9.18.13
Oil Spill
Gulf oil spill claims administrator charges BP is trying to 'slow walk'
claims payments
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
September 17, 2013 at 7:36 PM
The court-appointed administrator of the multibillion-dollar settlement of
private economic and medical claims stemming from the BP Deepwater Horizon
disaster and oil spill charged Tuesday that BP's attempts to cut his budget
are part of a company strategy to halt the payment of valid claims.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/09/oil_spill_claims_administrator_7.html
Administrator of BP's settlement program urges judge to approve his $131M
budget request
AP
NEW ORLEANS — The administrator of BP's settlement with Gulf Coast
residents and businesses following its oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico
asked a federal judge Tuesday to reject BP's bid to slash his office's
budget by at least $25.5 million.
http://www.tribtown.com/view/story/0e2776673812441ab87cab984b9c9ec5/LA--Gulf-Oil-Spill-Settlement
BP ad in New York Times repeats allegations of misconduct in oil spill
claims office
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
September 17, 2013 at 7:24 PM
BP bought a full-page advertisement in the New York Times on Tuesday,
repeating charges that the program for paying private claims under a
multibillion-dollar settlement of economic and medical damages resulting
from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill is riddled with fraud and
misconduct.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/09/bp_ad_in_new_york_times_repeat.html
Energy panel choice sought BP's aid
Binz's apology to Murkowski at hearing fails to win support
Washington Times
President Obama's nominee to head the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
asked top officials at BP oil company to lobby on his behalf, further
expanding the list of lobbyists and former lobbyists Ron Binz has worked
with as he's tried to win the chairmanship of the obscure but powerful
panel, according to new emails released this week.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/17/energy-panel-choice-sought-bps-aid/
State
Tourism Bureau will comment on off-shore drilling
Sun Herald
By MARY PEREZ — meperez@sunherald.com
BILOXI -- The new members of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Regional Convention
and Visitors Bureau will comment on offshore drilling before the Sept. 30
deadline without taking an official stance.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/09/17/4959595/tourism-bureau-will-comment-on.html
CMR hears update on blue crab harvest, oyster season
WLOX
Mississippi is experiencing the worst blue crab harvest in nearly 20 years.
The Commission on Marine Resources heard that news Tuesday at its monthly
meeting. The commission also set the opening dates for the upcoming oyster
season and were told that the oyster reefs are still recovering.
http://www.wlox.com/story/23454589/cmr-hears-update-on-blue-crab-harvest-oyster-season
CMR to open limited oyster season Sept. 30
Sun Herald
By ANITA LEE — calee@sunherald.com
BILOXI -- A limited oyster season will open in Mississippi on Sept. 30 for
tonging and Oct. 14 for dredging, the Commission on Marine Resources
unanimously decided Tuesday morning.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/09/17/4958169/cmr-to-open-limited-oyster-season.html
Louisiana firm takes on DMR coastal management program
Sun Herald
By ANITA LEE — calee@sunherald.com
A Louisiana firm has been awarded a $1.2 million, three-year contract to
manage a coastal conservation program headquartered at the Mississippi
Department of Resources.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/09/17/4959591/louisiana-firm-takes-on-dmr-coastal.html
MUW Students Explore the Gulf
WCBI
COLUMBUS, Miss. – The Gulf of Mexico was the living laboratory for 16
biology students this past weekend.
Squid, fish, crabs, jellyfish and electric rays native to the Mobile Bay
were within their grasps as they explored and researched marine organisms
at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in Alabama.
http://www.wcbi.com/wordpress/muw-students-explore-the-gulf
National Land Conservation Conference members paddle on Wolf River
Sun Herald
By CECILY CUMMINGS — Special to the Sun Herald
On Tuesday, guests from the National Land Conservation Conference being
held this week in New Orleans took a day trip with Wolf River Canoe & Kayak
to experience South Mississippi's green spaces.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/09/17/4959725/national-land-conservation-conference.html
Brain amoeba case has some questioning public water safety
WLOX
This summer, a four-year-old Mississippi boy died from a brain eating
amoeba he got while playing on a slip-n-slide in Louisiana. The boy was in
Louisiana visiting relatives when he contracted the deadly parasite.
