8.7.2013
Oil Spill
BP balks at paying claims administrator Patrick Juneau
The Associated Press
August 06, 2013 at 8:38 PM
NEW ORLEANS -- BP is balking at paying more than $130 million in
administrative fees to the court-supervised administrator of its
multi-billion dollar settlement with Gulf Coast businesses and residents
after the 2010 oil spill, claiming the settlement program has been plagued
by poor productivity and excessive costs.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/08/bp_balks_at_paying_claims_admi.html#incart_river
Judge orders BP to explain its refusal to pay $130 million cost of
operating oil spill settlement claims center
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
August 06, 2013 at 7:47 PM
A U.S. magistrate judge has ordered BP to appear in federal court on
Wednesday to explain why the company should not be directed to pay a $130
million bill it was sent to underwrite the cost of operating the center
that is processing billions of dollars in economic claims covered by a
settlement between BP and private claimants last year.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/08/judge_orders_bp_to_explain_why.html
Did oil spill affect marine life?
WALA
Tuesday, 06 Aug 2013, 8:36 AM CDT
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Summer is winding down after months of abundant
fishing and tourists visiting Gulf Coast beaches.
However, it was a much different story during the summer of 2010, right
after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.
http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/gulf_oil_spill/did-oil-spill-affect-marine-life
Kimberly Blair: Whales tell the tale of BP oil spill
Pensacola News Journal
You might think the BP oil spill disaster is behind us.
But it's not, according to scientists for Operation Toxic Gulf.
http://www.pnj.com/article/20130806/NEWS09/308060006/Kimberly-Blair-Whales-tell-the-tale-of-BP-oil-spill
State
A stinky mess; Hattiesburg and Petal to sue each other
WDAM
The city of Petal and the city of Hattiesburg are in a stinky situation.
Thirty years ago, Petal and Hattiesburg entered into an agreement where
Hattiesburg would treat Petal's waste water as part of a flood relief
partnership.
http://www.wdam.com/story/23062264/a-stinky-mess-hattiesburg-and-petal-sue-eachother
Fire Out at Industrial Park Business
WJTV
A fire is out at a business at an industrial park in Hinds County. It
happened at Metal Coaters on Prisock Road near Byram Tuesday afternoon.
http://www.wjtv.com/story/23062576/hinds-county-eoc-working-a-commercial-fire-in-byram
Small group of protesters picket Pickering in Ocean Springs
Mississippi Press
Warren Kulo
August 06, 2013 at 9:32 PM
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- A small, but spirited group of protesters
turned out on East Beach in Ocean Springs to picket Mississippi State
Auditor Stacey Pickering for what they perceive to be a conflict of
interest arising from a fundraiser held at a residence there Tuesday
evening.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/08/small_group_of_protesters_pick.html#incart_river
Pickering fundraiser draws protestors
Sun Herald
By MICHAEL NEWSOM — mmnewsom@sunherald.com
OCEAN SPRINGS -- A small group of protestors assembled on the beach Tuesday
evening while a fundraiser for State Auditor Stacey Pickering went on
across the street.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/08/06/4854018/pickering-fund-raiser-draws-protestors.html
State representative urges release of watchdog report on state port
Sun Herald
By ANITA LEE — calee@sunherald.com
GULFPORT -- State Rep. Sonya Williams Barnes is urging legislators who
serve on a state watchdog panel to release a report on state port
expansion.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/08/06/4852642/state-representative-urges-release.html
Region
Hurricane Isaac oil and chemical releases examined by environmental groups
Benjamin Alexander-Bloch
The Times-Picayune
August 06, 2013 at 7:45 PM
In the wake of Hurricane Isaac last August, at least 341,000 gallons of
oil, chemicals and untreated waste-water were released by area oil, coal,
gas and petrochemical facilities, according to a report released Tuesday.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/08/hurricane_isaac_oil_and_chemic.html
More than 12.9 million gallons of water pollution dumped into Gulf during
Hurricane Issac, report says
Mississippi Press
Warren Kulo
August 06, 2013 at 2:16 PM
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana -- A report released today by an environmental
consortium says more than 12.9 million gallons of water pollution and 192
tons of air pollution were released into the Gulf environment during
Hurricane Issac last year as a result of problems at coal, chemical and oil
facilities.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/08/more_than_129_gallons_of_water.html#incart_river
Ocean Alliance: Gulf sperm whales may be most polluted in the world
Press-Register
Dennis Pillion
August 06, 2013 at 1:21 PM
PENSACOLA, Florida -- Researchers with Ocean Alliance are finishing up the
third year of a field study of sperm whales in the Gulf of Mexico and the
group says preliminary findings indicate that sperm whales in the Gulf are
showing significantly higher levels of heavy metals, including nickel and
chromium, than sperm whales in other parts of the world.
