3.5.13
Oil Spill
BP executive defends oil spill report at civil trial in New Orleans
By The Associated Press
updated March 04, 2013 at 8:39 PM
NEW ORLEANS -- The BP executive who led the company's probe of the
Deepwater Horizon rig explosion denied Monday that his investigators
narrowly focused on rig workers' actions to spare onshore engineers and
managers from blame for the disaster.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/03/bp_executive_defends_oil_spill.html#incart_river
BP Macondo well drilled in fragile rock formation prone to earthquakes,
geoscientist testifies
By Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated March 04, 2013 at 9:33 PM
BP's Macondo oil and gas well was drilled in an area of the deepwater Gulf
of Mexico that was prone to shallow earthquakes and whose rock formations
were the fragile remains of a landslide of rubble that occurred after the
end of the last Ice Age, a Scottish geoscience professor testified Monday.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/03/bp_macondo_well_drilled_in_fra.html
BP safety chief denies internal report on Gulf spill intended to 'avoid
casting blame' on global oil giant
By Richard Thompson, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
updated March 04, 2013 at 9:12 PM
In his third day of testimony, BP's safety chief denied Monday that the
internal investigation he led into the Macondo oil well blowout intended to
"blame the folks on the rig and avoid casting blame on the BP onshore
people."
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/03/bps_safety_chief_denied_intern.html
BP Report Didn't Mention Safety-Test Talk, Witness Says
Bloomberg
By Allen Johnson Jr. and Jef Feeley - Mar 5, 2013
BP Plc (BP/)'s report about its investigation of an oil spill that fouled
the Gulf of Mexico didn't mention a conversation between two company
officials about a key safety test the night of the blast, an executive
testified.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-04/bp-report-didn-t-mention-safety-test-talk-witness-says.html
State News
Companies pledge environmental awareness
WTVA
JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental
Quality is welcoming new members to its eHance program.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/Companies-pledge-environmental-awareness/sAPlVENlv0yzzvMDX5l-DQ.cspx
enHance lands nine new members, three renewals
by MBJ Staff
Published: March 5,2013
ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
(MDEQ) has accepted nine new members and three renewing members into its
enHance program.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2013/03/05/enhance-lands-nine-new-members-three-renewals/
Harrison County hires MSU professor to beautify, protect beach
WLOX
A Mississippi State University beach expert will help Harrison County craft
a plan to control erosion and beautify a prominent section of beach. On
Monday, the Harrison County Board of Supervisors agreed to spend no more
than $10,000 to hire Dr. Pete Melby. His job is to spruce-up "a gateway to
Harrison County."
http://www.wlox.com/story/21479693/harrison-county-hires-msu-professor-to-beautify-protect-beach
Turner: Require water groups' openness
by Bobby Harrison
NEMS Daily Journal Jackson Bureau
03.05.13 - 07:50 am
JACKSON – Legislation designed "to clarify" that the Public Service
Commission does not have authority over rural water associations has been
amended to also mandate that the meetings of the utilities are open to
their members.
