Oil Spill
Justice Department asks judge to require BP to produce documents showing
how it low-balled oil flow
By Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated January 31, 2013 at 7:30 AM
The Justice Department on Wednesday asked a federal judge in New Orleans to
require BP to produce documents that outline how it low-balled the amount
of oil flowing into the Gulf of Mexico from its Macondo well in 2010.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/01/justice_asks_federal_judge_to.html
U.S. Seeks to Lift BP Attorney Privilege on Spill Papers
Bloomberg
By Laurel Brubaker Calkins - Jan 31, 2013
BP Plc (BP/)'s exploration unit no longer has legal grounds to withhold
from the U.S. documents detailing its calculations for the oil flow rate
during the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill, prosecutors said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-30/bp-s-plea-said-to-remove-spill-records-attorney-privilege.html
State News
Gulfport residents question port's plan for 33rd Street property
WLOX
The Isaiah Fredericks Community Center in Gulfport was packed with dozens
of residents Tuesday night. Each was wanting to hear more about the idea to
utilize an inland port property on 33rd Street.
http://www.wlox.com/story/20808560/gulfport-residents-question-ports-plan-for-33rd-street-property
Oil cleanup resumes at leaky Mississippi River barge, traffic resumes
cautiously
By The Associated Press
updated January 31, 2013 at 8:04 AM
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Water vessels were moving cautiously Thursday
through a section of the Mississippi River where a barge was leaking oil as
Coast Guard officials attempted to ease the economic impact of shutting
down one of the nation's vital commerce routes.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/01/oil_cleanup_resumes_at_leaky_m.html#incart_river
Guice: DMR working to regain public's trust
Sun Herald
By KAREN NELSON — klnelson@sunherald.com
BILOXI -- Changes are in the works at the Mississippi Department of Marine
Resources, said interim Director Danny Guice Jr., who acknowledged this
week the agency has lost the public's trust.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/01/30/4438343/guice-dmr-working-to-regain-publics.html
Sun Herald wins President's Award from McClatchy Co.
SUN HERALD
SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- The McClatchy Co. announced Wednesday the Sun Herald
has won one of its President's Awards for journalism excellence in 2012.
The company recognized the Sun Herald and five of its journalists -- Karen
Nelson, Anita Lee, Paul Hampton, Michael Newsom and John Fitzhugh -- for
their investigative reporting on the state Department of Marine Resources.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/01/30/4437434/sun-herald-wins-presidents-award.html
Public Service Commission in crosshairs
Clarion Ledger
A festering power struggle between the Mississippi Rural Water Association
and the state Public Service Commission could hand public utilities more
freedom but leave customers without protection.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130131/NEWS010504/301310055/Public-Service-Commission-crosshairs
Lawmakers push bill for Kemper power settlement
By The Associated Press
updated January 30, 2013 at 5:57 PM
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Lawmakers are advancing a proposal to let
Mississippi Power Co. sell bonds to cover expenses above $2.4 billion at
the Kemper County power plant the company is building.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/01/lawmakers_push_bill_for_kemper.html#incart_river
Eagle Scout project focuses on recycling
Brandon youth helping wildlife
Special to Rankin Ledger
Abandoned fishing line can harm birds, fish and other wildlife, and a new
program makes it easy for fishermen at the Ross Barnett Reservoir to
dispose of unwanted line.