http://www.wlox.com/story/23448470/brain-amoeba-case-has-some-questioning-public-water-safety
Budget hearings: Corrections, Medicaid push for more money now
Geoff Pender
Clarion Ledger
Lawmakers were hit up for more than $100 million in "deficit requests"
Tuesday from health and corrections agencies who say they expect shortfalls
in their current budgets.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130918/NEWS01/309180042/Budget-hearings-Corrections-Medicaid-push-more-money-now
Regional
Biofuel Researchers Recruit Memphis Zoo's Pandas In Their Work
Memphis, TN - As posted by Michael Lollar onwww.commercialappeal.com:
The giant pandas at the Memphis Zoo are attracting attention from onlookers
and researchers.
http://www.wjtv.com/story/23454979/biofuel-researchers-recruit-memphis-zoos-pandas-in-their-work
National
EPA Restarts Stalled Drive to Improve Water Protection
Bloomberg
By Mark Drajem - Sep 17, 2013
The Environmental Protection Agency restarted efforts to expand and clarify
federal oversight of streams and waterways, after a previous drive provoked
a backlash from representatives of farmers and home builders.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-17/epa-restarts-stalled-drive-to-improve-water-protection.html
EPA moves to clarify Clean Water Act protections; GOP lawmaker slams effort
Washington Post
By Lenny Bernstein, Published: September 17
The Environmental Protection Agency moved Tuesday to clarify Clean Water
Act protections for small streams and wetlands that had been thrown into
question by Supreme Court decisions over the past decade.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/epa-moves-to-clarify-clean-water-act-protections-gop-lawmaker-slams-effort/2013/09/17/dca51106-1fda-11e3-94a2-6c66b668ea55_print.html
EPA looks to clarify regulations on streams
The Hill
By Julian Hattem - 09/17/13 05:50 PM ET
Environmental regulators are starting work on broad new rules about the
number of streams, brooks and ponds they are able to regulate.
On Tuesday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it was
releasing a draft report from its independent science advisory board
showing the way that smaller estuaries, wetlands and other bodies of water
are related to larger lakes and rivers.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energyenvironment/322833-epa-looks-to-streams-brooks-for-regulations
Obama's climate plans to get airing in Congress
By DINA CAPPIELLO and JOSH LEDERMAN — The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's plans to curb the gases blamed for
global warming are heading to their first test, a House hearing in which
administration officials make their case before skeptical lawmakers.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/09/18/4959990/obamas-climate-plans-to-get-airing.html
EPA chief to Congress: Obama's climate plan protects economy
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 09/17/13 05:06 PM ET
On Wednesday Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy
will try and politically preempt GOP allegations that the White House
climate plan will hurt the economy.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/322809-epa-chief-to-congress-obamas-climate-plan-protects-economy-
Energy Secretary: 'The basic science behind climate change is simple'
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 09/18/13 08:38 AM ET
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz will testify Wednesday about the White House
climate policy agenda, but he'll clear his throat by telling Republicans
that the debate about whether climate change is real is over.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/322919-energy-secretary-the-basic-science-behind-climate-change-is-simple
Action by EPA on biofuels could head off legislation: lawmaker
Reuters
Tue, Sep 17 2013
By Ayesha Rascoe
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As the United States gets closer to being unable to
meet federal biofuel targets, a regulatory adjustment would lessen the need
for legislation to change the nation's renewable fuel policy, said a
lawmaker who is examining the future of the ethanol program.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/17/us-usa-congress-biofuels-idUSBRE98G1C620130917
State Environmental Regulators Agree To Work With EPA on Data-Sharing
System
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Bloomberg
By Anthony Adragna
Sept. 16 --The Environmental Council of the States (ECOS) unanimously
endorsed an Environmental Protection Agency initiative that would create a
web-based portal to allow regulated entities to apply for permits, check
their compliance status, report air emissions, and learn about new
regulations.http://www.bna.com/state-environmental-regulators-n17179877111/
The Wildcatter: Corpus Christi's Gregg Robertson, key member of Eagle Ford
discovery, named 2012 Newsmaker of the Year
Geologist's eye for detail key in Eagle Ford discovery
Corpus Christi Caller
By Mark Collette
Originally published 09:00 p.m., December 29, 2012
Updated 09:11 a.m., December 30, 2012
CORPUS CHRISTI — The brown boxes sat like building blocks stacked 15 feet
high in endless rows of towering metal shelves at a University of Texas
research campus in Austin.Hidden here was the final piece of the puzzle
that would change South Texas forever.
http://www.caller.com/news/2012/dec/29/the-wildcatter-corpus-christis-gregg-robertson/
Rediscovery of rare mineral deposit by WMU geologists and private company
could boost Michigan economy
Yvonne Zipp
September 10, 2013 at 9:05 PM
KALAMAZOO, MI – You've heard of shovel-ready projects?
