4.9.13
Oil Spill
BP followed industry practices in drilling Macondo well, retired LSU
professor testifies
By Richard Thompson, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
April 08, 2013 at 5:46 PM
A retired Louisiana State University professor testified in the BP Gulf of
Mexico oil spill trial Monday that the British oil giant carried out its
Macondo drilling project in line with standard industry practices, but
acknowledged that he couldn't understand how the rig crew misinterpreted a
key test that preceded the well blowout.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/04/bp_followed_industry_practices.html
BP drilling expert: Rig crew, supervisors safely drilled Gulf well before
deadly explosion
By Associated Press,
NEW ORLEANS — BP's first witness at a trial over the deadly Deepwater
Horizon disaster testified Monday that the company safely drilled its
Macondo well in the Gulf of Mexico before a series of mistakes led to an
April 2010 blowout, which triggered the nation's worst offshore oil spill.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/bp-to-call-1st-witness-as-trial-over-2010-gulf-oil-spill-enters-7th-week/2013/04/08/77d4e8e8-a035-11e2-bd52-614156372695_story.html
An explosion in oil-munching bacteria made fast work of BP oil spill,
scientist says
By Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
April 08, 2013 at 10:10 PM
Much of the oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon
explosion in 2010 disappeared within weeks of the capping of BP’s Macondo
well on July 15, digested by a massive explosion in oil-eating
microorganisms, said Terry Hazen, a professor of environmental biology at
the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, during a Monday panel at the
national conference of the American Chemical Society in New Orleans.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/04/an_explosion_in_oil-munching_b.html
Study: Oil-Eating Bacteria Mitigated Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Naturally-occurring oil seeps have led to the evolution of oil-eating
bacteria in the Gulf
By JASON KOEBLER
US News and World Report
Oil-eating bacteria that are abundant in the Gulf of Mexico may have
prevented the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill from being more catastrophic,
according to new research discussed Monday.
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/04/08/study-oil-eating-bacteria-mitigated-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill
State News
Honor Mother Nature by cleaning
Bolivar Commercial
by Denise Strub and Stedman Hunter
04.08.13 - 08:26 pm
For the past few months, Cleveland officials and residents have focused
their attention on creating a better environment for themselves and those
around them.
http://www.bolivarcom.com/view/full_story/22189704/article-Honor-Mother-Nature-by-cleaning?instance=homethirdleft
Residents urged to join sewage district
Bolivar Commercial
by Rory Doyle
04.08.13 - 09:22 pm
Bolivar County Board of Supervisors attorney Linda F. Colman provided a
brief update Monday on the progress of two new sewage utility districts
within the Noblin and Stanton subdivisions.
Coleman recently submitted a plan to the Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality on how to handle residents who refuse to sign
easement forms and hook up to the new system.
http://www.bolivarcom.com/view/full_story/22190003/article-Residents-urged-to-join-sewage-district-?instance=latest_articles
Hancock Co. school could be first "green" school to open in MS
WLOX
After running six months behind schedule, the new Hancock North Central
Elementary School should open its doors this Fall. There's a lot of
excitement surrounding the $14 million school. That's because it could
become the first K-12 school in Mississippi to go completely green.
http://www.wlox.com/story/21894754/hancock-co-school-could-be-first-green-school-to-open-in-ms
Tornado debris cleanup nearly complete
The Associated Press
HATTIESBURG, MISS. — Hattiesburg and Lamar County officials are nearing the
end of the debris cleanup from the Feb. 10 tornado that struck northeastern
Lamar County, Hattiesburg and Petal.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/04/09/4580125/tornado-debris-cleanup-nearly.html
Sand beach in Pascagoula being repaired
Sun Herald
By LEIGHANNE LOCKHART — llockhart@sunherald.com
PASCAGOULA -- The Army Corps of Engineers is working to repair the sand
beach along the west end of Beach Boulevard in Pascagoula.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/04/08/4579683/sand-beach-project-in-pascagoula.html
Alternative fuel company trying to sell real estate
by Associated Press
Published: April 9,2013
NATCHEZ — Rentech is asking $8.5 million for the 478 acres in Adams County
where it once planned to build an alternative fuels plant to convert coal
into liquid.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2013/04/09/alternative-fuel-company-trying-to-sell-real-estate/
National News
EPA Finalizes Interpretation That Would Allow Recycling of Plastics From
Shredder Residue
Monday, April 8, 2013
Bloomberg
The Environmental Protection Agency has finalized an interpretation of
regulations governing the management and recycling of polychlorinated
biphenyls that it says will allow plastic materials recovered from metal
recycling facilities and automobiles to be recycled.
http://www.bna.com/epa-finalizes-interpretation-n17179873213/
Study: The coal industry is in far more trouble than anyone realizes
Washington Post
By Brad Plumer, Updated: April 8, 2013
Here's some bleak news for the coal industry: As much as 65 percent of the
U.S. coal fleet could find itself under threat in the years ahead, thanks
to cheap natural gas and stricter air-pollution regulations.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/04/08/study-the-coal-industry-is-in-far-more-trouble-than-anyone-realizes/
Greenhouse gas rules will be enacted soon, says Obama aide
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 04/08/13 02:32 PM ET
The White House will enact greenhouse gas emission rules for power plants
in the "not-too-distant future," Heather Zichal, President Obama's top
climate adviser, said Monday.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/292377-obama-aide-final-power-plant-emissions-rules-coming-soon
Ethanol industry seeks toned-down renewable fuel goals
The Hill
By Ben Goad - 04/08/13 12:43 PM ET
A key industry group is urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to
ratchet back this year's volume requirements for biofuel production,
arguing the proposed standards are unrealistic.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energyenvironment/292355-ethanol-industry-seeks-toned-down-renewable-fuel-goals
EPA vows better records management amid criticism
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 04/08/13 07:47 PM ET
The Environmental Protection Agency is pledging to address "any concerns"
about management of emails and instant messages and planning new training
for staff on compliance with public records laws.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/292483-epa-vows-better-records-management-amid-gop-conservative-attacks
Judge rules administration overlooked fracking risks in California mineral
leases
Reuters
3:34am EDT
By Rory Carroll
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A federal judge has ruled the Obama
administration broke the law when it issued oil leases in central
California without fully weighing the environmental impact of "fracking," a
setback for companies seeking to exploit the region's enormous energy
resources.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/09/us-usa-fracking-california-idUSBRE93803720130409
