2.28.13
Oil Spill
BP investigators were never given oil well cement test results, samples by
Halliburton
By Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated February 27, 2013 at 9:09 PM
A BP team investigating the company's Macondo well blowout that led to the
explosion and fire that sank the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in April
2010 never received the results of tests of a light cement used to plug the
well from cement contractor Halliburton, a senior BP official leading the
investigation said Wednesday.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/02/bp_investigators_never_given_c.html
Former BP executives offer conflicting safety accounts as Gulf oil spill
trial continues
By Richard Thompson, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated February 27, 2013 at 6:41 PM
Two former high-ranking executives of BP gave conflicting accounts
Wednesday of the London-based oil giant's alleged culture of stressing
costs over safety during the second day of testimony in the civil trial to
determine liability for the massive 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/02/former_bp_executives_offer_con.html
BP executive expected back on the stand to testify about company's internal
probe of oil spill
By Associated Press,
NEW ORLEANS — Another BP executive was expected on the witness stand
Thursday to face more questions from attorneys for the U.S. government,
which is trying to prove the oil company is mostly to blame for a deadly
explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig that led to a massive oil spill.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/judge-hears-testimony-from-bp-executive-who-led-companys-internal-probe-of-gulf-oil-spill/2013/02/27/1caba964-813d-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html
Former BP Executive Cites Cost Pressures Before Spill
Wall Street Journal
By TOM FOWLER
NEW ORLEANS—BP PLC's managers were under pressure to cut costs
significantly in the years leading up to the Deepwater Horizon accident,
according to testimony during the federal trial over liability for the
2010 explosion and oil spill.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323978104578330450324876518.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
BP safety expert to return to stand in Gulf oil spill trial
Houston Chronicle
NEW ORLEANS —Testimony in the civil trial over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil
spill will resume Thursday with a BP safety expert returning to the stand
to discuss an internal report he issued months after the disaster on what
the company believed were the causes.
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2013/02/28/bp-safety-expert-to-return-to-stand-in-gulf-oil-spill-trial/
BP trial a 'bloodbath' that company must stop, say legal experts
By George Talbot | gtalbot@al.com
updated February 27, 2013 at 5:52 PM
NEW ORLEANS - Legal experts said pressure is growing on BP to settle civil
charges brought against the British oil company for its role in the 2010
Gulf oil spill.
http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/02/legal_experts_bp_trial_a_blood.html#incart_river
Witness in Oil Spill Trial Accuses BP of Negligence
NY Times
By CLIFFORD KRAUSS
NEW ORLEANS — The practices of the oil giant BP came under sharp attack on
Wednesday in a courtroom here by an expert witness who said its negligence
caused the 2010 explosion aboard a Gulf of Mexico drilling rig that killed
11 workers and spewed millions of barrels of oil.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/28/business/energy-environment/bp-executive-shares-blame-with-contractors.html?pagewanted=print
UPDATE 1-BP drilled doomed U.S. well despite early problems -expert
Reuters
Wed, Feb 27 2013
By Kristen Hays
NEW ORLEANS, Feb 27 (Reuters) - BP Plc took chances drilling its doomed
Macondo well long before it ruptured in 2010, a well design and pressure
expert said on Wednesday in the second day of testimony in the civil trial
over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/27/bp-spill-trial-idUSL1N0BRDWN20130227
BP Misled Regulators About Macondo Well, Expert Testifies
Bloomberg
By Jef Feeley and Allen Johnson Jr. - Feb 28, 2013
BP Plc (BP/) officials misled federal regulators about conditions at the
Macondo well and forged ahead with "unsafe and dangerous" drilling
operations before the fatal explosion that killed 11 rig workers and sent
oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico, an expert witness said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-27/bp-misled-regulators-about-macondo-well-expert-testifies.html
Web page set up for RESTORE Act suggestions
WALA
SANTA ROSA CTY., Fla. (WALA) - As they await RESTORE Act funds, Santa Rosa
County has made themselves a guinea pig of sorts, as the first area to
establish a web page planning how the BP fine money could be spent.
http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/local_news/santa_rosa/officials-plan-ahead-for-restore-funds
State News
DEQ has not yet received documents on D'Iberville's $3M BP grant
SunHerald
By MARY PEREZ — meperez@sunherald.com
D'IBERVILLE -- It's been nearly a month since the Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality issued a stop-work order, preventing D'Iberville from
spending any more of a $3 million BP grant to pay for its share of Ocean
Expo aquarium.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/27/4495969/deq-has-not-yet-received-documents.html
Volunteers remove hundreds of derelict crab traps from Mississippi waters
By April M. Havens | gulflive.com
updated February 27, 2013 at 10:36 AM
Volunteers removed nearly 300 crab traps from Mississippi waters during the
Department of Marine Resources Shrimp and Crab Bureau's 2013 Derelict Crab
Trap Cleanup program, DMR announced Wednesday.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/volunteers_remove_hundreds_of.html#incart_river
Harrison Co. inmates pick up 35 bags of roadside trash a day
WLOX
In the never ending battle against roadside litter, Harrison County
Sheriff's deputies said they're doing the best they can with what they've
got.
http://www.wlox.com/story/21418363/harrison-co-inmates-pick-up-35-bags-of-roadside-trash-a-day
State House approves alternative fuels incentives
by Bobby Harrison
NEMS Daily Journal
02.28.13 - 05:50 am
JACKSON – Mississippians can get a tax break for driving an alternative
energy car or for constructing an alternative energy fueling station if
legislation that passed the state House on Wednesday becomes law.
http://djournal.com/view/full_story/21839463/article-State-House-approves-alternative-fuels-incentives?instance=secondary_stories_left_column
Pascagoula River Audubon Center receives $5,000 Bacot/McCarty grant
By April M. Havens | gulflive.com
updated February 27, 2013 at 3:40 PM
MOSS POINT, Mississippi -- The Pascagoula River Audubon Center in Moss
Point has received a $5,000 contribution from the Bacot/McCarty Foundation
to support conservation and educational programing.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/pascagoula_river_audubon_cente_1.html#incart_river
National News
Chamber study claims to debunk EPA figures on job-creating regulations
The Hill
By Ben Goad - 02/27/13 05:35 PM ET
The nation's largest business lobby presented new research Wednesday
rebutting claims from the Environmental Protection Agency that federal
regulations create thousands of jobs.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energyenvironment/285359-chamber-study-claims-to-debunk-epas-job-creation-figures
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
News Clippings 2.27.13
2.27.13
Oil Spill
BP executive says Transocean, not BP, was in charge of safety on Deepwater
Horizon
By Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated February 26, 2013 at 8:32 PM
Senior BP executive Lamar McKay testified in federal court Tuesday in the
civil trial stemming from the disastrous Gulf oil spill in April 2010 that
his world-class oil exploration and production company's management system
for safety calls for safety decisions on rigs it hires to drill oil wells,
such as the Deepwater Horizon, to be determined by the rig owner, and not
BP's management.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/02/bp_executive_says_transocean_n.html#incart_m-rpt-2
First Witnesses Testify in Gulf Spill Trial
Wall Street Journal
By TOM FOWLER
NEW ORLEANS—An expert witness for plaintiffs suing BP said the 2010
Deepwater Horizon accident was "a classic failure of management and
leadership in BP" at the trial here in federal district court over
liability for the disaster.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323384604578328610759397992.html
Witness in Gulf oil spill trial charges BP had flawed safety record
By Richard Thompson, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated February 26, 2013 at 5:54 PM
The BP oil spill trial's second day featured testimony from retired
University of California-Berkeley civil and petroleum engineering professor
Robert Bea, who was called by the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee to discuss
how BP's safety record compares with industry standards.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/02/witness_in_gulf_oil_spill_tria.html
UC expert questions BP management's role in gulf oil spill
LA Times
By Michael Muskal
February 26, 2013, 10:49 a.m.
An expert witness for those suing BP over the nation's worst environmental
disaster criticized the company's investigation of the oil spill in the
Gulf of Mexico as the civil trial entered its second day.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-expert-questions-bp-managements-role-in-gulf-oil-spill-20130226,0,1650579.story
Judge hears testimony from high-ranking BP official at trial over Gulf oil
spill
By Associated Press,
NEW ORLEANS — A high-ranking BP executive testified Tuesday that the
London-based oil giant and its contractors share the responsibility for
preventing blowouts like the one that killed 11 workers and spawned the
nation's worst offshore oil spill in 2010.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/billions-of-dollars-at-stake-for-bp-other-companies-as-trial-opens-for-gulf-oil-spill/2013/02/25/d4bca108-7fb6-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html
Top BP official to take stand again at trial assessing responsibility for
2010 Gulf oil spill
By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, February 27, 4:06 AM
NEW ORLEANS — The first BP executive to testify at a federal trial over the
nation's worst oil spill was to take the stand for a second day Wednesday
before a judge tasked with deciding whether the London-based oil giant and
other companies acted with gross negligence for the 2010 disaster in the
Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/judge-hears-testimony-from-high-ranking-bp-official-at-trial-over-gulf-oil-spill/2013/02/26/29fb568e-8073-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html
BP Executive Testifies That a Rig Explosion in the Gulf Was a Known Risk
NY Times
By CLIFFORD KRAUSS and BARRY MEIER
NEW ORLEANS — On the first day of testimony in the BP Gulf of Mexico oil
spill trial, BP's top executive for North American operations at the time
of the disaster acknowledged on Tuesday that a well explosion had been
identified as a risk before it happened.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/27/business/energy-environment/bp-executive-says-explosion-was-known-risk.html?ref=earth&_r=0&pagewanted=print
BP accepts role in spill at trial, aims to spread blame
Reuters
Tue, Feb 26 2013
By Kristen Hays
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - After hearing claims that BP Plc put profits above
safety in the first day of court testimony over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico
disaster, a senior executive for the oil company insisted the blame should
be shared.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/27/us-bp-spill-trial-idUSBRE91P0NI20130227
BP Profit Push 'Root Cause' of Gulf Spill, Witness Says
Bloomberg
By Jef Feeley, Margaret Cronin Fisk and Allen Johnson Jr. - Feb 27, 2013
BP Plc (BP/)'s push to maximize profits and cut costs at the Macondo well
was a "root cause" of the explosion that led to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil
spill, a safety expert who studied the disaster said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-26/bp-profit-push-root-cause-of-gulf-spill-witness-says.html
State News
Bryant signs Mississippi Power's Kemper legislation
Sun Herald
By MICHAEL NEWSOM — mmnewsom@sunherald.com
Gov. Phil Bryant signed bills Tuesday that Mississippi Power says give it
financing flexibility to allow rates to be raised by as much as 25 percent,
instead of about 33 percent, to pay for the more than $3 billion Kemper
County power plant.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/26/4492357/mississippi-powers-kemper-rate.html
Tupelo Council preps for new trash contract
by NEMS Daily Journal
02.27.13 - 06:10 am
TUPELO – Larger recycling bins will be on the table as the Tupelo City
Council prepares to move forward on a residential waste collection
contract.
http://djournal.com/view/full_story/21827670/article-Tupelo-Council-preps-for-new-trash-contract?instance=secondary_stories_left_column
Pair sue Speight over alleged biofuels frauds
by Patsy R. Brumfield
NEMS Daily Journal
02.27.13 - 06:00 am
PONTOTOC – Former biofuels business partners W. Tommy Tacker II and Janey
Tyner last week sued their other partner in Pontotoc Circuit Court.
http://djournal.com/view/full_story/21827466/article-Pair-sue-Speight-over-alleged-biofuels-frauds?instance=secondary_stories_left_column
National News
Acting EPA chief warns staff of furloughs
Tue, Feb 26 2013
Reuters
By Valerie Volcovici
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The acting head of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) warned staff on Tuesday that it may place an unspecified
number of jobs on temporary furlough if across-the-board federal budget
cuts take effect at the end of this week.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/26/us-usa-fiscal-epa-idUSBRE91P0VC20130226
NASA: Climate change thins forests in eastern U.S.
USA Today
Years of drought and high temperatures have damaged not only corn
and other crops nationwide but also the forests in the eastern
United States, NASA satellites show.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/02/26/nasa-climate-change-forests-eastern-us/1949133/
Oil industry, at White House, makes case against EPA fuels rule
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 02/26/13 10:24 AM ET
Big refining companies and a major industry trade group are taking their
case against tougher Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) vehicle
emissions and fuel rules to the White House.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284889-oil-industry-at-white-house-makes-case-against-epa-fuels-rule
Pending EPA ruling on coal ash dumping escalates feud between Lake Michigan
ferry companies
By Associated Press, Published: February 26
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — On one level, it's a straightforward case of a
business seeking a government permit to discharge wastewater.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/pending-epa-ruling-on-coal-ash-dumping-escalates-feud-between-lake-michigan-ferry-companies/2013/02/26/f9daa582-8062-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html
Opinion
MICHAEL NEWSOM: Danny Guice slashes DMR budget - literally
Sun Herald
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resource's interim head honcho
recently gave the Sun Herald some of the strangest public documents I've
ever seen.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/26/4492773/michael-newsom-danny-guice-slashes.html
Oil Spill
BP executive says Transocean, not BP, was in charge of safety on Deepwater
Horizon
By Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated February 26, 2013 at 8:32 PM
Senior BP executive Lamar McKay testified in federal court Tuesday in the
civil trial stemming from the disastrous Gulf oil spill in April 2010 that
his world-class oil exploration and production company's management system
for safety calls for safety decisions on rigs it hires to drill oil wells,
such as the Deepwater Horizon, to be determined by the rig owner, and not
BP's management.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/02/bp_executive_says_transocean_n.html#incart_m-rpt-2
First Witnesses Testify in Gulf Spill Trial
Wall Street Journal
By TOM FOWLER
NEW ORLEANS—An expert witness for plaintiffs suing BP said the 2010
Deepwater Horizon accident was "a classic failure of management and
leadership in BP" at the trial here in federal district court over
liability for the disaster.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323384604578328610759397992.html
Witness in Gulf oil spill trial charges BP had flawed safety record
By Richard Thompson, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated February 26, 2013 at 5:54 PM
The BP oil spill trial's second day featured testimony from retired
University of California-Berkeley civil and petroleum engineering professor
Robert Bea, who was called by the Plaintiffs' Steering Committee to discuss
how BP's safety record compares with industry standards.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/02/witness_in_gulf_oil_spill_tria.html
UC expert questions BP management's role in gulf oil spill
LA Times
By Michael Muskal
February 26, 2013, 10:49 a.m.
