
National News
Federal appeals court sides with Texas against EPA
AP
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal appeals court ruled Monday that the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency violated the Clean Air Act by rejecting a
Texas program for approving air permits.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-08-13/federal-appeals-court-sides-with-texas-against-epa
Global leaders to press US on biofuels output
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 08/13/12 01:10 PM ET
The United States will come under increasing pressure from global leaders
to change its biofuels policy to alleviate global food concerns, according
toReuters.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/243393-global-leaders-to-press-us-on-biofuels
Press Releases
OSHA issues two educational resources on protecting workers
from mercury exposure in fluorescent bulbs
WASHINGTON – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has
issued two new educational resources to help protect workers from mercury
exposure while crushing and recycling fluorescent bulbs. Compact
fluorescent bulbs are more efficient than incandescent bulbs, but the shift
to energy-saving fluorescents, which contain mercury, calls for more
attention to workers who handle, dispose of, and recycle used fluorescent
bulbs.
The OSHA fact sheet* explains how workers may be exposed, what kinds of
engineering controls and personal protective equipment they need, and how
to use these controls and equipment properly. In addition, a new OSHA Quick
Card* alerts employers and workers to the hazards of mercury and provides
information on how to properly clean up accidentally broken fluorescent
bulbs to minimize workers' exposures to mercury.
Fluorescent bulbs can release mercury and may expose workers when they are
broken accidentally or crushed as part of the routine disposal or recycling
process. Depending on the duration and level of exposure, mercury can cause
nervous system disorders such as tremors, kidney problems, and damage to
unborn children.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are
responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their
employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working
men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training,
education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.
###
EPA and Federal Environmental Executive Honor Federal Electronics
Stewardship Efforts
Award winners have saved $7.8 million
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of the
Federal Environmental Executive are pleased to announce the recipients of
the 2012 Federal Electronics Challenge (FEC) Awards. The 2012 FEC Awards
are being given to 33 federal facilities from ten different federal
agencies. The activities of the winners resulted in $7.8 million savings in
FY2011 and greenhouse gas emissions reductions equivalent to taking 6,000
passenger cars off the road for a year.
This year's FEC award winners include: ten Platinum Awards, five Gold
Awards, ten Silver Awards and eight Bronze Awards. The 2012 FEC Award
winners completed a variety of electronics stewardship activities in fiscal
year 2011, including purchasing more than 105,000 green electronics
registered with EPEAT; enabling power saving sleep features on more than 97
percent of their computers and monitors; and recycling more than 361,000
pounds of electronics.
For the complete list of winners and more information on the FEC Award
requirements:http://www.epa.gov/fec/awards.html#winners