http://blog.al.com/gulf-coast/2013/08/ocean_alliance_gulf_sperm_whal.html#incart_river
Feds holding public hearings on loggerhead habitat along 750 miles of
coastline
The Associated Press
August 06, 2013 at 9:50 PM
CHARLESTON, S.C. -- Speakers at a public hearing on designating almost 750
miles of beaches from North Carolina to Mississippi as being critical
habitat for endangered loggerhead sea turtles said Tuesday they are all for
protecting the turtles. But some warned the designation by the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service could restrict communities from rebuilding the very
beaches where loggerheads nest.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/08/feds_holding_public_hearings_o.html#incart_river
Climate change softens up already-vulnerable Louisiana
USA Today
GRAND ISLE, La. — Pelicans and pickups roam the beach, where the
waves roll in and return, lapping over the open water of the Gulf of
Mexico.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/06/climate-hurricanes-wetlands-global-warming/2595657/
National
EPA Revisits Ethanol Mandate as Fuel Use Slips
Fuel-Efficient Vehicles Pose Challenge to Consumption Targets
Wall Street Journal
By RYAN TRACY
WASHINGTON—U.S. regulators said they would propose for the first time
lowering the mandated consumption of corn ethanol used in motor fuel, a
reversal in policy that puts a powerful industry on the defense.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323968704578652011231792732.html
NOAA: 2012 among 10 hottest years
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 08/06/13 01:57 PM ET
Last year was one of the 10 hottest on record for the planet, according to
a new federal report that could provide new fuel for President Obama's
climate change push.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/315779-noaa-2012-among-10-hottest-years
New Tools Pinpoint Natural Gas Leaks, Maximizing a Fuel's Green Qualities
NY Times
By MATTHEW L. WALD
WASHINGTON — Natural gas is hailed as green and safe, but its environmental
benefits and ability to temper climate change are reduced by its tendency
to leak into the air undetected. Now, laser technology, some of it borrowed
from the telecommunications industry, is giving engineers and scientists
crucial new tools to measure leaks and track them to their source.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/07/business/energy-environment/new-tools-pinpoint-natural-gas-leaks-maximizing-a-fuels-green-qualities.html?ref=earth&_r=0&pagewanted=print
Press releases
EPA Finalizes 2013 Renewable Fuel Standards to Help promote American Energy
Independence, Reduce Carbon Pollution
EPA also announces steps to address concerns about the E10 blend wall
Release Date: 8/06/2013
Contact Information: Julia Valentine (News Media Only)
valentine.julia@epa.gov 202-564-0496
WASHINGTON – As part of an ongoing effort to enhance energy security and
reduce carbon pollution, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
today finalized the 2013 percentage standards for four fuel categories that
are part of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program established by
Congress. Most of these fuels are produced by American farmers and growers
domestically and help reduce the carbon pollution that contributes to
climate change.
The final 2013 overall volumes and standards require 16.55 billion gallons
of renewable fuels to be blended into the U.S. fuel supply (a 9.74percent
blend). This standard specifically requires:
• Biomass-based diesel (1.28 billion gallons; 1.13 percent)
• Advanced biofuels (2.75 billion gallons; 1.62 percent)
• Cellulosic biofuels (6.00 million gallons; 0.004 percent)
These standards reflect EPA's updated production projections, which are
informed by extensive engagement with industry and a thorough assessment of
the biofuels market.
During this rulemaking, EPA received comments from a number of stakeholders
concerning the "E10 blend wall." Projected to occur in 2014, the "E10 blend
wall" refers to the difficulty in incorporating ethanol into the fuel
supply at volumes exceeding those achieved by the sale of nearly all
gasoline as E10. Most gasoline sold in the U.S. today is E10. In the rule
issued today, EPA is announcingthat it will propose to use flexibilities in
the RFS statute to reduce both the advanced biofuel and total renewable
volumes in the forthcoming 2014 RFS volume requirement proposal.
EPA is also providing greater lead time and flexibility in complying with
the 2013 volume requirements by extending the deadline to comply with the
2013 standards by four months, to June 30, 2014.
A January 2013 ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals required the agency to
reevaluate projections for cellulosic biofuel to reflect market conditions;
the final 2013 standard for cellulosic biofuel announced today was
developed in a manner consistent with the approach outlined in that ruling.
The Energy Independence and Security Act (EISA) established the RFS program
and the annual renewable fuel volume targets, which steadily increase to an
overall level of 36 billion gallons in 2022. To achieve these volumes, EPA
calculates a percentage-based standard for the following year. Based on the
standard, each refiner and importer determines the minimum volume of
renewable fuel that it must ensure is used in its transportation fuel.
More information on the standards and regulations:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/renewablefuels/regulations.htm
More information on renewable fuels:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/renewablefuels/index.htm
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