An expert witness for those suing BP over the nation's worst environmental
disaster criticized the company's investigation of the oil spill in the
Gulf of Mexico as the civil trial entered its second day.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-expert-questions-bp-managements-role-in-gulf-oil-spill-20130226,0,1650579.story
Judge hears testimony from high-ranking BP official at trial over Gulf oil
spill
By Associated Press,
NEW ORLEANS — A high-ranking BP executive testified Tuesday that the
London-based oil giant and its contractors share the responsibility for
preventing blowouts like the one that killed 11 workers and spawned the
nation's worst offshore oil spill in 2010.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/billions-of-dollars-at-stake-for-bp-other-companies-as-trial-opens-for-gulf-oil-spill/2013/02/25/d4bca108-7fb6-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html
Top BP official to take stand again at trial assessing responsibility for
2010 Gulf oil spill
By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, February 27, 4:06 AM
NEW ORLEANS — The first BP executive to testify at a federal trial over the
nation's worst oil spill was to take the stand for a second day Wednesday
before a judge tasked with deciding whether the London-based oil giant and
other companies acted with gross negligence for the 2010 disaster in the
Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/judge-hears-testimony-from-high-ranking-bp-official-at-trial-over-gulf-oil-spill/2013/02/26/29fb568e-8073-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html
BP Executive Testifies That a Rig Explosion in the Gulf Was a Known Risk
NY Times
By CLIFFORD KRAUSS and BARRY MEIER
NEW ORLEANS — On the first day of testimony in the BP Gulf of Mexico oil
spill trial, BP's top executive for North American operations at the time
of the disaster acknowledged on Tuesday that a well explosion had been
identified as a risk before it happened.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/27/business/energy-environment/bp-executive-says-explosion-was-known-risk.html?ref=earth&_r=0&pagewanted=print
BP accepts role in spill at trial, aims to spread blame
Reuters
Tue, Feb 26 2013
By Kristen Hays
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - After hearing claims that BP Plc put profits above
safety in the first day of court testimony over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico
disaster, a senior executive for the oil company insisted the blame should
be shared.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/27/us-bp-spill-trial-idUSBRE91P0NI20130227
BP Profit Push 'Root Cause' of Gulf Spill, Witness Says
Bloomberg
By Jef Feeley, Margaret Cronin Fisk and Allen Johnson Jr. - Feb 27, 2013
BP Plc (BP/)'s push to maximize profits and cut costs at the Macondo well
was a "root cause" of the explosion that led to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil
spill, a safety expert who studied the disaster said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-26/bp-profit-push-root-cause-of-gulf-spill-witness-says.html
State News
Bryant signs Mississippi Power's Kemper legislation
Sun Herald
By MICHAEL NEWSOM — mmnewsom@sunherald.com
Gov. Phil Bryant signed bills Tuesday that Mississippi Power says give it
financing flexibility to allow rates to be raised by as much as 25 percent,
instead of about 33 percent, to pay for the more than $3 billion Kemper
County power plant.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/26/4492357/mississippi-powers-kemper-rate.html
Tupelo Council preps for new trash contract
by NEMS Daily Journal
02.27.13 - 06:10 am
TUPELO – Larger recycling bins will be on the table as the Tupelo City
Council prepares to move forward on a residential waste collection
contract.
http://djournal.com/view/full_story/21827670/article-Tupelo-Council-preps-for-new-trash-contract?instance=secondary_stories_left_column
Pair sue Speight over alleged biofuels frauds
by Patsy R. Brumfield
NEMS Daily Journal
02.27.13 - 06:00 am
PONTOTOC – Former biofuels business partners W. Tommy Tacker II and Janey
Tyner last week sued their other partner in Pontotoc Circuit Court.
http://djournal.com/view/full_story/21827466/article-Pair-sue-Speight-over-alleged-biofuels-frauds?instance=secondary_stories_left_column
National News
Acting EPA chief warns staff of furloughs
Tue, Feb 26 2013
Reuters
By Valerie Volcovici
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The acting head of the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) warned staff on Tuesday that it may place an unspecified
number of jobs on temporary furlough if across-the-board federal budget
cuts take effect at the end of this week.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/26/us-usa-fiscal-epa-idUSBRE91P0VC20130226
NASA: Climate change thins forests in eastern U.S.
USA Today
Years of drought and high temperatures have damaged not only corn
and other crops nationwide but also the forests in the eastern
United States, NASA satellites show.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/02/26/nasa-climate-change-forests-eastern-us/1949133/
Oil industry, at White House, makes case against EPA fuels rule
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 02/26/13 10:24 AM ET
Big refining companies and a major industry trade group are taking their
case against tougher Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) vehicle
emissions and fuel rules to the White House.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284889-oil-industry-at-white-house-makes-case-against-epa-fuels-rule
Pending EPA ruling on coal ash dumping escalates feud between Lake Michigan
ferry companies
By Associated Press, Published: February 26
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — On one level, it's a straightforward case of a
business seeking a government permit to discharge wastewater.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/travel/pending-epa-ruling-on-coal-ash-dumping-escalates-feud-between-lake-michigan-ferry-companies/2013/02/26/f9daa582-8062-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html
Opinion
MICHAEL NEWSOM: Danny Guice slashes DMR budget - literally
Sun Herald
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resource's interim head honcho
recently gave the Sun Herald some of the strangest public documents I've
ever seen.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/26/4492773/michael-newsom-danny-guice-slashes.html
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
MDEQ February Newsletter
Please use the link below to access the February 2013 newsletter from the
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality:
http://bit.ly/YVQzho
Connect with MDEQ on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/MDEQ/118172664880239?v=wall
Follow MDEQ on Twitter
http://twitter.com/#!/MDEQ
Mr. Robbie Wilbur
Communications Director
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Post Office Box 2261
Jackson, Mississippi 39225
601/961-5277
601/421-5699 (c)
601/961-5715 (f)
rwilbur@deq.state.ms.us
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality:
http://bit.ly/YVQzho
Connect with MDEQ on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/MDEQ/118172664880239?v=wall
Follow MDEQ on Twitter
http://twitter.com/#!/MDEQ
Mr. Robbie Wilbur
Communications Director
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Post Office Box 2261
Jackson, Mississippi 39225
601/961-5277
601/421-5699 (c)
601/961-5715 (f)
rwilbur@deq.state.ms.us
News Clippings 2.26.13
2.26.13
Oil Spill
Accusations Fly as Trial Over Gulf Oil Spill Begins
Wall Street Journal
By TOM FOWLER
NEW ORLEANS—The much-anticipated Deepwater Horizon trial began with a
flurry of finger pointing here Monday, as lawyers for BP BP.LN -1.60% PLC,
TransoceanLtd., RIGN.VX -2.66% Halliburton Corp., HAL -3.16% the federal
government, Gulf Coast states and local businesses traded barbs over who
is to blame for the deadly 2010 explosion and oil spill.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323884304578326193575632754.html
As Oil Spill Trial Opens, Push for a Deal Continues
NY Times
By CLIFFORD KRAUSS and BARRY MEIER
NEW ORLEANS — BP finally faced off in court Monday against an army of
federal and state prosecutors, lawyers and even its contract partners over
the Gulf of Mexico oil spill three years ago, contending that it alone
should not shoulder blame for the rig explosion that killed 11 workers and
soiled beaches and marshes from Louisiana to Florida.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/business/energy-environment/bp-trial-opens-with-possible-deal-in-background.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
Billions of dollars at stake for BP, other companies as trial opens for
Gulf oil spill
By Associated Press,
NEW ORLEANS — BP put profits ahead of safety and bears most of the blame
for the disastrous 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a U.S. Justice
Department attorney charged Monday at the opening of a trial that could
result in the oil company and its partners being forced to pay tens of
billions of dollars more in damages.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/billions-of-dollars-are-at-stake-for-bp-as-trial-opens-for-gulf-oil-spill-litigation/2013/02/25/cfadad44-7f2d-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html
Greed caused BP's gulf oil spill, lawyers argue
Plaintiffs in the case against BP say at a civil trial that corporate greed
led to a disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Julie Cart, Los Angeles Times
February 25, 2013, 8:39 p.m.
NEW ORLEANS — Energy giant BP, behind schedule and $50 million over budget
drilling a deep-water well, emphasized cost-cutting over safety, causing
the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, lawyers said Monday as the
company's high-stakes civil trial began.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-bp-trial-20130226,0,7288349.story
Oil spill trial begins for BP, Transocean, other companies: Blame game
marks the first day
By Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated February 25, 2013 at 10:07 PM
Opening day at the long-awaited civil trial against BP and its partners in
the ill-fated Macondo oil well at times sounded like a group of youngsters
blaming everyone but themselves for a bad deed. That's not an unexpected
beginning in the first phase of a federal trial aimed at determining each
of the companies' financial liability for the accident.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/02/oil_spill_trial_begins_for_bp.html#incart_river
1st witness to testify in Gulf oil spill trial; billions at stake for BP,
other companies
By Associated Press, Published: February 25 | Updated: Tuesday, February
26, 5:50 AM
NEW ORLEANS — A University of California-Berkeley engineer who played a
prominent role in investigating levee breeches in New Orleans after
Hurricane Katrina is scheduled to be the first witness Tuesday at a trial
involving another Gulf Coast catastrophe: the worst offshore oil spill in
U.S. history.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/billions-of-dollars-at-stake-for-bp-other-companies-as-trial-opens-for-gulf-oil-spill/2013/02/25/d4bca108-7fb6-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html
Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange: BP's greed caused Gulf oil spill
By George Talbot | gtalbot@al.com
updated February 25, 2013 at 6:38 PM
5:30 PM: As Day One of the BP trial wrapped today in New Orleans, lawyers
for the Gulf Coast states said they were encouraged by what they saw in
court.
http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/02/bp_trial_set_to_open_today_in.html#incart_river
Civil Trial Against BP Seeks To Place Blame For Gulf Oil Spill
JEFF BRADY and AUDIE CORNISH
NPR
The long-awaited BP trial opened Monday in New Orleans. The oil giant is in
court to determine how much it should pay because of the massive 2010 Gulf
of Mexico oil spill. Audie Cornish talks to Jeff Brady.
http://www.npr.org/2013/02/25/172905428/civil-trial-against-bp-seeks-to-place-blame-for-gulf-oil-spill
BP's billions at stake as courtroom showdown starts
By Ed Lavandera and Jason Morris, CNN
New Orleans (CNN) -- A titanic courtroom showdown with billions of dollars
in the balance opened in New Orleans on Monday, with oil giant BP arguing
it shouldn't face the government's steepest penalties for the 2010 Gulf oil
spill.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/25/us/bp-civil-trial/?hpt=us_c2
BP, contractors start trial for worst U.S. offshore spill
Reuters
Mon, Feb 25 2013
By Kristen Hays
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - A long-awaited trial over the biggest U.S. offshore
oil spill began on Monday, with governments, businesses and individuals
blaming BP Plc mostly for the 2010 disaster that killed 11 rig workers and
spilled 4 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/25/us-bp-trial-idUSBRE91O0KD20130225
BP, Transocean Accused of 'Reckless' Actions in Spill
Bloomberg
By Jef Feeley and Allen Johnson Jr. - Feb 26, 2013
The mishandling of an oil-rig safety test by BP Plc (BP/) and Transocean
Ltd. (RIG) officials was a major cause of an explosion that led to the 2010
Gulf of Mexico oil spill, lawyers for the U.S. and spill victims said at a
trial.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-25/bp-oil-spill-errors-trial-begins-in-new-orleans-court.html
Solution sought for 'epicenter of land loss'
Houma Today
By Nikki Buskey
Published: Monday, February 25, 2013 at 10:38 p.m.
Local officials say they are concerned that the state's plans for money
from oil spill fines could leave vulnerable areas of Terrebonne and
Lafourche without protection.
http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20130225/ARTICLES/130229721
Questions arise over what can be purchased with spill money
Houma Today
Jeremy Alford
Capitol Correspondent
Published: Monday, February 25, 2013 at 10:57 a.m.
