Oil Spill
State says Coast Guard won't make BP clean up oil from Grand Terre's Fort
Livingston
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
July 17, 2013 at 10:37 PM
Frustrations with the dwindling response of BP and the U.S. Coast Guard to
environmental and safety complaints about the removal of oil and cleanup
equipment used during BP's Gulf oil spill in April 2010 bubbled to the
surface again at Wednesday's monthly meeting of the Coastal Protection and
Restoration Authority.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/07/state_says_bp_wont_clean_oil_f.html
Delays on restoration work spark concern
Houma Today
By Nikki Buskey
Published: Thursday, July 18, 2013 at 10:10 p.m.
Local officials and environmental advocates stressed Thursday that early
restoration work planned for the Gulf Coast after the BP oil spill is
urgently needed and can't keep suffering bureaucratic delays.
http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20130718/ARTICLES/130719558/1026/NEWS01?Title=Delays-on-restoration-work-spark-concern
Judge to weigh suspending BP settlement payments
The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge is set to hear BP's bid to temporarily block
all settlement payments to Gulf Coast businesses and residents who claim
they lost money after the company's 2010 oil spill.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/07/19/4806627/judge-to-weigh-suspending-bp-settlement.html
BP chief executive: Settlement deal 'hijacked' by claims administrator
Press Register
George Talbot
updated July 18, 2013 at 9:20 PM
(Embedded image moved to file: pic27432.jpg)
BP chief executive Bob Dudley said tonight that the company's 2012
agreement to pay private plaintiffs for losses from the Deepwater Horizon
catastrophe has been "hijacked" by claims administrator Patrick Juneau.
Dudley, in an appearance on CNBC's Mad Money, accused Juneau of approving
"absurd" payments to businesses that did not suffer legitimate losses from
the 2010 oil spill.
http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/07/bp_chief_executive_settlement.html#incart_river
Latest spill lawsuit seeks damages from Halliburton for 613 Gulf Coast
property owners
Press Register
Brendan Kirby
on July 18, 2013 at 6:53 PM
MOBILE, Alabama – A lawsuit on behalf of more than 600 property owners
along the Gulf Coast seeks to hold Halliburton Energy Services accountable
for its role in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
http://blog.al.com/live/2013/07/latest_spill_lawsuit_seeks_dam.html#incart_river
State News
Drainage issues prompt Pascagoula meeting with corps of Engineers
Sun Herald
By TAMMY LEYTHAM — tleytham@sunherald.com
PASCAGOULA -- Swamped by drainage woes, city officials plan to meet Monday
with the U.S. Corps of Engineers to discuss causes and solutions.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/07/18/4806452/drainage-issues-prompt-pascagoula.html
National News
Senate confirms Gina McCarthy as EPA administrator
Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin, Updated: July 18, 2013
After fielding an unprecedented number of questions and coming under sharp
attack from several Republicans, Environmental Protection Agency official
Gina McCarthy won Senate confirmation to head the agency in a 59 to 40
vote.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2013/07/18/senate-confirms-gina-mccarthy-as-next-epa-administrator-in-59-to-40-vote/?print=1
Senate Confirms McCarthy as Head of EPA
Move Places Her in Charge of Agency Tackling Obama's Climate-Change Plan
Wall Street Journal
By TENNILLE TRACY
WASHINGTON—The Senate confirmed Gina McCarthy to head the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, voting 59-40 to place her in charge of
the agency pushing through key pieces of President Barack Obama's new
climate-change plan.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323993804578614102567280028.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5
New EPA chief Gina McCarthy will take on sweeping climate agenda
Politico
By: Erica Martinson
July 18, 2013 04:21 PM EDT
The success or failure of President Barack Obama's climate agenda now rests
squarely on Gina McCarthy's shoulders.
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/07/gina-mccarthy-epa-confirmation-94439.html?hp=l4
GOP senator: 'Tolerance' needed for different climate change views
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 07/18/13 11:15 AM ET
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said Thursday that people should be more open
minded to differing opinions on climate change.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/311987-gop-senator-tolerance-needed-for-different-climate-change-views
White House steps up biofuel support amid escalating attacks
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 07/18/13 01:18 PM ET
The White House on Thursday doubled down on its support of a
biofuel-blending rule that's drawing intense attacks from the oil industry
and lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/312035-white-house-steps-up-biofuel-support-in-face-of-capitol-hill-pressure
Study finds fracking chemicals didn't pollute water: AP
A landmark federal study on hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, shows no
evidence that chemicals from the natural gas drilling process moved up to
contaminate drinking water aquifers at a western Pennsylvania drilling
site, the Department of Energy told The Associated Press.
