12.19.12
Oil Spill
Source of persistent Gulf sheen remains a mystery
By The Associated Press
updated December 18, 2012 at 4:25 PM
NEW ORLEANS -- Officials say underwater inspections at the site of BP's
Deepwater Horizon rig disaster have failed to identify the source of a
persistent sheen on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/12/source_of_persistent_gulf_shee.html#incart_river
BP, Coast Guard say 4-day inspection of Macondo well, Deepwater Horizon
debris turns up no oil
By Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated December 18, 2012 at 4:09 PM
A fourth underwater inspection of the BP Macondo well and the underwater
debris field from the Deepwater Horizon explosion and fire found no signs
of oil, news releases issued Tuesday by BP and the U.S. Coast Guard say.
The four-day survey by remotely operated vehicles of the sea floor,
triggered by repeated sightings of oil sheen on the surface at the well
site 50 miles southeast of Venice, was conducted by contractors for BP and
Transocean, the owner of the Deepwater Horizon drillship, under a plan
approved by the Coast Guard.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2012/12/bp_coast_guard_say_4-day_inspe.html
Rig Worker's Father Seeks to Derail $4 Billion BP Deal
Bloomberg
By Laurel Brubaker Calkins and Margaret Cronin Fisk - Dec 18, 2012
The father of a man killed in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig
explosion has asked a U.S. judge to reject BP Plc (BP/)'s $4 billion
criminal plea deal as insufficient.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-18/deepwater-horizon-relative-seeks-to-derail-bp-criminal-plea-1-.html
Judge delays trial for BP Deepwater Horizon rig employees until 2014
By The Associated Press
updated December 18, 2012 at 9:40 PM
NEW ORLEANS ? Two BP rig supervisors charged with manslaughter in the death
of 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon will go on trial in 2014.
http://blog.al.com/wire/2012/12/judge_delays_trial_for_bp_deep.html#incart_river
Offshore drilling regulator calls agency 'powerhouse' enforcer
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 12/18/12 12:34 PM ET
The head federal offshore drilling regulator said his agency's handling of
BP's 2010 Gulf of Mexico disaster shows it is "becoming a powerhouse" with
which industry must reckon.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/273475-offshore-drilling-regulator-agency-becoming-a-powerhouse
State News
'A lot of accusations' yield no action on DMR
Sun Herald
By MICHAEL NEWSOM ? mmnewsom@sunherald.com
BILOXI -- The Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources met for nearly
two-and-a-half hours behind closed doors Tuesday to discuss issues raised
in federal and state probes of the Department of Marine Resources, but
ultimately took no action.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/12/18/4364811/cmr-behind-closed-doors-to-talk.html
CMR goes behind closed doors to discuss audit
WLOX
The federal audit and ongoing state investigation into the DMR was the main
subject of a two hour plus executive session on Tuesday.
http://www.wlox.com/story/20373025/cmr-takes-no-action-after-2-hour-executive-session
Judge Dismisses Challenge to Kemper Power Plant
MPB
BY DANIEL CHERRY | PUBLISHED 18 DEC 2012
A recent court ruling means Mississippi Power Company's 2 point 8 billion
dollar Kemper County power plant is one step closer to having legal
approval. MPB's Daniel Cherry reports, a south Mississippi judge has denied
a challenge of the project.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/763judge_dismisses_challenge_to_kemper_power_plant
After two-year-closure, state lake ready for re-stocking
by Associated Press
Published: December 18,2012
SALTILLO ? It may not look ready, but according to state wildlife
officials, Lake Lamar Bruce is ready to be stocked with fish ? very small
bluegill and redear sunfish as well as catfish fingerlings.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2012/12/18/after-two-year-closure-state-lake-ready-to-be-stocked/
Southaven Mayor Greg Davis indicted on three charges
Commercial Appeal
By Yolanda Jones
Updated 05:20 p.m., December 18, 2012
Southaven Mayor Greg Davis, under fire for more than a year over his use of
city funds and other alleged improprieties, has been indicted by a DeSoto
County grand jury on three counts related to his city-leased vehicle, the
use of city gasoline and a check he received from the city for a personal
expense.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/dec/18/southaven-mayor-davis-indicted/?print=1
National News
EPA Initiating Fewer Civil Enforcement Cases, Prioritizing Larger, More
Complex Cases
Bloomberg
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
The Environmental Protection Agency initiated 3,027 civil enforcement cases
in fiscal year 2012, continuing a downward trend that reflects the agency's
prioritization of large cases, the agency said Dec. 17 while releasing its
annual report on enforcement and compliance.
