9/6/13
Oil Spill
BP, feds offer dueling Gulf oil spill estimates as second phase of trial
approaches
The Associated Press
September 05, 2013 at 8:41 PM
With a high-stakes trial set to resume in less than a month, BP and the
federal government on Thursday offered conflicting estimates of how much
oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico after the blowout of the company's
Macondo well triggered a deadly explosion.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/09/bp_feds_offer_dueling_gulf_oil.html
Treasury releases RESTORE rules
advocate washington bureau
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Treasury announced Thursday night newly proposed
federal rules to govern and hand out the funds generated from the RESTORE
Act legislation signed into law last year that originated from the 2010 BP
oil disaster.
http://theadvocate.com/news/6978887-123/treasury-releases-restore-rules
BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill RESTORE Act regulations released by Treasury
Times-Picayune
The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Thursday announced a new proposed
regulation to govern the spending of billions of dollars of Clean Water Act
fines to restore the Gulf Coast in the aftermath of the BP Deepwater
Horizon oil spill.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/09/bp_deepwater_horizon_oil_spill.html
BP Wants To Halt Deepwater Horizon Claims Process
NPR
by EVE TROEH
September 05, 2013 5:16 PM
BP is fighting the settlement it agreed to last summer that let the oil
company avoid thousands of potential lawsuits over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico
oil spill.
http://www.npr.org/2013/09/05/219356299/bp-wants-to-halt-deepwater-horizon-claims-process
State
Debate heating up again over oil and gas drilling in Mississippi
WLOX
The debate over oil and gas drilling in Mississippi waters is about to
heat-up again. A legal notice published by the DMR, caught the attention of
those who've been closely involved with this issue.
http://www.wlox.com/story/23354332/debate-heating-up-again-over-oil-and-gas-drilling-in-mississippi
Latest move toward gas drilling off Mississippi Coast meets with opposition
Sun Herald
By PAUL HAMPTON — jphampton@sunherald.com
Opposition is building to the latest move in a plan to explore for natural
gas in Mississippi waters.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/09/05/4928953/latest-move-toward-gas-drilling.html
Miss. Power: Grant rate hike, then we'll eat extra costs for Kemper plant
Clarion Ledger
Mississippi Power Co. CEO Ed Holland said Thursday that if a 22 percent
rate hike is approved to pay for its Kemper County power plant, the company
won't try to hit up customers for more, and shareholders will eat hundreds
of millions in cost overruns.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130906/NEWS01/309060008/Miss-Power-Grant-rate-hike-then-we-ll-eat-extra-costs-Kemper-plant
Regional
Gulf states taking red snapper management matters into their own hands
Press-Register
Jeff Dute
September 05, 2013 at 4:07 PM
With uncertainty continuing to swirl around results generated by new
federal methods to collect data on recreational red snapper catches in the
Gulf of Mexico, states are beginning to take management matters into their
own hands.
http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2013/09/gulf_states_taking_red_snapper.html#incart_river
National
Enviro groups press Supreme Court to revive major EPA air pollution rule
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 09/05/13 11:31 AM ET
Green groups are warning the Supreme Court that upholding a lower court's
nullification of a major 2011 pollution rule would prevent regulators from
ever tackling unhealthy power plant emissions that cross state lines.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/320431-enviro-groups-press-supreme-court-to-revive-major-epa-air-pollution-rule
Rep. Issa, ex-EPA chief Jackson to square off over email allegations
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 09/05/13 03:42 PM ET
Former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson will
testify before House Republicans who allege that she shielded agency
business from public view by using secondary and perhaps personal email
accounts.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/320533-rep-issa-ex-epa-chief-jackson-to-square-off-over-email-allegations
EPA fines Shell $1.1 million for Arctic air pollution
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 09/06/13 07:30 AM ET
Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell will pay $1.1 million in fines for violating
the Clean Air Act last year during operations in Arctic waters off Alaska's
northern coast.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/320597-epas-fines-shell-11-million-for-arctic-drilling-air-pollution
Press releases
EPA Launches New Online Mapping Tool for Environmental Impact Statements
WASHINGTON – Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) launched the
EIS Mapper, an interactive web-based tool that allows the public to learn
about Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) filed with EPA for major
projects proposed on federal lands and other proposed federal actions.
