9/3/13
Oil Spill
BP answers Jindal criticism
Baton Rouge Advocate
by michelle millhollon
A day after Gov. Bobby Jindal accused BP of splashing out more on
advertising than coastal restoration, the company fired back.
http://theadvocate.com/home/6914782-125/bp-criticizes-governor
BP asks 5th Circuit to throw out claims settlement unless separate appeal
on claims process is granted
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
August 30, 2013 at 10:25 PM
BP asked the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday to throw out a
massive settlement of private claims stemming from the 2010 Deepwater
Horizon oil spill if the appeal judges don't reverse a lower court's
decision upholding how large business claims are being paid.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/08/bp_asks_5th_circuit_to_throw_o.html
BP expands challenge to Gulf spill settlement
BY MICHAEL KUNZELMAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW ORLEANS -- BP is trying to convince a federal appeals court that it
should throw out a judge's approval of the company's multibillion-dollar
settlement related to the Gulf oil spill if a separate appeal is
unsuccessful.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/08/30/3596062/bp-urges-court-to-toss-judges.html
BP's New Approach to Deepwater Horizon Damages: Start Over
Wall Street Journal
Companies don't typically spend a year crafting a multibillion dollar
settlement and then turn around and argue against it. But BP PLC's oil
spill litigation is proving to be anything but typical.
http://blogs.wsj.com/corporate-intelligence/2013/08/30/bps-new-approach-to-deepwater-horizon-damages-start-over/
BP finds unlikely ally in fight over spill payments
Houston Chronicle
BP has found an unlikely ally in its fight to cut what it is paying out
under last year's multibillion-dollar class-action Gulf of Mexico oil spill
settlement: people who say they aren't getting enough money.
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2013/08/30/bp-finds-unlikely-ally-in-fight-over-spill-payments/
State
Jackson County rolls out new recycling options
WLOX
Jackson County officials said not enough people are using curbside
recycling in the unincorporated part of the county. County officials want
to do something about that.
http://www.wlox.com/story/23318972/jackson-county-rolls-out-new-recycling-options
Chemical spill closes part of County Farm Rd overnight
WLOX
Part of County Farm Road, near the I-10 overpass, was closed down Friday
night after a non-hazardous chemical spill.
http://www.wlox.com/story/23306231/chemical-spill-closes-part-of-county-farm-rd-overnight
Gulf Coast Research Lab student studying dolphin virus
WLOX
A student at USM's Gulf Coast Research Lab in Ocean Springs is helping
scientists identify the virus that's blamed for killing more than 350
dolphins along the East Coast this year.
http://www.wlox.com/story/23303954/gulf-coast-research-lab-student-studying-dolphin-virus
Regional
Facing Fire Over Challenge to Louisiana's Oil Industry
NY Times
By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON
BATON ROUGE, La. — State Senator Gerald Long of Louisiana calls it "kind of
a gentlemen's agreement."
For the generations since Mr. Long's third cousin Huey P. Long was the
governor, this state has relied on the oil and gas industry for a
considerable part of its revenues and for tens of thousands of jobs. In
return, the industry has largely found the state an obliging partner and
staunch political ally as it has fought off curbs on its business.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/01/us/facing-fire-over-challenge-to-louisianas-oil-industry.html?ref=earth&_r=0&pagewanted=print
National
Greenhouse-Gas Fight Escalates
Administration's Higher Estimate for Cost of Carbon Raises Ire of Critics
Wall Street Journal
By KEITH JOHNSON
WASHINGTON—A quiet move by the Obama administration to put a higher price
tag on greenhouse-gas emissions has sparked a big fight, prompting new
legislation in Congress and sniping in academic circles.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324324404579040950076712782.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5
Feds, looking to Texas blast, release chemical safety guide
The Hill
By Julian Hattem - 08/30/13 05:36 PM ET
Federal regulators are issuing a new safety advisory for companies that
deal with the substance at the root of a fertilizer plant explosion in
April.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/administration/319749-feds-looking-to-texas-blast-release-chemical-safety-guide
EPA sued over scuttled factory-farming rule
The Hill
By Julian Hattem - 08/30/13 11:28 AM ET
A number of environmental and animal welfare groups are suing the Obama
administration for dropping a rule expanding federal oversight of
industrial livestock farms.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/court-battles/319629-epa-sued-over-scuttled-factory-farming-rule
4 states' attorneys general dispute fracking rules
AP
Attorney General Tim Fox says Montana is joining Alabama, Alaska and
Oklahoma in protesting Bureau of Land Management plans to regulate
hydraulic fracturing on federal land.
http://www.ktoo.org/2013/08/30/4-states-attorneys-general-dispute-fracking-rules/
Opinion
Getting important work done
Daily Comet
Published: Saturday, August 31, 2013 at 6:26 p.m.
