Oil Spill
Gulf council expected to approve initial restoration plan on Wednesday
Times-Picayune
An initial comprehensive plan for restoring the Gulf Coast's ecosystem and
economy is set to face a vote Wednesday in New Orleans by a federal-state
council overseeing the spending of likely billions of dollars in Clean
Water Act fines from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/08/gulf_restoration_council_expec.html
BP, Anadarko tell appeals court they shouldn't be fined for Deepwater
Horizon oil spill
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
August 27, 2013 at 7:48 PM
BP and Anadarko Petroleum Corp., which held a 25 percent interest in BP's
ill-fated Macondo oil and gas well, told the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of
Appeals last week that they should not be fined under the Clean Water Act
for the oil spill resulting from the Deepwater Horizon explosion and
sinking.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/08/bp_anandarko_tell_5th_circuit.html
Federal judge asked to order BP oil spill claims administrator to set
payment rules for oil and gas service companies also hurt by federal
drilling moratoria
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
August 28, 2013 at 1:34 AM
Lawyers representing private claimants in the settlement with BP of
economic claims stemming from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill signaled late
Tuesday that another disagreement has arisen between the two sides, this
time over the payment of claims for oil and gas companies that also were
hurt by federal moratoria on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico in the
aftermath of the spill.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/08/federal_judge_asked_to_order_b.html
State
Mississippi environmental lab owner Lab owner sentenced to 40 months for
faking water tests
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
August 27, 2013 - 10:04 am EDT
JACKSON, Mississippi — An environmental laboratory owner in Mississippi has
been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison after being
convicted of falsifying records on industrial wastewater samples.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/2d1b1337bf484131806eaab8d0273e82/MS--Wastewater-Testing-Indictment
Miss. women say gasoline fumes harmed children
BY JACK ELLIOTT JR.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSON, Miss. -- Texaco Inc. has settled a lawsuit with five women who
alleged the oil company was responsible for ailments of children born after
they were exposed to leaded gasoline fumes.
A spokeswoman for Texaco declined to comment.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/27/3588640/miss-women-say-gasoline-fumes.html
Bryant blasts nuclear waste disposal critics
Governor says opposition to discussion is both uninformed, overreactive
Clarion Ledger
Gov. Phil Bryant on Tuesday said people — particularly the media — are
overreacting to and uninformed about proposals for nuclear waste storage in
Mississippi.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130828/NEWS01/308280025/Bryant-blasts-nuclear-waste-disposal-critics
Ridgeland Installs Solar Powered Recycling Compactors
WJTV
Ridgeland -
The City of Ridgeland recently purchased five solar-powered recycling
compactors. These compactors have been placed in public locations to
enhance recycling efforts. You can find them at the concession stands at
Freedom Ridge Park and at the trailhead pavilion of the Ridgeland Multiuse
Trail.
http://www.wjtv.com/story/23269576/ridgeland-installs-solar-powered-recycling-compactors
Developers seeking MDEQ permit for D'Iberville casino
Sun Herald
By MARY PEREZ — meperez@sunherald.com
D'IBERVILLE -- Plans for Oyster Bay Casino are off the table, according to
the developers, who say they are working to get a casino approved at the
Back Bay site by the end of the year.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/08/27/4906375/developers-seeking-mdeq-permit.html
Trial delayed in wetlands complaint in Hancock County
Sun Herald
By ROBIN FITZGERALD — rfitzgerald@sunherald.com
GULFPORT -- A real estate developer's trial on federal charges of wetlands
and Clean Water Act violations in Hancock County has been changed to Oct. 7
because of problems brought on by budget cuts.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/08/27/4906112/trial-delayed-in-wetlands-complaint.html
Engineers present water and sewer plan for Gulfport
Sun Herald
By PATRICK OCHS — pochs@sunherald.com
GULFPORT -- On the heels of a so-called 200-year rainfall that caused havoc
in Gulfport, city engineers presented the City Council with a 12-year
capital improvements plan to improve the city's water and sewer
infrastructures.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/08/27/4906199/engineers-present-water-and-sewer.html
Company sues DMR over unclaimed boat
Sun Herald
By ANITA LEE — calee@sunherald.com
GULFPORT -- Nobody has claimed the Laura C, but "agents" of the Mississippi
Department of Marine Resources delivered the 45-foot cabin cruiser in April
2012 to Competition Marine, asking that it be refitted and repaired,
according to a lawsuit filed in Circuit Court.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/08/27/4906372/company-sues-dmr-over-unclaimed.html
National
EPA Final Rule Requires Electronic Filing Of Reports to Toxics Release
Inventory
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Bloomberg
Facilities required to report chemical releases through the Toxics Release
Inventory will need to file electronically, under a final rule to be
published in the Federal Register Aug. 27.
