2/6/13
Oil Spill
BP objects to oil spill price tag sought by US states
Reuters
Tue, Feb 5 2013
By Andrew Callus and Braden Reddall
Feb 5 (Reuters) - BP Plc has tallied up claims made by states and local
governments on the U.S. Gulf Coast for economic and property damages from
the Macondo oil spill, and come up with a figure of $34 billion, which it
deems "substantially" overstated.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/05/bp-spill-claims-idUSL1N0B5JZL20130205
Four Pinellas beach cities sue BP for gulf oil spill
Tampa Bay Times
By Sheila Mullane Estrada, Times Correspondent
PINELLAS BEACHES — Four Pinellas County beach cities are seeking more than
$12 million in damages from BP for lost tax revenue and costs associated
with the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/environment/four-pinellas-county-beach-cities-sue-bp-for-gulf-oil-spill/1273840
BP Cedes Top U.S. Gulf Oil Producer Spot to Royal Dutch Shell
Wall Street Journal
By BEN LEFEBVRE
HOUSTON--BP BP.LN -1.32% PLC ceded its spot as the biggest crude-oil
producer in U.S. Gulf of Mexico federal waters to rival Royal Dutch Shell
RDSB.LN -0.62% PLC as BP's 2012 output declined due to major maintenance
work and asset sales.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324900204578285980098301180.html
State News
Leak in Jasper pipeline stopped
Creek near Bay Springs affected
Clarion Ledger
One of the biggest oil spills in recent Jasper County memory gushed some 40
gallons of crude product into a creek east of Bay Springs on Tuesday,
prompting a multi-agency response and an investigation into its origins.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130206/NEWS/302050045/Leak-Jasper-pipeline-stopped
Moss Point aldermen vote to reject Jackson County Utility Authority offer
to provide water
Mississippi Press
By Vivian Austin
February 05, 2013 at 7:55 PM
MOSS POINT, Mississippi -- The Moss Point Board of Aldermen on Tuesday
voted 5-2 to discontinue talks with the Jackson County Utility Authority to
provide water to areas in north Moss Point.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/moss_point_aldermen_vote_to_re.html#incart_river
Janus takes unpaid leave as D'Iberville city manager
Sun Herald
By MARY PEREZ — meperez@sunherald.com
D'IBERVILLE -- The City Council took no action after an hour-long executive
session Tuesday, but D'Iberville City Manager Michael Janus did --
announcing he is taking a voluntary leave from his job without pay.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/05/4450114/janus-to-take-leave-from-city.html
Hales calls for big hike in littering penalty
By David A. Farrell
The Picayune Item
POPLARVILLE — Saying it was time to take "drastic steps" on confronting
Pearl River County's litterg problem, Supervisor Anthony Hales, Sr., on
Monday called for hefty increases in fines for persons found guilty of
littering.
http://picayuneitem.com/local/x1303540051/Hales-calls-for-big-hike-in-littering-penalty
New PERS waiting period discourages mayor from running from seeking office
Clarion Ledger
Had it not been for a 2010 law passed to close a loophole in the state
retirement system, Florence Mayor Bob Morris probably would run for a
second term.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130206/NEWS01/302060042/Does-PERS-waiting-period-discourage-public-service-
National News
Obama to nominate CEO of outdoor equipment giant REI to become interior
secretary
Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin,
President Obama on Wednesday will nominate Recreational Equipment (REI)
chief executive Sally Jewell to head the Interior Department, according to
a White House official who asked not to be identified because the public
announcement has not yet been made.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/obama-to-nominate-ceo-of-outdoor-equipment-giant-rei-to-become-interior-secretary/2013/02/06/da9d2dcc-7007-11e2-ac36-3d8d9dcaa2e2_story.html
EPA says carbon pollution from power plants declines with less coal use
By Associated Press,
WASHINGTON — Heat-trapping gases from U.S. power plants fell 4.6 percent in
2011 from the previous year as plants burned less coal, the biggest source
of greenhouse gas pollution, according to a new government report.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/epa-says-carbon-pollution-from-power-plants-declines-with-less-coal-use/2013/02/05/a4e4d40c-6fce-11e2-b3f3-b263d708ca37_story.html
White House Weighs Emission Rules
State of the Union Could Signal Effort to Curb Greenhouse Gases From
Existing Coal-Powered Facilities
Wall Street Journal
By PETER NICHOLAS and KEITH JOHNSON
President Barack Obama in next week's State of the Union speech will lay
out a renewed effort to combat climate change that is expected to include
using his authority to curb emissions from existing power plants, people
who have talked to the administration about its plans said.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324761004578286341719199964.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsForth
Climate change shaking up forest management, federal report says
By Jeff Barnard, The Associated Press
GRANTS PASS, Ore. -- Big changes are in store for the nation's forests as
global warming increases wildfires and insect infestations, and generates
more frequent floods and droughts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture warns
in a new report.
