Oil Spill
Portion of $4.5 billion BP fine will benefit Mississippi
Sun Herald
A day of reckoning arrived for BP on Thursday as the oil company agreed to
plead guilty to criminal charges and pay a record $4.5 billion in a
settlement with the government over the deadly 2010 Deepwater Horizon
disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Three BP employees also were charged, two
of them with manslaughter.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/11/15/4307601/portion-of-45-billion-bp-fine.html
Miss. Lawmakers Chime in on BP Settlement
SuperTalk
WASHINGTON, D.C.--As the terms of BP's settlement with the United States
becomes clearer, Mississippi's lawmakers in Washington and state leaders
are weighing in.
http://www.supertalk.fm/Miss--Lawmakers-Chime-in-on-BP-Settlement/14805682
Mississippi To Get 335-Million From BP Criminal Settlement
MPB
BY JEFFREY HESS | PUBLISHED 16 NOV 2012 06:02PM
Hundreds of Millions of new dollars are headed to the Mississippi Gulf
coast now that oil company BP has settled its criminal charges with the
federal government. But, as MPB's Jeffrey Hess reports, this settlement is
not the end of the financial penalties the company could face.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/mississippi_to_get_335_million_from_bp_criminal_settlement
Mississippi oystermen discouraged by catch
WLOX
There was a lot of hustle and bustle at the Pass Christian dock Friday
afternoon. Oystermen were busy unloading their catch and several customers
were there to buy fresh sacks straight off the boats. But those in the
oyster industry say it is not as good as it looks.
http://www.wlox.com/story/20122436/mississippi-oystermen-discouraged-by-catch
Families of BP victims see justice in plea deal
Press Register
"It's not about the money."
That was the succinct reaction from Keith Jones to the $4.5 billion plea
agreementstruck between BP and the U.S. Department of Justice to settle
federal criminal charges from the 2010 Gulf oil spill.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/11/families_of_bp_victims_see_jus.html#incart_river
BP settlement a boon to conservation group
Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin,
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation operated on a modest budget in
relative obscurity for nearly three decades. Then it won the lottery.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/bp-settlement-a-boon-to-conservation-group/2012/11/16/ddcb2790-302b-11e2-a30e-5ca76eeec857_story.html
Engineers Deny Charges in BP Spill
Two Who Oversaw Key Safety Test Are Set to Appear in U.S. Court on Seaman's
Manslaughter Counts
Wall Street Journal
In the hours before the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded in 2010,
two BPBP.LN +2.76% engineers made what turned out to be a catastrophic
misjudgment about a critical safety test. Now the men face criminal
charges in a court case starting later this month that experts say will be
a tough test for both the prosecution and defense.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323622904578127173280594296.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5
A big fine _ covered by a quarter's profit. BP gets step closer to moving
beyond Gulf spill
By Associated Press, Published: November 16
BP's $4.5 billion settlement of federal criminal charges announced Thursday
is a record amount, and a significant sum of money.
Or, looked at another way, it's less than the $5.5 billion in profit the
British oil giant made between June and September of this year.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/a-big-fine-_-covered-by-a-quarters-profit-bp-gets-step-closer-to-moving-beyond-gulf-spill/2012/11/16/b20618aa-2fb7-11e2-af17-67abba0676e2_story.html
BP's $4.5 billion settlement of criminal charges includes at least $1.2
billion for Louisiana coastal restoration
Times Picayune
BP entered into a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department on Thursday
of all criminal claims involving the Deepwater Horizon oil spill for $4
billion, to be paid in installments over five years, and a settlement with
the Securities and Exchange Commission that will include the payment of
$525 million over three years. The company also pleaded guilty in U.S.
District Court in New Orleans to 11 felony counts of misconduct or neglect
of ships' officers relating to the loss of 11 lives in the explosion in
April 2010.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2012/11/bp_enters_45_billion_settlemen.html
LA officials agree with fine
Baton Rouge Advocate
New Orleans — Metro area government officials and members of the area's
congressional delegation reacted to BP's record criminal fine for the
Macondo oil well blowout as just punishment, but they are clearly looking
ahead to upcoming civil penalties to address the damage done by the 2010
disaster.