BATON ROUGE — With Louisiana expected to receive somewhere between $2
billion and $6 billion from fines paid as a result of the 2010 BP oil
spill, queries about eligible uses by state government have cropped up.
http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20130225/ARTICLES/130229752
State News
Judge rules for county in dispute over sand drying plant
by Associated Press
Published: February 26,2013
POPLARVILLE — A Pearl River County judge has ruled against a group of
residents who sought to block development of five acres near the
construction site of a sand drying plant in Pearl River County.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2013/02/26/judge-rules-for-county-in-dispute-over-sand-drying-plant/
Agency rolls out hunting/fishing license app for Android
by MBJ Staff
Published: February 26,2013
JACKSON — The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks (MDWFP)
has released its hunting and fishing Android application.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2013/02/26/agency-rolls-out-huntingfishing-license-app-for-android/
National News
Ernest Moniz, possible energy secretary pick, already drawing criticism
Washington Post
By Emily Heil
He's not even an official nominee yet, but Ernest Moniz, who is said to be
the White House's top candidate for energy secretary, is already prompting
grousing among the enviro set.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-the-loop/post/ernest-moniz-possible-energy-secretary-pick-already-drawing-criticism/2013/02/25/3bddaf02-7f6d-11e2-a350-49866afab584_blog.html#pagebreak
Exxon, BP, Halliburton take 'fracking' case to White House
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 02/25/13 04:24 PM ET
The White House review of delayed federal rules for oil-and-gas "fracking"
is drawing plenty of interest from energy companies and green groups.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284747-exxon-bp-halliburton-take-fracking-case-to-white-house
Utility settles with EPA, agrees to stop burning coal at three sites
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 02/25/13 12:37 PM ET
The utility giant American Electric Power (AEP) will stop burning coal at
three power plants by 2015 under a settlement agreement with the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), several states and a handful of
environmental and civil groups.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284691-utility-will-cease-burning-coal-at-3-sites-in-settlement-with-epa-others
Oil Spill
Accusations Fly as Trial Over Gulf Oil Spill Begins
Wall Street Journal
By TOM FOWLER
NEW ORLEANS—The much-anticipated Deepwater Horizon trial began with a
flurry of finger pointing here Monday, as lawyers for BP BP.LN -1.60% PLC,
TransoceanLtd., RIGN.VX -2.66% Halliburton Corp., HAL -3.16% the federal
government, Gulf Coast states and local businesses traded barbs over who
is to blame for the deadly 2010 explosion and oil spill.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323884304578326193575632754.html
As Oil Spill Trial Opens, Push for a Deal Continues
NY Times
By CLIFFORD KRAUSS and BARRY MEIER
NEW ORLEANS — BP finally faced off in court Monday against an army of
federal and state prosecutors, lawyers and even its contract partners over
the Gulf of Mexico oil spill three years ago, contending that it alone
should not shoulder blame for the rig explosion that killed 11 workers and
soiled beaches and marshes from Louisiana to Florida.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/business/energy-environment/bp-trial-opens-with-possible-deal-in-background.html?pagewanted=all&_r=1&
Billions of dollars at stake for BP, other companies as trial opens for
Gulf oil spill
By Associated Press,
NEW ORLEANS — BP put profits ahead of safety and bears most of the blame
for the disastrous 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a U.S. Justice
Department attorney charged Monday at the opening of a trial that could
result in the oil company and its partners being forced to pay tens of
billions of dollars more in damages.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/billions-of-dollars-are-at-stake-for-bp-as-trial-opens-for-gulf-oil-spill-litigation/2013/02/25/cfadad44-7f2d-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html
Greed caused BP's gulf oil spill, lawyers argue
Plaintiffs in the case against BP say at a civil trial that corporate greed
led to a disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Julie Cart, Los Angeles Times
February 25, 2013, 8:39 p.m.
NEW ORLEANS — Energy giant BP, behind schedule and $50 million over budget
drilling a deep-water well, emphasized cost-cutting over safety, causing
the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, lawyers said Monday as the
company's high-stakes civil trial began.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-bp-trial-20130226,0,7288349.story
Oil spill trial begins for BP, Transocean, other companies: Blame game
marks the first day
By Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated February 25, 2013 at 10:07 PM
Opening day at the long-awaited civil trial against BP and its partners in
the ill-fated Macondo oil well at times sounded like a group of youngsters
blaming everyone but themselves for a bad deed. That's not an unexpected
beginning in the first phase of a federal trial aimed at determining each
of the companies' financial liability for the accident.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/02/oil_spill_trial_begins_for_bp.html#incart_river
1st witness to testify in Gulf oil spill trial; billions at stake for BP,
other companies
By Associated Press, Published: February 25 | Updated: Tuesday, February
26, 5:50 AM
NEW ORLEANS — A University of California-Berkeley engineer who played a
prominent role in investigating levee breeches in New Orleans after
Hurricane Katrina is scheduled to be the first witness Tuesday at a trial
involving another Gulf Coast catastrophe: the worst offshore oil spill in
U.S. history.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/billions-of-dollars-at-stake-for-bp-other-companies-as-trial-opens-for-gulf-oil-spill/2013/02/25/d4bca108-7fb6-11e2-a671-0307392de8de_story.html
Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange: BP's greed caused Gulf oil spill
By George Talbot | gtalbot@al.com
updated February 25, 2013 at 6:38 PM
5:30 PM: As Day One of the BP trial wrapped today in New Orleans, lawyers
for the Gulf Coast states said they were encouraged by what they saw in
court.
http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/02/bp_trial_set_to_open_today_in.html#incart_river
Civil Trial Against BP Seeks To Place Blame For Gulf Oil Spill
JEFF BRADY and AUDIE CORNISH
NPR
The long-awaited BP trial opened Monday in New Orleans. The oil giant is in
court to determine how much it should pay because of the massive 2010 Gulf
of Mexico oil spill. Audie Cornish talks to Jeff Brady.
http://www.npr.org/2013/02/25/172905428/civil-trial-against-bp-seeks-to-place-blame-for-gulf-oil-spill
BP's billions at stake as courtroom showdown starts
By Ed Lavandera and Jason Morris, CNN
New Orleans (CNN) -- A titanic courtroom showdown with billions of dollars
in the balance opened in New Orleans on Monday, with oil giant BP arguing
it shouldn't face the government's steepest penalties for the 2010 Gulf oil
spill.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/25/us/bp-civil-trial/?hpt=us_c2
BP, contractors start trial for worst U.S. offshore spill
Reuters
Mon, Feb 25 2013
By Kristen Hays
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - A long-awaited trial over the biggest U.S. offshore
oil spill began on Monday, with governments, businesses and individuals
blaming BP Plc mostly for the 2010 disaster that killed 11 rig workers and
spilled 4 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/25/us-bp-trial-idUSBRE91O0KD20130225
BP, Transocean Accused of 'Reckless' Actions in Spill
Bloomberg
By Jef Feeley and Allen Johnson Jr. - Feb 26, 2013
The mishandling of an oil-rig safety test by BP Plc (BP/) and Transocean
Ltd. (RIG) officials was a major cause of an explosion that led to the 2010
Gulf of Mexico oil spill, lawyers for the U.S. and spill victims said at a
trial.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-25/bp-oil-spill-errors-trial-begins-in-new-orleans-court.html
Solution sought for 'epicenter of land loss'
Houma Today
By Nikki Buskey
Published: Monday, February 25, 2013 at 10:38 p.m.
Local officials say they are concerned that the state's plans for money
from oil spill fines could leave vulnerable areas of Terrebonne and
Lafourche without protection.
http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20130225/ARTICLES/130229721
Questions arise over what can be purchased with spill money
Houma Today
Jeremy Alford
Capitol Correspondent
Published: Monday, February 25, 2013 at 10:57 a.m.
BATON ROUGE — With Louisiana expected to receive somewhere between $2
billion and $6 billion from fines paid as a result of the 2010 BP oil
spill, queries about eligible uses by state government have cropped up.
http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20130225/ARTICLES/130229752
State News
Judge rules for county in dispute over sand drying plant
by Associated Press
Published: February 26,2013
POPLARVILLE — A Pearl River County judge has ruled against a group of
residents who sought to block development of five acres near the
construction site of a sand drying plant in Pearl River County.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2013/02/26/judge-rules-for-county-in-dispute-over-sand-drying-plant/
Agency rolls out hunting/fishing license app for Android
by MBJ Staff
Published: February 26,2013
JACKSON — The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries & Parks (MDWFP)
has released its hunting and fishing Android application.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2013/02/26/agency-rolls-out-huntingfishing-license-app-for-android/
National News
Ernest Moniz, possible energy secretary pick, already drawing criticism
Washington Post
By Emily Heil
He's not even an official nominee yet, but Ernest Moniz, who is said to be
the White House's top candidate for energy secretary, is already prompting
grousing among the enviro set.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/in-the-loop/post/ernest-moniz-possible-energy-secretary-pick-already-drawing-criticism/2013/02/25/3bddaf02-7f6d-11e2-a350-49866afab584_blog.html#pagebreak
Exxon, BP, Halliburton take 'fracking' case to White House
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 02/25/13 04:24 PM ET
The White House review of delayed federal rules for oil-and-gas "fracking"
is drawing plenty of interest from energy companies and green groups.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284747-exxon-bp-halliburton-take-fracking-case-to-white-house
Utility settles with EPA, agrees to stop burning coal at three sites
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 02/25/13 12:37 PM ET
The utility giant American Electric Power (AEP) will stop burning coal at
three power plants by 2015 under a settlement agreement with the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), several states and a handful of
environmental and civil groups.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284691-utility-will-cease-burning-coal-at-3-sites-in-settlement-with-epa-others
Monday, February 25, 2013
News Clippings 2.25.13
2.25.13
Oil Spill
BP should get maximum penalty in oil spill trial, environmentalists say
By George Talbot | gtalbot@al.com
updated February 23, 2013 at 9:43 AM
"The Obama Administration can and must do more to hold BP accountable." -
National Wildlife Federation president Larry Schweiger
http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/02/bp_should_get_maximum_penalty.html#incart_river
Trial set to open for Gulf oil spill litigation
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN — Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS — Nearly three years after a deadly rig explosion in the Gulf
of Mexico triggered the nation's worst offshore oil spill, a federal judge
in New Orleans is set to preside over a high-stakes trial for the raft of
litigation spawned by the disaster.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/25/4488611/trial-set-to-open-for-gulf-oil.html
Settlement Offer to BP Takes Shape
Wall Street Journal
By TOM FOWLER
The U.S. Justice Department and Gulf Coast states are considering offering
BPBP.LN +2.00% PLC a deal under which the company would pay $16 billion to
settle civil claims related to the deadly 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident,
according to people familiar with the discussions.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323549204578320362599078672.html
As BP Trial Nears, Hints of Progress on a Deal
NY Times
By BARRY MEIER and CLIFFORD KRAUSS
NEW ORLEANS — As settlement talks continued Sunday on the eve of a trial
against BP stemming from the 2010 explosion of a drilling rig in the Gulf
of Mexico, the details of an offer by federal and state officials to the
oil company started to emerge.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/business/energy-environment/as-bp-trial-nears-hints-of-progress-on-a-deal.html?ref=earth&_r=0&pagewanted=print
BP, Halliburton, Transocean, plaintiffs' lawyers all prepare to face off in
gulf oil spill trial
Washington Post
By Steven Mufson,
One of the biggest legal circuses on Earth — the trial of BP over the
extent of its responsibility for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill — is
scheduled to open in New Orleans on Monday, featuring 34 leading lawyers in
the jam-packed federal court and hundreds of others listening to video
feeds in rooms nearby.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/in-gulf-of-mexico-oil-spill-trial-bp-halliburton-transocean-plaintiffs-lawyers-prepare-to-face-off/2013/02/23/84aea08c-7d2a-11e2-82e8-61a46c2cde3d_story.html
BP oil spill trial begins Monday in New Orleans almost three years after
one of the worst spills in U.S. history
By NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated February 22, 2013 at 10:29 PM
The long-awaited civil trial against BP and its partners in the ill-fated
Macondo oil well is slated to begin Monday in federal court in New Orleans,
setting the stage for a three-month proceeding to assign liability
potentially worth tens of billions of dollars for the explosion and
collapse of the Deepwater Horizon rig in 2010, which killed 11 workers and
caused one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/02/bp_oil_spill_trial_begins_mond.html
BP Seeks to Prove Gulf Spill Errors Weren't Negligence
Bloomberg
By Margaret Cronin Fisk and Jef Feeley - Feb 25, 2013
BP Plc (BP/), Transocean Ltd. (RIG) and Halliburton Co. (HAL) must convince
a federal judge that mistakes that led to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill
don't amount to gross negligence if they are to avoid billions of dollars
in damages for the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-02-25/bp-seeks-to-prove-gulf-spill-errors-weren-t-grossly-negligent.html
State News
Investigators remove documents from Scott Walker's home
WLOX
The State Auditor's office completed a search of Scott Walker's home in
Ocean Springs Friday afternoon.
http://www.wlox.com/story/21310881/investigators-remove-documents-from-scott-walkers-home
Scott Walker's Ocean Springs home searched by auditors
Sun Herald
By MICHAEL NEWSOM — mmnewsom@sunherald.com
The State Auditor's Office searched Scott Walker's Ocean Springs home
Friday.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/22/4485096/scott-walkers-ocean-springs-home.html
DMR's Shumate approached Land Trust on purchase of Scott Walker lot, group
says
Sun Herald
By ANITA LEE — calee@sunherald.com
Tina Shumate, a board member with the Land Trust for the Mississippi
Coastal Plain, approached that group about buying property from the son of
her boss at the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, its executive
director said.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/23/4486897/dmrs-shumate-approached-land-trust.html
County sewage districts progress
Bolivar Commercial
by Rory Doyle
02.23.13 - 12:13 pm
The development of two new sewage utility districts within the Noblin and
Stanton subdivisions is progressing along the projected timeline under the
direction of the Bolivar County Board of Supervisors.
http://www.bolivarcom.com/view/full_story/21800078/article--County-sewage-districts-progress?instance=latest_articles
Solar energy company moves offices to Coast
by MBJ Staff
Published: February 24,2013
GULFPORT — Solar America Corp. completed the relocation of its corporate
offices to Gulfport.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2013/02/24/solar-energy-company-moves-offices-to-coast/
Panel to discuss climate change
Starkville Daily News
Rusty Pritchard shows that evangelical faith and climate change do not have
to be mutually exclusive.
http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/node/13277
Girls get hands on engineering experience at Mississippi Power
WLOX
It's a career field largely dominated by men, but today Mississippi Power
hosted a program meant to encourage more girls to consider a job in
engineering.
http://www.wlox.com/story/21317492/girls-get-hands-on-engineering-experience-at-mississippi-power
National News
Coastal governors unite in push for offshore revenue-sharing bill
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 02/22/13 04:45 PM ET
A group of coastal governors said it has sharpened its main policy goals:
push the White House for faster offshore energy permitting, and coax
Congress into passing offshore revenue-sharing legislation.
