8.14.2013
Oil Spill
BP: Halliburton's expected guilty plea undermines Gulf spill arguments
Houston Chronicle
BP said Tuesday that Halliburton's admission it destroyed evidence after
the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill undermines key claims by the U.S.
government in a civil trial over the disaster.
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2013/08/13/bp-halliburtons-expected-guilty-plea-undermines-gulf-spill-arguments/
BP oil spill cleanup: Is US coast nearly in the clear?
Mark GuarinoThe Christian Science Monitor
August 13, 2013
With about 100 miles of coastline remaining to clean up following the Gulf
of Mexico oil spill three years ago, the states most impacted by the
disaster say it is too soon to stop, because the environmental damage is
ongoing.
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/20130813/bp-oil-spill-cleanup-us-coast-nearly-clear
Attorney fired by BP claims administrator demands reinstatement with back
pay
The Associated Press
August 13, 2013 at 12:42 PM
NEW ORLEANS -- An attorney who was fired by the court-supervised
administrator of BP's settlement with Gulf Coast businesses and residents
is demanding to be reinstated along with back pay.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/08/attorney_fired_by_bp_claims_ad.html#incart_river
State
MDEQ lifts two water contact advisories
WLOX
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Equality (MDEQ) lifted two
water contact advisories Tuesday.
http://www.wlox.com/story/23127539/mdeq-lifts-two-water-contact-advisories
Water-contact advisorieslifted for two areas
Sun Herald
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality lifted two
water-contact advisories Tuesday for areas in Gulfport and Long Beach.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/08/13/4871719/around-south-mississippi.html
Bentz defends Kemper plant
Public Service commissioner leaving post
AP
Public Service Commissioner Leonard Bentz hasn't set a date to resign and
become executive director of the South Mississippi Planning and Development
District. But the Republican probably won't be a commissioner by the time
the state's utility regulators meet again on Sept. 10.
http://www.clarionledger.com/viewart/20130814/NEWS01/308140031/Bentz-defends-Kemper-plant
Port Authority OKs connecting West Bank Facility to Pascagoula's water
system
Sun Herald
By TAMMY LEYTHAM — tleytham@sunherald.com
PASCAGOULA -- The Port of Pascagoula's West Bank Facility will go from
operating on a well to being connected to the city's water system following
action Tuesday by the Jackson County Port Authority Board of Commissioners.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/08/13/4871716/port-authority-oks-connecting.html
Long Beach coastline among CNN's can't-miss beaches
Sun Herald
By MARY MARGARET HALFORD — mhalford@sunherald.com
Long Beach has drawn national attention because of the beauty of its
beaches.
CNN listed the small city just west of Gulfport among its Top 22 can't-miss
beaches in the United States.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/08/13/4870534/long-beach-coastline-among-cnns.html
Ole Miss launches new law/engineering program
by MBJ Staff
Published: August 13,2013
OXFORD — Following a national trend to make higher education more
"user-friendly," the University of Mississippi schools of Engineering and
Law have joined forces to create a new program that provides early
admission to the latter.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2013/08/13/ole-miss-launches-new-lawengineering-program/
Regional
Florida to file suit over Georgia's water use in Supreme Court
Press-Register
Dennis Pillion
August 13, 2013 at 5:23 PM
APALACHICOLA, Florida -- Florida Gov. Rick Scott announced today, along
with U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, that the state will file a lawsuit in the U.S.
Supreme Court "to stop Georgia's unchecked consumption of water that
threatens the existence of Apalachicola fisheries and the future economic
development of this region," Scott said in a news release.
http://blog.al.com/gulf-coast/2013/08/florida_to_file_suit_over_geor.html#incart_river
Federal Gulf red snapper managers seeking public comment on proposed rule
Press-Register
Jeff Dute
August 13, 2013 at 10:10 AM
NOAA Fisheries is asking for public comment on a proposed rule that would
increase the 2013 commercial and recreational quotas for Gulf red snapper
and potentially reopen the recreational season this fall.
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/08/federal_gulf_red_snapper_manag.html#incart_river
Gulf Shrimpers Taste Victory
Wall Street Journal
By WILLIAM MAULDIN
American shrimpers got a boost Tuesday from a U.S. ruling that could lead
to duties being slapped on imports from five major producing countries,
including China.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323446404579010990307100848.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5
National
Petroleum groups ask EPA for relief from biofuel mandate
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 08/13/13 06:07 PM ET
The petroleum industry formally asked the Obama administration on Tuesday
to lower the amount of corn-based ethanol refiners must blend into
transportation fuel in 2014.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/316927-petroleum-groups-ask-epa-for-relief-from-biofuel-mandate
Opinion
SUN HERALD | Editorial: Rules bent for Bentz to be hired
Throughout the centuries, light has come to symbolize all that is good. And
over the past several months, it is clear Mississippi could use a little
more light in the boardrooms where key positions of public trust are
filled.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/08/13/4871066/sun-herald-editorial-rules-bent.html
Press releases
Mississippi River Commission Schedules Low-Water Inspection Trip
Vicksburg, Miss.......The Mississippi River Commission will conduct its
annual low-water inspection trip of the lower Mississippi River basin
beginning 20 August and ending on 23 August 2013.
Three public meetings have been scheduled in selected towns along the
river. These public meeting with be held aboard the Motor Vessel
MISSISSIPPI. The meeting places, dates and times are as follows:
August 20- 9:00 a.m. - Memphis, Tennessee (Beale Street Landing)
August 21 - 1:00 p.m.-Vicksburg, Mississippi (City front)
August 23- 9:00 a.m. - Morgan City, Louisiana (Port Commission dock)
All meetings are open to the public. Individuals and/or groups are invited
to present their views and suggestions on matters affecting the water
resources infrastructure of the lower Mississippi valley. This includes
environmental issues, recreational and navigational issues and flood
control projects.
The agenda for each public meeting will be as follows:
1. Summary report by president of the commission on national and regional
issues affecting the programs and projects on the Mississippi River and its
tributaries.
2. District commander's overview for the commission on current project
issues in the respective district area.
3. Presentations to the commission by local organizations and members of
the public giving views or comments on any issue affecting the programs or
projects of the commission and the Corps of Engineers.
The purpose of the public meetings is to maintain a dialogue, an exchange
of viewpoints and ideas flowing between the public and the Corps.
Presentations by the public are made orally, but a copy of the remarks
should be presented to the commission for the official record.
Since 1879, the seven-member Presidentially appointed Mississippi River
Commission has developed and matured plans for the general improvement of
the Mississippi River from the Head of Passes to the Headwaters. The
Mississippi River Commission brings critical engineering representation to
the drainage basin, which impacts 41 percent of the United States and
includes 1.25 million square miles, over 250 tributaries, 31 states, and
two Canadian provinces.
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