In addition to indicting three BP employees for negligence or obstruction,
the settlement announced Thursday in New Orleans by U.S. Attorney Eric
Holder involves $4.5 billion in penalties and fines, including a $1.25
billion criminal fine.http://theadvocate.com/news/4442699-123/story.html
Attorney General Luther Strange says BP criminal plea strengthens Alabama's
civil case
Press Register
BP PLC's decision to plead guilty to 11 criminal charges related to the
deadly explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig two year ago
strengthens Alabama's hand in pursuing civil fines, Attorney General Luther
Strange said this afternoon.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/11/attorney_general_luther_strang_1.html
Mobile County officials on BP settlement: This is not the end of the story
(updated)
Press Register
MOBILE, Alabama -- Mobile County officials were unsatisfied with the $4.5
billion BP agreed to pay to settle federal criminal charges against the
company for the 2010 Gulf oil spill, but many saw the fine as a start in
the right direction.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/11/mobile_county_officials_on_bp.html
Alabama to get $335 million from BP criminal settlement
Press Register
Alabama will receive about $335 million from thecriminal settlement
announced Thursdaybetween BP and the U.S. Department of Justice, according
to court documents.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/11/alabama_to_get_335_million_fro.html
Gulf Coast officials watching BP criminal settlement outcome
Press register
MOBILE, Alabama -- Recent news of the $335 million Alabama is expected to
receive from the BP criminal settlement has local officials eager to see
how the money will be put to use. Mayors of Orange Beach, Gulf Shores,
Spanish Fort and Dauphin Island are also interested to see how closely they
will be able to work with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in
distributing the money.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/11/post_283.html
BP conduct 'simple' or 'gross' negligence? Answer could mean billions of
dollars
Press Register
The difference between reaping a massive windfall from BP PLC and merely a
large one likely will hinge on the question of how negligent the company's
conduct was during the Gulf of Mexico oil spill two years ago.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/11/bp_conduct_simple_or_gross_neg.html
Even after $4.5-billion oil spill fines, civil trial looms for BP
LA Times
WASHINGTON -- BP has accepted criminal responsibility for the massive oil
spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a move that it said has put the criminal part
of one of the nation's worst environmental disasters in the rear-view
mirror.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-bp-oil-spill-civil-trial-20121116,0,1453194.story
Gulf Coast States at Odds on Penalties for Oil Spill
NY Times
By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON
NEW ORLEANS — With BP's agreement on Thursday to plead guilty to 14
criminal charges and pay $4.5 billion in fines and other payments in
connection with its 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Gulf Coast
politicians are now eyeing a much bigger potential windfall from the
company: $20 billion or more in civil pollution penalties for the spill.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/17/business/energy-environment/gulf-coast-states-at-odds-on-penalties-for-oil-spill.html?_r=0
BP fines an unexpected windfall for Gulf Coast states
USA Today
5:42PM EST November 16. 2012 - WASHINGTON – Alabama, Florida and
Mississippi will each get about $335 million from the criminal settlement
reached Thursday over the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of
Mexico.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2012/11/16/bp-fines-windfall-gulf-coast-states/1710417/
BP Gulf of Mexico Case May Last to 2015 - Report
Dow Jones
British oil giant BP PLC (BP) could remain tangled in litigation over the
Gulf of Mexico oil spill until 2015, the Telegraph reports Sunday.
http://www.foxbusiness.com/news/2012/11/18/bp-gulf-mexico-case-may-last-to-2015-report/
BP Seen Takeover Target After Settlement as Value Trails
Bloomberg
Bob Dudley shrank BP Plc (BP/) to save it.
The onetime Mississippian and current chief executive officer has sold more
than $50 billion of assets to pay the costs of the worst U.S. oil spill in
history in 2010. Rescued from the brink of collapse, Europe's
second-largest oil company is now seen as vulnerable to a takeover.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-11-19/bp-seen-takeover-target-as-valuation-sinks-on-settlement-energy.html
Why $4.5 Billion Doesn't Get BP off the Hook
Bloomberg
BP (BP), as we know, has agreed to an historic settlement with the U.S.
