Oil Spill
New BP claims boss is a stark contrast to Ken Feinberg (gallery)
Wednesday, August 08, 2012, 5:57 PM
Press Register
By George Talbot
MOBILE, Alabama -- "This is not the Feinberg operation."
So said U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, by way of introducing Patrick Juneau.
Juneau is the Louisiana lawyer appointed to replace Ken Feinberg as
administrator of the claims process for the 2010 Gulf oil spill.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/08/new_bp_claims_boss_is_a_stark.html
DOJ: No contempt of court after spill by Salazar
AP
NEW ORLEANS — Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar should not be held
in contempt of court for issuing a second moratorium on deep water drilling
following BP's Gulf of Mexico oil spill, a federal attorney argued on
Wednesday.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/viewart/20120809/NEWS01/208090319/DOJ-No-contempt-court-after-spill-by-Salazar
State News
MDEQ Offers County Financial Aid For Storm Cleanup
Daily Times Leader
08/09/2012 - 8:46am
Surprise, surprise. With all the praying and digging for extra cash to
support operations in the county, Clay County supervisors were shocked
Tuesday to find out they may soon have their hands on nearly $65,000 in
state funds to pay for tornado clean up.
http://www.dailytimesleader.com/content/mdeq-offers-county-financial-aid-storm-cleanup
Disaster recovery grant aids county
August 2, 2012
By Russell Hood The Webster Progress-Times
WALTHALL — Webster County officials accepted a check last week to help
offset costs of recovery from the massive tornado that swept through the
area 15 months ago. Contract employee Bill Barnett of the Mississippi
Department of Environmental Quality presented the $303,673.90 check to the
Board of Supervisors on July 26.
http://webster.winstonnewsonline.com/2012/08/02/disaster-recovery-grant-aids-county/
Conservation Officials Look to Farmers to Fight Gulf Dead Zones
MPB
PUBLISHED BY DANIEL CHERRY ON 08 AUG 2012 07:28PM
New research shows low oxygen levels in the Gulf of Mexico this summer have
created more than hundred square miles of dead zone. MPB's Daniel Cherry
reports how the solution to the problem lies hundreds of miles up the
Mississippi River.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/4938
Gulf Drilling Hearings Taking Place In Jackson
MPB
PUBLISHED BY JEFFREY HESS ON 08 AUG 2012 05:02PM
The future of oil and gas drilling leases in the Mississippi Gulf iscenter
stage at a hearing in Jackson today. MPB's Jeffrey Hess reports
environmental groups are claiming rules that allow for oil and gas seismic
testing, drilling, and production were improperly set up and should be
thrown out.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/gulf_drilling_hearings_taking_place_in_jackson
Opponents claim Mississippi officials wrote rules favoring offshore
drilling
Wednesday, August 08, 2012, 7:30 PM
By The Associated Press
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Opponents say Mississippi officials stacked the
deck in favor of offshore natural gas drilling when they wrote rules to
allow it.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/08/opponents_claim_mississippi_of.html
Apply for DEQ enHance grants
Special to The Clinton News
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality is accepting
applications for its enHance program through Oct. 15.
http://www.clintonnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120809/LIFE/208090311/-1/NEWS01/Apply-for-DEQ-enHance-grants
Hinds, Jackson win DEQ grants
Special to The Clinton News
Hinds County and the city of Jackson are both winners of grants from the
state Department of Environmental Quality.
http://www.clintonnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120809/LIFE/208090310/-1/NEWS01/Hinds--Jackson-win-DEQ-grants
Fulton scraps curbside recycling idea
Itawamba County Times
by Adam Armour/Staff Writer
08.04.12 - 06:00 am
Fulton leaders have trashed their idea of adopting a citywide curbside
recycling program.
Although the members of the Fulton Board of Aldermen had been discussing,
off and on, the possibility of providing curbside recycling pickup to area
residents, the board officially decided against the idea during their most
recent meeting.
http://itawamba360.com/view/full_story/19638654/article-Fulton-scraps-curbside-recycling-idea?instance=secondary_stories_left_column
Prescription Drug Take Back
Fox 40
The Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics is holding a prescription drug take
back day at diffferent agencies across the state.
http://www.fox40tv.com/news/local/story/Prescription-Drug-Take-Back/f2sP8z_HQU2gNJvRJ-xcEg.cspx
Authorities to help dispose of prescription drugs
TheJacksonChannel.Com
updated 8/8/2012 11:17:08 AM ET
The Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics is teaming up with several sheriff and
police departments to help dispose of unneeded medications in what is
billed as "Prescription Drug Take Back Day."
Residents can take medications they don't need for safe disposal Thursday
between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The drugs can be dropped off at sheriff's
departments in Amite, Clay, Forrest, Kemper, Panola and Rankin counties.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48570369/ns/local_news-jackson_ms/#.UCO_I038u4J
National News
Livestock farmers seek pause in ethanol production
Published: August 9, 2012
By JIM ABRAMS — Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Livestock farmers and ranchers seeing their feed costs rise
because of the worst drought in a quarter-century are demanding that the
Environmental Protection Agency waive production requirements for
corn-based ethanol.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/08/09/4114990/livestock-farmers-seek-pause-in.html
Fracking: What is it, and Is it Safe?
BY: JENNY MARDER
PBS
In a three-part series that airs on the NewsHour this week, Ray Suarez and
producer Merrill Schwerin have taken a sweeping look at the impact of
energy production and usage. They've covered the switch from coal to
natural gas in Colorado and the debate it's set off between industry
groups. They've covered a fight by environmentalists to save fragile land
in Eastern Utah from drilling. And they've brought us the "boomtown" of
Williston, North Dakota transformed by the discovery of oil.
In tonight's piece, Ray looks at the rise of natural gas. One key part of
that story is hydrauling fracturing or fracking, the process of extracting
natural grass from shale rock layers deep within the earth. To give you the
who's and when's and what's of the process, plus all of the debate
surrounding it, we've compiled this Storify post.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/08/fracking-is-it-safe.html
U.S. starts landmark Agent Orange cleanup in Vietnam
AP
DANANG, Vietnam – The United States began a landmark project Thursday to
clean up a dangerous chemical left from the defoliant Agent Orange— 50
years after American planes first sprayed it on Vietnam's jungles to
destroy enemy cover.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/story/2012-08-09/agent-orange-vietnam/56899152/1
Press Releases
Lower Mississippi River resource assessment open house scheduled
MEMPHIS, Tenn., Aug. 7, 2012 - The Memphis District, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, in conjunction with other project partners, will hold an
information open house on the Lower Mississippi River Resource Assessment
(LMRRA) on Tues., Aug. 14, 2012, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Vicksburg
Convention Center, 1500 Mulberry St., Vicksburg, Miss. The purpose of the
meeting is to inform the public about the project and to receive their
input to help direct the project team.
The Water Resources Development Act of 2000 directed the Corps of Engineers
to conduct three assessments on the Lower Mississippi River. This first is
an assessment of information needed for river-related management.
A second assessment will consider natural habitat needs and a third will
look at needs for river-related recreation and access.
Other partners in the LMRRA include The Nature Conservancy, the Lower
Mississippi River Conservation Committee, Mississippi River Corridor -
Tennessee, the National Audubon Society, Delta Wildlife and Wildlife
Mississippi.
For additional information on this open house or the LMMRA project please
contact Marsha Raus at (901) 544-3455.
-30-
