1.7.13
Oil Spill
Unlike BP, Transocean likely off the hook for felony charges related to
workers' deaths in 2010 Gulf spill
By Richard Thompson, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated January 04, 2013 at 11:18 PM
Like their counterparts at BP, executives at Transocean Ltd. are likely
breathing easier with the looming unknowns of civil and criminal fines and
penalties now settled for their role in the massive 2010 oil spill in the
Gulf of Mexico, legal experts and industry analysts following the case
generally agreed Friday.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/01/unlike_bp_transocean_off_the_h.html
BP tells Halliburton to come clean
UPI
HOUSTON, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- British energy company BP accused oil services
company Halliburton of skirting its responsibilities in the 2010 oil spill
in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2013/01/04/BP-tells-Halliburton-to-come-clean/UPI-86881357307379/
Panhandle Officials Adjust Restore Act Formula
WMBB
Government officials across the gulf region are reacting to a deal struck
between the U.S. Justice Department and the owners of the Deepwater Horizon
Oil Rig, Transocean. Yesterday, a $1.4 billion settlement was reached
between the two parties.
http://www.wmbb.com/story/20508214/panhandle-officials-adjust-restore-act-formula
Top BP supervisor loses appeal in Deepwater Horizon case
WWL
David Hammer / Eyewitness News
NEW ORLEANS -- The top BP supervisor on the Deepwater Horizon rig when it
exploded in 2010 and set off the Gulf of Mexico oil spill lost his appeal
Thursday as he tries to avoid testifying in a civil case.
http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/BP-supervisor-loses-appeal-in-Deepwater-Horizon-case-185607122.html
Local businesses may gain from BP's new claims program
Tallahasee Democrat
Local business owners affected by the 2010 Gulf oil spill are eligible to
seek recovery under the BP Oil claims process that extends help to more of
the Big Bend.
http://www.tallahassee.com/story/2013301060019/Local-businesses-may-gain-from-BP-s-new-claims-program?nclick_check=1
State News
Grant helps restore funding for sanitation dept.
Commercial Dispatch
Micah Green
January 4, 2013 11:40:37 AM
When the Starkville Board of Aldermen approved the 2013 fiscal budget in
September, some cuts were made in sanitation and environmental services.
Now, thanks to a grant from the Mississippi Department of Environmental
Quality, Emma Gandy. director of the city's department of sanitation and
environmental services, will get a little relief from those cutbacks over
the next two years.
http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=21348
Gandy: Recycling a 'Catch-22' with slim budget
Starkville Daily News
As Starkville marks the third year of its recycling program, Sanitation and
Environmental Services Director Emma Gandy said she is encouraged by the
number of residents who are signed up for curbside pickup and hopes to see
that number grow, but more participation means more money spent on carrying
it away, which eats more and more of an already slim department budget.
http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/node/12635
Cleveland's recycling program ready to begin
Bolivar Commercial
by Denise Strub
01.06.13 - 01:57 pm
Starting on Jan. 14, the carbon footprint of Cleveland will start to
decrease because that's the day the city's recycling program begins.
http://www.bolivarcom.com/view/full_story/21328064/article-Cleveland-s-recycling-program-ready-to-begin?instance=latest_articles
Ratepayers to foot bill for much of Jackson water, sewer project
$90M infrastructure upgrade in Jackson relying on more than promised
savings
Clarion Ledger
Higher water bills, fewer employees and maintenance savings are the primary
ways Siemens guarantees the city will be able to pay off a $90 million
infrastructure project that is easily the most ambitious of its kind in the
state.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130107/NEWS/301070014/Ratepayers-foot-bill-much-Jackson-water-sewer-project
National News
Gregoire emerges as top contender to boss EPA
Seattle PI
President Obama is about to nominate outgoing Washington Gov. Chris
Gregoire as the new head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency,
according to a very private prediction from a very senior source in
Washington's congressional delegation.