The panel in charge of directing much of the BP oil spill fine money has
agreed on a preliminary plan for the process.
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20130831/OPINION/130839884?Title=Getting-important-work-done
Geoff Pender: Nuclear waste? Oh, not I
Clarion Ledger
Note to Mississippi politicians: back away from the nuclear waste proposal.
It could end your career. It is, pardon the pun, radioactive.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130901/COL0601/309010034/Geoff-Pender-Nuclear-waste-Oh-not-I?odyssey=mod|
newswell|text|Opinion|p
Sam R. Hall: Gov., MEI bungle nuke waste idea
Clarion Ledger
It is rare to see possible economic development opportunities publicly
mismanaged early in the process, but the Mississippi Energy Institute put
on a clinic in what not to do when trying to bring a new industry to a
state.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130901/COL0401/309010018/Sam-R-Hall-Gov-MEI-bungle-nuke-waste-idea?odyssey=mod|
newswell|text|Opinion|p
Bad Ethanol Policy Is a Job Killer
The price of EPA compliance rose 3,625% since the end of 2012.
Wall Street Journal
By PATRICK MEEHAN
And PAT EIDING
Like most ideas in Congress, the Renewable Fuel Standard was rooted in
good intention. Enacted in 2005 by President George W. Bush and with
strong bipartisan support, the RFS was designed to improve energy security
and the environment by requiring that the transportation fuels Americans
use include a minimum amount of renewable fuels.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324653004578650353641142838.html?mod=wsj_streaming_stream
Press Releases
EPA, OSHA and ATF Provide Information and Lessons Learned About the Safe
Storage, Handling and Management of Ammonium Nitrate
WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) issued a chemical advisory
that provides information on the hazards of ammonium nitrate (AN) storage,
handling and management. This action supports the goals of President
Obama's August 2013 executive order on "Improving Chemical Facility Safety
and Security." The advisory provides lessons learned for facility owners
and operators, emergency planners and first responders from recent
incidents, including the explosion in West, Texas, involving AN in order to
prevent similar incidents.
"Understanding and minimizing the hazards posed by solid ammonium nitrate
used in fertilizers is a key component of this advisory," said Mathy
Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response. "In addition, the community emergency planning and
response information in this document provides a valuable tool that will
help protect workers, first responders and communities throughout the
country."
"Ammonium nitrate can be very dangerous, and it's imperative that
employers, workers and first responders all understand the hazards," said
Dr. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety
and Health. "With this understanding, together they can control these
hazards and save lives and limbs."
"ATF National Response Team works closely with other federal, state and
local emergency personnel responding to incidents, to include ammonium
nitrate explosions," says Arthur Herbert, ATF Assistant Director for the
Office of Enforcement Programs and Services. "ATF maintains an open
dialogue with first responders of the possible hazards of ammonium nitrate
and is committed to working towards development of best practices in
collaboration with our federal partners, industry members and their
association representatives."
The advisory takes steps now to reduce the risks associated with AN to
workers, first responders and communities. It is part of an ongoing
coordinated federal government effort to improve chemical safety with
regards to AN and includes information on ensuring proper building design,
storage containers and fire protection at their locations; learning from
other accidents; and knowing and understanding the hazards that exist when
developing their emergency response plans.
Earlier this month, President Obama directed the federal government to
improve operational coordination with state and local partners; enhance
federal agency coordination and information sharing; modernize policies,
regulations and standards; and work with stakeholders to identify best
practices to improve chemical safety.
President Obama established the Chemical Facility Safety and Security
Working Group. To this end, this advisory was developed by working group
members and was facilitated by the working group process.
View the advisory and more information on EPA's risk management program:
http://www.epa.gov/emergencies/content/rmp/index.htm
View President Obama's Executive Order:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/08/01/executive-order-improving-chemical-facility-safety-and-security
