11.1.13
State
Judge: State auditor must provide DMR records to Sun Herald, public
Sun Herald
By ANITA LEE — calee@sunherald.com
BAY ST. LOUIS -- Mississippi Department of Marine Resources records belong
to the public and must be provided to the Sun Herald for inspection,
Chancery Judge Jennifer Schloegel ruled Thursday afternoon.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/10/31/5075567/judge-to-rule-today-on-sun-herald.html
Cochran: Bill will protect farmers
Clarion Ledger
U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran has joined a bipartisan group of senators in
introducing a measure meant to prevent farmers and sportsmen rolling their
during hunting season from being penalized.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20131101/BIZ/311010025/Cochran-Bill-will-protect-farmers-
Regional
South Carolina sides with business in EPA dispute
Supreme Court to hear case next year
Greenville News
In a new dispute between environmental regulators and business over
limiting greenhouse gas emissions, South Carolina Attorney General Alan
Wilson has firmly chosen to side with industry.
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20131101/NEWS/311010061/South-Carolina-sides-business-EPA-dispute?nclick_check=1
Major oyster reef rebuilding begins on Texas coast
By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI — Associated Press
MATAGORDA, TEXAS — A deep sea oyster reef restoration being touted as the
largest ever in the Gulf of Mexico began in an unlikely place: a quarry in
landlocked Missouri.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/11/01/5077002/major-oyster-reef-rebuilding-begins.html
National
White House Will Focus on Climate Shifts While Trying to Cut Greenhouse
Gases
NY Times
By JUSTIN GILLIS
The White House is expected to take new steps on Friday to help society
adapt to global warming, an acknowledgment that worldwide efforts to
control emissions will be inadequate to head off big climatic shifts.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/01/science/earth/white-house-will-focus-on-climate-shifts-while-trying-to-cut-greenhouse-gases.html?ref=earth&_r=0&pagewanted=print
Senate panel weighs shale gas boom's climate impact
The Hill
By Ben Geman
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will wade into a
controversial topic next week: The greenhouse gas footprint of the U.S.
natural gas drilling boom.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/188828-senate-panel-weighs-shale-gas-boom%E2%80%99s-climate-impact
Interior chief seeks balance in use of public lands
The Hill
By Laura Barron-Lopez
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell on Thursday handed down a new order to
guide energy development projects on public lands.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/188901-interior-secretary-issues-order-to-balance-energy-development-with-conservation
More than 100 lawmakers urge EPA to change fuel mandate
The Hill
More than 100 lawmakers are calling on Environmental Protection Agency
chief Gina McCarthy to reduce the amount of ethanol that oil refiners must
blend into gasoline next year.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/188811-169-lawmakers-call-on-epa-to-lower-renewable-fuel-standard
Press Releases
Oct 31 2013
SENATORS FIGHT TO PROTECT FARMERS & HUNTERS FROM BURDENSOME REGS
WASHINGTON D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark Pryor (D-AR), John Boozman (R-AR),
Thad Cochran (R-MS), and Mary Landrieu (D-LA) today introduced the Farmer
and Hunter Protection Act to prevent the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(FWS) from unfairly penalizing farmers and sportsmen for rolling their
fields during hunting season.
During the summer of 2012, weather conditions in the Southeast caused some
harvested rice fields to re-head, creating accidental second growth crops.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service may now view these second growth crops
that have been rolled as baited fields, even though this practice was
recommended by local cooperative extension services as a way to return
nutrients to the soil. Inadvertent baiting of a field can level a fine of
up to $100,000 for a farmer, $15,000 for a hunter, and prohibit hunting on
the land.
"It's inexcusable that the Fish and Wildlife Service may force our farmers
and hunters to pay a fine for a long-standing agricultural practice," Pryor
said. "This irresponsible action would not only harm our families' way of
life, it would negatively impact hunting season—which is a huge driver of
economic activity in Arkansas. Our common-sense bill will resolve this
issue and ensure the rights of Arkansans are protected."
"This is a common, recommended agriculture practice Arkansas farmers have
followed for generations. Threatening to penalize our farmers for this
normal procedure is bad policy that will have a lasting impact on the
industry in addition to the sportsmen who use the land. Allowing state
cooperative extension offices the ability to determine what is acceptable
is a commonsense solution," Boozman said.
"This is an example of a regulatory process gone wrong. Farmers and
hunters, who follow recommended land management practices, should not be
subjected to unfair and costly penalties," Cochran said.
"Sportsman's Paradise is not just a slogan on our license plates; it's a
way of life in Louisiana. By unfairly fining farmers and hunters for tried
and true techniques, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services would make
sportsmen, hunters, and farmers the next endangered species. As someone who
enjoys hunting, I know how important the hunting season is in Louisiana.
The last thing our hunters and farmers need is senseless and ridiculous
regulations ahead of this year's hunting season," said Landrieu.
The Farmer and Hunter Protection Act would allow each state's cooperative
extension service to distinguish between normal agriculture practices and
baiting.
###
EPA Settles Clean Water Act Violations in Arkansas
Release Date: 10/31/2013
Contact Information: For more information contact Joe Hubbard or Jennah
Durant at 214-665-2200 or r6press@epa.gov
DALLAS (OCT. 31, 2013) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced
today that it has entered into a consent agreement and final order (CAFO)
with Whiting Oil and Gas Corporation to resolve violations involving 820
barrels of crude oil released on Sept. 23, 2012, in Ouachita County, Ark.
The settlement requires Whiting Oil and Gas to pay a civil penalty of
$58,570 to the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. On the date of the incident,
Whiting Oil and Gas reported the crude oil release to EPA. The release
impacted Smackover Creek and adjoining shorelines. Erosion in the bank
caused the fracture in the pipeline that led to the creek's tributary.
The Clean Water Act makes it unlawful to discharge oil or hazardous
substances into or upon the navigable waters of the United States or
adjoining shorelines in quantities that may be harmful to the environment
or public health. The penalty paid for this spill will be deposited in the
federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund managed by the National Pollution
Fund Center. The Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund is used to pay for federal
response activities and to compensate for damages when there is a discharge
or substantial threat of discharge of oil or hazardous substances to waters
of the United States or adjoining shorelines.
For more information on the effects and cleanups of oil spills, visit:
http://www.epa.gov/oilspill
