10.21.2013
Oil Spill
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality Wants Input After the BP
Oil Spill
WXXV
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality or MDEQ, has just
launched a new web portal for public use. MDEQ Executive Director, Trudy
Fisher, is committed to the public being involved with restoring the coast
after the BP oil spill.
http://www.wxxv25.com/news/local/story/Mississippi-Department-of-Environmental-Quality/_Jk_HHx1HEG7YhR--lavlA.cspx
Testimony ends in second phase of federal BP trial; judge to set schedule
for penalty phase
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
October 18, 2013 at 9:56 PM
The second phase of the multi-billion-dollar civil damages trial of BP and
its drilling partners came to an end Friday afternoon, with a last round of
arguments over how to measure the millions of barrels of oil released into
the Gulf of Mexico after the April 2010 Macondo well blowout.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/10/testimony_ends_in_second_phase.html#incart_river
Arguments conclude in BP trial on size of Gulf spill
Reuters
Fri, Oct 18 2013
By Kathy Finn
NEW ORLEANS, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Lawyers for BP Plc and the federal
government concluded their arguments on Friday in the second phase of a
trial to determine the size of the 2010 U.S. Gulf oil spill, a finding that
will be used to set a fine against BP under the Clean Water Act.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/10/18/bp-spill-trial-idUSL1N0I81SL20131018
High tides delay oil cleanup near Fourchon Beach
The Associated Press
October 19, 2013 at 8:10 AM
Authorities say more than two tons of matted tar, sand and other matter has
been hauled from an area near Fourchon Beach but high tides have delayed a
complete cleanup.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/10/high_tides_delay_oil_cleanup_n.html#incart_river
Oily Material Increasing Along Louisiana Coast
WRKF
Louisiana officials say they're not sure why there's been a surge of oily
material washing up on the coastline three years after the BP oil spill.
The amount is 20 times more than what was found over the same period last
year.
http://wrkf.org/post/oily-material-increasing-along-louisiana-coast
State
Drainage continuing at Lake Serene North
Hattiesburg American
County and state officials have brought in pumps in an effort to speed the
process of lowering the water level at Lake Serene North.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20131018/NEWS01/131018011/Drainage-continuing-Lake-Serene-North-
EPA may penalize CL&W for sewage overflows
Commercial Dispatch
October 19, 2013 10:31:17 PM
Nathan Gregory
A "handful" of sanitary sewage overflows may turn out to be a "big deal"
for Columbus Light & Water.
http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=28116
Wasted opportunity: Recycling not an option in much of rural Miss.
Clarion Ledger
Despite nationwide campaigns to raise environmental awareness, access to
recycling is still elusive for around half of Mississippi residents, a
statistic driven by a lack of recycling programs in the state's rural
areas.
http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013310190006
More than 15,000 pounds of litter removed at Coastal Cleanup
Sun Herald
By PATRICK OCHS — pochs@sunherald.com
The weather drenched the volunteers but it didn't dampen their
determination Saturday as 1,266 people turned out to participate in the
25th Coastal Cleanup.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/10/19/5044419/coastal-cleanup-revs-up-in-south.html
Residents Clean Up Nettleton Community
WCBI
NETTLETON, Miss. (WCBI) – The City of Nettleton wants to look good.
That's why inmates from the Monroe County jail were among the volunteers
who took part in Saturday's city wide cleanup.
http://www.wcbi.com/wordpress/video-residents-clean-up-nettleton-community
Expo attendees see oil boom on the way
Daily Leader
Published 5:09pm Friday, October 18, 2013
SUMMIT – Emerging technology in the energy drilling business has led to
increased excitement, and a renewed enthusiasm concerning the ability to
extract energy reserves in southwest Mississippi.
http://dailyleader.com/2013/10/18/expo-attendees-see-oil-boom-on-the-way/
Crear: Turbine company spurns river for lake dams
AP
VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) - A company has dropped plans to sink
power-generating turbines in the Mississippi River.
