4.24.13
Oil Spill
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi demands nearly $6 billion from BP for
2010 Gulf oil disaster
BY JIM TURNER
NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Florida is seeking $5.48 billion for lost
revenue - past and future - from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/04/24/3361313/florida-attorney-general-pam-bondi.html
Local officials fight for control of BP money
By TOM McLAUGHLIN / Daily News
Published: Tuesday, April 23, 2013 at 17:33 PM.
A contingent from the eight Northwest Florida counties that stand to gain
the most when BP money starts flowing through the federal RESTORE Act
traveled to Tallahassee on Tuesday to tell state officials to keep their
hands off of the region's windfall.
http://www.nwfdailynews.com/local/local-officials-fight-for-control-of-bp-money-documents-1.131778
Congressman Southerland fights to keep local control of 'RESTORE Act'
WTXL
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL)-- Florida Congressman Steve Southerland is
speaking out after a Florida Senate budget panel moved forward with a
measure to create a nonprofit board to manage money from settlements from
the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
http://www.wtxl.com/news/congressman-southerland-fights-to-keep-local-control-of-restore-act/article_76a820e2-ac7f-11e2-99ab-001a4bcf6878.html
Baton Rouge suing BP for $35 million in losses
WAFB
BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - A civil suit from the city of Baton Rouge was
filed late Friday seeking more than $35 million in compensation for losses
caused by the April 20, 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling
rig.
http://www.wafb.com/story/22045065/baton-rouge-suing-bp-for-35-million-in-losses
State News
USM's Gulf Coast Research Lab, Marine Education Center poised for growth
Mississippi Press
By April M. Havens | ahavens@al.com
April 23, 2013 at 4:56 PM
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi - The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory is growing,
with near-term plans to open an 8,300-square-foot, 4-classroom and lab
addition in May and long-term plans to erect an $18 million Marine
Education Center.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/04/usms_gulf_coast_research_lab_m.html#incart_river
Judge finds DMR unable to give newspaper records in state auditor's
possession
Sun Herald
By ANITA LEE — calee@sunherald.com
GULFPORT -- Chancery Judge Jennifer Schloegel concluded at the end of a
hearing Tuesday she could not force the Mississippi Department of Resources
to provide the Sun Herald records the agency no longer possesses.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/04/23/4615586/judge-finds-dmr-unable-to-give.html
Mississippi Power says customers won't have to pay for Kemper plant's
skyrocketing cost (updated)
By The Associated Press
April 23, 2013 at 6:15 PM
GULFPORT, Mississippi — Mississippi Power Company said Tuesday that
customers won't have to pay more to cover its Kemper County plant's cost,
which has risen from $2.88 billion to about $3.42 billion.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-business/2013/04/mississippi_power_says_custome.html#incart_river
Governor signs a slew of energy bills
Clarion Ledger
Posted on April 23, 2013
Gov. Phil Bryant today signed into law numerous energy bills passed by the
Legislature this session.
They include tax breaks for energy production and consumption by
manufacturers, stricter efficiency regulations on commercial and government
buildings and incentives for government fleets to use alternative fuels.
http://blogs.clarionledger.com/politics/2013/04/23/governor-signs-a-slew-of-energy-bills/
New Jackson County nature group offers boat tour
Sun Herald
By CHRISTINA STEUBE — csteube@sunherald.com
The Coastal Nature Destinations Group held its first public event Tuesday
morning, a nature tour of the Pascagoula River.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/04/23/4615896/new-jackson-county-nature-group.html
Electric car startup GreenTech Automotive adding sedan this year
Published April 23, 2013
FoxNews.com
Call it a 25 mph foot in the door.
Mississippi's GreenTech Automotive (GTA) has announced plans to manufacture
a battery-powered, five-passenger sedan at its Horn Lake assembly plant
later this year.