http://www.bna.com/epa-final-rule-n17179876381/
NOAA Says Dolphin Die-Off Likely Caused by Virus
Federal agency say they believe dolphins were infected with a morbillivirus
Wall Street Journal
By MEREDITH RUTLAND
A virus is the likely cause of the deaths of hundreds of bottlenose
dolphins along the East Coast, according to the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323407104579038953920570562.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5
Opinion
A step forward in Gulf recovery
By Bethany Kraft
August 27, 2013 2:20pm
Houston Chronicle
For the millions of people who call the Texas coast home, it's clear that
the health of our economy is tied to the quality of our natural resources.
Though oil from the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster didn't reach Texas
shores, the state's importance as an economic driver in the region
underscored the necessity of taking a comprehensive approach to restoration
- from our coastal areas to the offshore, marine environment.
http://www.chron.com/opinion/outlook/article/A-step-forward-in-Gulf-recovery-4762484.php
SUN HERALD | Editorial: Nuclear waste? 'Not now, not ever'
When Congressman Steven Palazzo heard of possible plans for bringing the
nation's nuclear waste to Mississippi, he declared: "Not now, not ever."
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/08/27/4905813/sun-herald-editorial-nuclear-waste.html
Press Releases
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| Report: Conservation Work Minimizes Sediment, Nutrient Runoff |
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| A USDA assessment shows benefits of farmer-led conservation efforts to |
|reducing runoff, Agriculture Secretary highlights the need for conservation |
| programs provided by a Food, Farm and Jobs Bill |
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|WASHINGTON, Aug. 27, 2013 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced a |
|new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report that shows farmers have |
|significantly reduced the loss of sediment and nutrients from farm fields |
|through voluntary conservation work in the lower Mississippi River basin. |
|Secretary Vilsack highlighted the value of conservation programs to these |
|efforts, and called on Congress to pass a comprehensive Food, Farm and Jobs |
|Bill that would enable USDA to continue supporting conservation work on |
|farms and ranches. |
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|The report, released by USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)|
|this week, marks the completion of a watershed-wide assessment of |
|conservation efforts in the Mississippi River watershed. Its findings |
|demonstrate that conservation work, like controlling erosion and managing |
|nutrients, has reduced the edge-of-field losses of sediment by 35 percent, |
|nitrogen by 21 percent and phosphorous by 52 percent. |
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|"Farmers and ranchers work hard to conserve the land and water, and today's |
|report shows the tremendous impact they've had for the Mississippi River and|
|Gulf of Mexico," Vilsack said. "We need to keep up the momentum by providing|
|scientific and technical expertise that supports conservation in |
|agriculture. To continue these efforts, we need Congress to act on a |
|comprehensive Food, Farm and Jobs Bill as soon as possible." |
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|While the report shows the positive impacts of conservation, it also signals|
|the need for additional conservation work. The most critical conservation |
|concern in the region is controlling runoff of surface water and better |
|management of nutrients, meaning the appropriate rate, form, timing and |
|method of application for nitrogen and phosphorous. |
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|Model simulations show that an increase in cover crops will have a |
|significant impact on reducing edge-of-field losses of sediment and |
|nutrients and improve water quality. |
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|The information in the report will help further develop NRCS' work in the |
|Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative and Gulf of Mexico |
|Initiative, aimed at helping producers improve water quality, restore |
|wetlands and sustain agricultural profitability. |
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|The report is part of USDA's Conservation Effects Assessment Project, or |