http://www.rankinledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130129/NEWS/301290003/-1/NEWS01/Eagle
+Scout+project+focuses+on+recycling
PERS chief: Spread '13th check'
Cost of living hike would be monthly
Clarion Ledger
The annual three percent cost-of-living adjustment for retired state
employees, referred to as the 13th check, should be changed to a monthly
increase for future retirees, the executive director of the state Public
Employees' Retirement System said Wednesday.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130131/NEWS010504/301310049/PERS-chief-Spread-13th-check-
National News
EPA moves to ban D-Con brand mouse and rat control products
By Associated Press,
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency is moving to ban the sale
of a dozen rat and mouse poisons sold under the popular D-Con brand in an
effort to protect children and pets.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/apnewsbreak-epa-moves-to-ban-d-con-brand-mouse-and-rat-control-products/2013/01/30/997bab8a-6b06-11e2-9a0b-db931670f35d_story.html
Gina McCarthy not discussing EPA plans
Politico
Andrew Restuccia
January 31, 2013 04:35 AM EST
Environmental Protection Agency air chief Gina McCarthy was mum Wednesday
when asked whether she is gunning to replace Lisa Jackson as head of the
agency.
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/01/mccarthys-not-sharing-plans-to-pursue-epa-chief-86957.html?hp=l18
Dems to Obama: Pick EPA chief with 'vision,' use 'available tools' on
climate
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 01/30/13 11:11 AM ET
Several Senate committee chairmen and other Democrats are urging President
Obama to appoint a new Environmental Protection Agency Administrator with
"both a vision and demonstrated record of working to safeguard our children
and families."
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/280087-dems-to-obama-pick-epa-chief-with-vision-use-available-tools-on-climate
Delayed auto pollution rules land at White House for review
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 01/30/13 09:25 AM ET
The White House has begun a review of delayed Environmental Protection
Agency rules that will require lower pollution from gasoline and vehicles.
EPA, which had earlier planned to finalize the regulations in 2012, sent
draft rules to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for
review on Tuesday.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/280053-long-awaited-auto-pollution-rules-land-at-white-house-for-review
Opinion
SUN HERALD | Editorial: D'Iberville deserves public airing of contract
T he residents of D'Iberville deserve a public airing of the revelation
that the D'Iberville City Council didn't know about a contract with
Maxwell-Walker Consulting Group that would net the firm a $180,000 finder's
fee for a BP grant for D'Iberville.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/01/30/4437918/sun-herald-editorial.html
SUN HERALD | Editorial: Transparency should be a priority for public
officials
Readers of the Sun Herald will not be surprised to learn that the Sunshine
Review, which collects and shares information about state and local
government transparency, has rated Mississippi one of the least transparent
states in the nation.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/01/29/4435516/sun-herald-editorial-transparency.html
Press Releases
36th Annual Joint Meeting of Southeast U.S.-Japan and Japan/U.S. Southeast
Associations to be held in November in Biloxi, Miss.
Biloxi, Miss. - Governor Phil Bryant announced today the state of
Mississippi will host the 36th Annual Joint Meeting of the Southeast U.S. –
Japan and Japan/U.S. Southeast Associations. The meeting will be held
November 17-19, 2013, at the Beau Rivage Resort in Biloxi, Miss.
The Southeast U.S. – Japan and Japan/U.S. Southeast Associations,
collectively known as SEUS-Japan, were established in 1975 to promote
trade, investment, understanding and friendship between Japan and the
organization's southeastern U.S. member states. Member states include
Mississippi, which joined the association in 2007, Alabama, Florida,
Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
The associations' annual joint meeting attracts more than 300 Japanese and
southeastern U.S. business leaders, government officials and economic
development professionals each year and provides opportunities to
strengthen investment and trade relationships between the two regions.
"Mississippi has been a proud member of SEUS-Japan since 2007, and we are
delighted to be hosting this year's SEUS-Japan joint meeting," Governor
Bryant said. "Mississippi is already home to leading Japanese businesses
such as Nissan and Toyota, and this event will allow us to pursue new
investment and trade opportunities with our Japanese counterparts and
showcase our beautiful Gulf Coast. I thank Biloxi Mayor A.J. Holloway and
the Mississippi Gulf Coast for welcoming our guests in November and for
hosting this important event."
During the 2013 meeting, government officials, business leaders and
economic development professionals from Mississippi and the other six
southeast U.S. member states will have opportunities to discuss investment
and trade opportunities with participating Japanese business executives.
