11/30/12
Oil Spill
Coast Guard approves underwater inspection of BP well, Deepwater Horizon
wreckage for oil
Times Picayune
The Coast Guard announced Thursday that it has approved another
investigation of the BP Macondo wellhead and nearby wreckage of the
Deepwater Horizon drillship to determine if they may be the source of a
recurring sheen at the site. The plan by BP and Transocean, owner of the
ship, was submitted by the companies on Nov. 9, after the sheen was
reported to the Coast Guard's National Response Center by Bonny Schumaker,
founder of the California-based non-profit On Wings of Care, after she flew
over the area.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2012/11/coast_guard_approves_underwate.html
BP engineer says government records should exonerate him in spill case
WWL
NEW ORLEANS - When federal prosecutors investigated BP for lying about how
much oil was coming out of its ruptured Gulf well in April 2010, the first
person they charged with obstruction was BP engineer Kurt Mix.
http://www.wwltv.com/news/eyewitness/davidhammer/BP-engineer-says-government-records-should-exonerate-him-in-spill-case-181431011.html
Louisiana lining up major restoration projects to build with BP oil spill
fine money
Times Picayune
Louisiana officials are scrambling to prepare plans for dozens of coastal
restoration projects in anticipation of the arrival of billions of dollars
in BP oil spill fine money, the state Coastal Protection and Restoration
Authority was told Wednesday.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2012/11/louisiana_lining_up_major_rest.html
Lifting BP ban will be more than simple agreement-US source
Reuters
Thu, Nov 29 2012
By Timothy Gardner
WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - U.S. officials were surprised that BP Plc
suggested an agreement would soon be ready to lift a suspension imposed
this week on the company's obtaining new federal contracts, a government
source said on Thursday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/29/usa-bp-suspension-idUSL1E8MTABB20121129
BP Caught Off Guard
Wall Street Journal
When U.S. authorities said they were temporarily suspendingBP BP.LN -0.09%
from new contracts with the Federal government due to a "lack of business
integrity" demonstrated by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, there were
strong indications that BP had been caught off guard.
http://blogs.wsj.com/source/2012/11/29/bp-caught-off-guard/
State News
Kemper coal plant: Report disputes price tag, completion date
Clarion Ledger
A new report estimates the costs of building Mississippi Power's
customer-subsidized Kemper coal plant could balloon to $3 billion or more,
and questions the company's statements that it is 70-percent complete and
on schedule to open in May 2014.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20121130/NEWS01/311300053/Kemper-coal-plant-Report-disputes-price-tag-completion-date?odyssey=tab|
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City ponders fate of rapidly shrinking landfill
Commercial Dispatch
Jeff Clark
November 29, 2012 10:08:51 AM
The City of Columbus will soon have to a face decision regarding the
dumping of waste in its landfill. A recent study by Neel-Schaffer
Engineering shows the landfill will run out of space within three years.
http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=20652&TRACKER=1
Group aims to keep county beautiful
Magee Courier
BY DAVID MINSKY
Wednesday, November 28, 2012 11:53 AM CST
There are two ways to keep Simpson?County free from roadside trash: stop
littering or pick up the trash already there.
http://www.mageecourier-countynews.com/articles/2012/11/29/headlines/headlines03.txt
New Hampshire firm buys assets of failed Senatobia solar panel business
Commercial Appeal
By Ron Maxey
Thursday, November 29, 2012
A New Hampshire firm has purchased the assets of a failed solar panel
venture in Senatobia and doesn't intend to take over the company's contract
with Mississippi that provided nearly $26 million in loans.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/nov/29/new-hampshire-firm-buys-assets-of-failed-solar/?print=1
National News
Pledges to fight global warming inadequate, U.S. off track: study
Alister Doyle and Marton Kruppa
Reuters
DOHA (Reuters) - Major nations' policies are inadequate to limit global
warming and the United States is off track even in carrying out its weak
pledge to limit greenhouse gas emissions, a scientific scorecard showed on
Friday.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/sns-rt-us-climate-talks-emittersbre8at0ja-20121130,0,4733521.story
GOP lawmakers float resolution to keep carbon tax grounded
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 11/29/12 02:34 PM ET
Two conservative Republicans want to ensure that carbon tax proposals never
see the light of day in Congress.
Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) and Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kan.) said Thursday that
they're seeking support for a resolution declaring that a carbon tax would
be economically harmful.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/270141-vitter-pompeo-float-resolution-to-ensure-carbon-tax-stays-grounded
Senate passes amendment allowing biofuel refinery construction
The Hill
By Zack Colman and Ramsey Cox - 11/29/12 01:25 PM ET
The Senate passed an amendment to the defense bill Thursday that would
strike the prohibition on biofuel refinery construction.