The top agenda item for Outer Continental Shelf Governors Coalition members
Sean Parnell (Alaska), Pat McCrory (N.C.) and Phil Bryant (Miss.), all
Republican governors, is securing a bill that would award coastal states
more federal revenues for energy developed off their coasts.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284467-coastal-governors-unite-in-push-for-offshore-revenue-sharing-bill
6 underground tanks leaking radioactive toxic waste at Washington nuke
facility
By The Associated Press
updated February 23, 2013 at 2:44 PM
YAKIMA, Washington -- Federal and state officials say six underground tanks
holding a brew of radioactive and toxic waste are leaking at the country's
most contaminated nuclear site in south-central Washington, raising
concerns about delays for emptying the aging tanks.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/6_underground_tanks_leaking_ra.html#incart_river
Opinion
EPA's fuel folly
Politico
By: Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner
February 24, 2013 09:06 PM EST
What has been termed the Environmental Protection Agency's "Phantom Fuel
Requirement" is an aptly named rule that epitomizes the mind-set of an
agency that has put itself above the law. Hiding behind complexity and its
self-assigned moral authority, EPA increasingly subjugates the views of the
public, Congress and the courts to its own policy determinations.
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/epas-fuel-folly-87997.html?hp=r12
Press Releases
Landowners Can Apply for Funds to Create, Enhance Wetlands
JACKSON, Feb. 22, 2013 – Private landowners in Mississippi wanting to
protect and restore wetland areas on their property can submit applications
for financial and technical assistance to USDA's Natural Resources
Conservation Service. Applications are due on March 15, 2013
Through the Wetlands Reserve program, NRCS provides technical and financial
assistance to help landowners voluntarily restore and protect wetland
ecosystems. Landowners may select either a permanent or 30-year easement,
retaining ownership of the land once the easement is in place. To be
eligible, land must have hydric soil and cropping history. Landowners
enrolling into the program can earn up to $1,800 per acre, depending on
land use.
"The Wetlands Reserve Program is a great conservation tool, providing
landowners a way to protect and restore wetland areas while making
improvements to their land," NRCS State Conservationist Homer Wilkes said.
"It is a win-win for the environment, the landowner and the community."
The program is best suited for frequently flooded agriculture lands, where
restoration will maximize habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife,
and improve water quality.
Wetlands provide a tremendous ecological service to the state and country.
They slow and store water, lowering the risk of flooding for nearby
communities during hurricanes and other severe weather events.
Wetlands are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the world.
Rare and endangered wildlife, such as the Louisiana black bear, are
thriving on WRP easement lands.
"The farmers, ranchers and landowners in Mississippi are not our only
citizens who have benefited from the Wetlands Reserve Program," Wilkes
said. "The program has led to cleaner water, aesthetic open spaces and
abundant habitat for wildlife. Mississippi will continue to benefit from
WRP as more land is set aside for wetland areas."
Oil Spill
BP should get maximum penalty in oil spill trial, environmentalists say
By George Talbot | gtalbot@al.com
updated February 23, 2013 at 9:43 AM
"The Obama Administration can and must do more to hold BP accountable." -
National Wildlife Federation president Larry Schweiger
http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/02/bp_should_get_maximum_penalty.html#incart_river
Trial set to open for Gulf oil spill litigation
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN — Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS — Nearly three years after a deadly rig explosion in the Gulf
of Mexico triggered the nation's worst offshore oil spill, a federal judge
in New Orleans is set to preside over a high-stakes trial for the raft of
litigation spawned by the disaster.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/25/4488611/trial-set-to-open-for-gulf-oil.html
Settlement Offer to BP Takes Shape
Wall Street Journal
By TOM FOWLER
The U.S. Justice Department and Gulf Coast states are considering offering
BPBP.LN +2.00% PLC a deal under which the company would pay $16 billion to
settle civil claims related to the deadly 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident,
according to people familiar with the discussions.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323549204578320362599078672.html
As BP Trial Nears, Hints of Progress on a Deal
NY Times
By BARRY MEIER and CLIFFORD KRAUSS
NEW ORLEANS — As settlement talks continued Sunday on the eve of a trial
against BP stemming from the 2010 explosion of a drilling rig in the Gulf
of Mexico, the details of an offer by federal and state officials to the
oil company started to emerge.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/25/business/energy-environment/as-bp-trial-nears-hints-of-progress-on-a-deal.html?ref=earth&_r=0&pagewanted=print
BP, Halliburton, Transocean, plaintiffs' lawyers all prepare to face off in
gulf oil spill trial
Washington Post
By Steven Mufson,
One of the biggest legal circuses on Earth — the trial of BP over the
extent of its responsibility for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill — is
scheduled to open in New Orleans on Monday, featuring 34 leading lawyers in
the jam-packed federal court and hundreds of others listening to video
feeds in rooms nearby.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/in-gulf-of-mexico-oil-spill-trial-bp-halliburton-transocean-plaintiffs-lawyers-prepare-to-face-off/2013/02/23/84aea08c-7d2a-11e2-82e8-61a46c2cde3d_story.html
BP oil spill trial begins Monday in New Orleans almost three years after
one of the worst spills in U.S. history
By NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated February 22, 2013 at 10:29 PM
The long-awaited civil trial against BP and its partners in the ill-fated
Macondo oil well is slated to begin Monday in federal court in New Orleans,
setting the stage for a three-month proceeding to assign liability
potentially worth tens of billions of dollars for the explosion and
collapse of the Deepwater Horizon rig in 2010, which killed 11 workers and
caused one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/02/bp_oil_spill_trial_begins_mond.html
BP Seeks to Prove Gulf Spill Errors Weren't Negligence
Bloomberg
By Margaret Cronin Fisk and Jef Feeley - Feb 25, 2013
BP Plc (BP/), Transocean Ltd. (RIG) and Halliburton Co. (HAL) must convince
a federal judge that mistakes that led to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill
don't amount to gross negligence if they are to avoid billions of dollars
in damages for the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-02-25/bp-seeks-to-prove-gulf-spill-errors-weren-t-grossly-negligent.html
State News
Investigators remove documents from Scott Walker's home
WLOX
The State Auditor's office completed a search of Scott Walker's home in
Ocean Springs Friday afternoon.
http://www.wlox.com/story/21310881/investigators-remove-documents-from-scott-walkers-home
Scott Walker's Ocean Springs home searched by auditors
Sun Herald
By MICHAEL NEWSOM — mmnewsom@sunherald.com
The State Auditor's Office searched Scott Walker's Ocean Springs home
Friday.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/22/4485096/scott-walkers-ocean-springs-home.html
DMR's Shumate approached Land Trust on purchase of Scott Walker lot, group
says
Sun Herald
By ANITA LEE — calee@sunherald.com
Tina Shumate, a board member with the Land Trust for the Mississippi
Coastal Plain, approached that group about buying property from the son of
her boss at the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, its executive
director said.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/23/4486897/dmrs-shumate-approached-land-trust.html
County sewage districts progress
Bolivar Commercial
by Rory Doyle
02.23.13 - 12:13 pm
The development of two new sewage utility districts within the Noblin and
Stanton subdivisions is progressing along the projected timeline under the
direction of the Bolivar County Board of Supervisors.
http://www.bolivarcom.com/view/full_story/21800078/article--County-sewage-districts-progress?instance=latest_articles
Solar energy company moves offices to Coast
by MBJ Staff
Published: February 24,2013
GULFPORT — Solar America Corp. completed the relocation of its corporate
offices to Gulfport.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2013/02/24/solar-energy-company-moves-offices-to-coast/
Panel to discuss climate change
Starkville Daily News
Rusty Pritchard shows that evangelical faith and climate change do not have
to be mutually exclusive.
http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/node/13277
Girls get hands on engineering experience at Mississippi Power
WLOX
It's a career field largely dominated by men, but today Mississippi Power
hosted a program meant to encourage more girls to consider a job in
engineering.
http://www.wlox.com/story/21317492/girls-get-hands-on-engineering-experience-at-mississippi-power
National News
Coastal governors unite in push for offshore revenue-sharing bill
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 02/22/13 04:45 PM ET
A group of coastal governors said it has sharpened its main policy goals:
push the White House for faster offshore energy permitting, and coax
Congress into passing offshore revenue-sharing legislation.
The top agenda item for Outer Continental Shelf Governors Coalition members
Sean Parnell (Alaska), Pat McCrory (N.C.) and Phil Bryant (Miss.), all
Republican governors, is securing a bill that would award coastal states
more federal revenues for energy developed off their coasts.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284467-coastal-governors-unite-in-push-for-offshore-revenue-sharing-bill
6 underground tanks leaking radioactive toxic waste at Washington nuke
facility
By The Associated Press
updated February 23, 2013 at 2:44 PM
YAKIMA, Washington -- Federal and state officials say six underground tanks
holding a brew of radioactive and toxic waste are leaking at the country's
most contaminated nuclear site in south-central Washington, raising
concerns about delays for emptying the aging tanks.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/6_underground_tanks_leaking_ra.html#incart_river
Opinion
EPA's fuel folly
Politico
By: Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner
February 24, 2013 09:06 PM EST
What has been termed the Environmental Protection Agency's "Phantom Fuel
Requirement" is an aptly named rule that epitomizes the mind-set of an
agency that has put itself above the law. Hiding behind complexity and its
self-assigned moral authority, EPA increasingly subjugates the views of the
public, Congress and the courts to its own policy determinations.
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/epas-fuel-folly-87997.html?hp=r12
Press Releases
Landowners Can Apply for Funds to Create, Enhance Wetlands
JACKSON, Feb. 22, 2013 – Private landowners in Mississippi wanting to
protect and restore wetland areas on their property can submit applications
for financial and technical assistance to USDA's Natural Resources
Conservation Service. Applications are due on March 15, 2013
Through the Wetlands Reserve program, NRCS provides technical and financial
assistance to help landowners voluntarily restore and protect wetland
ecosystems. Landowners may select either a permanent or 30-year easement,
retaining ownership of the land once the easement is in place. To be
eligible, land must have hydric soil and cropping history. Landowners
enrolling into the program can earn up to $1,800 per acre, depending on
land use.
"The Wetlands Reserve Program is a great conservation tool, providing
landowners a way to protect and restore wetland areas while making
improvements to their land," NRCS State Conservationist Homer Wilkes said.
"It is a win-win for the environment, the landowner and the community."
The program is best suited for frequently flooded agriculture lands, where
restoration will maximize habitat for migratory birds and other wildlife,
and improve water quality.
Wetlands provide a tremendous ecological service to the state and country.
They slow and store water, lowering the risk of flooding for nearby
communities during hurricanes and other severe weather events.
Wetlands are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems in the world.
Rare and endangered wildlife, such as the Louisiana black bear, are
thriving on WRP easement lands.
"The farmers, ranchers and landowners in Mississippi are not our only
citizens who have benefited from the Wetlands Reserve Program," Wilkes
said. "The program has led to cleaner water, aesthetic open spaces and
abundant habitat for wildlife. Mississippi will continue to benefit from
WRP as more land is set aside for wetland areas."
Friday, February 22, 2013
MDEQ Issues Water Contact Advisories For Three Locations In Hancock County
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
Phil Bryant, GOVERNOR
MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Trudy D. Fisher, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Robbie Wilbur
February 22, 2013 601/961-5277
MDEQ Issues Water Contact Advisories For Three Locations In Hancock County
(JACKSON, Miss.) -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
(MDEQ), through its Beach Monitoring Program, issued water contact
advisories today for three sampling stations. These segments of beach are
not closed; however, there may be an increased risk of illness associated
with swimming in those areas.
MDEQ is working closely with local officials to advise residents that the
water in the following locations may have high bacteria levels:
● Station 1 ? Lakeshore -- from the Sliver Slipper Casino east to the jetty
west of Poinset Avenue.
● Station 2 -- Buccaneer State Park Beach near State Park Road in Waveland
from 100 yards west of the sign eastward to 100 yards east of the sign.
● Station 4 -- Bay St. Louis Beach near St. Charles Street in Bay St. Louis
from the box culvert east to Ballantine Street.
When water samples show that levels are safe for human contact, the
advisories will be lifted. The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, which
performs water sampling of the Mississippi Gulf Coast beaches for MDEQ,
notifies the agency when an area has returned to acceptable levels.
Additionally, swimmers are reminded that the Beach Task Force has a
standing recommendation that swimming not occur during or within 24 hours
of a significant rainfall event.
More information on the Mississippi Beach Monitoring Program:
http://www.usm.edu/gcrl/msbeach/index.cgi.
To receive beach advisories directly, send an email to
rwilbur@deq.state.ms.us for inclusion in a public group email list, text
"beach" to 601-863-8082,
or follow MDEQ on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/MDEQ.
# # #
Mr. Robbie Wilbur
Communications Director
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Post Office Box 2261
Jackson, Mississippi 39225
601/961-5277
601/421-5699 (c)
601/961-5715 (f)
rwilbur@deq.state.ms.us
Connect with MDEQ on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/MDEQ/118172664880239?v=wall
Follow MDEQ on Twitter
http://twitter.com/#!/MDEQ
News Clippings 2.22.13
2/22/13
Oil Spill
BP Oil Disaster Trial Looms
MPB
Conservation groups are urging the U.S. Justice Department to stand its
ground when it comes to any possible settlement agreement with oil giant
BP. MPB's Lawayne Childrey reports how those representing Mississippi and
the four other Gulf coast states are calling for the toughest of penalties.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/bp_oil_disaster_trial_looms
BP, federal prosecutors ready for battle in New Orleans
By George Talbot | gtalbot@al.com
updated February 22, 2013 at 3:28 AM
"We're ready to try the case." Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange
The trial of the century will open Monday in a New Orleans courtroom, when
BP faces billions of dollars in civil claims resulting from the 2010 oil
spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/02/bp_federal_prosecutors_ready_f.html#incart_river
Federal judge rules some parts of BP criminal guilty plea, indictments of
BP workers, can't be used in civil trial
By Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated February 21, 2013 at 10:42 PM
Four days before a civil trial over BP's liability for the Macondo oil
spill and the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, a federal
judge has partially granted BP's request to exclude from the trial some
information submitted to another judge supporting its guilty plea and $4
billion fine relating to violation environmental laws resulting from the
accident and spill.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/02/federal_judge_rules_some_parts.html
Environmental groups, businesses send Gov. Bobby Jindal letter about oil
spill fine spending
By Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated February 21, 2013 at 4:24 PM
More than 120 Gulf of Mexico environmental groups and business owners, many
from Louisiana, signed letters sent to Gov. Bobby Jindal and the four other
Gulf state governors this week emphasizing how 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon
oil spill fine dollars could drive private sector job growth.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/02/urging_certain_bp_deepwater_ho.html
State News
DMR targets removal of derelict crab traps
WLOX
The DMR and its volunteers are targeting derelict crab traps this week.