|CEAP, which uses advanced modeling techniques to assess the effects of |
|conservation practices. The lower Mississippi report covers cropland in |
|Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri and Tennessee. |
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|By comparing losses of sediment and nutrients from cultivated cropland to |
|losses that would be expected if conservation practices weren't used, CEAP |
|reports give science-based insight into the techniques that most benefit |
|water quality, soil health and other resource concerns. |
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|"These assessments are part of the scientific backbone that helps us work |
|with farmers to get the right conservation techniques on the right acres," |
|said NRCS Chief, Jason Weller. "A focus on the most effective conservation |
|techniques means that we're helping to deliver the best results for farmers |
|and our natural resources." |
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|Over the past few years, similar assessments were completed in the upper |
|Mississippi River, Tennessee-Ohio, Missouri and Arkansas-Red-White basins. |
|As a whole, assessments in this project have shown: |
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| · Conservation on cropland prevents an estimated 243 million tons of |
| sediment, 2.1 billion pounds of nitrogen and 375 million pounds of |
| phosphorus from leaving fields each year. These figures translate to a|
| 55 percent, 34 percent and 46 percent reduction in sediment, nitrogen |
| and phosphorus edge-of-field losses, respectively, compared to what |
| would have been lost if no conservation practices were in place. |
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| · Similarly, conservation has resulted in an estimated 17 percent |
| reduction in nitrogen and 22 percent reduction in phosphorus entering |
| the Gulf of Mexico annually. An additional reduction of 15 percent of |
| nitrogen and 12 percent of phosphorus can be achieved by implementing |
| comprehensive conservation plans on all cropland in the basin in areas|
| that have not adequately addressed nutrient loss. |
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|The scientific-based modeling also pointed out that higher rainfall and more|
|intense storms lead to higher edge-of-field losses of sediment and nutrients|
|in the lower Mississippi River basin than the other four basins in the |
|Mississippi River watershed. Because of this, more soil erosion control and |
|better management of nutrients are important in the basin. |
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|Download a fact sheet, a summary or the full report. Learn more about USDA's|
|Conservation Effects Assessment Project. |
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| USDA Climate Report Published, Public Invited to Comment |
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|WASHINGTON, August 27, 2013 – The Climate Change Program Office of the U.S. |
|Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Office of the Chief Economist today |
|released and requested public comments on the report Science-Based Methods |
|for Entity-Scale Quantification of Greenhouse Gas Sources and Sinks from |
|Agriculture and Forestry Practices. The report is the work of 38 scientists |
|from across academia, USDA and the federal government, who are experts in |
|greenhouse gas (GHG) estimation in the cropland, grazing land, livestock and|
|forest management sectors. The report has undergone technical review by an |
|additional 29 scientists. |
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|The report outlines a set of consensus methods for quantifying GHG emissions|
|and carbon storage at the local farm, ranch or forest scale. It is important|
|that the methods exhibit scientific rigor, transparency, completeness, |
|accuracy, and cost effectiveness, as well as consistency and comparability |
|with other USDA GHG inventory efforts. The report can be downloaded at |
|www.usda.gov/oce/climate_change/index.htm. A Federal Register Notice is |
|included on the web site and provides detailed instructions for comment |
|submission. Comments must be received within 45 days of the August 28, 2013 |
|publication of the Federal Register Notice. |
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|For more information on USDA's Climate Change activities, please visit: |
|www.usda.gov/oce/climate_change/index.htm. |
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