http://djournal.com/view/full_story/21878280/article-Turner--Require-water-groups%E2%80%99-openness?instance=secondary_stories_left_column
New company to bring $25 million wood pellet plant to George County
By April M. Havens | gulflive.com
updated March 04, 2013 at 11:51 AM
LUCEDALE, Mississippi -- Gulf Coast Renewable Energy LLC plans to bring a
$25 million wood pellet manufacturing facility to George County's
industrial park, company officials announced Monday at the Board of
Supervisors meeting.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/03/new_company_to_bring_25_millio.html#incart_river
National News
Gina McCarthy, EPA's air chief, nominated to head agency
Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin,
In March 2009, public health advocates S. William Becker and Frank
O'Donnell were walking the halls of the Environmental Protection Agency
when they spotted Gina McCarthy poring over briefing books. She was
preparing for her Senate confirmation hearing as head of the agency's air
and radiation office, and she was intent on defusing any controversy
surrounding global warming.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gina-mccarthy-epas-air-chief-nominated-to-head-agency/2013/03/04/47da474e-8516-11e2-98a3-b3db6b9ac586_story.html
Energy nominee favors all-of the-above approach
By MATTHEW DALY — Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's choice to lead the Energy Department
advocates an all-of-the-above approach to energy and favors natural gas as
a "bridge fuel" to reduce emissions that contribute to global warming.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/03/04/4505023/obama-nominates-3-to-cabinet-level.html
Cabinet Picks Could Take On Climate Policy
NY Times
By JOHN M. BRODER and MATTHEW L. WALD
WASHINGTON — President Obama on Monday named two people to his cabinet who
will be charged with making good on his threat to use the powers of the
executive branch to tackle climate change and energy policy if Congress
does not act quickly.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/05/us/politics/obama-names-2-to-fill-epa-and-energy-posts.html?ref=earth&pagewanted=print
Gina McCarthy: Seasoned regulator primed for the climate fight
Politico
By: Erica Martinson and Darren Goode
March 4, 2013 07:01 AM EST
For four years, Republican critics treated Environmental Protection Agency
Administrator Lisa Jackson as a human punching bag — a job-killing
regulation machine who used a fake email address while serving at the
forefront of President Barack Obama's drive to throttle greenhouse gases.
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/03/gina-mccarthy-seasoned-regulator-primed-for-the-climate-fight-88356.html?hp=l10
From 'green dream team' to B team
Politico
By: Darren Samuelsohn and Darren Goode
March 5, 2013 12:03 AM EST
Environmentalists had high hopes four years ago when President Barack Obama
loaded his administration's top ranks with Clinton-era energy experts,
green-job gurus and even a Nobel laureate.
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/03/from-green-dream-team-to-b-team-88398.html?hp=r3
Natural Gas Seen Gaining With Obama's Fracking-Friendly Nominees
Bloomberg
By Mark Drajem - Mar 5, 2013
President Barack Obama says his picks to guide energy and environmental
policy in his second term will lead the charge against global warming, a
fight that may have one immediate beneficiary: natural gas.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-05/natural-gas-seen-gaining-with-obama-s-fracking-friendly-nominees.html
Press Releases
Two Additional Mississippi Counties Designated for Federal Disaster
Assistance
PEARL – Residents and businesses in Greene and Perry Counties affected by
the severe storms, flooding and tornadoes on Feb. 10 are now eligible to
apply for federal disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management
Agency.
"These designations are a direct result of the hard work done at the local
level," said MEMA Director Robert Latham. "The local emergency managers
and other officials did a tremendous job accurately assessing damages in
their communities. Based upon these damage assessments FEMA granted every
request we submitted to them. Their quick response to all of our requests
is appreciated by the entire state of Mississippi."
Approved in this designation is:
* Individual Assistance- Grants to individuals and households.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's individual assistance program
helps eligible applicants with things like:
* Temporary housing assistance.
* Uninsured or underinsured personal property losses.
* Medical, dental and funeral expenses caused by the disaster.
* Other disaster-related expenses and serious needs.
* Low-interest disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business
Administration are available to cover residential and business losses not
covered by insurance.
Residents in Greene and Perry Counties who have already registered for
disaster assistance with FEMA do not need to register again.
The incident period for the Feb. 10 storms has closed and no more requests
for assistance will be submitted to FEMA.
Forrest, Lamar, Marion and Wayne counties were previously designated for
Individual Assistance and Public Assistance for local governments and some
private nonprofits. Jefferson Davis County was designated for Individual
Assistance last week.
Anyone with damages in these counties may apply now by going to
www.disasterassistance.gov<http://www.disasterassistance.gov> or by calling
1-800-621-FEMA (3362). C-Spire Wireless customers can call #362 to
register. The speech or hearing impaired may call (TTY) 1-800-462-7585.
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