This marks the 15th year the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources has
removed the unclaimed traps from Mississippi waters. The derelict traps can
quickly become eyesores and boating hazards.
http://www.wlox.com/story/21301488/dmr-targets-removal-of-derelict-crab-traps
Severstal to invest millions in Columbus plant
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS, MISS. — Severstal has announced it will invest $1.3 billion in
its steel and mining operations worldwide with $43 million set aside for
its rolled steel mill in Columbus, Miss.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/22/4483453/severstal-to-invest-millions-in.html
DMR's Guice issues order for marine patrol to stop issuing tickets on land
Sun Herald
By KAREN NELSON — klnelson@sunherald.com
BILOXI -- Danny Guice, the interim director of the state Department of
Marine Resources, has issued a directive to his marine patrol officers to
stop making traffic stops on land, with few exceptions.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/21/4483277/dmrs-guice-issues-order-for-marine.html
Day in the Life, "Energy Farmers"
WCBI
STARKVILLE, Miss. – (WCBI) When you think of harvesting, you may think of
fields filled with fruits, or vegetables. Three professors at Mississippi
State University are changing the face of farming. After six months of
construction and planning, this engineering dream team figured out a way to
harvest energy. While windmills are nothing new, they've designed a turbine
with a twist.http://www.wcbi.com/wordpress/day-in-the-life-energy-farmers
Energy companies eyeing sites in Natchez area
by Associated Press
Published: February 21,2013
NATCHEZ — Adams County hopes to advertise for bids in April for port
improvement construction related to a biofuels project.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2013/02/21/energy-companies-eyeing-sites-in-natchez-area/
National News
Front-runner to lead EPA vows more action on climate change
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 02/21/13 05:03 PM ET
The front-runner to fill the vacancy atop the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) pledged to push ahead with actions to confront climate change
during a wide-ranging speech Thursday.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284305-frontrunner-to-lead-epa-vows-more-action-on-climate-change
Rumored Energy pick stirring fears on left
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 02/22/13 05:00 AM ET
President Obama's rumored choice for Energy secretary is giving heartburn
to some in the environmental movement.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284331-rumored-energy-pick-stirs-fears-on-left
Top oil lobbyist: New climate bill will never reach Senate floor
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 02/21/13 11:05 AM ET
The head of a powerful oil industry trade group predicts the Senate will
shy away from debate on new Democratic legislation that imposes fees on
carbon emissions from coal and petroleum.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284203-top-oil-lobbyist-new-climate-bill-will-never-reach-senate-floor
Poll: One-third say action on climate 'essential' this year
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 02/21/13 09:32 AM ET
About one-third of people in the United States say action on climate change
is "essential" in 2013, according to a USA TODAY/Pew Research Center poll
released Thursday.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284167-poll-climate-change-a-priority-but-republicans-democrats-split-on-renewables-emissions
Groups flock to White House to talk 'fracking' rules
The Hill
By Megan R. Wilson - 02/21/13 03:43 PM ET
Environmental advocates and representatives from the oil-and-gas industry
are flocking to the White House following the submission of a draft rule
that would govern the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing on
public lands.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/pending-regs/284283-groups-flock-to-white-house-to-talk-fracking-rules-
Report: Unreliable data could hinder EPA efforts to control pollution from
natural gas boom
By Associated Press,
WASHINGTON — Limited data and unreliable estimates on air pollution from
oil and natural gas production is hindering the Environmental Protection
Agency's efforts to police the drilling boom, the agency's internal
watchdog said in a report released Thursday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/report-unreliable-data-could-hinder-epa-efforts-to-control-pollution-from-natural-gas-boom/2013/02/21/3354b646-7c98-11e2-9073-e9dda4ac6a66_story.html
Fracking Emissions Get Review After EPA Watchdog Report
Bloombertg
By Mark Drajem - Feb 21, 2013
Federal environmental regulators said they will more closely study air
emissions from hydraulic fracturing after the agency's auditor concluded
current information is insufficient to make policy decisions.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-21/fracking-emissions-get-review-after-epa-watchdog-report.html
Illinois 'fracking' proposal sees rare cooperation
By TAMMY WEBBER — Associated Press
CHICAGO — Illinois would have the strictest regulations for high-volume oil
and gas drilling in the nation under a proposal introduced Thursday and
drafted with help from industry and environmentalists - an unusual
collaboration when it comes to a practice intensely scrutinized over claims
it can cause pollution and health problems.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/21/4482905/illinois-fracking-proposal-sees.html
Industry groups appeal high-ethanol fuel case to Supreme Court
The Hill
By Ben Goad - 02/21/13 02:26 PM ET
A coalition of industry groups asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to
reconsider a lower court's finding in favor of the Environmental Protection
Agency's 2011 decision to allow sales of the high-ethanol fuel blend known
as E15.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energyenvironment/284259-industry-groups-appeal-high-ethanol-fuel-case-to-supreme-court-
Senior House Republican calls on Obama to replace 'accommodating' Interior
watchdog
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 02/21/13 12:10 PM ET
House Natural Resources Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) wants President Obama to
replace the acting head of Interior Department's internal watchdog for
being too soft on the White House.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284223-senior-house-republican-calls-on-obama-to-replace-accommodating-interior-watchdog
EPA denies claim that former director Jackson used NJ email account
By Judson Berger
Published February 21, 2013
FoxNews.com
An Environmental Protection Agency spokeswoman on Thursday denied that
former EPA chief Lisa Jackson used a New Jersey government email account
while she was heading the federal agency, following claims by a Washington
attorney that Jackson may have been trying to use the account to skirt
records requests.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/02/20/epa-denies-jackson-email/
Oil Spill
BP Oil Disaster Trial Looms
MPB
Conservation groups are urging the U.S. Justice Department to stand its
ground when it comes to any possible settlement agreement with oil giant
BP. MPB's Lawayne Childrey reports how those representing Mississippi and
the four other Gulf coast states are calling for the toughest of penalties.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/bp_oil_disaster_trial_looms
BP, federal prosecutors ready for battle in New Orleans
By George Talbot | gtalbot@al.com
updated February 22, 2013 at 3:28 AM
"We're ready to try the case." Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange
The trial of the century will open Monday in a New Orleans courtroom, when
BP faces billions of dollars in civil claims resulting from the 2010 oil
spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/02/bp_federal_prosecutors_ready_f.html#incart_river
Federal judge rules some parts of BP criminal guilty plea, indictments of
BP workers, can't be used in civil trial
By Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated February 21, 2013 at 10:42 PM
Four days before a civil trial over BP's liability for the Macondo oil
spill and the sinking of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, a federal
judge has partially granted BP's request to exclude from the trial some
information submitted to another judge supporting its guilty plea and $4
billion fine relating to violation environmental laws resulting from the
accident and spill.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/02/federal_judge_rules_some_parts.html
Environmental groups, businesses send Gov. Bobby Jindal letter about oil
spill fine spending
By Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated February 21, 2013 at 4:24 PM
More than 120 Gulf of Mexico environmental groups and business owners, many
from Louisiana, signed letters sent to Gov. Bobby Jindal and the four other
Gulf state governors this week emphasizing how 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon
oil spill fine dollars could drive private sector job growth.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/02/urging_certain_bp_deepwater_ho.html
State News
DMR targets removal of derelict crab traps
WLOX
The DMR and its volunteers are targeting derelict crab traps this week.
This marks the 15th year the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources has
removed the unclaimed traps from Mississippi waters. The derelict traps can
quickly become eyesores and boating hazards.
http://www.wlox.com/story/21301488/dmr-targets-removal-of-derelict-crab-traps
Severstal to invest millions in Columbus plant
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS, MISS. — Severstal has announced it will invest $1.3 billion in
its steel and mining operations worldwide with $43 million set aside for
its rolled steel mill in Columbus, Miss.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/22/4483453/severstal-to-invest-millions-in.html
DMR's Guice issues order for marine patrol to stop issuing tickets on land
Sun Herald
By KAREN NELSON — klnelson@sunherald.com
BILOXI -- Danny Guice, the interim director of the state Department of
Marine Resources, has issued a directive to his marine patrol officers to
stop making traffic stops on land, with few exceptions.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/21/4483277/dmrs-guice-issues-order-for-marine.html
Day in the Life, "Energy Farmers"
WCBI
STARKVILLE, Miss. – (WCBI) When you think of harvesting, you may think of
fields filled with fruits, or vegetables. Three professors at Mississippi
State University are changing the face of farming. After six months of
construction and planning, this engineering dream team figured out a way to
harvest energy. While windmills are nothing new, they've designed a turbine
with a twist.http://www.wcbi.com/wordpress/day-in-the-life-energy-farmers
Energy companies eyeing sites in Natchez area
by Associated Press
Published: February 21,2013
NATCHEZ — Adams County hopes to advertise for bids in April for port
improvement construction related to a biofuels project.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2013/02/21/energy-companies-eyeing-sites-in-natchez-area/
National News
Front-runner to lead EPA vows more action on climate change
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 02/21/13 05:03 PM ET
The front-runner to fill the vacancy atop the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) pledged to push ahead with actions to confront climate change
during a wide-ranging speech Thursday.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284305-frontrunner-to-lead-epa-vows-more-action-on-climate-change
Rumored Energy pick stirring fears on left
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 02/22/13 05:00 AM ET
President Obama's rumored choice for Energy secretary is giving heartburn
to some in the environmental movement.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284331-rumored-energy-pick-stirs-fears-on-left
Top oil lobbyist: New climate bill will never reach Senate floor
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 02/21/13 11:05 AM ET
The head of a powerful oil industry trade group predicts the Senate will
shy away from debate on new Democratic legislation that imposes fees on
carbon emissions from coal and petroleum.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284203-top-oil-lobbyist-new-climate-bill-will-never-reach-senate-floor
Poll: One-third say action on climate 'essential' this year
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 02/21/13 09:32 AM ET
About one-third of people in the United States say action on climate change
is "essential" in 2013, according to a USA TODAY/Pew Research Center poll
released Thursday.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284167-poll-climate-change-a-priority-but-republicans-democrats-split-on-renewables-emissions
Groups flock to White House to talk 'fracking' rules
The Hill
By Megan R. Wilson - 02/21/13 03:43 PM ET
Environmental advocates and representatives from the oil-and-gas industry
are flocking to the White House following the submission of a draft rule
that would govern the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing on
public lands.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/pending-regs/284283-groups-flock-to-white-house-to-talk-fracking-rules-
Report: Unreliable data could hinder EPA efforts to control pollution from
natural gas boom
By Associated Press,
WASHINGTON — Limited data and unreliable estimates on air pollution from
oil and natural gas production is hindering the Environmental Protection
Agency's efforts to police the drilling boom, the agency's internal
watchdog said in a report released Thursday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/report-unreliable-data-could-hinder-epa-efforts-to-control-pollution-from-natural-gas-boom/2013/02/21/3354b646-7c98-11e2-9073-e9dda4ac6a66_story.html
Fracking Emissions Get Review After EPA Watchdog Report
Bloombertg
By Mark Drajem - Feb 21, 2013
Federal environmental regulators said they will more closely study air
emissions from hydraulic fracturing after the agency's auditor concluded
current information is insufficient to make policy decisions.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-21/fracking-emissions-get-review-after-epa-watchdog-report.html
Illinois 'fracking' proposal sees rare cooperation
By TAMMY WEBBER — Associated Press
CHICAGO — Illinois would have the strictest regulations for high-volume oil
and gas drilling in the nation under a proposal introduced Thursday and
drafted with help from industry and environmentalists - an unusual
collaboration when it comes to a practice intensely scrutinized over claims
it can cause pollution and health problems.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/21/4482905/illinois-fracking-proposal-sees.html
Industry groups appeal high-ethanol fuel case to Supreme Court
The Hill
By Ben Goad - 02/21/13 02:26 PM ET
A coalition of industry groups asked the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday to
reconsider a lower court's finding in favor of the Environmental Protection
Agency's 2011 decision to allow sales of the high-ethanol fuel blend known
as E15.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energyenvironment/284259-industry-groups-appeal-high-ethanol-fuel-case-to-supreme-court-
Senior House Republican calls on Obama to replace 'accommodating' Interior
watchdog
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 02/21/13 12:10 PM ET
House Natural Resources Doc Hastings (R-Wash.) wants President Obama to
replace the acting head of Interior Department's internal watchdog for
being too soft on the White House.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284223-senior-house-republican-calls-on-obama-to-replace-accommodating-interior-watchdog
EPA denies claim that former director Jackson used NJ email account
By Judson Berger
Published February 21, 2013
FoxNews.com
An Environmental Protection Agency spokeswoman on Thursday denied that
former EPA chief Lisa Jackson used a New Jersey government email account
while she was heading the federal agency, following claims by a Washington
attorney that Jackson may have been trying to use the account to skirt
records requests.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/02/20/epa-denies-jackson-email/
Thursday, February 21, 2013
News Clippings 2.21.13
2/21/13
Oil Spill
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council held first meeting
WLOX
Tuesday evening, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council held the
first of several public meetings to come.
http://www.wlox.com/story/21285821/gulf-coast-ecosystem-restoration-council-held-first-meeting
BP civil settlement remains elusive as trial approaches next week
By The Associated Press
updated February 20, 2013 at 1:27 PM
NEW ORLEANS -- The U.S. Justice Department and the five Gulf coast states
affected by a massive oil spill nearly three years ago have indicated they
would like to settle their environmental and economic claims with BP PLC
ahead of a trial scheduled to start next week.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/bp_civil_settlement_remains_el.html#incart_river
BP Witness May Help Halliburton Avoid Spill Trial Blame
Bloomberg
By Margaret Cronin Fisk, Jef Feeley and Laurel Brubaker Calkins - Feb 20,
2013
Halliburton Co. (HAL) may escape paying billions of dollars in damages for
its role in the biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history thanks to
statements by a witness for codefendant BP Plc. (BP/)
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-21/bp-witness-may-help-halliburton-avoid-spill-trial-blame.html
BP faces civil trial over gulf oil spill
By Julie Cart
Los Angeles Times
February 19, 2013, 7:22 p.m.