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/04/23/electric-car-startup-greentech-automotive-adding-sedan-this-year/?intcmp=features
National News
Court rejects challenge to EPA pollution rules
The Hill
By Megan R. Wilson - 04/23/13 02:35 PM ET
A court-ordered agreement between regulators and environmental groups to
issue updated regulations on the waste runoff from power plants will go
forward, a federal court said Tuesday.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/court-battles/295591-court-rejects-challenge-to-epa-pollution-rules
Spokesman: Raw sewage has been pouring in river since weekend
by Associated Press
Published: April 23,2013
MISSISSIPPI RIVER — Millions of gallons of raw sewage are pouring into the
Mississippi River from a St. Louis wastewater treatment plant where two of
three pumps have failed.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2013/04/23/spokesman-raw-sewage-has-been-pouring-in-river-since-weekend/
Phila. to host EPA hearing on emissions
Andrew Maykuth, Inquirer Staff Writer
POSTED: Tuesday, April 23, 2013, 11:42 AM
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans a
hearing Wednesday in Philadelphia on an Obama
administration proposal to clean up gasoline and
automobile emissions, one of only two public
sessions nationwide on the so-called Tier 3
standards.
http://www.philly.com/philly/business/transportation/20130424_EPA_hearing_in_Philly_on_gas__emission_standards.html
How much does EPA's objection to Keystone XL matter? A lot.
Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin, Updated: April 23, 2013
How much does it matter that the Environmental Protection Agency has
officially questioned aspects of the State Department's draft environmental
review of the Keystone XL pipeline proposal?A lot.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/04/23/how-much-does-epas-objection-to-keystone-xl-matter-a-lot/
US appeals court upholds EPA's power to revoke permit for W.Va. mountaintop
mine
By Associated Press,
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency had the legal
authority to retroactively veto a water pollution permit for one of West
Virginia's largest mountaintop removal coal mines years after it was
issued, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/us-appeals-court-upholds-epas-power-to-revoke-wva-mountaintop-mining-permit/2013/04/23/bda577ca-ac2e-11e2-9493-2ff3bf26c4b4_story.html
Supreme Court justices tread murky waters in Texas-Oklahoma dispute
By Michael Doyle — McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON — Supreme Court justices on Tuesday opened a floodgate of
questions about a water dispute pitting Texas against Oklahoma, with the
eventual outcome still in doubt.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/04/23/4615005/supreme-court-justices-tread-murky.html
Air in San Joaquin Valley cities among nation's dirtiest
By Erika Bolstad — McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON — California cities, including Modesto, Fresno and Merced,
continue to have some of the worst air in the United States, according to
the American Lung Association's "State of the Air 2013" report.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/04/23/4615128/air-in-san-joaquin-valley-cities.html
Opinion
Hood's outside counsel choices in BP case will draw some fire
Sid Salter – Clarion Ledger
The decision by Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood to appoint his
predecessor Mike Moore and Ridgeland attorney Billy Quin as outside
counsels to handle the state's litigation against BP over the 2010 Gulf of
Mexico oil spill will draw some familiar political fire.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130424/OPINION/304240009/Hood-s-outside-counsel-choices-BP-case-will-draw-some-fire
Three years later, coastal communities still struggling with impacts of oil
spill: Telley Madina
Times-Picayune
By Contributing Op-Ed columnist
April 23, 2013 at 6:37 AM
Three years ago, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig kicked off the
largest offshore oil spill in history, as nearly five million barrels of
oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico over the course of several months. Most
of the oil is still there today.
http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2013/04/three_years_later_coastal_comm.html
Press Releases
MISS. SENATORS WARN OF ADMINISTRATION OVERREACH IN GREENHOUSE GAS PLAN
Cochran, Wicker Sign Letter Asking for Withdrawal of Expanded Regulatory
Scheme
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Roger Wicker
(R-Miss.) today cautioned the Obama administration not to act unilaterally
to expand the scope of a federal environmental review law in its effort to
regulate greenhouse gases.