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57594498/study-finds-fracking-chemicals-didnt-pollute-water-ap/
Walmart, Amazon, most others fail at recycling, group says
Fox News
Published July 19, 2013
Laptopmag.com
advertisement
It's time to get rid of your ancient bulky televisions, printers and VCRs,
and get newer, more space-efficient gadgets. But what do you do with your
old gadgets?
Ideally, you would be able to bring them back to the store where you bought
them and drop them off to be recycled, but as a new report card shows,
there aren't very many retailers in the nation that make that possible or
convenient.
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/07/19/walmart-amazon-stores-fail-at-recycling/?intcmp=features
Opinion
Billions spent in Obama climate plan may be virtually useless, study
suggests
By George Russell
Published July 18, 2013
FoxNews.com
As President Obama last month launched a sweeping new national program to
combat "climate change," including tens of billions of dollars in likely
new subsidies for solar and wind power and bio-energy, a separate,
groundbreaking study by the National Research Council has warned that those
kinds of subsidies are virtually useless at quelling greenhouse gases .
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/07/18/billions-spent-in-obama-climate-plan-may-be-virtually-useless-study-suggests/?test=latestnews
BP agreed to Deepwater Horizon settlement terms: James Parkerson Roy and
Stephen J. Herman
The Times-Picayune
Contributing Op-Ed columnist
For eighth months, we worked with BP, a host of accountants and other
experts to develop a settlement agreement that would fairly and
transparently compensate families and businesses that might have been
directly or indirectly harmed by the spill.
http://www.nola.com/opinions/index.ssf/2013/07/bp_agreed_to_deepwater_horizon.html
Press Releases
United States Reaches an Agreement with XTO Energy to Prevent Waste Spills
from Natural Gas Exploration and Production
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S.
Department of Justice announced a settlement with XTO Energy Inc., a
subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation, to resolve an alleged violation of
the Clean Water Act (CWA) related to the discharge of wastewater from XTO's
Penn Township, Lycoming County, Pa. facility used for the storage of
wastewater generated by natural gas exploration, commonly known as
fracking, and production.
The federal settlement requires that XTO pay a penalty of $100,000 to the
United States and spend a federal government-estimated $20 million on a
comprehensive plan to improve wastewater management practices to recycle,
properly dispose of, and prevent spills of wastewater generated from
natural gas exploration and production activities in Pennsylvania and West
Virginia. Among other things, XTO must install a continuous, remote
monitoring system for all of its permanent production located throughout
Pennsylvania and West Virginia with alarms that will be triggered to alert
operators immediately in the event of any future spills and implement a
program to actively monitor interconnected wastewater storage tanks located
throughout Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
The discharge was discovered by the Pennsylvania Department of
Environmental Protection (PADEP) during an inspection of the Penn Township
facility, where a PADEP inspector observed wastewater spilling from an open
valve from a series of interconnected tanks. At the time, XTO stored
wastewater generated from energy extraction activities conducted throughout
Pennsylvania at its Penn Township facility and, at the time of the release,
stored produced fluid from its operations in the area.
Pollutants from the release were found in a tributary of the Susquehanna
River basin. EPA, in consultation with PADEP, conducted an investigation
and determined that wastewater stored in the tanks at the Penn Township
facility contained the same variety of pollutants, including chlorides,
barium, strontium, and total dissolved solids, that were observed in those
surface waters.
"Today's settlement holds XTO accountable for a previous violation of the
Clean Water Act and requires operational changes and improved management
practices to help ensure the safe and responsible handling of wastewater
produced during natural gas exploration and production activities," said
Robert G. Dreher, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice
Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "The Justice
Department is committed to ensuring that our natural resources are
developed in an environmentally responsible manner."