With the ink barely dry on the record-breaking $4-billion check BP wrote to
settle criminal charges stemming from itsGulf of Mexico oil spill disaster,
the energy giant now faces a protracted court battle that could cost it
billions more.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-bp-trial-20130220,0,6895127.story
La. coastal restoration meetings continue
BY AMY WOLD
Baton Rouge Advocate
February 20, 2013
NEW ORLEANS — Although many comments may have been more technical in nature
during a Louisiana coastal restoration and protection meeting Wednesday
night, a 9-year-old boy from Ascension Parish summed up the general feeling
among attendees.
http://theadvocate.com/news/5230771-123/coastal-restoration-meetings-continue
How should BP oil spill fines be spent?
Houma Today
By Nikki Buskey
Published: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 9:46 p.m.
Residents asked the council tasked with distributing billions in BP oil
spill fine money to act with urgency and make use of the numerous plans and
programs already in place to restore Louisiana's coast.
http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20130219/ARTICLES/130219595/1211/news01?Title=How-should-BP-oil-spill-fines-be-spent-
State News
Starkville faces EPA fines for sewage overflows
Commercial Dispatch
February 20, 2013 10:04:51 AM
Carl Smith - csmith@cdispatch.com
STARKVILLE Â-- The city of Starkville faces retroactive fines due to past
overflow incidents involving its sanitary sewage system, public works
director Doug Devlin reported to the board of aldermen Tuesday.
http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=22394&TRID=1
EPA to penalize city for sewage overflows
Starkville Daily News
Created 02/20/2013 - 10:54pm
By NATHAN GREGORY
City Public Works Director Doug Devlin informed the Starkville Board of
Aldermen Tuesday that the Environmental Protection Agency planned to impose
monetary penalties on the city retroactively for sanitary sewer overflows
in the public collection system over a five-year period.
http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/node/13225
Judge gives easement to Harrison County Utility Authority
Sun Herald
By MELISSA M. SCALLAN — mmscallan@sunherald.com
GULFPORT -- The Harrison County Utility Authority now owns a piece of land
it needs to begin operating a sewage-treatment plant in Woolmarket.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/20/4480734/judge-gives-easement-to-harrison.html
City looks at recycling improvements
By CALEB BEDILLION
DAILY LEADER
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 2:00 pm
Aldermen continue to work to make the city's recycling program better, with
plans laid to improve the success of a drop-off recycling location at the
Willard Street fire station.
http://www.dailyleader.com/topstories/article_bbb1ec60-7b81-11e2-a797-001a4bcf887a.html
Ladies of Wastewater make it happen
DeSoto Times
By ROBERT LEE LONG
DESOTO COUNTY — Four women who help manage and run DeSoto County's $110
million wastewater system could be working for a Fortune 500 company.
http://www.desototimes.com/articles/2013/02/21/news/doc512584ebb88d7051348412.txt
Supes say no to Northbay residents
Madison County Journal
By ALINE CARAMBAT
MADISON - After almost a four-week battle for funding to correct a $350,000
drainage problem in Northbay, residents left Tuesday night's Board of
Supervisor's meeting defeated after the board stated they would not move
forward with the project to drain the subdivision's lake.
http://onlinemadison.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=26228
Water advisories lifted in Waveland, Gulfport
Sun Herald
Three water contact advisories issued Feb. 15 were lifted Wednesday by the
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality through its Beach
Monitoring Program.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/20/4479577/water-advisories-lifted-in-waveland.html
Reservoir: PRVWSD appoints board member
Clarion Ledger
Madison County resident John Pittman was appointed to the Pearl River
Valley Water Supply District board of directors.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130221/NEWS/302210062/Reservoir-PRVWSD-appoints-board-member
Agency budgets not likely to grow
Education may be exception for pre-k program
AP
Mississippi lawmakers are pushing forward with early proposals for the
budget year that begins July 1, and many agencies are likely to receive
less money than they're requesting.
http://www.clarionledger.com/viewart/20130221/NEWS010504/302210049/Agency-budgets-not-likely-grow
National News
McCarthy, Moniz top picks for EPA, DOE
Politico
By: Darren Goode
February 20, 2013 04:23 PM EST
Environmental Protection Agency air chief Gina McCarthy and former Clinton
Energy undersecretary Ernest Moniz are still seen as clear favorites to
help lead President Barack Obama's energy and environment team, but the
official announcements may not be imminent, sources tell POLITICO.
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/mccarthy-moniz-top-picks-for-epa-doe-87872.html?hp=r17
Obama leans toward EPA air regs chief as next agency leader
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 02/20/13 05:43 PM ET
President Obama is strongly leaning toward nominating Gina McCarthy as the
next administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, according to
sources tracking the process and published reports.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284107-obama-leans-toward-epa-air-regs-chief-as-next-agency-leader
Kerry comes out swinging on climate change
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 02/20/13 01:04 PM ET
John Kerry used his first major speech as secretary of State to make that
case that failing to confront climate change means missing big economic
opportunities — and worse.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284017-kerry-comes-out-swinging-on-climate-change
One-third of seafood mislabeled, study finds
Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin and and Tim Carman,
If you order tuna at a D.C. restaurant, chances are half the time you'll be
getting another, less expensive fish in its place. But those odds are
better than if you had wanted snapper. Testers nationwide found that 87
percent of the time, restaurants and grocery stores were selling something
else under that label.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/one-third-of-seafood-mislabeled-study-finds/2013/02/20/e168e032-7b70-11e2-82e8-61a46c2cde3d_story.html
Oil Spill
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council held first meeting
WLOX
Tuesday evening, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council held the
first of several public meetings to come.
http://www.wlox.com/story/21285821/gulf-coast-ecosystem-restoration-council-held-first-meeting
BP civil settlement remains elusive as trial approaches next week
By The Associated Press
updated February 20, 2013 at 1:27 PM
NEW ORLEANS -- The U.S. Justice Department and the five Gulf coast states
affected by a massive oil spill nearly three years ago have indicated they
would like to settle their environmental and economic claims with BP PLC
ahead of a trial scheduled to start next week.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/bp_civil_settlement_remains_el.html#incart_river
BP Witness May Help Halliburton Avoid Spill Trial Blame
Bloomberg
By Margaret Cronin Fisk, Jef Feeley and Laurel Brubaker Calkins - Feb 20,
2013
Halliburton Co. (HAL) may escape paying billions of dollars in damages for
its role in the biggest offshore oil spill in U.S. history thanks to
statements by a witness for codefendant BP Plc. (BP/)
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-21/bp-witness-may-help-halliburton-avoid-spill-trial-blame.html
BP faces civil trial over gulf oil spill
By Julie Cart
Los Angeles Times
February 19, 2013, 7:22 p.m.
With the ink barely dry on the record-breaking $4-billion check BP wrote to
settle criminal charges stemming from itsGulf of Mexico oil spill disaster,
the energy giant now faces a protracted court battle that could cost it
billions more.
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-bp-trial-20130220,0,6895127.story
La. coastal restoration meetings continue
BY AMY WOLD
Baton Rouge Advocate
February 20, 2013
NEW ORLEANS — Although many comments may have been more technical in nature
during a Louisiana coastal restoration and protection meeting Wednesday
night, a 9-year-old boy from Ascension Parish summed up the general feeling
among attendees.
http://theadvocate.com/news/5230771-123/coastal-restoration-meetings-continue
How should BP oil spill fines be spent?
Houma Today
By Nikki Buskey
Published: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 9:46 p.m.
Residents asked the council tasked with distributing billions in BP oil
spill fine money to act with urgency and make use of the numerous plans and
programs already in place to restore Louisiana's coast.
http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20130219/ARTICLES/130219595/1211/news01?Title=How-should-BP-oil-spill-fines-be-spent-
State News
Starkville faces EPA fines for sewage overflows
Commercial Dispatch
February 20, 2013 10:04:51 AM
Carl Smith - csmith@cdispatch.com
STARKVILLE Â-- The city of Starkville faces retroactive fines due to past
overflow incidents involving its sanitary sewage system, public works
director Doug Devlin reported to the board of aldermen Tuesday.
http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=22394&TRID=1
EPA to penalize city for sewage overflows
Starkville Daily News
Created 02/20/2013 - 10:54pm
By NATHAN GREGORY
City Public Works Director Doug Devlin informed the Starkville Board of
Aldermen Tuesday that the Environmental Protection Agency planned to impose
monetary penalties on the city retroactively for sanitary sewer overflows
in the public collection system over a five-year period.
http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/node/13225
Judge gives easement to Harrison County Utility Authority
Sun Herald
By MELISSA M. SCALLAN — mmscallan@sunherald.com
GULFPORT -- The Harrison County Utility Authority now owns a piece of land
it needs to begin operating a sewage-treatment plant in Woolmarket.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/20/4480734/judge-gives-easement-to-harrison.html
City looks at recycling improvements
By CALEB BEDILLION
DAILY LEADER
Wednesday, February 20, 2013 2:00 pm
Aldermen continue to work to make the city's recycling program better, with
plans laid to improve the success of a drop-off recycling location at the
Willard Street fire station.
http://www.dailyleader.com/topstories/article_bbb1ec60-7b81-11e2-a797-001a4bcf887a.html
Ladies of Wastewater make it happen
DeSoto Times
By ROBERT LEE LONG
DESOTO COUNTY — Four women who help manage and run DeSoto County's $110
million wastewater system could be working for a Fortune 500 company.
http://www.desototimes.com/articles/2013/02/21/news/doc512584ebb88d7051348412.txt
Supes say no to Northbay residents
Madison County Journal
By ALINE CARAMBAT
MADISON - After almost a four-week battle for funding to correct a $350,000
drainage problem in Northbay, residents left Tuesday night's Board of
Supervisor's meeting defeated after the board stated they would not move
forward with the project to drain the subdivision's lake.
http://onlinemadison.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&ArticleID=26228
Water advisories lifted in Waveland, Gulfport
Sun Herald
Three water contact advisories issued Feb. 15 were lifted Wednesday by the
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality through its Beach
Monitoring Program.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/20/4479577/water-advisories-lifted-in-waveland.html
Reservoir: PRVWSD appoints board member
Clarion Ledger
Madison County resident John Pittman was appointed to the Pearl River
Valley Water Supply District board of directors.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130221/NEWS/302210062/Reservoir-PRVWSD-appoints-board-member
Agency budgets not likely to grow
Education may be exception for pre-k program
AP
Mississippi lawmakers are pushing forward with early proposals for the
budget year that begins July 1, and many agencies are likely to receive
less money than they're requesting.
http://www.clarionledger.com/viewart/20130221/NEWS010504/302210049/Agency-budgets-not-likely-grow
National News
McCarthy, Moniz top picks for EPA, DOE
Politico
By: Darren Goode
February 20, 2013 04:23 PM EST
Environmental Protection Agency air chief Gina McCarthy and former Clinton
Energy undersecretary Ernest Moniz are still seen as clear favorites to
help lead President Barack Obama's energy and environment team, but the
official announcements may not be imminent, sources tell POLITICO.
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/02/mccarthy-moniz-top-picks-for-epa-doe-87872.html?hp=r17
Obama leans toward EPA air regs chief as next agency leader
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 02/20/13 05:43 PM ET
President Obama is strongly leaning toward nominating Gina McCarthy as the
next administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, according to
sources tracking the process and published reports.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284107-obama-leans-toward-epa-air-regs-chief-as-next-agency-leader
Kerry comes out swinging on climate change
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 02/20/13 01:04 PM ET
John Kerry used his first major speech as secretary of State to make that
case that failing to confront climate change means missing big economic
opportunities — and worse.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/284017-kerry-comes-out-swinging-on-climate-change
One-third of seafood mislabeled, study finds
Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin and and Tim Carman,
If you order tuna at a D.C. restaurant, chances are half the time you'll be
getting another, less expensive fish in its place. But those odds are
better than if you had wanted snapper. Testers nationwide found that 87
percent of the time, restaurants and grocery stores were selling something
else under that label.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/one-third-of-seafood-mislabeled-study-finds/2013/02/20/e168e032-7b70-11e2-82e8-61a46c2cde3d_story.html
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
MDEQ Lifts Three Water Contact Advisories
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
Phil Bryant, GOVERNOR
MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Trudy D. Fisher, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Robbie Wilbur
February 20, 2013 601/961-5277
MDEQ Lifts Three Water Contact Advisories
(JACKSON, Miss.) -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
(MDEQ), through its Beach Monitoring Program, has lifted three water
contact advisories issued February 15 for the following beach monitoring
stations:
● Station 3 ? Waveland Beach -- from Oak Boulevard east to Favre Street.