The Mississippi Senators are among 33 Senators who signed a letter to the
White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) that takes issue with
administration plans to finalize standards requiring agencies to address
greenhouse gases under the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA),
arguing that draft guidance issued by CEQ would erroneously expand the
scope of NEPA. It argues that the nation's economic recovery would be hurt
if the administration uses NEPA to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.
"This administration should not be trying to get around statutory
limitations to impose greenhouse gas regulations," said Cochran, who has
cosponsored legislation to stop the Environmental Protection Agency from
using guidance documents to expand its regulatory reach without
congressional oversight (S.320).
"The latest attempt by the Obama Administration to regulate carbon dioxide
represents a gross overreach by Washington bureaucrats," said Wicker. "At a
time when more than 21.6 million Americans are struggling to find a
full-time job, it is troubling that unwarranted regulations are adding
another burden on our economy. Ending regulatory excess will help reignite
the confidence our job creators need to fuel an economic turnaround that
lasts."
The letter asks the CEQ to withdraw the draft guidance issued in February
2010 that is being used as the basis for the administration's plan to use
NEPA to address greenhouse gas emissions. The Senators point out that
judicial rulings and congressional actions show the limitations of NEPA as
a regulatory tool to tackle global climate change issues.
"Congress has rejected all efforts to legislatively regulate the climate,
and just last month during Senate budget votes twice rejected a carbon
tax," the letter to CEQ chairwoman Nancy Sutley said. "Rather than
accepting that such an effort will dramatically slow project delivery and
job creation, the Administration is attempting to use NEPA as a backdoor
method to pursue a policy preference that cannot be passed through
Congress."
The correspondence goes on to say, "Throughout his term, President Obama
has stated a desire to 'streamline the permitting process.' We note the
catch phrase has repeatedly come under scrutiny. Moving forward with this
guidance flies in the face of the President's publicly stated goal.
Additionally, it adds a cumbersome and obtuse GHG [greenhouse gas]
requirement to the permitting process for project that would not face
similar scrutiny in nations which the United States competes for
investment, such as China, India or Russia."
Senator David Vitter (R-La.), ranking Republican on the Senate Environment
and Public Works Committee, organized the letter to Sutley. In addition to
Wicker and Cochran, it was signed by Senators: John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Roy
Blunt (R-Mo.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), Dan Coats
(R-Ind.), Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Crapo
(R-Idaho), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.),
Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Dean Heller (R-Nev.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), James
Inhofe (R-Okla.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), Ron
Johnson (R-Wis.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Mitch McConnell
(R-Ky.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Rand Paul
(R-Ky.), James Risch (R-Idaho), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.),
Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), John Thune (R-S.D.).
A copy of the letter is provided below.
###
Permalink:
http://www.cochran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2013/4/miss-senators-warn-of-administration-overreach-in-greenhouse-gas-plan
EPA Announces Winner of the Energy Star National Building Competition
WASHINGTON – Today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the
winner of its third-annual Energy Star National Building Competition. More
than 3,000 schools, businesses, and government buildings across the country
competed to see which could reduce its energy use the most in one year—and
a New Jersey elementary school emerged victorious.
Today's announcement reflects President Obama's continued commitment to
increasing energy efficiency under his administration, setting a goal in
his State of the Union address to cut in half the energy wasted by our
homes and businesses over the next 20 years.
Together, competitors of this year's National Building Competition cut
their energy costs by more than $50 million, saved more than three billion
kBtus of energy, and reduced annual greenhouse gas emissions equal to the
amount of electricity used by more than 43,000 homes.
"The impressive results of the National Building Competition help show that
any building can take simple steps to improve the energy efficiency of the
buildings where we all work, play, and learn," said EPA Acting
Administrator Bob Perciasepe, "All of the participants in the Energy Star
National Building Competition are finding more and more ways to cut energy
use, saving thousands of dollars and reducing greenhouse gas emissions."