Western Michigan University's Michigan Geological Repository for Research
and Education, working in conjunction with the company Michigan Potash,
said that it has rediscovered a mineral deposit in West Michigan
potentially worth billions of dollars that could establish Michigan as a
leading U.S. supplier of a key fertilizer used by farmers worldwide.
http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2013/09/wmu_geologists_and_private_fir.html#incart_river
Opinion
SUN HERALD | Editorial: Katrina spending and budget hearings underscore
need for mandatory audits
Quite a few eyebrows were raised by recent reports of how Mississippi has
spent billions of dollars and will spend hundreds of millions of dollars
more in Katrina-related federal assistance.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/09/17/4959291/sun-herald-editorial-katrina-spending.html
Press Releases
Change of Command for Mississippi Valley Division
VICKSBURG, Miss., September 17, 2013 - In a formal change of command
ceremony, Major General John W. Peabody will transfer command of the
Mississippi Valley Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to Brigadier
General Peter A. "Duke" DeLuca, Tuesday, September 24. The ceremony will
be officiated by the Corps' Chief of Engineers, Lieutenant General Thomas
Bostick, and will take place at 10:00 a.m. in the Vicksburg Convention
Center.
Maj. Gen. Peabody, MVD Commander and President of the Mississippi River
Commission since November 2011, has been assigned as the Deputy Commanding
General for Civil and Emergency Operations for the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Washington, D.C.
Brig. Gen. DeLuca comes to Vicksburg from Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., where he
is the Commandant of the United States Army Engineer School, United States
Army Maneuver Support Center of Excellence. He has also served as the
Commanding General of the Corps' North Atlantic Division in Brooklyn, New
York.
As MVD Commander, General DeLuca will be responsible for the Corps water
resources programs in a 370,000-square-mile area that includes portions of
12 states; its boundary extends from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico.
District offices are headquartered in St. Paul, Rock Island, St. Louis,
Memphis, Vicksburg, and New Orleans.
In addition, General DeLuca will be president-designee of the Mississippi
River Commission, the presidentially appointed agency that oversees the
comprehensive Mississippi River and Tributaries flood control and
navigation project, as well as the entire Mississippi River and its
tributaries.
-end-
SOUTHEAST DIESEL COLLABORATIVE LEADERSHIP AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED
Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young, (404) 562-8421,
harris-young.dawn@epa.gov
ATLANTA – Today at the Southeast Diesel Collaborative (SEDC) 8th Annual
Partners Meeting in Atlanta, GA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) Region 4 Acting Deputy Regional Administrator Beverly Banister and
Office of Transportation and Air Quality Deputy Division Director Jim
Blubaugh, on behalf of the SEDC, presented the SEDC Leadership Awards to
the 2012 winners. The awardees are:
Saddle Creek Logistics Services, Lakeland, Florida - SEDC Industry
Leadership Award for
• Purchasing 40 compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks in 2011 and an
additional 62 CNG trucks by the end of 2013, which represents an investment
of $17 million in a cleaner fueled fleet,
• Positioning the entire company owned fleet of 300 trucks to be operating
on CNG by 2014,
• Reducing fuel use by limiting truck speeds to 65 miles per hour,
implementing idle reduction measures, optimizing performance through
satellite monitoring, using tire auto-air inflation systems, adding trailer
skirts to improve tractor aerodynamics, improving truck utilization, and
continuous driver training.
The Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) - SEDC Community Leadership Award for
• Installing 24 electric rubber tire gantry cranes with plans to have all
169 GPA cranes electrified by 2022, to make GPA the first North American
port to introduce this cleaner and more efficient technology,
• Installing automatic equipment stop/start units on 11 legacy switch
locomotives,
• Reducing truck congestion and improving efficiency by installing an
automated gate system and extending gate hours,
• Reducing fuel use by 290,860 gallons and 3,347 tons of harmful air
emission annually by these efforts.
The Mecklenburg County, NC GRADE Program - SEDC Visionary Champion
Leadership Award for
• Successfully completing 176 retrofit and replacement projects during the
five years since GRADE was launched in 2007 with an initial $500,000
investment by the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners,
• Leveraging $2 million for projects, including U.S. EPA and Department of
Transportation funding, to replace or retrofit construction, mining,
forestry and airport equipment,
• Implementing the first airline rebate program in the US, reducing over
349 tons of nitrogen oxides from 66 pieces of ground support equipment at
Charlotte-Douglas International Airport.