http://www.bna.com/epa-initiating-fewer-n17179871475/
Calif. Gov. Jerry Brown releases new 'fracking' regulations proposal
By David Siders ? The Sacramento Bee
The Brown administration on Tuesday released draft regulations that would
require oil companies for the first time to disclose where in California
they use hydraulic fracturing, a controversial but little regulated method
of oil extraction.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/12/19/4366448/calif-gov-jerry-brown-releases.html
Old lead factories may stick taxpayers with cleanup costs
Alison Young, USA TODAY6:04a.m. EST December 19, 2012
Making polluters pay for cleanups is a cornerstone of environmental laws.
But in the case of old smelter sites, some firms have either reorganized or
used bankruptcy to shed financial responsibility.
PHILADELPHIA ? Several companies manufactured lead for more than 140 years
at a massive factory surrounded by homes in the city's Port Richmond area:
John T. Lewis & Bros., National Lead, Anzon and others. The factory is long
gone, and tests show dangerous levels of lead in nearby yards ? putting
children at risk of being poisoned by playing in the dirt.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2012/12/19/lead-smelter-cleanup-liabilities/1766747/
Defense bill preserves military biofuels program
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 12/18/12 05:39 PM ET
A House-Senate deal on defense legislation omits a GOP-backed plan to
thwart military purchases of biofuels.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/273575-defense-bill-preserves-military-biofuels-program
Wyden open to moving nuclear waste to interim storage sites
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 12/18/12 04:43 PM ET
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) says he would be open to moving nuclear waste from
high-risk reactors to interim storage sites.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/273551-sen-wyden-take-on-nuclear-waste-storage-raises-hopes-next-congress
NCBA Concerned About EPA Changing Conservation Program
WNAX
National Cattlemen Beef Association officials are concerned about a
possible guideline revision for an important environmental conservation
program administered by the Environmental Protection Agency.
http://wnax.com/NCBA-Concerned-About-EPA-Changing-Conservation-Pro/15066117
Press Releases
ROV wraps up investigation
12/18/2012 03:40 PM EST
NEW ORLEANS ?Remote operated vehicles (ROV) investigating the recurring
sheen near the MC 252 wellhead concluded operations Saturday, Dec. 16,
2012. ROVs inspected the sunken Deepwater Horizon Platform wreckage and the
surrounding area.
No sources of leaking oil were identified. During operations, an
unidentified substance inconsistent with oil was seen emitting from several
areas of the rig wreckage, and samples were collected for further lab
analysis.
"No apparent source of the surface sheen has been discovered by this
effort," said Capt. Duke Walker, Federal On-Scene Coordinator for Deepwater
Horizon. "Next steps are being considered as we await the lab results of
the surface and subsurface samples and more detailed analysis of the video
shot during the mission."
Out of an abundance of caution, the Macondo wellhead was also observed and,
as expected, was found to be secure. On September 19, 2010 the well was
closed off and cemented.
Satellite surveillance will continue to monitor the sheen while future
steps are being considered.
The real time ROV operations were observed remotely by the Coast Guard,
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Bureau of Safety and Environmental
Enforcement, BP, Transocean and state on‐scene coordinators from Louisiana,
Mississippi and Florida. Additionally, the Coast Guard had observers
onboard the Olympic Triton which launched and controlled the ROVs during
the operation.
Video of the ROV inspections will be made available shortly and posted on
www.restorethegulf.gov.
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 is determined to continue
response activities to remove all oil where it is technologically feasible,
environmentally beneficial and safe for workers to perform recovery
operations.
The public is reminded to contact the National Response Center at
1-800-424-8802 to report all pollution incidents or the Coast Guard 8th
District command center at 504-589-6225 in the event of any marine
emergencies.