The theme of the 2013 event is "Success through Harmony, Tradition and
Innovation."
William Yates, president and chief executive officer of Mississippi-based
Yates Construction, will serve as the meeting's private sector co-chairman
alongside co-chairman Atsutoshi Nishida, chairman of the board of Toshiba
Corporation.
"This event is an excellent opportunity for Mississippi to join together
with our southeastern neighbors and Japanese counterparts in order to
strengthen our ties, celebrate our successes and continue to encourage
future success through innovation," said Yates.
"Mississippi's involvement with SEUS-Japan allows us to grow our existing
relationship with Japan, our state's largest source of foreign direct
investment," said Brent Christensen, executive director of the Mississippi
Development Authority (MDA). "I am proud our state is this year's host, and
I encourage Mississippi business leaders and economic development
professionals interested in trade and investment opportunities with Japan
to make plans now to join us in Biloxi in November."
More information about the 2013 SEUS-Japan joint meeting can be found at
www.seusjapan2013.org.
EPA Moves to Ban 12 D-Con Mouse and Rat Control Products / Action Will
Prevent Thousands of Accidental Exposures Among Children Each Year
Release Date: 01/30/2013
Contact Information: Dale Kemery (News media only) kemery.dale@epa.gov
202-564-7839 202-564-4355; EN ESPAÑOL: Lina Younes younes.lina@epa.gov
202-564-9924 202-564-4355
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving to ban the
sale of 12 D-Con mouse and rat poison products produced by Reckitt
Benckiser Inc. because these products fail to comply with current EPA
safety standards. Approximately 10,000 children a year are accidentally
exposed to mouse and rat baits; EPA has worked cooperatively with companies
to ensure that products are both safe to use around children and effective
for consumers. Reckitt Benckiser Inc., maker of D-Con brand products, is
the only rodenticide producer that has refused to adopt EPA's safety
standards for all of its consumer use products.
"Moving forward to ban these products will prevent completely avoidable
risks to children, said James Jones, acting assistant administrator for
EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. "With this
action, EPA is ensuring that the products on the market are both safe and
effective for consumers."
The agency has worked with a number of companies during the last five years
to develop safer rodent control products that are effective, affordable,
and widely available to meet the needs of consumers. Examples of products
meeting EPA safety standards include Bell Laboratories' Tomcat products, PM
Resources' Assault brand products and Chemsico's products.
The EPA requires rodenticide products for consumer use to be contained in
protective tamper-resistant bait stations and prohibits pellets and other
bait forms that cannot be secured in bait stations. In addition, the EPA
prohibits the sale to residential consumers of products containing
brodifacoum, bromadiolone, difethialone, and difenacoum because of their
toxicity to wildlife.
For companies that have complied with the new standards in 2011, EPA has
received no reports of children being exposed to bait contained in bait
stations. EPA expects to see a substantial reduction in exposures to
children when the 12 D-Con products that do not comply with current
standards are removed from the consumer market as millions of households
use these products each year.
For a complete list of the homeowner use rat and mouse products that meet
the EPA's safety standards, visit:
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/mice-and-rats/rodent-bait-station.html.
For a complete list of Reckitt Benckiser Inc.'s non-compliant products,
visit:
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/mice-and-rats/cancellation-process.html#cancellation
.
The EPA's final Notice of Intent to Cancel will be available in the EPA
docket EPA-HQ-OPP-2013-0049 at www.regulations.gov. After Federal Register
publication of the Notice of Intent to Cancel, Reckitt Benckiser will have
30 days to request a hearing before an EPA Administrative Law Judge. If a
hearing is not requested, the cancellations become final and effective.
Information on Rodenticide products and EPA's review is available at:
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/reregistration/rodenticides/
More information on preventing and controlling rodents is available at:
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/controlling/rodents.htm
###
Coca-Cola/Hickory Ridge and Watauga County Landfill Projects Recognized for
Transforming Waste into a Green Community Asset
Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421,
harris-young.dawn@epa.gov
ATLANTA -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized two
regional landfills for generating renewable energy from a local source
while protecting the climate, providing energy savings and strengthening
the economy.
