Oil Spill
Environmental group sues EPA over dispersants used during Gulf oil spill
Published: Monday, August 06, 2012, 11:07 PM
By Bruce Alpert, Times-Picayune
WASHINGTON -- Citing continued doubts about the effect of nearly 2 million
gallons of chemical dispersants used during the 2010 BP oil spill, a
coalition of environmental and public health groups filed suit Monday to
force the Environmental Protect Agency to develop new standards for future
use. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2012/08/environmental_group_sues_epa_o.html
Environmentalists sue EPA, want more testing of dispersants
WWL
NEW ORLEANS -- The BP oil spill was a history making catastrophe, and some
say it's not necessarily over.
http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/Environmentalists-sue-EPA-want-more-testing-of-dispersants-165220886.html
State News
DeSoto County appeals EPA ruling on ozone levels
Commercial Appeal
By Yolanda Jones
Monday, August 6, 2012
DeSoto County is challenging the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's
decision to group the county with Memphis on ozone levels.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/aug/06/desoto-county-appeals-epa-ruling-on-ozone-levels/?print=1
How a pile of rocks could save the Gulf of Mexico
WLOX
We've all heard of the ever expanding dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico, an
area almost devoid of oxygen where almost nothing lives. A new experiment
being conducted by researchers at Mississippi State could reduce the size
of the dead zone in the future. And it's being done with something as
simple as rocks.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19207585/a-pile-of-rocks-could-save-the-gulf-of-mexico
Officials say Kemper power plant cost overruns may not raise rates
Monday, August 06, 2012, 5:11 PM
By The Associated Press
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Lower interest rates and higher sales of byproducts
could allow Mississippi Power Co. to make up for higher costs at the power
plant it's building in Kemper County.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/08/officials_say_kemper_power_pla.html
MDEQ issues advisory for Hanging Moss Creek in Jackson
Fox 40
JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
issued a temporary water contact advisory Monday for a section of Hanging
Moss Creek in Jackson. The advisory is issued due to a broken 10 inch
gravity wastewater line at Sheffield Drive and Ridgewood Road. The
advisory extends from the Hanging Moss Creek bridge at I-55 to the
confluence with the Pearl River.
http://www.fox40tv.com/news/local/story/MDEQ-issues-advisory-for-Hanging-Moss-Creek-in/RTmpRRbdTEWJdRH7E2UbKA.cspx
Water contact advisory for Hanging Moss Creek
WLBT
Jackson residents are being warned to avoid contact with the water in
Hanging Moss Creek.
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality issued a temporary
advisory Monday after a break in a 10-inch wastewater line at Sheffield
Drive and Ridgewood Road.
http://www.wlbt.com/story/19207999/mdeq-issues-warnign-for-hanging-moss-creek
Bryant: Jobs the 'centerpiece' of port expansion plans
WLOX
Local and state officials continue to raise questions and concerns over the
lack of progress on the $600 million Port of Gulfport expansion project. So
on Monday morning, Gov. Phil Bryant came to South Mississippi and met port
officials. He wanted to give his opinion on where the port is and what he
expects in the future.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19203815/bryant-jobs-the-centerpiece-of-port-expansion-plans
National News
U.S. business group challenges EPA mercury rule
Reuters
WASHINGTON, Aug 6 (Reuters) - The biggest U.S. business lobby group said
Monday it has petitioned a federal appeals court to invalidate
environmental regulations it claims will lead to sweeping electricity
blackouts by forcing coal-fired power plants to close.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/08/06/coal-epa-idINL2E8J6CKN20120806
Fracking Linked to `Small' Earthquakes, Scientist Says
Bloomberg
Fracking may cause more earthquakes than initially thought, according to an
article in this week's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-08-06/fracking-linked-to-small-earthquakes-scientist-says
Report: Farm subsidies contribute to wetland damage
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 08/06/12 02:47 PM ET
Crop insurance subsidies from the federal government have contributed to
the loss of wetlands, threatening wildlife and water quality, according to
a report released Monday.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/242355-report-farm-subsidies-contribute-to-wetland-damage
Keystone XL pipeline may threaten aquifer that irrigates much of the
central U.S.
Washington Post
By Steven Mufson,
LINCOLN, NEB. — Jane Kleeb is a savvy activist who, Nebraska's Republican
governor once said, "has a tendency to shoot her mouth off most days." A
Florida native who moved to Nebraska in 2007 after marrying a rancher
active in Democratic politics, she did as much as anyone to bring the
massive Keystone XL crude oil pipeline to a halt last year.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/keystone-xl-pipeline-may-threaten-aquifer-that-irrigates-much-of-the-central-us/2012/08/06/7bf0215c-d4db-11e1-a9e3-c5249ea531ca_story.html
Opinion
Doubts about oil dispersants used after BP spill: An editorial
Published: Monday, August 06, 2012, 7:40 AM
By Editorial page staff, The Times-Picayune
The oil that poured into the Gulf of Mexico from the BP well two years ago
is only part of the pollution from that disaster; exploring the long-term
effects of chemical dispersants is also critical.
http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2012/08/doubts_about_oil_dispersants_u.html
Press Releases
EPA Announces Funding for Research to Improve Air Quality, Protect Health
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded five
grants totaling almost $2 million to academic institutions for research on
innovative processes to further improve air quality in the U.S. and help
track the effectiveness of pollution control measures. Pollutants such as
ozone and fine particles are linked to a variety of serious health effects,
including aggravation of asthma and other lung diseases, heart attacks,
increased hospital admissions and medication use, and premature death.
The grants announced today are focused on generating better data and tools
to enable regulatory authorities to more effectively ensure that the air we
breathe is healthy. The information gathered through this new research will
help inform policy decisions that affect air quality, including the way
states and cities address short-term air quality challenges.
"These grants will encourage innovative solutions for incorporating new
information, technology advances, and current scientific understanding into
air quality management," says Bob Kavlock, deputy assistant administrator
for EPA's Office of Research and Development. "This research will help
improve our efforts to respond quickly to short-term air pollution issues
such as heat waves or seasonal impacts on air quality."
The funding covers projects that will examine links between short-term air
pollution drivers and existing management strategies, development of
decision-making models, and air quality forecasting techniques. The five
grantees include:
• University at Albany-SUNY, Albany, N.Y., will help incorporate short-term
forecasts of emissions from electricity generation and traffic into
modeling and air quality forecasts.
• University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, will include the design and
testing of innovative methods to link electricity generation and emissions
pricing for the prevention of air pollution episodes.
• Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Ga., will develop a system for
estimating and minimizing the impacts of prescribed burning on air quality,
particularly in Georgia.
• Texas A&M University-Kingsville, Kingsville, Texas, will address the
issues of multi-pollutant air quality management and develop integrated
decision-making models for air quality policy making.
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, N.C., will
develop new tools for linking air quality modeling and forecasting with
forecasts of electricity demand.
These grants are part of EPA's Science to Achieve Results (STAR) program,
which supports human health, ecology, economics, and engineering sciences
through grants, centers, and fellowships. EPA provides air quality and
environmental information to the public through websites including AIRNow,
Window to My Environment, and Envirofacts. These tools help educate the
public and increase their participation in decisions that affect air
quality.
More information on the grantees: http://www.epa.gov/ncer/dynair
More information on the EPA's STAR program: http://www.epa.gov/ncer
More information on AIRNow: http://www.airnow.gov
More information on Window to My Environment:
http://www.epa.gov/enviro/wme/
More information on Envirofacts: http://www.epa.gov/enviro/