The efforts by Saddle Creek Logistics Services, the Georgia Ports
Authority, and the Mecklenburg County, NC GRADE Program demonstrated
exemplary leadership in the use of latest clean diesel technologies, and
serve as a role model for others to follow in effective collaboration and
partnership to reduce diesel emissions.
This is the fifth year the SEDC Leadership Council has presented the
Leadership Awards to recognize exemplary projects in emissions reductions
in EPA Region 4. Nominated parties are judged on their effectiveness in
meeting the SEDC's goal to reduce emissions from existing diesel engines
and the work done in several sectors to reduce these emissions. Previous
years' winners include United Parcel Service, Coca Cola Enterprises, Ingram
Barge Company, Staples, North Carolina Solar Center, Hartsfield-Jackson
Atlanta International Airport, Miami-Dade County, Florida Government,
Alabama Department of Transportation, and Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition.
Organized in early 2006 by EPA Region 4, the Southeast Diesel Collaborative
has enjoyed unprecedented success in bringing together leaders from
federal, state and local governments, organizations, industry and academia
to reduce diesel engine emissions across the eight southeastern states.
Focused on promoting energy independence, a cleaner environment and
growing, sustainable economies, this partnership offers wide ranging health
and economic benefits to the public fleet, freight and non-road sectors.
The Southeast Diesel Collaborative is part of EPA's National Clean Diesel
Campaign, a program combining regulatory measures with voluntary
initiatives to reduce the pollution emitted from diesel engines across the
country. Visit the Southeast Diesel Collaborative website at:
www.southeastdiesel.org.
Connect with EPA Region 4 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/eparegion4
And on Twitter: @USEPASoutheast
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EPA and Ad Council Launch New Public Service Announcements to Prevent
Asthma Attacks
Release Date: 09/17/2013
Contact Information: Dale Kemery (News media only) kemery.dale@epa.gov
202-564-7839 202-564-4355 EN ESPAÑOL: Lina Younes younes.lina@epa.gov
202-564-9924 202-564-4355
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has partnered
with the Ad Council in a national campaign to educate parents and children
with asthma about simple steps they can take to prevent asthma attacks.
Although asthma is widespread, affecting nearly 26 million Americans of all
ages and races, public awareness of common asthma triggers and effective
asthma management strategies remains limited. Approximately seven million
children in the United States have asthma, with poor and minority children
suffering a greater burden of the disease. Through this campaign, EPA and
the Ad Council will raise awareness and educate families on what they can
do to help reduce asthma attacks.
Through a series of public service announcements (PSAs) featuring a band of
puppet characters called "The Breathe Easies," this campaign uses online
videos, radio PSAs and Web banners featuring songs about asthma triggers.
The songs were written and recorded by YouTube star and singer-songwriter
Parry Gripp. "The Breathe Easies" – the world's first asthma-centric rock
band –delivers messages about environmental triggers in a trio of songs.
Viewers and listeners are informed about ways to prevent asthma attacks
such as cleaning up mold, not smoking in the house and vacuuming the floor.
By knowing their triggers, people can take simple steps to avoid them,
which can greatly improve their asthma management.
"Too many Americans, particularly children, minorities and people living in
poverty suffer from asthma, spending their time at doctor visits and
hospitals instead of at school, work and play," said Janet McCabe, acting
assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. "By working
together with the Ad Council and other partners in communities across the
country, we can make a real difference in the lives of millions of
Americans dealing with asthma."
"This campaign is a wonderful and entertaining continuation of our efforts
with EPA to reduce asthma attacks in children," said Peggy Conlon,
President and CEO of the Ad Council. "The brilliant collaboration between
Barbarian, Buck and Parry Gripp yielded a unique and lovable campaign that
will appeal to both parents and children and, ultimately, help eliminate
more asthma triggers in the home."
The new radio and web PSAs, available in both English and Spanish, will be
made available to media outlets nationwide. The PSAs are an extension of
the EPA and Ad Council Childhood Asthma Campaign first launched in 2001.
Since the campaign's inception, the percentage of parents who feel they can
make "a lot of difference" in preventing asthma attacks has risen from 49
percent to 67 percent, according to the Ad Council's tracking system.
For more tips about preventing asthma attacks, visit the campaign website
www.noattacks.org.
To learn more about asthma and environmental triggers, visit
www.epa.gov/asthma.
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