4/10/13
Oil Spill
BP executive testifies about getting safety back on track in Gulf oil spill
trial
By Richard Thompson, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
April 09, 2013 at 5:56 PM
A BP executive who headed global projects when the ill-fated Macondo oil
well blew out in April 2010 testified Tuesday that the British oil giant's
safety performance was on the decline for years before he set out to get it
back on track in 2008.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/04/bp_executive_testifies_about_g.html
BP executive: Safety was top priority in Gulf before deadly rig explosion,
massive oil spill
By Associated Press,
NEW ORLEANS — A BP executive who oversaw the company's Gulf of Mexico
operations testified Tuesday that he he led a push to improve safety when
he started the job more than two years before an April 2010 rig explosion
killed 11 workers and led to the nation's worst offshore oil spill.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/bp-executive-safety-was-top-priority-in-gulf-before-deadly-rig-explosion-massive-oil-spill/2013/04/09/2d5b3374-a172-11e2-bd52-614156372695_story.html
Gulf health questions linger
Baton Rouge Advocate
BY KARI DEUINE HARDEN
New Orleans bureau
April 09, 2013
Myrtle Grove — Gone are the thick black globs of oil covering the marsh
grass. Gone are the white cords of absorbent boom and blasting cannons used
to scare birds away. Gone are the teams of workers — charged with cleaning
the marshes without accelerating the already rapid erosion.
Almost three years after the Deepwater Horizon oil platform exploded,
killing 11 men and spewing about 210 million gallons of oil into the Gulf
of Mexico, Bay Jimmy is quiet.
http://theadvocate.com/home/5666165-125/gulf-health-questions-linger
Three years after BP oil spill, new report rates health of Gulf of Mexico
ecosystem
WWL
BAY JIMMY, La. -- Charter fishing boat captain and marina owner Chad Daigle
grew up maneuvering around the waters of coastal Louisiana, including the
marshes that eventually lead into Bay Jimmy in Plaquemines Parish.
http://www.wwltv.com/news/local/Three-years-after-BP-oil-spill-new-report-rates-health-of-Gulf-of-Mexico-ecosystem-202213361.html
As 3rd anniversary of BP oil spill nears, wetlands' restoration advocated
By Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
Follow on Twitter
April 09, 2013 at 6:27 PM
As the third anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill nears, a
marshy patch along the northern edge of Bay Jimmy in Plaquemines Parish is
significantly smaller than it was just one year ago. Scientists say that
while the oil spill destroyed or damaged many wetlands along the
southeastern Louisiana coast, Hurricane Isaac then wiped large swaths of
that vulnerable marsh away.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/04/as_third_anniversary_of_bp_oil.html
State News
12 Miles South renews campaign to halt oil drilling
WLOX
The debate over offshore drilling along the Mississippi Gulf Coast is
heating-up once again. With tourism season about to begin, the group 12
Miles South is renewing its campaign against drilling in the Mississippi
Sound.
http://www.wlox.com/story/21922263/12-miles-south-renews-campaign-to-halt-oil-drilling
The utility that few people know about
WLOX
It may very well be one of the largest government agencies on the coast
many have never heard of. The West Jackson County Utility District has an
annual budget of $7 million and serves thousands of people.