Retired Brig. Gen. Robert Crear has told a Vicksburg civic club that Free
Flow Power will place the turbines on existing dams, such as recreational
lakes maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Crear is a member of
the Boston-based company's board of directors.
http://www.wdam.com/story/23724971/crear-turbine-company-spurns-river-for-lake-dams
Regional
Less water use in Atlanta amid Georgia's water wars with Alabama, Florida
The Associated Press
October 19, 2013 at 2:42 PM
ATLANTA — Georgia's leaders say that conservation rules are reducing water
use in metro Atlanta as they fight with Florida over water rights, but it's
not entirely clear why consumption has dropped.
http://blog.al.com/wire/2013/10/less_water_use_in_atlanta_amid.html#incart_river
National
GOP: EPA move 'unprecedented'
The Hill
By Julian Hattem - 10/18/13 01:35 PM ET
Republican leaders of the House Science Committee are accusing the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of rushing a rule to establish broad
authority over streams and wetlands.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/pending-regs/329321-gop-accuse-epa-of-plotting-unprecedented-power-grab
American supermarkets failing to curb harmful CO2 emissions, study says
WTOP
Friday - 10/18/2013, 4:56pm ET
By LUCY WESTCOTT
WASHINGTON - America's 12 largest supermarkets and retailers are failing to
curb their hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) emissions, adding large amounts of
greenhouse gas to the environment, a new report published Thursday finds.
http://www.wtop.com/267/3485610/American-supermarkets-failing-to-curb-harmful-CO2-emissions-study-says
Opinion
Offshore drilling 'informational presentation' too far from Coast
By The Sun Herald
BILOXI — At a rather remote location in Jackson County, the Commission on
Marine Resources will be treated to an "informational presentation" on the
Mississippi Development Authority's burning desire to plant oil and gas
rigs and platforms in and around the Mississippi Sound and the barrier
islands.
http://picayuneitem.com/opinion/x252031363/Offshore-drilling-informational-presentation-too-far-from-Coast/?state=taberU
Press Releases
UPDATED: EPA to Hold Public Listening Sessions on Reducing Carbon Pollution
from Existing Power Plants
Sessions in Boston, Philadelphia Rescheduled Due to Government Shutdown
WASHINGTON – Following through on President Obama's Climate Action Plan,
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold 11 public
listening sessions across the country to solicit ideas and input from the
public and stakeholders about the best Clean Air Act approaches to reducing
carbon pollution from existing power plants. Power plants are the nation's
largest stationary source of carbon pollution, responsible for about one
third of all greenhouse gas pollution in the United States.
The President's Climate Action Plan takes steady and responsible steps to
cut the harmful carbon pollution that fuels a changing climate while
continuing to provide affordable, reliable energy. The feedback from these
11 public listening sessions will play an important role in helping EPA
develop smart, cost-effective guidelines that reflect the latest and best
information available. The agency will seek additional public input during
the notice and comment period once it issues a proposal, by June 2014.
The Clean Air Act gives both EPA and states a role in reducing air
pollution from power plants that are already in operation. The law directs
EPA to establish guidelines, which states use to design their own programs
to reduce emissions. Before proposing guidelines, EPA must consider how
power plants with a variety of different configurations would be able to
reduce carbon pollution in a cost-effective way.
For more information on these sessions and to register online, go to:
http://www2.epa.gov/carbon-pollution-standards/public-listening-sessions.
For those who cannot attend these sessions, input can be e-mailed to
carbonpollutioninput@epa.gov by November 8, 2013.
More information about EPA's carbon pollution standards for the power
sector: http://www2.epa.gov/carbon-pollution-standards
Public Sessions on Reducing Carbon Pollution from Existing Power Plants
(all times are local):
DATE: Wednesday, October 23, 2013
TIME: 9:00 am - 12 Noon; and 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm EDT
EPA REGION & LOCATION:
US EPA Region 2
290 Broadway, Room 27A
New York
DATE: October 23, 2013
TIMES: 2:00 – 5:00 pm; and 6:00 – 9:00 pm EDT
EPA REGION & LOCATION:
US EPA Region 4
Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center
Bridge Conference Rooms
61 Forsyth Street, S.W.
Atlanta
DATE: Wednesday, October 30, 2013
TIME: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm MDT (last 2 hours for call ins)
EPA REGION & LOCATION:
US EPA Region 8
1595 Wynkoop Street
Denver
DATE: Monday, November 4, 2013
TIME: 4:00 – 8:00 pm CDT
EPA REGION & LOCATION:
US EPA Region 7
11201 Renner Blvd.
Lenexa
DATE: Monday, November 4, 2013
TIME: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm EDT
EPA REGION & LOCATION:
US EPA New England
Memorial Hall
5 Post Office Square
Boston
DATE: Tuesday, November 5, 2013
TIME: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm PDT
EPA REGION & LOCATION:
US EPA Region 9
75 Hawthorne St.
San Francisco
DATE: Thursday, November 7, 2013
TIME: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm EDT
LOCATION:
US EPA Headquarters
William Jefferson Clinton East
1201 Constitution Ave.
Washington, DC
DATE: Thursday, November 7, 2013
TIME: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm CDT
EPA REGION & LOCATION:
US EPA Region 6
Auditorium- 1st floor
J. Erik Jonsson Central Library
1515 Young St.
Dallas
DATE: Thursday, November 7, 2013
TIME: 3:00 – 6:00 pm PDT
EPA REGION & LOCATION:
US EPA Region 10
Jackson Federal Bldg.
