3.1.13
Oil Spill
BP's safety chief testifies that internal report did not probe management's
role in Gulf oil spill
By Richard Thompson, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated February 28, 2013 at 8:36 PM
Under intense questioning Thursday, BP's safety chief testified that the
team that conducted an internal investigation into the Macondo blowout did
not weigh concerns that the ill-fated oil well was over-budget and behind
schedule, nor did they reach out to a former company executive who
reportedly resigned months earlier over safety concerns in its offshore
drilling operations.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/02/bps_safety_chief_testifies_tha.html#incart_river
BP executive testifies company probe of Gulf spill didn't explore cost cuts
By The Associated Press
updated March 01, 2013 at 6:50 AM
NEW ORLEANS -- An internal BP probe of the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of
Mexico didn't explore whether decisions by upper-level management or cost
cuts had a role in causing the disaster because investigators didn't have
access to its partners' employees and records, a BP executive testified
Thursday at a trial designed to assign blame to the companies.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/bp_executive_testifies_company.html#incart_river
BP oil spill probe did not address cost overruns -exec
Reuters
Thu, Feb 28 2013
By Kristen Hays
NEW ORLEANS, Feb 28 (Reuters) - BP Plc's investigation of its disastrous
2010 Gulf of Mexico blowout did not address the impact of cost overruns on
the well, a BP executive said on Thursday, in the final day of testimony
this week in the massive civil trial over the spill.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/28/bp-spill-trial-idUSL1N0BSD1020130228
BP safety chief defends company's spill report
Ex-safety chief is grilled during Gulf disaster trial
By Harry R. Weber | February 28, 2013
Houston Chronicle
NEW ORLEANS - BP's chief safety official at the time of the 2010 Gulf of
Mexico oil spill faced intense questioning Thursday about critical
omissions the British oil giant is alleged to have made in an internal
report on the disaster.
http://www.chron.com/business/article/BP-safety-chief-defends-company-s-spill-report-4318393.php
BP trial's first week offers glimpse of long fight
USA Today
NEW ORLEANS – Testimony from current and former executives. Gulf
Coast residents and the U.S. government pitted against some of the
biggest companies in the world. Tens of billions of dollars at
stake.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/02/28/bp-civil-trial/1954691/
La. officials differ on offer to BP
Baton Rouge Advocate
WASHINGTON — The BP oil disaster trial is well under way, and talks of a
potential settlement have not died.
But Louisiana officials and the state's U.S. senators remain at odds over
how the billions of dollars in any settlement should be funneled.
http://theadvocate.com/news/5312833-123/la-officials-differ-on-offer
BP fines should go to Gulf states via Restore Act, say Sens. Shelby,
Landrieu
By George Talbot | gtalbot@al.com
February 28, 2013 at 11:00 AM
U.S. Sens. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, and Mary Landrieu, D-La., released
a joint statement today saying any settlement with BP over its role in the
2010 oil spill should include substantial penalties under the Clean Water
Act.
http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/02/shelby_landrieu_say_bp_fines_s.html#incart_river
Sens. Landrieu and Shelby urge 'robust' Clean Water Act fines for 2010 BP
spill
By Bruce Alpert, NOLA.com | Times-Picayune
updated February 28, 2013 at 9:21 PM
Washington -- In an unusual joint statement, a Democrat and Republican
senator argued strongly Thursday that any settlement with BP over Clean
Water Act violations for the 2010 Gulf oil spill include "robust" fines.
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/02/sens_landrieu_and_shelby_urge.html#incart_river
RESTORE Council hears public input
By VALERIE GARMAN / The News Herald
Published: Thursday, February 28, 2013 at 23:44 PM.
PANAMA CITY — Hundreds gathered at Gulf Coast State College's Student Union
East Conference Center Thursday with one goal in mind — to find the best
way to heal the wounds of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
http://www.newsherald.com/news/restore-council-hears-public-input-1.103879
Feds charge 15 with scamming BP oil spill fund
AP
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Fifteen people were charged Thursday with felony fraud
for allegedly filing bogus claims for help after the 2010 BP oil spill in
the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.chron.com/news/texas/article/Feds-charge-15-with-scamming-BP-oil-spill-fund-4318555.php
State News
Vermont college volunteers helping DMR restore Deer Island
WLOX
Time and Hurricane Katrina have taken their toll on Deer Island. Now, you
can help save this environmental treasure. The Department of Marine
Resources is asking the public to take part in a project to restore and
protect the island. On Thursday, some out-of-town volunteers were among the
first to lend a helping hand.
http://www.wlox.com/story/21430578/vermont-college-volunteers-helping-dmr-restore-deer-island
Volunteers help DMR bag oyster shells for Deer Island living shoreline
By PRISCILLA LOEBENBERG — Special to the Sun Herald
PASS CHRISTIAN -- Volunteers from Vermont's Johnson State College and Hands
On Mississippi helped the state Department of Marine Resources build wire
bags and fill them with oyster shells Thursday at the Pass Christian
Industrial Park. The shells will be used to help restore Deer Island to its
pre-Hurricane Katrina size.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/28/4498636/volunteers-help-dmr-bag-oyster.html
Does BlueFire still burn in the county?
