3.28.13
State News
Moss Point seeking MDEQ grant to help fight problem of illegal dumping
By Vivian Austin
March 28, 2013 at 10:21 AM
MOSS POINT, Mississippi -- Several Moss Point city departments are
coordinating efforts to stop illegal dumping across the community, an
ongoing problem that costs the city money in employee time and contract
service to clean up the trash.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/03/moss_point_seeking_mdeq_grant.html
Garbage Gas To Electricity
WCBI
GOLDEN TRIANGLE (WCBI) – A Golden Triangle Regional Waste management
executive talked trash today [Thursday] at a West Point rotary club
luncheon.http://www.wcbi.com/wordpress/video-garbage-gas-to-electricity
Bryant shoots down Rez bill
Veto message cites taxing issue
Clarion Ledger
Gov. Phil Bryant has vetoed a bill that would have allowed the Pearl River
Valley Water Supply District to provide municipal services to Ross Barnett
Reservoir-area residents, saying it would have given an appointed board the
ability to tax residents.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130329/NEWS010504/303290021/Bryant-shoots-down-Rez-bill
$90M infrastructure pact awaits MDA OK
Clarion Ledger
A $90 million Jackson infrastructure project remains on hold while the
state continues its review of the proposal.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130329/NEWS01/303290024/-90M-infrastructure-pact-awaits-MDA-OK
National News
EPA taking aim at auto emissions, sulfur in gas
By DINA CAPPIELLO — Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Reducing sulfur in gasoline and tightening emissions standards
on cars beginning in 2017, as the Obama administration is proposing, would
come with costs as well as rewards. The cost at the pump for cleaner air
across the country could be less than a penny or as high as 9 cents a
gallon, depending on who is providing the estimate.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/03/28/4558690/epa-to-propose-rule-to-clean-up.html
Obama administration moves ahead with sweeping rules requiring cleaner
gasoline
Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin, Published: March 28
The Environmental Protection Agency will move ahead Friday with a rule
requiring cleaner gasoline and lower-pollution vehicles nationwide,
amounting to one of President Obama's most significant air pollution
initiatives, according to people briefed on the decision.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-administration-moves-ahead-with-sweeping-rules-requiring-cleaner-gasoline/2013/03/28/4ea2e01c-97cd-11e2-814b-063623d80a60_story.html
EPA Plans to Require Cleaner Gas
Wall Street Journal
By TENNILLE TRACY
WASHINGTON—The Obama administration is moving forward with tough new
standards to cut pollution from cars, prompting an outcry from refiners
who say the proposal could raise the cost of producing gasoline by nearly
10 cents a gallon.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323361804578389023082314126.html
Court says EPA can try to block power plant construction in some cases to
prevent pollution
By Associated Press, Published: March 28
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Government regulators can try to halt construction
projects at power plants if they think the companies didn't properly
calculate whether the changes would increase air pollution, a federal
appeals court ruled Thursday, marking the latest twist in a decades-long
fight over the Clean Air Act.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/court-says-epa-can-try-to-block-power-plant-construction-in-some-cases-to-prevent-pollution/2013/03/28/c93555b8-9808-11e2-b5b4-b63027b499de_story.html
Feds: Sperm whales near Miss. River are different
AP
New Orleans — About 1,300 sperm whales in the northern Gulf of Mexico may
be different enough from others in their endangered species to be
considered for specific protections, the federal government said Thursday.
