5/20/2013
Oil Spill
Texas joins other Gulf states in suing BP for damages related to oil spill
By The Associated Press
May 17, 2013 at 6:08 PM
HOUSTON -- Texas on Friday became the fifth state to sue British oil
company BP over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, seeking damages
related to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/05/texas_joins_other_gulf_states.html#incart_river
Gulf Consortium stresses cooperation at Key Largo meeting
By VALERIE GARMAN / The News Herald
Published: Friday, May 17, 2013 at 20:51 PM.
KEY LARGO — Coordination was the theme Friday during a meeting of the Gulf
Consortium, an organization tasked with handling the cash coming from the
federal RESTORE Act.
http://www.newsherald.com/news/government/gulf-consortium-stresses-cooperation-at-key-largo-meeting-1.145101
Oysters continue to struggle post-spill
Houma Today
By Nikki Buskey
Published: Friday, May 17, 2013 at 9:29 p.m.
More than three years after the Gulf oil spill, the state's oyster industry
is continuing to struggle.
http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20130517/ARTICLES/130519647/-1/living?Title=Oysters-continue-to-struggle-post-spill
Ex-BP Engineer's Criminal Trial Is Postponed to December
Bloomberg
By Margaret Cronin Fisk and Allen Johnson Jr. - May 17, 2013
The trial of a former BP Plc (BP/) engineer charged in the first criminal
case arising from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill was postponed to
December from June, a judge said.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-17/ex-bp-engineer-s-criminal-trial-is-postponed-to-december.html
State News
Moss Point awarded $400,000 federal brownfield grant
Mississippi Press
By Vivian Austin
May 19, 2013 at 12:27 PM
MOSS POINT, Mississippi -- Moss Point is among 6 municipalities in the
state that have been awarded brownfield grants from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, and community department personnel hope it will help
identify and cleanup former industrial sites and properties across the
city.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/05/moss_point_awarded_400000_fede.html
Water advisories common during rainy season in South Mississippi
Sun Herald
By CHRISTINA STEUBE — csteube@sunherald.com
Each year near the beginning of summer, the Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality more frequently issues water-contact advisories.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/05/17/4674149/water-advisories-common-during.html
Mississippians join international environmental movement
WLOX
Coastal residents added their voices to those calling for the end of energy
policies that hurt the environment. The Hands Across the Sand
demonstrations took place on beaches around the world on Saturday. In South
Mississippi, the concern centered around the state government's plan to
allow offshore drilling off coastal waters.
http://www.wlox.com/story/22289941/mississippians-join-international-environmental-movement
Pascagoula's LNG import terminal wants to export natural gas
Sun Herald
By KAREN NELSON — klnelson@sunherald.com
PASCAGOULA -- Big changes may be coming for Gulf LNG, the liquified natural
gas terminal that is two huge storage tanks on the horizon south of
Pascagoula.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/05/19/4676186/pascagoulas-lng-import-terminal.html
Students learn ways to become better Earth stewards in South Mississippi
By LINDSAY KNOWLES — Special to the Sun Herald
OCEAN SPRINGS -- Nearly 30 students converged from all around Mississippi
and Louisiana for the second annual Shifting Baselines Stewardship Summit
on Friday and Saturday in Ocean Springs.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/05/18/4675362/students-learn-ways-to-become.html
Delta Council held annual meeting at Delta State
Bolivar Commercial
by Rory Doyle
The morning rain cleared and the temperature stayed down Friday, setting up
for a grand celebration at the 78th annual meeting of the Delta Council on
the campus of Delta State University.
http://www.bolivarcom.com/view/full_story/22636909/article-Delta-Council-held-annual-meeting-at-Delta-State-?instance=main_article
National News
Bill calls on feds to address health impacts of climate change
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 05/18/13 10:14 AM ET
A bill introduced Friday calls on the federal government to craft a
national strategy for dealing with the public health effects of climate
change.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/300571-bill-calls-on-feds-to-address-health-impacts-of-climate-change
GOP lawmakers liken EPA info tactics to IRS targeting of Tea Party
The Hill
By Julian Hattem - 05/17/13 05:56 PM ET
Congressional Republicans have accused the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) of giving unfair preference to environmental groups when it comes to
information requests.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energyenvironment/300535-gop-lawmakers-compare-epa-tactics-to-irs-targeting
New Federal Fracking Rules Rile Environmentalists, Oil and Gas Industry
Few are happy in the wake of new draft rules proposed to regulation
fracking on federal lands
US News and World Report
By MEG HANDLEY
The Obama administration released its latest version of long-awaited rules
proposed to govern hydraulic fracturing on public lands Thursday, angering
environmental groups who say the government is selling out to the oil
industry at the expense of public health.
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/05/17/new-federal-fracking-rules-rile-environmentalists-oil-and-gas-industry
House bill would block EPA oversight of coal ash, leave it to states
By RENEE SCHOOF
McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON — Next up for Republicans in the House of Representatives who
are seeking to curb the role of the Environmental Protection Agency is a
vote Friday on a bill that would give states the power to monitor the
disposal of coal ash from power plants.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2011/10/13/3443359/house-bill-would-block-epa-oversight.html
Wells Dry, Fertile Plains Turn to Dust
NY Times
By MICHAEL WINES
HASKELL COUNTY, Kan. — Forty-nine years ago, Ashley Yost's grandfather sank
a well deep into a half-mile square of rich Kansas farmland. He struck an
artery of water so prodigious that he could pump 1,600 gallons to the
surface every minute.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/20/us/high-plains-aquifer-dwindles-hurting-farmers.html?ref=earth&_r=0&pagewanted=print
Rebuilding the Coastline, but at What Cost?
NY Times
By JENNY ANDERSON
When a handful of retired homeowners from Osborn Island in New Jersey
gathered last month to discuss post-Hurricane Sandy rebuilding and
environmental protection, L. Stanton Hales Jr., a conservationist, could
not have been clearer about the risks they faced.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/nyregion/rebuilding-the-coastline-but-at-what-cost.html?ref=earth&pagewanted=print
Opinion
Overheated rhetoric on climate change doesn't make for good policies
Washington Post
By Lamar Smith, Published: May 19
Lamar Smith, a Republican, represents Texas's 21st District in the U.S.
House and is chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and
Technology.
Climate change is an issue that needs to be discussed thoughtfully and
objectively. Unfortunately, claims that distort the facts hinder the
legitimate evaluation of policy options. The rhetoric has driven some
policymakers toward costly regulations and policies that will harm
hardworking American families and do little to decrease global carbon
emissions. The Obama administration's decision to delay, and possibly deny,
the Keystone XL pipeline is a prime example.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/lamar-smith-overheated-rhetoric-on-climate-change-hurts-the-economy/2013/05/19/32cb6d94-bda4-11e2-97d4-a479289a31f9_story.html