Demarest Elementary School in Bloomfield, New Jersey won the EPA's 2012
Energy Star Battle of the Buildings competition by demonstrating a 52
percent energy use reduction, the largest in the competition. The school
identified and addressed a number of mechanical issues and energy
management measures that added up to significant energy and cost-saving
reductions.
In its third year, the Energy Star National Building Competition featured
teams from across the country to improve energy efficiency, lower utility
costs, and protect public health and the environment.
The top overall finishers and their percent-based reductions in energy use
include:
· Demarest Elementary School, Bloomfield, N.J. (K-12 School) 52.1%
· AAFES Ft. Hood Warrior Way Express Store B85001, Ft. Hood, Tex.
(Other building type) 48.5%
· Toms River Verizon Wireless, Toms River, N.J. (Retail store) 43.1%
· Shamrock Springs Elementary School, Westfield, Ind. (K-12 school)
42.1%
· Hemphill Water Treatment Plant & Pumping Station, Atlanta, Ga. (Other
building type) 40.6%
· Kmart store #4863, Gillette, Wyo. (Retail store) 40.2%
· Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Courthouse, Newark, N.J. (Courthouse)
36.8%
· Craigmont High School, Memphis, Tenn. (K-12 school) 34.6%
· San Antonio Federal Building, San Antonio, Tex. (Office) 34.4%
· Bloomfield Middle School, Bloomfield, N.J. (K-12 school) 34.3%
· North Carolina Area Health Education Center Building, Chapel Hill,
N.C. (Office) 34.3%
· Walsh & Associates, Inc., St. Louis, Mo. (Warehouse) 34.0%
· Kmart store #9348, Norridge, Ill. (Retail store) 33.4%
· Customer Care and Aftersales, Ypsilanti, Mich. (Warehouse) 31.0%
· Kmart store #7499, Mt. Vernon, Ohio (Retail store) 30.8%
Demarest Elementary School identified and addressed a number of overlooked
mechanical issues, including replacing a heat timer associated with the
control system which allowed it to run on a more energy efficient schedule.
In addition to this mechanical fix, the head custodian adjusted boiler
operations based on outside temperature and changes in weather, and
adjusted the hall lighting schedule so that lights were dimmed in the early
morning and after students were dismissed. The staff also took control of
energy management in their immediate areas by turning off and unplugging
electronic devices.
Eighty-nine buildings in the competition demonstrated energy use reductions
of 20 percent or greater. In addition to energy reductions, nearly 400
competitors also tracked and reduced their water consumption, with help
from the EPA's WaterSense program. Leading the pack was Webster Bank's Oak
St. Office in Brockton, Massachusetts, which reduced its water use by 80
percent.
The 2012 Energy Star National Building Competition measured energy
performance for the entire 2012 calendar year. Competitors tracked their
buildings' monthly energy consumption using EPA's online energy tracking
tool, Energy Star Portfolio Manager. The energy use reductions for each top
finisher were verified by an independently licensed professional engineer
or registered architect at the conclusion of the competition.
Energy use in commercial buildings accounts for nearly 20 percent of total
U.S. greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of more than $100 billion per year.
Thousands of businesses and organizations work with EPA's Energy Star
program and are saving billions of dollars, preventing millions of tons of
greenhouse gas emissions from entering the atmosphere each year.
Products, homes, and buildings that earn the Energy Star label prevent
greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy efficiency requirements
set by the U.S. EPA. In 2012 alone, Americans, with the help of Energy
Star, saved $24 billion on their energy bills and prevented greenhouse gas
emissions equal to those of 41 million vehicles. To date, more than 1.4
million new homes and 20,000 office buildings, schools and hospitals have
earned the Energy Star label. Learn more: www.energystar.gov
More information on the 2012 Energy Star National Building Competition,
including top overall finishers and top finishers by building category, an
interactive map of competitors, and a wrap-up report:
http://www.energystar.gov/BattleOfTheBuildings