Under the settlement with the United States, the substantial improvements
to XTO's wastewater management are estimated by the federal government to
reduce discharges of total dissolved solids by 264 million pounds over the
course of the next three years. These reductions will occur in large part
because XTO will increase wastewater recycling and will properly dispose of
wastewaters generated by its natural gas activities across the mid-Atlantic
region. In addition XTO will implement a region-wide program of operational
best management practices which include: secondary containment for tanks
used to store wastewater, improved standard operating procedures designed
to reduce the risk of a spill, a prohibition on using pits or open-top
tanks to store wastewater which will prevent air emissions, remote
monitoring of tank volumes to prevent overfilling and spills, and proper
signage on all tanks with safety information and a manned, 24-hour
emergency phone number.
"The operational improvements required by today's settlement will help to
protect precious surface and drinking water resources in Pennsylvania and
West Virginia," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for EPA's
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. "EPA continues to push for
responsible development of domestic sources of energy and to insist that
companies play by the rules that protect public health."
"This consent decree establishes a program of best practices that should be
a model for the industry and, if followed, will give a level of assurance
to the people of the Commonwealth that their waters will be protected. This
settlement is in the long-term best interest of the taxpayers, the
industry, and our children," stated Peter J. Smith, U.S. Attorney for the
Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Untreated discharges of wastewaters from natural gas exploration and
production activities typically contain high levels of total dissolved
solids and other pollutants and can adversely impact fresh water aquatic
life and drinking water quality.
The consent decree, lodged in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, is
subject to a 30-day public comment period and court approval. The consent
decree is available for review at www.justice.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html
More information about the settlement:
http://www2.epa.gov/enforcement/xto-energy-inc-settlement
More information about EPA Region III's activities related to natural gas
extraction: http://www.epa.gov/region3/marcellus_shale/
EPA Debuts Upgraded Energy Star Portfolio Manager Benchmarking Tool
WASHINGTON –– The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today
announced the release of an upgrade to its popular online energy management
and tracking tool, Energy Star Portfolio Manager. The upgraded tool can
help businesses achieve the President's call to make commercial buildings
at least 20 percent more energy efficient by 2020. The new Energy Star
Portfolio Manager delivers a more user-friendly interface, enhanced data
sharing capabilities, better reporting, and for the first time, the ability
to manage buildings across their lifecycle from design through occupancy.
Tens of thousands of organizations—including school districts, retail
chains, hospital systems, and local governments—currently use Energy Star
Portfolio Manager to measure the energy performance, water use, utility
costs, and greenhouse gas emissions of more than 40 percent of the nation's
commercial building space.
"You can't manage what you don't measure," said Janet McCabe, principal
deputy assistant administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation. "The
new 'turbo-charged' Portfolio Manager makes it easier than ever for
building owners and managers to make strategic business decisions that are
good for the environment and good for the bottom line. Consistent with
President Obama's Climate Action Plan, this tool helps businesses cut
wasted energy, reduce harmful carbon pollution, and save money."
The tool will continue to deliver the nearly 150 energy, greenhouse gas
(GHG), and water performance metrics that owners and managers of commercial
buildings use to make strategic management decisions. One of these
metrics—the 1–100 Energy Star score, rates a building's energy efficiency
against similar buildings nationwide. A score of 50 represents median
energy performance, whereas a score of 75 signifies that a building
outperforms 75 percent of its peers. Buildings in the United States that
score a 75 or higher, and have their data verified by a Professional
Engineer or Registered Architect, are eligible to earn EPA's Energy Star
certification.
Energy Star certified buildings use, on average, 35 percent less energy and
generate 35 percent fewer GHG emissions than typical buildings. Studies
have shown that they have lower operating costs, increased asset value, and
higher occupancy rates. Additionally, there are benefits to simply
measuring and tracking a building's energy performance in Portfolio
Manager—a recent EPA study showed that buildings that benchmarked
consistently over a three-year period logged an average energy use
reduction of 2.4 percent each year. For commercial building portfolios with
annual energy bills in the millions of dollars and that emit tens of
thousands of metric tons of GHG emissions each year, these reductions can
be substantial.
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 utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas
emissions equal to those of 50 million vehicles. From the first Energy Star
qualified computer in 1992, the Energy Star label can now be found on
products in more than 65 different categories, with more than 4.5 billion
sold over the past 20 years. Over 1.4 million new homes and 20,000
facilities, including offices, schools, hospitals, and industrial plants,
have earned the Energy Star.
More on Energy Star: http://www.energystar.gov
More on EPA's Energy Star commercial and industrial program:
http://www.energystar.gov/buildings
More on the benefits of benchmarking in Energy Star Portfolio Manager:
http://www.energystar.gov/datatrends
