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