915 Second Ave.
Seattle
DATE: Friday, November 8, 2013
TIME: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm EDT
EPA REGION & LOCATION:
US EPA Region 3
William J. Green, Jr. Federal Building
600 Arch Street
Philadelphia
DATE: November 8, 2013
TIME: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm CDT
EPA REGION & LOCATION:
US EPA Region 5
Metcalfe Federal Building
Lake Michigan Room
77 W. Jackson Blvd.
Chicago
Mississippi Coastal Cleanup Day Nets 934 Bags of Trash
Despite heavy rains that persisted throughout the morning, more than
1,260 volunteers donned slickers, rain ponchos and even trash bags, to
clean Mississippi's beaches and waterways picking up marine litter at 49
designated cleanup sites Oct. 19 during the 25th annual Mississippi
Coastal Cleanup, part of the International Coastal Cleanup—the world's
largest volunteer effort to clean up the marine environment. During the
2013 Mississippi Coastal Cleanup, 1,266 volunteers picked up 934 bags of
trash, including 119 bags of recyclables, and 75 tires along nearly 95
miles of Coastal waterways in Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties,
totaling 15,135 pounds— that's 7.5 tons of marine litter. The cleanup is
organized by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources and
Mississippi Marine Debris Task Force. The Mississippi Coastal Cleanup
recycling effort continues to grow with volunteers collecting
recyclables at 17 sites this year. Volunteers who participated at these
sites filed 119 bags with recyclable items such as cans and plastic.
The Mississippi Coastal Cleanup continues its partnership with
Mississippi Power's Renew Our Rivers program, who cleaned three coastal
sites on the days leading up to Saturday's cleanup removing 8.7 tons of
large unbaggable debris.
Both cleanup efforts combined resulted in 1,452 volunteers collecting
32,400 pounds of trash. This included items too large to fit in trash
bags such as household appliances. Other items found were: a recliner, a
large TV, a .22 caliber bullet, a 1-foot by 4-foot broken mirror, a live
opossum, a dead baby great blue heron, a refrigerator drawer, two
basketballs, a plastic hammer, six-pack holders and beer cans and at
Three Rivers Park in Gulfport—even the kitchen sink.
During the International Coastal Cleanup, hundreds of thousands of
people across the world spend three hours combing the beaches and
waterways to pick up trash that pollutes our waters, harms marine life,
hampers tourism and poses health risks to beach-goers. During last
year's International Coastal Cleanup, more than 500,000 volunteers
worldwide removed more than 10 million pounds of debris from the ocean,
rivers, lakes and waterways.
"The purpose of the Mississippi Coastal Cleanup is to educate people on
the importance of keeping our communities and waterways clean to help
protect wildlife from litter that can choke animals or damage habitats,"
said Lauren Thompson, state coordinator for the Mississippi Coastal
Cleanup and public relations manager for the Mississippi Department of
Marine Resources.
The mission of the International Coastal Cleanup is to remove debris
from shorelines, bayous, bays, rivers, waterways and beaches; collect
valuable information on the amount and types of debris collected;
educate people on the issue of
Marine debris; and use the data collected to effect positive change.
Volunteers clean beaches and collect information on
what they find, using the International Coastal Cleanup Data Card, so
that sources of marine debris can be targeted for education or pollution
prevention campaigns. State coordinators mail the data cards to the
Ocean Conservancy in
—MORE—
Coastal Cleanup Nets 934 Bags of Trash – page 2 of 4
Washington, D.C. where the data is tabulated. Over the years, data from
the cleanups have been used to enact local, state, national, and even
international legislation and agreements.
After the Mississippi Coastal Cleanup, the Rotary clubs of Gulfport,
Orange Grove and Long Beach and RPM/Domino's Pizza treated 100
volunteers to pizza from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Jones Park in Gulfport.
Chiquita Fresh LLC, Coast Coca-Cola Bottling Co. and Academy Sports &
Outdoors also provided food and drink for the event.