Regional awardees include:
Coca-Cola and Hickory Ridge Landfill Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Project,
Conley, Ga.: Mas Energy, the Coca-Cola Company, and Republic Services
developed a project that provides Coca-Cola's Atlanta Syrup Plant with a
continuous supply of green electricity, steam, and chilled water. This
project, the first landfill gas energy project for Coca-Cola, supplies
nearly all of the plant's energy needs and results in real energy savings
for the company.
Watauga County Landfill Small Electricity Project, Boone, N.C.: Watauga
County developed this model 186 kilowatt (kW) project at a small, unlined
landfill closed for 18 years by creatively employing modified automotive
engines and the assistance of the Appalachian State University (ASU) Energy
Center. The project provides economic benefits for the county and
one-of-a-kind research opportunities for ASU students and faculty.
In total, eight landfill methane utilization projects and partners from
across the U.S. will be recognized at the 16th Annual Landfill Methane
Outreach Program Conference in Baltimore, Md. on January 30, 2013.
This year's eight winning projects and partners will avoid the emissions
equal to the annual greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from more than 52,000
passenger vehicles. The seven electricity-generating projects total
approximately 50 megawatts of generation capacity, and the direct-use
project uses 50 standard cubic feet per minute of landfill gas.
The remaining six awardees include: Gundersen Health System and La Crosse
County Landfill Combined Heat and Power Project (Wis.), Landfill Energy
Systems (Mich.), Lycoming County Landfill Dual Cogeneration and Electricity
Project (Pa.), Millersville Landfill Electricity Project (Md.), Olinda
Alpha Landfill Combined Cycle Project (Calif.), and St. Landry Parish
Landfill Compressed Natural Gas Project (La.).
EPA's Landfill Methane Outreach Program is a voluntary assistance and
partnership program that reduces GHG emissions by supporting landfill gas
energy project development. The program has assisted with more than 560
landfill gas energy projects over the past 18 years, transforming waste
into a green community asset. The U.S. currently has about 600 operational
landfill gas energy projects.
More information: http://www.epa.gov/lmop
Vroman Named New Levee Safety Branch Chief
Vicksburg, Miss...The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District
recently selected Noah Vroman as the new levee safety branch chief of the
Dam and Levee Safety Modifications Production Center. As the Levee Safety
Branch chief, Vroman will function as the regional authoritative source of
theoretical expertise and practical knowledge in the subject matter areas
of levee safety, engineering risk analysis and public works infrastructure
safety.
Vroman began his career at the Vicksburg District as a civil engineer in
the geotechnical branch in 2003. He has served as a research geotechnical
engineer, dam safety program manager and as the chief of the investigation
and inspection section. He also served on the Interagency Performance
Evaluation Taskforce (IPET) and the Southeast Louisiana Hurricane
Protection Project following the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and
received the Superior Civilian Award in 2007.
Vroman grew up in Tupelo and graduated from Tupelo High School. He earned a
Bachelor's Degree in civil engineering from Mississippi State University
and is currently pursuing a Masters Degree in civil engineering at
Mississippi State University. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in
the state of Mississippi.
Vroman is married to the former Ashley Wages from Pontotoc County and they
have three children.
The Mississippi Valley Division and the Vicksburg District serve the nation
by providing emergency response to natural disasters and emergency support
to other agencies, particularly the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA). The Vicksburg District has the responsibility for providing
federal debris removal expertise in the State of Mississippi, or any
location, when tasked by Headquarters, USACE and for providing technical
expertise in examining and offering engineer solutions for problems with
critical infrastructure. To learn more about the Vicksburg District, visit
our website, www.mvk.usace.army.mil .
XXX