Itawamba County Times
by Adam Armour | 6:00 am | March 1, 2013
Remember the BlueFire ethanol plant? The one that's supposedly being built
on Access Road in Fulton? Whatever happened to that thing?
http://itawambatimes.com/2013/03/01/does-bluefire-still-burn-in-the-county/
Carriere chemical spill was not hazardous
By Jeremy Pittari
The Picayune Item
CARRIERE — Just before 10 p.m. Tuesday, officers with the Picayune Police
Department responded to a report of a suspected chemical spill on
Interstate 59 at exit 10 in Carriere.
http://picayuneitem.com/local/x36433263/Carriere-chemical-spill-was-not-hazardous
College Board confirms LaForge to lead Delta State
by Jeff Amy
The Associated Press
02.28.13 - 09:05 pm
JACKSON — William "Bill" LaForge, a man with a family history at Delta
State University, has been named its president.
The College Board voted unanimously Thursday in a meeting in Cleveland to
appoint LaForge as Delta State's eighth president, succeeding John Hilpert.
The vote came after LaForge met with campus groups.
http://djournal.com/view/full_story/21843975/article-College-Board-confirms-LaForge-to-lead-Delta-State?instance=secondary_stories_left_column
National News
Louisiana DEQ partners with refiners and chemical manufacturers to form
information workgroup
By Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
February 28, 2013 at 10:57 PM
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality has partnered with a
group of the state's petroleum refining and chemical manufacturing
industries to provide environmental education and help identify the most
common causes of upsets and malfunctions at industrial plants. The group
will also on strategies to minimize emissions.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/02/louisiana_deq_partners_with_re.html
Study of Ice Age Bolsters Carbon and Warming Link
NY Times
By JUSTIN GILLIS
A meticulous new analysis of Antarctic ice suggests that the sharp warming
that ended the last ice age occurred in lock step with increases of carbon
dioxide in the atmosphere, the latest of many indications that the gas is a
powerful influence on the earth's climate.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/01/science/earth/at-ice-age-end-a-smaller-gap-in-warming-and-carbon-dioxide.html?hpw&_r=1&
Lawmaker attacks oil companies' 'free' drilling in Gulf
By STEVEN MUFSON — The Washington Post
Once upon a time, the price of oil was so low that Congress agreed that big
oil companies needed incentives to drill for oil in the federal waters of
the Gulf of Mexico. So in 1995, it ordered the Interior Department to waive
royalties on virtually all of the oil and natural gas that would come out
of wells drilled between 1996 and 2000.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/28/4498468/lawmaker-attacks-oil-companies.html
EPA evaluating how it rates gas mileage for hybrids
USA Today
The Environmental Protection Agency has launched an evaluation of
whether the ways it tests gas mileage give realistic window-sticker
ratings for advanced hybrid cars.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/02/28/epa-gas-mileage-ford-cmax-fusion/1954967/
Press Releases
EPA Recognizes Individuals, Organizations for Climate Change Leadership
WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Center
for Corporate Climate Leadership hosted the second annual Climate
Leadership Awards, with the Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO),
the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) and The Climate Registry
(TCR). Twenty three winners will be given awards for their leadership in
reducing carbon pollution and addressing climate change.
"Our Climate Leadership Award winners are leading by example with their
outstanding actions to reduce carbon pollution," said Gina McCarthy,
assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. "These
organizations are tackling the challenge of climate change with practical,
common-sense, and cost-saving solutions to improve efficiency and cut
waste."
The national awards program honors corporate, organizational, and
individual leadership in reducing greenhouse gas emissions in internal
operations and throughout the supply chain. A wide array of industries are
represented by these organizations, including construction, finance,
defense, transportation, retail, energy and technology.
Organizational Leadership Award: Boulder County, Colo.; City of Austin,
Texas; Intel Corporation; Port of San Diego; and Sonoma County Water Agency
Individual Leadership Award: Tamara 'TJ' DiCaprio, Senior Director of
Environmental Sustainability, Microsoft Corporation; and J. Wayne Leonard,
Former Chairman and CEO of Entergy Corporation
Supply Chain Leadership Award: Cisco Systems, Inc.; IBM; and San Diego Gas
& Electric
Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Achievement Award): Abbott;
CSX Transportation, Inc.; Limited Brands, Inc.; Office Depot; Raytheon
Company; Staples, Inc.; Tiffany & Co.; and Turner Construction Company
Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Setting Certificate): Bank of
America; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Science Applications International
Corporation (SAIC); SC Johnson & Sons, Inc.; and Wells Fargo and Company
"The 2013 Climate Leadership Award winners are leading the way on
integrating climate response into their organizational culture," said
Daniel Kreeger, ACCO executive director. "They are demonstrating true
commitment to managing and reducing GHG emissions in internal operations
and throughout the supply chain, as well as integrating climate related
risk management into their operational strategies. The winners are not only
exemplary corporate, organizational, and individual leaders, but their
actions provide a blueprint to catalyze the efforts of other organizations
and individuals."
"After a year of record heat and drought, action on climate change and
clean energy is more urgent than ever," said C2ES President Eileen
Claussen. "We join EPA in applauding the winners of the Climate Leadership
Awards. These companies, organizations, and individuals demonstrate every
day the possibility of a prosperous low-carbon future. Hopefully, their
accomplishments will spur and challenge others to take steps that are good
for both the economy and the environment."
"The Climate Registry applauds the meaningful action taken by this year's
impressive award winners to demonstrate leadership in their response to
climate change," said David Rosenheim, executive director of TCR. "These
deserving organizations lead the way for reducing carbon pollution through
greater transparency and consistent data, contributing to a stronger
platform for energy and climate policies to build from."
The awards were presented at the Climate Leadership Conference in
Washington, D.C.
More about the recognition categories and the Climate Leadership Award
winners: http://www.epa.gov/climateleadership/awards/2013winners.html
Follow EPA's Center for Corporate Climate Leadership on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/EPAclimatectr