In Jackson County, 400 volunteers received a free barbecue lunch of
pulled pork and beef brisket and chips at the Estuarine Education Center
at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in Gautier courtesy of The
Shed Barbeque & Blues Joint. Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Consolidated
provided bottled water for the lunch.
In Hancock County, the Office of Congressman Steven Palazzo and the Bay
St. Louis Rotary Club treated volunteers to hotdogs at a cookout held at
the Washington St. Pavilion on the beach in Bay St. Louis.
Volunteers, who cleaned the beach and filled out data cards, documenting
what litters our shores and waterways, also received 25th Anniversary
Coastal Cleanup Croakies, compliments of Chevron Pascagoula Refinery.
"I was blown away by the number of volunteers who came out to clean
regardless of the weather. The community's commitment this event and our
environment is strong and I am grateful for the tremendous support that
the Department of Marine Resources receives from our sponsors,
volunteers and our partners with the Mississippi Marine Debris Task
Force, for making the 25th anniversary of the Mississippi Coastal
Cleanup an event to remember." Thompson said.
The Mississippi Coastal Cleanup's planning committee, the Mississippi
Marine Debris Task Force, is made up of representatives from BP; Chevron
Pascagoula Refinery; City of Biloxi; City of Gautier; City of Gulfport;
City of Moss Point; City of Ocean Springs; City of Pascagoula; Coastal
Conservation Association of Mississippi; Coastal Rivers; Delbert
Hosemann Secretary of State; D'Iberville Volunteers Foundation; DMR
Marine Patrol; Eco-Tours of South Mississippi; Grand Bay National
Estuarine Research Reserve; Gulf Environmental Associates; Gulf Islands
National Seashore; Hancock County Beautification Committee; Hancock
County Board of Supervisors; Hancock County Chamber of Commerce; Hancock
County Solid Waste; Hands On Mississippi; Harrison County Beautification
Commission; Harrison County Board of Supervisors; Harrison County Sand
Beach Department; Harrison County Utility Authority; Heritage Trails
Partnership; Ingalls Shipbuilding; Jackson County Board of Supervisors;
Jackson County Chamber of Commerce; Jackson County Solid Waste
Department; Keep Mississippi Beautiful; Keesler Air Force Base;
Mississippi Air National Guard CRTC-Gulfport; Mississippi-Alabama Sea
Grant Consortium; Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality;
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources; Mississippi Gulf Coast
Community College; Mississippi Power; Mississippi State University
Coastal Research & Extension Center; Naval Construction Battalion
Center; Office of Congressman Steven Palazzo; Pascagoula Elks 1120;
Rotary International District 6840; Sea Coast Echo; United Way of South
Mississippi Volunteer Gulf Coast; and University of Southern
Mississippi-Gulf Coast Research Laboratory.
Other sponsors include:
SEA TURTLE: Chevron Pascagoula Refinery; Matthews Brothers Inc.;
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality; Mississippi Department
of Marine Resources; Mississippi Power; The Shed Barbeque and Blues
Joint; The Bait Box
SHARK: Cable One Advertising; Delta Sanitation, A Waste-Pro Company;
Lamar Outdoor Advertising-Mississippi Gulf Coast; L&L Broadcasting LLC;
Ocean Conservancy; Parents&Kids Magazine; The Sun Herald; Waste
Management
DOLPHIN: Allen Beverages Inc.; Coast Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Inc.;
Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Consolidated; Fisher Safety; Mississippi
Beverage Association; RPM/Domino's Pizza; Ship Island Excursions
COBIA: Biloxi-D'Iberville Press; Chiquita Fresh LLC; Conrad Yelvington
Distributors, Inc.; K99FM, Magic 93.7, 92.5 The Beat and News Radio
104.9; Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Professional Division; Knight-Abbey
Printing and Direct Mail; Ocean Springs Gazette; Sea Coast Echo; WLOX-TV
