9/10/13
Oil Spill
BP's traveling a different road to redemption
Politico
By: Talia Buford
September 10, 2013 05:05 AM EDT
Three years after the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, BP's
post-disaster demeanor has gone from contrite to combative.
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/bp-oil-spill-96500.html?hp=r15
Judge expands independent review involving BP claims, threatens to
disqualify lawyers
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
September 09, 2013 at 11:41 AM
The federal judge overseeing a multi-billion-dollar BP claims settlement
program has ordered former senior claims program attorneys and law firms
they were connected with to explain why one law firm's $7.9 million claim
shouldn't be disallowed.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/09/barbier_expands_freeh_duties_i.html
State
Annual Mississippi Coastal Cleanup, Renew Our Rivers both set for October
Mississippi Press
Warren Kulo
September 09, 2013 at 5:49 PM
BILOXI, Mississippi -- Cleaning up coastal waterways of trash and debris
will be in full swing during October, as both the Mississippi Coastal
Cleanup and Renew Our Rivers are set during the month.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/09/annual_mississippi_coastal_cle.html#incart_river
Lawmaker: Wild hog problem is reaching epidemic proportions
Clarion Ledger
As many as 150,000 wild hogs are roaming the state, destroying farm land,
cemeteries, golf courses and pretty much any other property they come
across.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130910/NEWS010504/309100016/Lawmaker-Wild-hog-problem-reaching-epidemic-proportions?nclick_check=1
Mississippi DMR fisheries director will retire
Sun Herald
By PAUL HAMPTON — jphampton@sunherald.com
BILOXI -- The head of the Department of Marine Resources fisheries division
is retiring later this fall. Dale Diaz, 51, has been director of the
Office of Marine Fisheries, which has 47 employees, since February 2007.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/09/09/4938128/mississippi-dmr-fisheries-director.html
National
Industry to EPA on climate regs: Let's talk
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 09/10/13 06:07 AM ET
Industry groups are pressing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to
ensure they're "actively included" as the agency crafts carbon emissions
standards for power plants, a pillar of President Obama's climate agenda.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/321241-industry-to-epa-on-climate-regs-lets-talk
EPA assailed for withdrawing rules on chemical safety
The Hill
By Ben Goad - 09/09/13 01:33 PM ET
The Environmental Protection Agency's decision to withdraw a pair of draft
rules designed to expand oversight of dangerous chemicals is drawing fierce
criticism from a prominent legal group.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energyenvironment/321061-epa-assailed-for-withdrawal-of-chemical-safety-regs
GOP report cites 'culture of secrecy and evasion' at EPA under Jackson
The Hill
By Ben Goad - 09/09/13 02:22 PM ET
Republican lawmakers on Monday issued a scathing report accusing the
Environmental Protection Agency of flouting transparency regulations in
pursuit of its policy goals.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energyenvironment/321091-gop-report-cites-culture-of-secrecy-and-evasion-at-epa
Seismologist: Fracking doesn't cause earthquakes
By VICKI SMITH
Associated Press
September 9, 2013
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) — Human activity associated with oil and gas
production can sometimes cause earthquakes, but the problem is not
hydraulic fracturing, a seismologist from the University of Texastold
researchers gathered for a two-day conference on Marcellus shale-gas
drilling.
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/texas/article/Seismologist-Fracking-doesn-t-cause-earthquakes-4798554.php
Press releases
EPA Web Tool Expands Access to Scientific, Regulatory Information on
Chemicals
Release Date: 09/09/2013
Contact Information: Cathy Milbourn, Milbourn.cathy@epa.gov, 202-564-7849,
202-564-4355
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched a
web-based tool, called ChemView, to significantly improve access to
chemical specific regulatory information developed by EPA and data
submitted under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
"This online tool will improve access to chemical health and safety
information, increase public dialogue and awareness, and help viewers
choose safer ingredients used in everyday products," said James Jones,
assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution
Prevention. "The tool will make chemical information more readily available
for chemical decision-makers and consumers."
The ChemView web tool displays key health and safety data in an online
format that allows comparison of chemicals by use and by health or
environmental effects. The search tool combines available TSCA information
and provides streamlined access to EPA assessments, hazard
characterizations, and information on safer chemical ingredients.
Additionally, the new web tool allows searches by chemical name or Chemical
Abstracts Service (CAS) number, use, hazard effect, or regulatory action.
It has the flexibility to create tailored views of the information on
individual chemicals or compare multiple chemicals sorted by use, hazard
effect or other criteria. The new portal will also link to information on
manufacturing, processing, use, and release data reported under the
Chemical Data Reporting Rule, and the Toxics Release Inventory.
In the months ahead, EPA will be continuously adding additional chemicals,
functionality and links. When fully updated, the web tool will contain data
for thousands of chemicals. EPA has incorporated stakeholder input into the
design, and welcomes feedback on the current site.
By increasing health and safety information, as well as identifying safer
chemical ingredients, manufacturers and retailers will have the information
to better differentiate their products by using safer ingredients.
In 2010, EPA began a concerted effort to increase the availability of
information on chemicals as part of a commitment to strengthen the existing
chemicals program and improve access and usefulness of chemical data and
information. This included improving access to the TSCA inventory, issuing
new policies for the review of confidential business information claims for
health and safety studies, and launching the Chemical Data Access Tool.
Today's launch of the ChemView provides the public with a single access
point for information that has been generated on certain chemicals
regulated under TSCA.
View and search ChemView: http://www.epa.gov/chemview
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