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/270133-senate-passes-amendment-allowing-biofuel-refinery-construction
Poll: Most favor stronger soot rules
The HIll
By Zack Colman - 11/29/12 01:22 PM ET
Most voters want the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to move forward
with stricter soot regulations, though some are skittish about how those
rules would affect the economy, according to a poll released Thursday.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/270127-poll-most-favor-stronger-soot-rules
Senate Democrats push EPA to move quickly on sulfur in gasoline
Houston Chronicle
More than a dozen Senate Democrats on Thursday urged the Obama
administration to slash the amount of smog-forming sulfur emissions from
gasoline over the objections of the oil industry and many congressional
Republicans.
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2012/11/29/senate-democrats-push-epa-to-move-quickly-on-sulfur-in-gasoline/
Five year farm bill gets new life
Politco
By: David Rogers
November 29, 2012 05:36 PM EST
House and Senate farm bill leaders edged closer Thursday, joined in a last
ditch effort —together with Agriculture Secy. Tom Vilsack—to put in place a
new five-year plan before the end of this Congress.
http://www.politico.com/story/2012/11/five-year-farm-bill-gets-new-life-84420.html?hp=r3
AAA warns E15 gasoline could cause car damage
USA Today
1:01AM EST November 30. 2012 - The AAA says the Environmental Protection
Agency and gasoline retailers should halt the sale of E15, a new ethanol
blend that could damage millions of vehicles and void car warranties.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/11/30/aaa-e15-gas-harm-cars/1735793/
Grand Canyon 70 million years old, formed during era of dinosaurs, new
study claims
Washington Post
By Joel Achenbach
To stand on the South Rim and gaze into the Grand Canyon is to behold an
awesome immensity of time. The serpentine Colorado River has relentlessly
incised a 280-mile-long chasm that in some places stretches 18 miles wide
and more than a mile deep. Visitors to Grand Canyon National Park will
encounter an exhibit titled the Trail of Time, and learn that scientists
believe the canyon is about 6 million years old — relatively young by
geological standards.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/grand-canyon-70-million-years-old-formed-during-era-of-dinosaurs-new-study-claims/2012/11/29/5788b9d0-3a45-11e2-b01f-5f55b193f58f_story.html
Press Releases
Coast Guard approves plan for ROV reinspection
11/23/2012 02:14 PM EST
NEW ORLEANS - BP and Transocean have received approval from the Coast Guard
to proceed with another ROV investigation of the Deepwater Horizon wreckage
and wellhead site after a sheen was reported by BP on November 2 and
verified by satellite imagery. A joint plan to determine the source of a
surface sheen was submitted by the companies on November 9 for review by
the Coast Guard.
The plan calls for ROV's to inspect potential sources of oil in the
vicinity of the Deepwater Horizon wellhead and rig wreckage to address the
sheen that persists in the area. The mission is scheduled to commence on 3
December under US Coast Guard oversight.
In addition, Captain Duke Walker, Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC) for
the Deepwater Horizon oil spill response, tasked BP and Transocean with
developing a comprehensive array of options for permanent remediation of
oil that could still be contained within wreckage in the vicinity of the
original Deepwater Horizon incident.
A sheen was also discovered back on 16 September, BP undertook ROV
operations in October and discovered the containment dome was leaking oil.
Another ROV operation was conducted to cap a containment dome leaks. No
further oil emissions from the containment dome were observed after the cap
and plugs were put in place. Video, taken Oct. 25, displaying the capping
of the containment dome and plugging of the connection ports on the sides
and top of the structure.
The FOSC is also releasing video taken on Thursday, October 25, 2012
showing the successful capping of the cofferdam and plugging of the
connection ports on the sides and top of the structure. The cap and plugs
were successfully put in place and no further oil emissions from the
containment dome were observed. The video can be viewed at:
ROV video Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE4WuCcpR1I&feature=youtu.be
ROV video Part 2 https://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php?g2_itemId=1835234
The Gulf Coast Incident Management Team remains committed to the continued
cleanup of the Gulf Coast and all shorelines affected as a result of the
Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion. The FOSC will continue response
activities to remove all oil where it is technologically feasible,
environmentally beneficial and safe for workers to perform recovery
operations.
To report all pollution incidents contact the National Response Center at
1-800-424-8802 or the Coast Guard 8th District command center at
504-589-6225 in the event of any marine emergencies.