13
MULLET: Academy Sports & Outdoors; Keep Mississippi Beautiful;
Mississippi Department of Transportation
Coastal Cleanup Nets 934 Bags of Trash – page 3 of 4
The preliminary cleanup site statistics for Hancock, Harrison, and
Jackson counties are as follows:
Hancock County: 11 sites, 123 volunteers collected 118 bags of trash
• McLeod State Park
10 volunteers, rained out
• 19th Street/Old Lazy River Road
2 volunteers and 1 bags
• Bayou LaCroix/603/Lagan/Central/Riverview/The Cave
5 volunteers and 3 bags
• Beach Boulevard across from Bay Waveland Yacht Club
5 volunteers and 3 bags
• Beach Boulevard: Our Lady of Gulf
5 volunteers and 7 bags
• Beach Boulevard: Bookter to Bay Oaks
20 volunteers and 15 bags
• Jordan River Shores and Bayou Talla
2 volunteers and 1 bag
• Beach Boulevard: Nicholson Avenue to Vacation Lane
2 volunteers and 6 bags
• Beach Boulevard: Bay Oaks Drive to Nicholson Avenue
25 volunteers and 19 bags
• Beach Boulevard: Buccaneer State Park
5 volunteers and 13 bags
• Depot District
1 volunteers and 1 bags
• Beach Boulevard: Pointset to mouth of Bayou Caddy
41 volunteers and 50 bags
Harrison County: 17 sites, 466 volunteers collected 288 bags of trash
• Deer Island and Biloxi Small Craft Harbor
26 volunteers and 6 bags
• Edgewater Mall
20 volunteers and 9 bags
• Forrest Avenue Pier
8 volunteers and 6 bags
• Hiller Park
11 volunteers and 6 bags
• Popp's Ferry Bridge Boat Launch
14 volunteers and 5 bags
• Porter Avenue/Lighthouse
34 volunteers and 15 bags
• Coast Coliseum Beach Comfort Station
4 volunteers and 2 bags
• D'Iberville Boat Launch
56 volunteers and 31 bags
• Lower Tuxachanie Creek
5 volunteers and 5 bags
• Courthouse Road
131 volunteers and 63 bags
• James Hill Park
6 volunteers and 2 bags
• Kremer Landing
3 volunteers and 2 bags
• Jones Park East
60 volunteers and 45 bags
• Long Beach Harbor/Pavilion
40 volunteers and 36 bags
• Pass Christian Harbor/Highway 90
28 volunteers and 16 bags
• Keegan Bayou
11 volunteers and 15 bags
• Three Rivers Park
9 volunteers and 24 bags
Jackson County: 21 sites, 677 volunteers collected 528 bags of trash
• Jackson County - Bluff Creek
17 volunteers and 11 bags
• Jackson County - Grand Bay NERR
3 volunteers and 3 bags
• Ocean Springs - Fort Bayou Boat Launch & Waterway
11 volunteers and 5 bags
• Ocean Springs - Gulf Park Estates Public Pier
129 volunteers and 67 bags
• Ocean Springs - East Beach
38 volunteers and 11 bags
• Ocean Springs - Front Beach Ocean Springs Yacht Club
129 volunteers and 61 bags
• Ocean Springs - Front Beach Harbor End
49 volunteers and 20 bags
• Ocean Springs - Graveline Bayou Beach Front
12 volunteers and 13 bags
• Ocean Springs - Fort Maurepas/Beach Front
29 volunteers and 11 bags
• Gautier - Gautier City Park
18 volunteers and 4 bags
• Gautier - Graveline Road/Shepard State Park
10 volunteers and 7 bags
• Gautier – Mary Walker waterways
2 volunteers and 3 bags
• Gautier – West Pascagoula River Bridge
29 volunteers and 13 bags
• Moss Point - I-10 Boat Launch
20 volunteers and 115 bags
• Moss Point - Hwy 63 Boat Launch
12 volunteers and 8 bags
• Moss Point - River Front
26 volunteers and 22 bags
Coastal Cleanup Nets 934 Bags of Trash – page 4 of 4
• Pascagoula - Old Spanish Fort
1 volunteers and 1 bags
• Pascagoula - I.G. Levy Park, N.
26 volunteers and 12 bags
• Pascagoula - Pascagoula Causeway & River Park
12 volunteers and 12 bags
• Pascagoula - Beach Park & Front
87 volunteers and 102 bags
• Pascagoula River Park
17 volunteers and 27 bags
In addition, the 49 total cleanup sites had 100 volunteers who served as
zone captains for each site.
RENEW OUR RIVERS CLEANUP SITES
Gulfport: 1 site; 50 volunteers collected 4.5 tons of trash
• Gulfport Lake/Industrial Seaway; cleaned Oct. 2
Pascagoula: 1 site; 80 volunteers collected 2.5 tons of trash
• Pascagoula River; cleaned Oct. 3
Picayune: 1 site; 62 volunteers collected 1.7 tons of trash
• Boley Creek; cleaned Oct. 12