Users of the tool can click on any state for a list of Environmental Impact
Statements, including information about the potential environmental, social
and economic impacts of these projects.
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires federal agencies to
consider the impacts of proposed actions, as well as any reasonable
alternatives as part of their decision-making process. For proposed
projects with potentially significant impacts, federal agencies prepare a
detailed Environmental Impact Statement which is filed with EPA and made
available for public review and comment. EPA is required to review and
comment on Environmental Impact Statements prepared by other federal
agencies.
"The EIS Mapper makes it easier for the public to be informed about the
environment around them," said Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for
EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, which oversees NEPA
compliance. "Major projects and decisions have the potential to affect the
environment where you work and live. I encourage everyone to check out the
mapper, stay informed and lend your voice."
The user can click on a state in the map and is provided with comment
letters submitted by the EPA on Environmental Impact Statements within the
last 60 days. The tool also provides users with the information they need
to identify projects with open comment periods, including how to submit
comments.
The EIS Mapper supports EPA's commitment to utilize advanced information
technologies that help increase transparency of its enforcement and
compliance programs. EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance
has recently launched the "Next Generation Compliance" initiative, designed
to modernize its approach and drive improved compliance to reduce
pollution. Learn more about the effort by visiting:
http://blog.epa.gov/epaconnect/2013/08/nextgen/.
To use EPA's EIS Mapper, visit http://eismapper.epa.gov/.
For more about EPA's NEPA Program, visit:
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/nepa/
Morrell to Lead New BP America Communications & External Affairs Team
Release Date: 05 September 2013
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today BP announced the appointment of Geoff Morrell to
the position of Senior Vice President in charge of the newly formed U.S.
Communications & External Affairs organization. Communications & External
Affairs is a consolidation of three previously existing teams within the
company – U.S. Communications, which Morrell previously led, as well as
Government and Public Affairs, and Federal and International Affairs.
In this new role, Geoff will be responsible for oversight of all of the
company's internal and external stakeholder engagement in the U.S.,
including outreach to employees, media, and government officials. He will
also oversee BP America's community affairs, charitable, and political
giving programs.
"BP is America's biggest energy investor and our reach and influence should
be commensurate to that," said BP Group Chief Executive Bob Dudley. "Over
the past two years Geoff has quickly established our U.S. Communications
team as a forward-leaning, assertive voice for the company. I expect he
will soon do the same with the entire Communications & External Affairs
team."
"As we continue to address the political and legal challenges we face in
the United States, we have consistently conveyed BP's commitment to America
and the contributions we make to the nation's economy and energy security,"
said BP America Chairman and President John Mingé. "I look to Geoff and his
team to ensure that this message is delivered with absolute clarity day in
and day out."
Morrell takes on his new responsibilities immediately. "I'm excited about
the opportunity to lead this new fully integrated organization," said
Morrell. "We're blessed with strong communications and government relations
professionals who are committed to this company. Through greater
collaboration and a more assertive posture, I think we will become even
more effective than we already are."
Prior to joining BP in September 2011, Morrell spent four years as Pentagon
Press Secretary, acting as chief spokesman for Defense Secretary Robert M.
Gates and the United States Military. He had previously worked as a White
House correspondent for ABC News and held other reporting assignments at
both the network and local levels.
Morrell's primary office will be in Washington, D.C. where he currently
resides with his wife and two children.
http://www.bpuspress.com/go/doc/1927/1890693/Morrell-to-Lead-New-BP-America-Communications-External-Affairs-Team