Department of Justice to resolve some more of its liability from the
nation's biggest oil spill ever. The basics seem simple enough: The
London-based energy company will pay $4.5 billion, including a record $1.26
billion criminal fine, to end all criminal charges and settle U.S.
securities claims stemming from the April 2010 Gulf of Mexico blowout that
killed 11 men and spewed an estimated 4.9 million barrels of crude.
This news, however, raises as many questions as it answers. Let's address
some of them.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-11-16/explaining-stuff-you-dont-get-about-the-bp-settlement
Judge recuses herself from manslaughter case against 2 BP rig supervisors
in oil spill case
By Associated Press,
NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge has disqualified herself from presiding over
the Justice Department's case against two BP supervisors charged with
manslaughter in the deaths of 11 workers from the Deepwater Horizon rig
explosion.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/judge-recuses-herself-from-manslaughter-case-against-2-bp-rig-supervisors-in-oil-spill-case/2012/11/16/fe3307b2-3032-11e2-af17-67abba0676e2_story.html
MGCCC students help complete Deepwater Horizon spill display
Sun Herald
GULFPORT -- Students in an honors biology class at Mississippi Gulf Coast
Community College's Jeff Davis campus have helped produce a display about
the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/11/16/4309545/mgccc-students-help-complete-deepwater.html
Dolphin that survived die-off after the oil spill, living at IMMS
Sun Herald
GULFPORT -- A dolphin found alive but stranded near Mobile Bay after the BP
oil spill has survived his ordeal and is now learning to live in captivity.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/11/17/4310892/dolphin-that-survived-die-off.html
State News
Water recycling project 'largest conservation project' in DeSoto history
Excess rainfall, irrigation runoff used for crops
Commercial Appeal
By Henry Bailey
Sunday, November 18, 2012
"I don't know what it takes to flip your wig, but this is a pretty
impressive hole in the ground," said Scott Griffith. It's one that holds
hopes for conserving an ebbing aquifer and easing runoff assaults on the
Gulf Coast.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/nov/18/water-recycling-project-largest-conservation-in/?print=1
National News
EPA operating investigative division in BR
Baton Rouge Advocate
A group of environmental investigators in Baton Rouge has been quietly
working on high-profile pollution cases.
http://theadvocate.com/news/4379036-123/epa-operating-investigative-division-in
Government turns down states' requests to waive ethanol requirements
because of drought
By Associated Press, Published: November 16
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday denied requests
from several governors to waive production requirements for corn-based
ethanol.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/government-turns-down-states-requests-to-waive-ethanol-requirements-because-of-drought/2012/11/16/d41b3924-3008-11e2-af17-67abba0676e2_story.html
Congress demands EPA's secret email accounts
Washington Times
A House committee has launched an investigation into whether EPA
Administrator Lisa Jackson used an email alias to try to hide
correspondence from open-government requests and her agency's own internal
watchdog — something that Republican lawmakers said could run afoul of the
law.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/nov/17/congress-demands-epas-secret-email-accounts/
House Republicans question EPA over secret email accounts
The Hill
By Brendan Sasso - 11/17/12 03:08 PM ET
Republicans on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee have
launched a probe into whether Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Administrator Lisa Jackson has been conducting official business using
secret email accounts.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/268605-republicans-question-epa-over-secret-email-accounts
Drillers Begin Reusing 'Frack Water'
Energy Firms Explore Recycling Options for an Industry That Consumes Water
on Pace With Chicago
Wall Street Journal
By ALISON SIDER, RUSSELL GOLD and BEN LEFEBVRE
Companies are racing to find ways to recycle the water used in hydraulic
fracturing, chasing an emerging market that could be worth billions of
dollars.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203937004578077183112409260.html
Opinion
SUN HERALD | Editorial: Feds should investigate the DMR
It's time for an aggressive federal investigation of the state Department
of Marine Resources. Over the past three weeks, reporter Karen Nelson has
uncovered a troubling pattern of questionable expenditures at the agency,
which is responsible for millions of dollars of public spending through the
myriad grant programs it handles.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/11/17/4309149/sun-herald-editorial-feds-should.html
Press Releases
EPA Appoints New Heads of Two Independent Science Advisory Committees
WASHINGTON – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa
P. Jackson has appointed two engineers to serve as the Chairs of two
independent Federal Advisory Committees, the EPA Science Advisory Board
(SAB) and the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC). Dr. David
Allen, an internationally recognized engineer specializing in air quality
will serve as the SAB Chair, and Dr. H. Christopher Frey, an environmental
engineer expert in quantitative methods for dealing with variability and
uncertainty, will serve as the CASAC Chair. They each will serve a two-year
term.