http://picayuneitem.com/local/x2015911842/Feds-Sperm-whales-near-Miss-River-are-different
EPA requiring ships to better clean dumped ballast water that's blamed for
invasive species
By Associated Press,
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — The Environmental Protection Agency has issued new
requirements for cleansing ballast water dumped from ships, which
scientists believe has provided a pathway to U.S. waters for invasive
species that damage ecosystems and cost the economy billions of dollars.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/energy-environment/epa-requiring-ships-to-better-clean-dumped-ballast-water-thats-blamed-for-invasive-species/2013/03/28/6bdff7ec-980d-11e2-b5b4-b63027b499de_story.html
Study Links 2011 Quake to Technique at Oil Wells
NY Times
By HENRY FOUNTAIN
A damaging earthquake in central Oklahoma two years ago most likely
resulted from the pumping of wastewater from oil production into deep
wells, scientists say.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/29/science/earth/2011-oklahoma-quake-tied-to-wastewater-disposal-at-oil-wells.html?_r=1&
As Fracking Proliferates, So Do Wastewater Wells
NY Times
By TERRENCE HENRY and KATE GALBRAITH
GONZALES, Tex. — In a dusty lot off the main highway in this South Texas
town, Vern Sartin pointed to a collection of hose hookups and large storage
tanks used for collecting wastewater from hydraulic fracturing jobs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/29/us/wastewater-disposal-wells-proliferate-along-with-fracking.html?pagewanted=all&pagewanted=print
Sand From Fracking Could Pose Lung Disease Risk To Workers
NPR
by NELL GREENFIELDBOYCE
When a workplace safety expert named Eric Esswein got a chance to see
fracking in action not too long ago, what he noticed was all the dust.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/03/28/175042708/Sand-From-Fracking-Operations-Poses-Silicosis-Risk
Utah governor says Chevron leak is unacceptable
AP
SALT LAKE CITY – A series of spills from ruptured pipelines operated by
Chevron Corp. has Utah's governor calling for more oversight.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/03/29/utah-governor-says-chevron-leak-is-unacceptable/
For federal workforce, the furlough terrain is uneven
Washington Post
By Lisa Rein, Published: March 28
Every U.S. Park Police officer will be off the job for 14 days — but the
national parks they patrol will be staffed. The Department of Housing and
Urban Development will shut down for seven days starting in May, after
concluding that staggering furloughs for 9,000 employees would create too
much paperwork.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/for-federal-workforce-the-furlough-terrain-is-uneven/2013/03/28/056c0c2a-96f6-11e2-814b-063623d80a60_story.html
Opinion
Former BP Engineer Kurt Mix Still Deleting 'Stuff,' Government Alleges
Forbes
Former BP drilling engineer Kurt Mix was arrested last April on charges of
obstructing justice related to information that he had collected, and
allegedly deleted, during his role of trying to stop oil leaking into the
Gulf of Mexicoduring the 2010 BP oil spill.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/walterpavlo/2013/03/28/fmr-bp-engineer-kurt-mix-still-deleting-stuff-govt-alledges/
Press releases
EPA Finalizes Vessel General Permit
Action will help protect U.S. water quality and reduce risk of invasive
species
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today issued a
final vessel general permit regulating discharges from commercial vessels,
including ballast water, to protect the nation's waters from ship-borne
pollutants and reduce invasive species in U.S. waters.
The final vessel general permit covers commercial vessels greater than 79
feet in length, excluding military and recreational vessels, and will
replace the 2008 vessel general permit due to expire on Dec. 19, 2013.
This permit regulates 27 specific discharge categories, and will also
provide improvements to the efficiency of the permit process, and clarify
discharge requirements by the following:
- Reduce the risks of introduction of invasive species. The permit includes
a more stringent numeric discharge standard limiting the release of
non-indigenous invasive species in ballast water. The permit also contains
additional environmental protection for the Great Lakes, which have
suffered disproportionate impacts from invasive species, aligning federal
standards with many Great Lakes states by requiring certain vessels to take
additional precautions to reduce the risk of introducing new invasive
species to U.S. waters.
- Reduce administrative burden for vessel owners and operators. The permit
will eliminate duplicative reporting requirements, expand electronic
recordkeeping opportunities, and reduce self-inspection frequency for
vessels that are out of service for extended periods.
The new discharge standards are supported by independent studies by EPA's
science advisory board and the National Research Council, and are
consistent with those contained in the International Maritime
Organization's 2004 Ballast Water Convention. EPA is issuing the permit in
advance of the current permit's expiration to provide the regulated
community time and flexibility to come into compliance with the new
requirements.
More information: http://www.epa.gov/npdes/vessels