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/05/16857481-climate-change-shaking-up-forest-management-federal-report-says
GOP lawmaker threatens battle over EPA regulation
The Hill
By Ben Goad - 02/05/13 10:06 AM ET
House Republicans are gearing up for a fight against Obama administration
plans to counter climate change through increased regulation.
Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-Ky.), the chairman of the House Energy and Power
subcommittee, warned Tuesday that any attempt by the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) to impose new emission standards for existing power
plants would meet fierce opposition. Already the agency has put forward
rules to control emissions at new power plants.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energyenvironment/281113-gop-lawmaker-threatens-battle-over-epa-regulation-
Press Releases
EPA Updates Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data from Large Facilities
WASHINGTON – Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) posted the
second year of greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions data on its website, which
provides public access to emissions data by sector, by greenhouse gas, and
by geographic region such as county or state.
Greenhouse gases are the primary driver of climate change, which can lead
to hotter, longer heat waves that threaten the health of the sick, poor or
elderly; increases in ground-level ozone pollution linked to asthma and
other respiratory illnesses; as well as other threats to the health and
welfare of Americans.
"Transparency ensures a better informed public, which leads to a better
protected environment," said Gina McCarthy, assistant administrator for
EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. "With this second data release,
communities, businesses and others can track and compare facilities'
greenhouse gas emissions and identify opportunities to cut pollution,
minimize wasted energy, and save money."
The 2011 data, collected through the congressionally mandated Greenhouse
Gas (GHG) Reporting Program, includes information from facilities in 41
source categories that emit large quantities of greenhouse gasses. The 2011
data also contains new data collected from 12 additional source categories,
including petroleum and natural gas systems and coal mines.
For facilities that are direct emitters of GHGs the data show that in 2011:
- Power plants remain the largest stationary source of GHG emissions, with
2,221 million metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent (mmtCO2e), roughly
one-third of total U.S. emissions. 2011 emissions from this source were
approximately 4.6 percent below 2010 emissions, reflecting an ongoing
increase in power generation from natural gas and renewable sources.
- Petroleum and natural gas systems were the second largest sector, with
emissions of 225 mmtCO2e in 2011, the first year of reporting for this
group.
- Refineries were the third-largest emitting source, with 182 mmtCO2e, a
half of a percent increase over 2010.
EPA now has two years of greenhouse gas data for 29 source categories. Some
industrial sectors, such as metals production and chemicals production,
reported overall increases in emissions, while others, such as power
plants, reported decreases. Overall emissions reported from these 29
sources were 3 percent lower in 2011 than in 2010. In the future the data
collected through the program will provide the public with the opportunity
to compare emissions and developing trends for all 41 industry types –by
facility and sector.
This data is accessible through the Facility Level Information on Green
House gases Tool (FLIGHT) – a web-based data publication tool. EPA has also
expanded accessibility of this data through EPA's online database
EnviroFacts that allows a user to search for information by zip code.
The data collection program is required by Congress in the FY2008
Consolidated Appropriations Act, which requires facilities to report data
from large emission sources across a range of industry sectors, as well as
suppliers of certain greenhouse gases, and products that would emit GHGs if
released or combusted. EPA's GHG Reporting Program includes information
from more than 8,000 sources and represents 85-90 percent of total U.S. GHG
emissions. This data only includes large facilities and does not include
small sources, agriculture, or land use, which can also be significant
sources of greenhouse gas emissions.
Access EPA's GHG Reporting Program Data and Data Publication Tool:
http://www.epa.gov/ghgreporting/
Access EnviroFacts:
http://epa.gov/enviro/