"At EPA, using the best science available as we work to protect human
health and the environment is critical. I'm honored to appoint Dr. David
Allen and Dr. H. Christopher Frey, who will bring their expertise and
unique talents to the helm of the SAB and CASAC, respectively, and help us
ensure that science remains the backbone of all we do," said EPA
Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "We're grateful to Dr. Deborah Swackhamer,
outgoing SAB chair, and Dr. Jonathan Samet, outgoing CASAC chair, for their
dedicated service and leadership over the past four years."
Dr. David Allen is the Gertz Regents Professor of Chemical Engineering and
the Director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Resources at the
University of Texas (UT) at Austin. As Director of the Center for Energy
and Environmental Resources at UT-Austin and as Director of the Air Quality
Research Program of the State of Texas, he brings extensive leadership
experience to the job.
Dr. H. Christopher Frey is Professor of Civil, Construction, and
Environmental Engineering at North Carolina State University in Raleigh,
NC. He directs a multidisciplinary research program in the broad area of
environmental systems analysis, including development and demonstration of
quantitative methods for risk assessment, technology evaluation, and air
pollutant emissions. Dr. Frey is a past president of the Society for Risk
Analysis.
The SAB and the CASAC are independently chartered Federal Advisory
Committees composed of external scientists and engineers. The SAB provides
advice to the EPA Administrator on the scientific and technical information
being used or proposed as the basis for EPA decisions. The CASAC provides
advice to the EPA Administrator on the technical bases for EPA's standards
for criteria air pollutants.
More information about the SAB: http://www.epa.gov/sab
More information about CASAC: http://www.epa.gov/casac
EPA Keeps Renewable Fuels Levels in Place After Considering State Requests
WASHINGTON---The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced
that the agency has not found evidence to support a finding of severe
"economic harm" that would warrant granting a waiver of the Renewable Fuels
Standard (RFS). The decision is based on economic analyses and modeling
done in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S.
Department of Energy (DOE).
"We recognize that this year's drought has created hardship in some sectors
of the economy, particularly for livestock producers," said Gina McCarthy,
assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. "But our
extensive analysis makes clear that Congressional requirements for a waiver
have not been met and that waiving the RFS will have little, if any,
impact."
To support the waiver decision, EPA conducted several economic analyses.
Economic analyses of impacts in the agricultural sector, conducted with
USDA, showed that on average waiving the mandate would only reduce corn
prices by approximately one percent. Economic analyses of impacts in the
energy sector, conducted with DOE, showed that waiving the mandate would
not impact household energy costs.
EPA found that the evidence and information failed to support a
determination that implementation of the RFS mandate during the 2012-2013
time period would severely harm the economy of a State, a region, or the
United States, the standard established by Congress in the Energy Policy
Act of 2005 (EPAct).
EPAct required EPA to implement a renewable fuels standard to ensure that
transportation fuel sold in the United States contains a minimum volume of
renewable fuel. A waiver of the mandate requires EPA, working with USDA and
DOE, to make a finding of "severe economic harm" from the RFS mandate
itself.
This is the second time that EPA has considered an RFS waiver request. In
both cases, analysis concluded that that the mandate did not impose severe
harm. In 2008, the state of Texas was denied a waiver.
More information: http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/renewablefuels/notices.htm