http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2013/01/04/gregoire-emerges-as-top-contender-to-boss-epa/#print
Appeals court sides with environmental groups challenging EPA Bush-era soot
regulations
By Associated Press,
WASHINGTON — An appeals court is siding with environmental groups that had
challenged Environmental Protection Agency regulations on soot as too weak.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/appeals-court-sides-with-environmental-groups-challenging-epa-soot-regulation/2013/01/04/dee23246-56a4-11e2-89de-76c1c54b1418_story.html
EPA Lax on States in Bush-era Soot Rules, Court Says
Bloomberg
By Andrew Zajac - Jan 4, 2013
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gave states too much flexibility
in meeting soot standards, a federal court said in a ruling that could
force some states to increase pollution-control efforts.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-01-04/epa-gave-states-too-much-leeway-on-soot-rules-court-says.html
Matt Damon's 'Promised Land' fuels a real-world battle over 'fracking'
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 01/05/13 08:23 AM ET
The new Matt Damon film "Promised Land" is giving voice to critics of
natural gas production, but the film faces opposition too as "fracking"
goes Hollywood.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/275737-matt-damons-promised-land-fuels-real-world-drilling-battles
EPA fracking study may dodge some tough questions
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH — An ongoing U.S. Environmental Protection Agency study on
natural gas drilling and its potential for groundwater contamination has
gotten tentative praise so far from both industry and environmental
groups.
http://online.wsj.com/article/AP4b6ea95cf0b64b6a9e6826d956562133.html
EPA to release some fracking study sample results in weeks
Times Tribune (PA)
BY LAURA LEGERE
Sample results from case study sites in Pennsylvania and across the country
are expected to be released in weeks as part of an ongoing federal study of
the potential impact of hydraulic fracturing on water supplies.
http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/gas-drilling/epa-to-release-some-fracking-study-sample-results-in-weeks-1.1425422
Press Releases
EPA Releases First Set of Draft Risk Assessments Under Existing Chemicals
Work Plan Effort
WASHINGTON – EPA today released for public comment draft risk assessments,
for particular uses, on five chemicals found in common household products.
The draft risk assessments were developed as part of the agency's Toxic
Substances Control Act (TSCA) Work Plan, which identified common chemicals
for review over the coming years to assess any impacts on people's health
and the environment. Following public comment, the agency will seek an
independent, scientific peer review of the assessments before beginning to
finalize them in the fall of 2013.
"The draft risk assessments released today for public review and comment
highlight the agency's ongoing commitment to ensure the safety of chemicals
we encounter in our daily lives," said James J. Jones, acting assistant
administrator of EPA's Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention.
"The public and scientific peer review will ensure use of the best science
to evaluate any impacts of these substances on people's health and the
environment."
The five assessments address the following chemical uses: methylene
chloride or dichloromethane (DCM) and n-methylpyrrolidone (NMP) in paint
stripper products; trichloroethylene (TCE) as a degreaser and a spray-on
protective coating; antimony trioxide (ATO) as a synergist in halogenated
flame retardants; and
1,3,4,6,7,8-Hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8,-hexamethylcyclopenta-[ã]-2-benzopyran
(HHCB) as a fragrance ingredient in commercial and consumer products. The
draft assessments focus either on human health or ecological hazards for
specific uses which are subject to regulation under TSCA. Three of the
draft risk assessments— DCM, NMP, and TCE— indicate a potential concern for
human health under specific exposure scenarios for particular uses. The
preliminary assessments for ATO and HHCB indicate a low concern for
ecological health.
EPA recommends the public follow product label directions and take
precautions that can reduce exposures, such as using the product outside or
in an extremely well ventilated area and wearing protective equipment to
reduce exposure. If EPA concludes in finalizing the risk assessments that
there is a potential for concern, the agency will take action as
appropriate to address possible risks.
The draft assessments were undertaken as part of EPA's efforts to identify
chemicals for review under the TSCA Work Plan, which EPA released in March
2012. At that time, EPA identified 83 chemicals as candidates for review
over the coming years and outlined the data sources and other information
the agency would use in the reviews. This initiative is part of EPA's
comprehensive approach to enhance the current chemicals management program
within the limits of existing TSCA authorities. EPA continues to support
updating TSCA to strengthen and modernize the law.
Additional information on the TSCA Work Plan effort and the specific draft
risk assessments can be found at:
http://www.epa.gov/oppt/existingchemicals/pubs/workplans.html