●Station 4 ? Bay St. Louis Beach -- from the box culvert east to Ballentine
Street.
●Station 8 -- Gulfport West Beach -- from Maria Avenue east to Camp Avenue.
Water samples at these stations show the area have attained acceptable
bacteria levels. The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, which performs water
sampling of the Mississippi Gulf Coast beaches for MDEQ, notifies the
agency when an area returns to acceptable levels and safe conditions.
Information on the Mississippi Beach Monitoring Program is available at:
http://www.usm.edu/gcrl/msbeach/index.cgi.
To receive beach advisories directly, send an email to
rwilbur@deq.state.ms.us for inclusion in a public group email list, text
"beach" to 601-863-8082,
or follow MDEQ on Twitter at http://twitter.com/#!/MDEQ.
# # #
MDEQ has set up a texting group for media on the Gulf Coast. If you would
like to be on the list and receive info via text, then text "coastmedia" to
601-863-8082, or follow MDEQ on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/#!/MDEQ
Mr. Robbie Wilbur
Communications Director
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Post Office Box 2261
Jackson, Mississippi 39225
601/961-5277
601/421-5699 (c)
601/961-5715 (f)
rwilbur@deq.state.ms.us
Connect with MDEQ on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/MDEQ/118172664880239?v=wall
Follow MDEQ on Twitter
http://twitter.com/#!/MDEQ
News Clippings 2.20.13
2.20.13
Oil Spill
Coastians share visions of Gulf at meeting on RESTORE Act oil spill-relief
fund
Sun Herald
By KAREN NELSON — klnelson@sunherald.com
BILOXI -- More than 250 people came to listen and learn Tuesday night about
the process that will eventually distribute hundreds of millions of dollars
to the Gulf Coast for recovery from the 2010 BP oil disaster.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/19/4478232/more-than-250-attend-meeting-on.html
BP fines should fund oyster reef and marshland restoration, public gardens,
residents say
By April M. Havens | gulflive.com
updated February 19, 2013 at 7:11 PM
BILOXI, Mississippi - Potential fines from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
should go to restore oyster reefs, plant public gardens, preserve marshland
and provide workforce development to minority workers, residents told the
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council on Tuesday afternoon.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/bp_fines_should_fund_oyster_re.html#incart_river
Council to host public meeting on RESTORE Act plan
By VALERIE GARMAN / The News Herald
Published: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 22:38 PM.
PANAMA CITY BEACH — Bethany Kraft believes the best voice for the Gulf of
Mexico ultimately will come from the people who live there.
http://www.newsherald.com/news/government/council-to-host-public-meeting-on-restore-act-plan-1.98769
Judge approves Transocean's $1B spill settlement
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN — Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge on Tuesday approved Transocean Ltd.'s
agreement with the Justice Department to pay $1 billion in civil penalties
for its role in the massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/19/4476991/judge-approves-transoceans-1b.html
BP agreement could cut oil spill fines
Washington Post
By Steven Mufson, Published: February 19
BP has won an agreement from the Justice Department that there will be no
penalties on the barrels of crude oil the company was able to recapture
during the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill, effectively cutting the company's
potential Clean Water Act fines by as much as $900 million, or even up to
$3.5 billion.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/bp-agreement-could-cut-oil-spill-fines/2013/02/19/0716d202-7af5-11e2-82e8-61a46c2cde3d_story.html
Feds, BP agree that 34 million gallons of captured oil not part of civil
penalties
By The Associated Press
updated February 19, 2013 at 8:50 PM
NEW ORLEANS -- BP and the federal government have agreed that 34 million
gallons of oil captured during the massive 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico
can't count toward civil penalties the oil giant faces.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/feds_bp_agree_that_34_million.html#incart_river
Battle Lines Drawn for BP's Day in Court
NY Times
By CLIFFORD KRAUSS
HOUSTON — Unless the Justice Department and BP reach a last-minute
settlement, the British oil company will return to court on Monday to face
tens of billions of dollars in civil claims from the 2010 explosion on the
Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico that could cripple the company
for years to come.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/business/battle-lines-drawn-for-bps-day-in-court.html?ref=earth&_r=0&pagewanted=print
BP challenges 'excessive' spill claims
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 02/19/13 09:52 AM ET
BP announced Tuesday that it would defend itself in court against
"excessive" claims for civilian penalties and federal gross negligence
charges regarding its role in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/283715-facing-up-to-21-billion-in-fines-bp-will-take-2010-oil-spill-case-to-court-
BP ready for civil trial in Deepwater Horizon oil spill, attempts to reach
settlement have failed
By The Associated Press
updated February 19, 2013 at 10:01 AM
LONDON -- BP acknowledged Tuesday it had failed to reach a settlement in
advance of next week's civil trial on the Deepwater Horizon accident and is
ready to defend itself vigorously against allegations of gross negligence
in the U.S.'s biggest environmental disaster.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/bp_ready_for_civil_trial_in_de.html#incart_river
Business officials push for RESTORE Act funds to pay for ecosystem
restoration
MBJ
February 19th, 2013Clay ChandlerLeave a commentGo to comments
A group of 120 business leaders have signed a letter urging that money
allocated under the RESTORE Act be used to rebuild the Gulf Coast's
ecosystem after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://msbusiness.com/magnoliamarketplace/2013/02/19/business-officials-push-for-restore-act-funds-to-be-used-to-rebuild-gulf-ecosystem/
State News
Guice said some tidelands money accounted for
Sun Herald
By MICHAEL NEWSOM — mmnewsom@sunherald.com
BILOXI -- Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Interim Director Danny
Guice said this morning about $2.3 million of about $4 million in
questioned spending has been accounted for.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/19/4476791/guice-said-some-tidelands-money.html
DMR director applications sought through March 12
Sun Herald
By MICHAEL NEWSOM — mmnewsom@sunherald.com
BILOXI -- The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources' governing board
will take applications for director of the agency for the next three weeks
in hopes of filling the job, which pays between $83,427 and $108,455.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/19/4478221/dmr-director-applications-sought.html
Commission on Marine Resources to begin interviewing executive director
candidates in mid-March
By Warren Kulo | GulfLive.com
updated February 19, 2013 at 1:10 PM
BILOXI, Mississippi -- The Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources
agreed Monday to set a March 12 deadline for candidates to apply for the
vacant Department of Marine Resources Executive Director's position.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/commission_on_marine_resources_2.html#incart_river
Commission speeds up search for DMR director
WLOX
BILOXI, MS (WLOX) -
The commission that oversees the Department of Marine Resources is looking
for a new permanent director to replace Dr Bill Walker, who was fired last
month. How long should that process take?
http://www.wlox.com/story/21242953/commission-speeds-up-search-for-dmr-director
Treatment plant will bring better water to eastern Jackson County next year
By April M. Havens | gulflive.com
updated February 19, 2013 at 11:09 AM
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi - A multimillion-dollar plant that will treat
Pascagoula River water for residents in east Jackson County, an area
notorious for low water quality, is in the final design phase, Jackson
County supervisors learned Tuesday.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/treatment_plant_will_bring_bet.html#incart_river
Development near Picayune plant site opposed
AP
POPLARVILLE — A Pearl River County judge has scheduled a hearing Thursday
on a petition from some residents seeking to block development near the
construction site of a sand drying plant in Picayune.
http://www.clarionledger.com/viewart/20130220/NEWS01/302200012/Development-near-Picayune-plant-site-opposed
National News
Top EPA official used personal email address
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 02/19/13 03:43 PM ET
Newly released documents show that the acting head of the Environmental
Protection Agency has used a personal email address for internal
communication, fanning GOP claims that the agency's work is not
transparent.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/283821-top-epa-official-used-personal-email-address
EPA official quits amid e-mail scrutiny
Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin, Published: February 19
A senior Environmental Protection Agency official overseeing states in the
West and Great Plains resigned Friday, amid intense congressional scrutiny
over how EPA appointees have used personal e-mail addresses to conduct
official business.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/epa-official-quits-amid-e-mail-scrutiny/2013/02/19/2ee812a4-7af6-11e2-9a75-dab0201670da_story.html
Oil Spill
Coastians share visions of Gulf at meeting on RESTORE Act oil spill-relief
fund
Sun Herald
By KAREN NELSON — klnelson@sunherald.com
BILOXI -- More than 250 people came to listen and learn Tuesday night about
the process that will eventually distribute hundreds of millions of dollars
to the Gulf Coast for recovery from the 2010 BP oil disaster.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/19/4478232/more-than-250-attend-meeting-on.html
BP fines should fund oyster reef and marshland restoration, public gardens,
residents say
By April M. Havens | gulflive.com
updated February 19, 2013 at 7:11 PM
BILOXI, Mississippi - Potential fines from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
should go to restore oyster reefs, plant public gardens, preserve marshland
and provide workforce development to minority workers, residents told the
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council on Tuesday afternoon.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/bp_fines_should_fund_oyster_re.html#incart_river
Council to host public meeting on RESTORE Act plan
By VALERIE GARMAN / The News Herald
Published: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 22:38 PM.
PANAMA CITY BEACH — Bethany Kraft believes the best voice for the Gulf of
Mexico ultimately will come from the people who live there.
http://www.newsherald.com/news/government/council-to-host-public-meeting-on-restore-act-plan-1.98769
Judge approves Transocean's $1B spill settlement
By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN — Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge on Tuesday approved Transocean Ltd.'s
agreement with the Justice Department to pay $1 billion in civil penalties
for its role in the massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/19/4476991/judge-approves-transoceans-1b.html
BP agreement could cut oil spill fines
Washington Post
By Steven Mufson, Published: February 19
BP has won an agreement from the Justice Department that there will be no
penalties on the barrels of crude oil the company was able to recapture
during the 2010 Gulf of Mexico spill, effectively cutting the company's
potential Clean Water Act fines by as much as $900 million, or even up to
$3.5 billion.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/bp-agreement-could-cut-oil-spill-fines/2013/02/19/0716d202-7af5-11e2-82e8-61a46c2cde3d_story.html
Feds, BP agree that 34 million gallons of captured oil not part of civil
penalties
By The Associated Press
updated February 19, 2013 at 8:50 PM
NEW ORLEANS -- BP and the federal government have agreed that 34 million
gallons of oil captured during the massive 2010 spill in the Gulf of Mexico
can't count toward civil penalties the oil giant faces.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/feds_bp_agree_that_34_million.html#incart_river
Battle Lines Drawn for BP's Day in Court
NY Times
By CLIFFORD KRAUSS
HOUSTON — Unless the Justice Department and BP reach a last-minute
settlement, the British oil company will return to court on Monday to face
tens of billions of dollars in civil claims from the 2010 explosion on the
Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico that could cripple the company
for years to come.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/20/business/battle-lines-drawn-for-bps-day-in-court.html?ref=earth&_r=0&pagewanted=print
BP challenges 'excessive' spill claims
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 02/19/13 09:52 AM ET
BP announced Tuesday that it would defend itself in court against
"excessive" claims for civilian penalties and federal gross negligence
charges regarding its role in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/283715-facing-up-to-21-billion-in-fines-bp-will-take-2010-oil-spill-case-to-court-
BP ready for civil trial in Deepwater Horizon oil spill, attempts to reach
settlement have failed
By The Associated Press
updated February 19, 2013 at 10:01 AM
LONDON -- BP acknowledged Tuesday it had failed to reach a settlement in
advance of next week's civil trial on the Deepwater Horizon accident and is
ready to defend itself vigorously against allegations of gross negligence
in the U.S.'s biggest environmental disaster.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/bp_ready_for_civil_trial_in_de.html#incart_river
Business officials push for RESTORE Act funds to pay for ecosystem
restoration
MBJ
February 19th, 2013Clay ChandlerLeave a commentGo to comments
A group of 120 business leaders have signed a letter urging that money
allocated under the RESTORE Act be used to rebuild the Gulf Coast's
ecosystem after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://msbusiness.com/magnoliamarketplace/2013/02/19/business-officials-push-for-restore-act-funds-to-be-used-to-rebuild-gulf-ecosystem/
State News
Guice said some tidelands money accounted for
Sun Herald
By MICHAEL NEWSOM — mmnewsom@sunherald.com
BILOXI -- Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Interim Director Danny
Guice said this morning about $2.3 million of about $4 million in
questioned spending has been accounted for.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/19/4476791/guice-said-some-tidelands-money.html
DMR director applications sought through March 12
Sun Herald
By MICHAEL NEWSOM — mmnewsom@sunherald.com
BILOXI -- The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources' governing board
will take applications for director of the agency for the next three weeks
in hopes of filling the job, which pays between $83,427 and $108,455.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/19/4478221/dmr-director-applications-sought.html
Commission on Marine Resources to begin interviewing executive director
candidates in mid-March
By Warren Kulo | GulfLive.com
updated February 19, 2013 at 1:10 PM
BILOXI, Mississippi -- The Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources
agreed Monday to set a March 12 deadline for candidates to apply for the
vacant Department of Marine Resources Executive Director's position.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/commission_on_marine_resources_2.html#incart_river
Commission speeds up search for DMR director
WLOX
BILOXI, MS (WLOX) -
The commission that oversees the Department of Marine Resources is looking
for a new permanent director to replace Dr Bill Walker, who was fired last
month. How long should that process take?
http://www.wlox.com/story/21242953/commission-speeds-up-search-for-dmr-director
Treatment plant will bring better water to eastern Jackson County next year
By April M. Havens | gulflive.com
updated February 19, 2013 at 11:09 AM
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi - A multimillion-dollar plant that will treat
Pascagoula River water for residents in east Jackson County, an area
notorious for low water quality, is in the final design phase, Jackson
County supervisors learned Tuesday.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/treatment_plant_will_bring_bet.html#incart_river
Development near Picayune plant site opposed
AP
POPLARVILLE — A Pearl River County judge has scheduled a hearing Thursday
on a petition from some residents seeking to block development near the
construction site of a sand drying plant in Picayune.
http://www.clarionledger.com/viewart/20130220/NEWS01/302200012/Development-near-Picayune-plant-site-opposed
National News
Top EPA official used personal email address
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 02/19/13 03:43 PM ET
Newly released documents show that the acting head of the Environmental
Protection Agency has used a personal email address for internal
communication, fanning GOP claims that the agency's work is not
transparent.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/283821-top-epa-official-used-personal-email-address
EPA official quits amid e-mail scrutiny
Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin, Published: February 19
A senior Environmental Protection Agency official overseeing states in the
West and Great Plains resigned Friday, amid intense congressional scrutiny
over how EPA appointees have used personal e-mail addresses to conduct
official business.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/epa-official-quits-amid-e-mail-scrutiny/2013/02/19/2ee812a4-7af6-11e2-9a75-dab0201670da_story.html
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Attendees for public meeting tonight
tonight in Biloxi:
Trudy Fisher, MDEQ Executive Director
Toby Baker, Commissioner, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Homer Wilkes, USDA, State Conservationist (MS)
Ben Scaggs, EPA, Director, U.S. EPA Gulf of Mexico Program
Cindy Dohner, Regional Director for Southeast Region, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service
Justin Ehrenwerth, Department of Commerce, Chief of Staff, Office of the
Deputy Secretary
We will offer a chance for one on one interviews beginning at 5:00 p.m.
in a piped off section of L4.
