5.29.2013
Oil Spill
Gulf Coast States Get Creative With BP Oil Spill Money
NPR
Gulf Coast states are lining up to spend $1 billion from BP on coastal
restoration. The money is part of BP's legal responsibility to restore the
Gulf of Mexico's natural resources in the aftermath of the worst oil
disaster in U.S. history.
http://www.npr.org/2013/05/28/186926401/gulf-coast-states-get-creative-with-bp-oil-spill-money
Draft plan for oil spill money released
Daily Comet
By Nikki Buskey
Published: Tuesday, May 28, 2013 at 6:34 p.m.
A draft plan to oversee billions of dollars in Clean Water Act fines from
the 2010 Gulf oil spill was released last week, but it was missing some of
the details and specific spending plans state and local officials and
advocates have looked for.
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20130528/ARTICLES/130529483
Louisiana oyster industry celebrates despite hard times
By Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
May 28, 2013 at 6:33 PM
As BP struggled to stop the oil billowing from its blown up well in the
summer of 2010, many in Louisiana's seafood industry feared the oil would
spell the demise of their livelihoods. One company hit hard was P&J, one of
the city's best-known oyster suppliers, where the company's owners told
workers not to come in because they had no oysters.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/05/louisiana_oyster_industry_cele.html
State News
Advisory issued for Joe's Bayou and adjacent waters in Hancock Co.
WLOX
On Tuesday the Mississippi Department of Environmental Equality (MDEQ)
issued a temporary water contact advisory for Joe's Bayou near Felicity
Street in Bay St. Louis.
http://www.wlox.com/story/22440964/advisory-issued-for-joes-bayou-and-adjacent-waters-in-hancock-co
MDEQ issues advisory for Joe's Bayou in Hancock County
SUN HERALD
A temporary water contact advisory has been issued for Joe's Bayou in
Hancock County, the state Deparment of Environmental Quality said Tuesday.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/05/28/4694918/mdeq-issues-advisory-for-joes.html
Mississippi finalizes 2013 alligator season
AP
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks will issue 920
lottery-based permits for seven hunting zones for the 2013 alligator
season.
http://www.wlox.com/story/22436666/mississippi-finalizes-2013-alligator-season
National News
EPA extends comment period on controversial gasoline rule
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 05/28/13 11:54 AM ET
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is extending the public comment
period on draft gasoline and vehicle emissions rules that the refining
industry alleges the EPA is ramming through without enough input.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/302121-epa-extends-comment-period-on-controversial-gasoline-rule
Interior faces pressure to slow down fracking rule
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 05/28/13 05:29 PM ET
The Interior Department is coming under fresh pressure to slow down planned
rules to govern oil-and-gas "fracking" on public lands.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/302221-interior-faces-pressure-to-slow-down-fracking-rule
California Dems push anti-fracking bills, aim to curb potential oil bonanza
By Claudia Cowan
Published May 29, 2013
FoxNews.com
California is on the verge of a new gold rush. Expanded hydraulic
fracturing -- or "fracking" -- at the Monterey Shale formation is sparking
estimates that 15 billion barrels of oil could be accessed, along with
millions of jobs and huge contributions to the domestic energy supply.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/05/29/california-dems-push-anti-fracking-bills/
Escalating Water Strains In Fracking Regions
Forbes
It's bad enough that Western farmers and ranchers are reeling from a
three-year-old drought and record heat waves. Now they're feeling the heat
from the goliath energy industry – over water.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/mindylubber/2013/05/28/escalating-water-strains-in-fracking-regions/
Wal-Mart pleads guilty in California hazardous waste case, to pay $81
million
Published May 28, 2013
Associated Press
SAN FRANCISCO – Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has pleaded guilty to charges the
company dumped hazardous waste in California.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/28/wal-mart-pleads-guilty-in-california-hazardous-waste-case-to-pay-81-million/
Former EPA head Lisa P. Jackson becomes Apple's top environmental adviser
Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin, Updated: May 28, 2013
Former Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lisa P. Jackson will
become Apple's top environmental officer, the company's CEO Tim Cook
announced Tuesday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/05/28/former-epa-head-lisa-p-jackson-becomes-apples-top-environmental-adviser/
Press Releases
State Waters' Boundary Extended, Federal Regulations Still Apply
BILOXI, Miss. – During the 2013 session, the Mississippi Legislature
voted to amend Mississippi Code Section 3-3-1 to extend the territorial
boundary of the State of Mississippi to three leagues seaward from the
shoreline of Mississippi's barrier islands, effective July 1, 2013. The
federal government has not approved and does not recognize the newly
extended boundary of Mississippi and has not recognized the 2011
boundary extension by Louisiana. The Mississippi Department of Marine
Resources recommends that the boating and fishing public continue to
comply with federal regulations within the extended boundary areas of
Louisiana and Mississippi until a final resolution of the matter by
Congress, a federal court decision recognizing the extensions, or
further action of the Mississippi Legislature.
United States Coast Guard and other authorized federal agents patrol the
waters off the coasts of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana to enforce
federal regulations and have been issuing citations to Louisiana
citizens who have been fishing within the extended boundary claimed by
the State of Louisiana.
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is dedicated to
enhancing, protecting and conserving marine interests of the state by
managing all marine life, public trust wetlands, adjacent uplands and
waterfront areas to provide for the optimal commercial, recreational,
educational and economic uses of these resources consistent with
environmental concerns and social changes. Visit the DMR online at
www.dmr.ms.gov.