http://www.wlox.com/story/21922383/the-utility-that-few-people-know-about
EPA wants Port of Gulfport projects studied 'holistically'
Sun Herald
By ANITA LEE — calee@sunherald.com
GULFPORT -- The Environmental Protection Agency wants to make sure
cumulative effects of proposed Port of Gulfport-related projects are
studied, an EPA letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/04/09/4582345/epa-wants-port-related-projects.html
National News
Energy secretary nominee Ernest Moniz backs increased use of natural gas
By Associated Press, Published: April 9
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's choice to lead the Energy Department
pledged to increase use of natural gas Tuesday as a way to combat climate
change even as the nation seeks to boost domestic energy production.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/whitehouse/energy-secretary-nominee-ernest-moniz-backs-increased-use-of-natural-gas/2013/04/09/72604126-a136-11e2-bd52-614156372695_story.html
EPA acknowledges releasing personal details on farmers, senator slams
agency
By Joseph Weber
Published April 09, 2013
FoxNews.com
The Environmental Protection Agency acknowledged Tuesday that it released
personal information on potentially thousands of farmers and ranchers to
environmental groups, following concerns from congressional Republicans and
agriculture groups that the release could endanger their safety.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/09/epa-acknowledges-giving-out-personal-info-in-request-that-included-data-on/?test=latestnews
Opinion
PERS allowed to take higher risks
Bill Crawford – Hattiesburg American
While you were sleeping the governor and Legislature gave PERS authority to
make higher-risk investments with retirement funds.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20130410/OPINION02/304100003
Press releases
EPA Designates Center of Excellence for Watershed Management at Mississippi
State University
Contact: Davina Marraccini, 404-562-8293 (direct), 404-562-8400 (main),
marraccini.davina@epa.gov
ATLANTA – Mississippi State University has been designated a Center of
Excellence for Watershed Management, becoming the tenth such institution in
the Southeast. Representatives from the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency Region 4, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ)
and Mississippi State University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
today to help communities identify watershed based problems and develop and
implement locally sustainable solutions.
"A watershed approach one of the most effective frameworks to engage
communities and address today's water resource challenges," said EPA
Regional Administrator Gwen Keyes Fleming. "Ultimately, this designation
will help fulfill our mutual goals to protect and restore water quality and
improve the quality of life in our local communities."
"MDEQ has a history of partnering with our state's academic institutions
that comprise the Water Resources Research Institute.Together we have
improved our approaches to water resource sustainability and water quality
protection and restoration throughout the state," said MDEQ Executive
Director Trudy D. Fisher. "The focused science and applied research through
the Center of Excellence for Watershed Management will further strengthen
our efforts to address current challenges and needs related to water
resources."
The Center will be housed at Mississippi State University and will be a
resource for universities throughout the state. To become a recognized
Center of Excellence, the institution must demonstrate technical expertise
in identifying and addressing watershed needs; involvement of students,
staff and faculty in watershed planning, protection, and restoration;
capability to involve the full suite of disciplines needed for all aspects
of watershed management; financial ability to become self-sustaining;
ability to deliver and account for results; willingness to partner with
other institutions; and support from the highest levels of the
organization.
"Mississippi State University is extraordinarily pleased to partner with
the EPA for this Center of Excellence," said Dr. David Shaw, Vice President
of Research & Economic Development at Mississippi State University.
"Research in water quality and quantity is one of the highest priority
areas for the University and our center will utilize the breath of capacity
from the entire University to address these needs."
Some of the benefits of being a recognized Center of Excellence include
receipt of EPA technical assistance where needed (instructors, speakers,
etc); promotion of the Center of Excellence to stakeholders; EPA letters of
support for grant opportunities; and identification of opportunities for
Center of Excellence involvement in local and regional watershed issues.
For decades, EPA and Mississippi have protected the state's lakes, rivers
and wetlands by regulating specific points of pollution; the most common of
these being sewage treatment plants and factories. Although this approach
led to the successful cleanup of many waterways, others still remain
polluted from sources not as easily regulated. These more subtle sources
include farms, streets, parking lots, lawns, rooftops or any other surfaces
that come in contact with rainwater. Today, EPA and MDEQ take a broader
approach to water protection, looking at both the individual waterway and
the watershed in which it is located.
Started in 2007, the EPA Region 4 Centers of Excellence for Watershed
Management Program works with colleges and universities from across the
Southeast to provide hands-on, practical products and services for
communities to identify watershed problems and solve them. Each EPA
designated Center actively seeks out watershed-based stakeholder groups and
local governments that need cost effective tools for watershed scientific
studies, engineering designs and computer mapping, as well as assistance
with legal issues, project management, public education and planning.
More information about EPA Region 4's other Centers of Excellence for
Watershed Management in the Southeast is available at:
http://epa.gov/region4/water/watersheds/index.html
More information about priority watersheds in the Southeast is available
online at: http://www.epa.gov/region4/water/watersheds/index.html