Note: Due to a WWE event at the Coliseum, the gate will be collecting
$5 beginning at 5:30, if you inform them at the gate you're here for
the meeting, you will not have to pay.
Thanks!
Mr. Robbie Wilbur
Communications Director
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Post Office Box 2261
Jackson, Mississippi 39225
601/961-5277
601/421-5699 (c)
601/961-5715 (f)
rwilbur@deq.state.ms.us
Connect with MDEQ on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/MDEQ/118172664880239?v=wall
Follow MDEQ on Twitter
http://twitter.com/#!/MDEQ
(Embedded image moved to file: pic06895.jpg)
STATE OF MISSISSIPPI
Phil Bryant, GOVERNOR
MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
Trudy D. Fisher, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
MEDIA ADVISORY CONTACT: Robbie Wilbur
February 14, 2013 601/961-5277
MDEQ Executive Director Invites Public To Comment On Gulf Restoration
(Jackson, Miss.) – Mississippi Department of Environmental
Quality (MDEQ) Executive Director Trudy Fisher, along with
members of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, invite
members of the public to comment on the recently released "Path
Forward" document which sets forth an integrated approach to
Gulf restoration.
What: The purpose of the public engagement session is to receive
comments on The Path Forward to Restoring the Gulf Coast, a
document released by the Council in January which describes the
path to develop an initial Comprehensive Plan.
Where: Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center
2350 Beach Blvd., Biloxi, MS 39531
When: Tuesday, February 19th
5:00 p.m. -- Open House
6:00 p.m. -- Public Engagement Session
Who: The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council and the Mississippi
Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).
A copy of the "Path Forward" document can be viewed at
http://www.restorethegulf.gov/release/2013/01/29/path-forward-restoring-gulf-coast
. In addition to the public engagement session, comments can be
sent by email to restorecouncil@doc.gov.
Periodically MDEQ will release information on RESTORE Act
activities and meetings. A text group for the public is
available by texting "restore" to 601-863-8082.
# # #
MDEQ has set up a texting group for media on the Gulf Coast. If you would
like to be on the list and receive info via text, then text "coastmedia" to
601-863-8082, or follow MDEQ on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/#!/MDEQ
Mr. Robbie Wilbur
Communications Director
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Post Office Box 2261
Jackson, Mississippi 39225
601/961-5277
601/421-5699 (c)
601/961-5715 (f)
rwilbur@deq.state.ms.us
Connect with MDEQ on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/pages/MDEQ/118172664880239?v=wall
Follow MDEQ on Twitter
http://twitter.com/#!/MDEQ
News Clippings 2/19/13
2/19/13
Oil Spill
Public comments sought Tuesday evening on 'Path Forward to Restoring the
Gulf Coast'
By Gareth Clary | GulfLive.com
updated February 18, 2013 at 7:56 AM
BILOXI, Mississippi -- Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Executive Director Trudy Fisher, along with members of the Gulf Coast
Ecosystem Restoration Council, will be listening to public comments Tuesday
evening on the council's recently-released "Path Forward to Restoring the
Gulf Coast."
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/public_comments_sought_tuesday.html
Gulf Coast State College to host Ecosystem Restoration Meeting
WMBB
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission will host two public meetings this month
as well as a webinar to gather input on the Gulf Coast Ecosystem
Restoration Council's Path Forward document and Florida's projects to be
submitted to the Council for consideration.
http://www.wmbb.com/story/21235076/gulf-coast-state-college-to-host-ecosystem-restoration
BP Faces New Bout of Spill Liability
Wall Street Journal
By TOM FOWLER
BP PLC already has agreed to pay more than $30 billion in fines,
settlements and cleanup costs for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and
oil spill. Now it is placing a big bet that by going to trial next week,
it can hold down the cost of one of its last major potential liabilities
for the disaster.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323764804578312363372704012.html
BP to "vigorously" defend itself in Deepwater Horizon case
By Associated Press,
LONDON — BP acknowledged Tuesday it had failed to reach a settlement in
advance of next week's civil trial on the Deepwater Horizon accident and is
ready to defend itself vigorously against allegations of gross negligence
in the U.S.'s biggest environmental disaster.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/bp-to-vigorously-defend-itself-in-deepwater-horizon-case/2013/02/19/26d4cb34-7a88-11e2-9c27-fdd594ea6286_story.html
BP declares it is ready to defend itself in Gulf oil spill trial
Houston Chronicle
BP is launching an all-out public relations offensive as it prepares to
defend itself next week at a civil trial in a federal court in New Orleans
that could ultimately result in the company having to pay billions of
dollars more in connection with the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2013/02/19/bp-declares-it-is-ready-to-defend-itself-in-gulf-oil-spill-trial/
BP attorney argues company was not grossly negligent, won't see maximum
fines
By Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated February 18, 2013 at 10:07 PM
With the start of the civil trial against global oil giant BP only a week
away, the company's senior trial lawyer said Monday that he doesn't expect
his client to be declared grossly negligent for the 2010 Gulf oil spill, a
finding that would result in a four-fold increase in the fines BP would
have to pay.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/02/bp_attorney_argues_company_was.html
State News
City Council meets in special called meeting to discuss disaster cleanup
Hattiesburg American
The Hattiesburg City Council held a special called meeting Monday to
discuss cleanup and response efforts in the wake of the Feb. 10 tornado.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20130219/NEWS01/130218006/City-Council-meets-special-called-meeting-discuss-disaster-cleanup
MDEQ issues Jackson water advisories over sewage overflow concerns
Clarion Ledger
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has issued three water
advisories for Jackson this afternoon. The advisories were issued because
of sewage overflows in some manholes, according to the department's
spokesman.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130213/NEWS/302130071/MDEQ-issues-Jackson-water-advisories-over-sewage-overflow-concerns
Asper: DMR director search will last at least a month
Another name tossed around as possible candidate
By MICHAEL NEWSOM — mmnewsom@sunherald.com
GULFPORT -- It appears the search for a new head of the Mississippi
Department of Marine Resources is slowing down, and another possible
candidate for the job has emerged in the last few days.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/15/4472081/asper-dmr-director-search-will.html
Guice: $2M still unaccounted for at DMR
WLOX
The interim director of the Department of Marine Resource is trying to
solve a mystery. How did the agency spend $4 million in state money over
the past decade?
http://www.wlox.com/story/21236323/guice-2m-still-unaccounted-for-at-dmr
Coast Guard lacks assets to respond to emergency on river
by Associated Press
Published: February 19,2013
VICKSBURG — After a two-barge tow carrying 1.5 million gallons of oil hit
the U.S. Highway 80 bridge in the early morning hours of Jan. 27, Coast
Guard officials had to rely on a Vicksburg industry to respond.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2013/02/19/coast-guard-lacks-assets-to-respond-to-emergency-on-river/
Volunteers needed to clean up derelict crab traps from Mississippi waters
By Mississippi Press Staff
updated February 18, 2013 at 2:11 PM
BILOXI, Mississippi --The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR)
has set dates for removal of crab traps from Mississippi waters.
Volunteers are needed to help with the derelict crab trap removal program
cleanup to be held Feb. 21-23.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-living/2013/02/volunteers_needed_to_cleanup_d.html#incart_river
National News
Petition seeks new EPA pathway to require greenhouse gas curbs
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 02/19/13 06:42 AM ET
An environmental group affiliated with New York University's law school is
petitioning the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to wield a
seldom-used section of the Clean Air Act to require greenhouse gas
emissions curbs.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/283689-petition-seeks-new-epa-pathway-to-require-greenhouse-gas-curbs
Oil Spill
Public comments sought Tuesday evening on 'Path Forward to Restoring the
Gulf Coast'
By Gareth Clary | GulfLive.com
updated February 18, 2013 at 7:56 AM
BILOXI, Mississippi -- Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Executive Director Trudy Fisher, along with members of the Gulf Coast
Ecosystem Restoration Council, will be listening to public comments Tuesday
evening on the council's recently-released "Path Forward to Restoring the
Gulf Coast."
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/public_comments_sought_tuesday.html
Gulf Coast State College to host Ecosystem Restoration Meeting
WMBB
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission will host two public meetings this month
as well as a webinar to gather input on the Gulf Coast Ecosystem
Restoration Council's Path Forward document and Florida's projects to be
submitted to the Council for consideration.
http://www.wmbb.com/story/21235076/gulf-coast-state-college-to-host-ecosystem-restoration
BP Faces New Bout of Spill Liability
Wall Street Journal
By TOM FOWLER
BP PLC already has agreed to pay more than $30 billion in fines,
settlements and cleanup costs for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and
oil spill. Now it is placing a big bet that by going to trial next week,
it can hold down the cost of one of its last major potential liabilities
for the disaster.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323764804578312363372704012.html
BP to "vigorously" defend itself in Deepwater Horizon case
By Associated Press,
LONDON — BP acknowledged Tuesday it had failed to reach a settlement in
advance of next week's civil trial on the Deepwater Horizon accident and is
ready to defend itself vigorously against allegations of gross negligence
in the U.S.'s biggest environmental disaster.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/bp-to-vigorously-defend-itself-in-deepwater-horizon-case/2013/02/19/26d4cb34-7a88-11e2-9c27-fdd594ea6286_story.html
BP declares it is ready to defend itself in Gulf oil spill trial
Houston Chronicle
BP is launching an all-out public relations offensive as it prepares to
defend itself next week at a civil trial in a federal court in New Orleans
that could ultimately result in the company having to pay billions of
dollars more in connection with the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2013/02/19/bp-declares-it-is-ready-to-defend-itself-in-gulf-oil-spill-trial/
BP attorney argues company was not grossly negligent, won't see maximum
fines
By Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated February 18, 2013 at 10:07 PM
With the start of the civil trial against global oil giant BP only a week
away, the company's senior trial lawyer said Monday that he doesn't expect
his client to be declared grossly negligent for the 2010 Gulf oil spill, a
finding that would result in a four-fold increase in the fines BP would
have to pay.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/02/bp_attorney_argues_company_was.html
State News
City Council meets in special called meeting to discuss disaster cleanup
Hattiesburg American
The Hattiesburg City Council held a special called meeting Monday to
discuss cleanup and response efforts in the wake of the Feb. 10 tornado.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20130219/NEWS01/130218006/City-Council-meets-special-called-meeting-discuss-disaster-cleanup
MDEQ issues Jackson water advisories over sewage overflow concerns
Clarion Ledger
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has issued three water
advisories for Jackson this afternoon. The advisories were issued because
of sewage overflows in some manholes, according to the department's
spokesman.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130213/NEWS/302130071/MDEQ-issues-Jackson-water-advisories-over-sewage-overflow-concerns
Asper: DMR director search will last at least a month
Another name tossed around as possible candidate
By MICHAEL NEWSOM — mmnewsom@sunherald.com
GULFPORT -- It appears the search for a new head of the Mississippi
Department of Marine Resources is slowing down, and another possible
candidate for the job has emerged in the last few days.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/15/4472081/asper-dmr-director-search-will.html
Guice: $2M still unaccounted for at DMR
WLOX
The interim director of the Department of Marine Resource is trying to
solve a mystery. How did the agency spend $4 million in state money over
the past decade?
http://www.wlox.com/story/21236323/guice-2m-still-unaccounted-for-at-dmr
Coast Guard lacks assets to respond to emergency on river
by Associated Press
Published: February 19,2013
VICKSBURG — After a two-barge tow carrying 1.5 million gallons of oil hit
the U.S. Highway 80 bridge in the early morning hours of Jan. 27, Coast
Guard officials had to rely on a Vicksburg industry to respond.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2013/02/19/coast-guard-lacks-assets-to-respond-to-emergency-on-river/
Volunteers needed to clean up derelict crab traps from Mississippi waters
By Mississippi Press Staff
updated February 18, 2013 at 2:11 PM
BILOXI, Mississippi --The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR)
has set dates for removal of crab traps from Mississippi waters.
Volunteers are needed to help with the derelict crab trap removal program
cleanup to be held Feb. 21-23.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-living/2013/02/volunteers_needed_to_cleanup_d.html#incart_river
National News
Petition seeks new EPA pathway to require greenhouse gas curbs
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 02/19/13 06:42 AM ET
An environmental group affiliated with New York University's law school is
petitioning the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to wield a
seldom-used section of the Clean Air Act to require greenhouse gas
emissions curbs.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/283689-petition-seeks-new-epa-pathway-to-require-greenhouse-gas-curbs
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