11/18/2013
Oil Spill
D'Olive Watershed Worries get BP Fine Money
WKRG
DAPHNE, Alabama - Now, one environmental disaster may mean the salvation of
another.
Soon to be flowing into the D'Olive Creek watershed almost 7 million
dollars.
http://www.wkrg.com/story/23984411/dolive-watershed-worries-get-bp-fine-money
Projects are a positive step
Editorial – Houma Courier
Published: Saturday, November 16, 2013 at 4:57 p.m.
Local coastal projects in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes are benefitting
from $14 million in fine money from BP and Transocean due to the 2010 oil
spill in the Gulf.
http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20131116/OPINION/131119674/1211/news01?Title=Projects-are-a-positive-step
Editorial: More oil-spill money
Pensacola News Journal
Two news items caught our attention Friday: The city of Pensacola will
receive $2 million from BP, while the five Gulf states will split $113
million in oil-spill money.
http://www.pnj.com/article/20131116/OPINION/311160002/Editorial-More-oil-spill-money
State
Lake Serene dam fix could cost $1M
Hattiesburg American
The story
In August and September 2012, Hurricane Isaac spawned storm systems that
dumped more than a foot of rain on the Pine Belt.
The heavy rains saturated the earthen barrier between Oak Grove and Stump
lakes in the Lake Serene system in Lamar County, causing about a 100-yard
section of the downstream embankment to slough off like heavy icing sliding
off a slanted slice of cake.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20131117/NEWS01/311170031/Lake-Serene-dam-fix-could-cost-1M?nclick_check=1
Pascagoula has $400,000 in grants to help turn around vacant properties
sun herald
BY TAMMY LEYTHAM
November 17, 2013
PASCAGOULA -- The city of Pascagoula has funds available that could help
landowners who want to develop a vacant building or site.
The city has received two Brownfields grants -- for $200,000 each -- from
the EPA to be used for environmental assessments, one for petroleum sites
and the other for hazardous waste, said Jen Dearman, the city's community
and economic development director.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/11/17/5123257/pascagoula-has-400000-in-grants.html?sp-tk=39828A6BB8CD2D1F50D23B3BDFA9357BB582DA18A34547F9EE96975604F508E03C908C7ACEF24BF552A794F62CABD0A902B976F33690FCA4ED95F0D4FC07E60555D5805B5F7F0288F6955886A249C8D2486A5FC9F9179FBF38CEFAD95FBD1F3670E9C03349397CA74972487FDB8A8A28F0DC1BE7740E1281FCB0689AC8748C0D0641F02EA2435994268375D7765DFBB873F8904048F83F4C05D3CC76F773CB03B3A56D7E
Money going in the trash: Not enough interest in recycling to justify
costs, officials say
Not enough public interest to justify the costs, officials say
Clarion Ledger
Mississippians throw $210 million a year in the garbage, and then we spend
another $70 million to bury it.
Recycling advocates will tell you that's money wasted. Studies will tell
you these are opportunities lost.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20131117/NEWS01/311170017/Money-going-trash-Not-enough-interest-recycling-justify-costs-officials-say
Natchez wins recycling award
The Associated PressNovember 18, 2013
NATCHEZ, MISS. — The Mississippi Recycling Coalition has recognized the
city of Natchez's curbside recycling program as New Program of the Year.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/11/18/5124094/natchez-wins-recycling-award.html
MDEQ awards assistance grant to Golden Triangle
WTVA
ACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
has awarded the Golden Triangle Solid Waste Management Authority a solid
waste assistance grant of $36,675 that will be used to host a household
hazardous waste collection event on April 26, 2014.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/MDEQ-awards-assistance-grant-to-Golden-Triangle/vlI_xPVlCU2J5yoJGcRrxQ.cspx
Harrison Co. Utility Authority to name new contractor in December
WLOX
GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) -On March 25, 2013, the Harrison County Utility
Authority held a special meeting where Attorney Jim Simpson announced the
termination of SH Anthony's multi-million dollar contract.
http://www.wlox.com/story/23983328/harrison-co-utility-authority-to-name-new-contractor-in-december
Investigation underway into Chevron's deadly fire in Pascagoula
WLOX
PASCAGOULA, MS (WLOX) -What caused a deadly fire at Chevron Refinery in
Pascagoula is still a mystery. State, local and federal investigators were
at the refinery all day Friday searching for clues in this accident. The
person killed was 46-year-old Tonya Graddy of Semmes, Alabama. Chevron
workers and community members are in shock.
http://www.wlox.com/story/23976953/investigation-underway-into-chevrons-deadly-fire-in-pascagoula
Chevron fire reminds officials how dangerous the refinery can be
WLOX
PASCAGOULA, MS (WLOX) -Authorities have identified the only victim of the
Chevron plant fire as 49-year-old Tonya Grady, of Alabama. She had worked
at the refinery for five years. Fire crews from Chevron managed to get the
blaze under control, but Jackson County fire crews were on site to back
them up.
http://www.wlox.com/story/23985206/chevron-fire-reminds-jackson-county-officials-how-dangerous-refinery-can-be
Alabama woman killed in Chevron's Pascagoula Refinery explosion
Sun herald
BY KAREN NELSON
November 16, 2013
PASCAGOULA -- An early-morning explosion and fire Friday at the Chevron
Pascagoula Refinery killed a plant operator, sent up a huge plume of smoke
and rattled windows and doors of homes in nearby neighborhoods.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/11/16/5119756/alabama-woman-killed-in-chevrons.html
Starkville home to largest solar array in Mississippi
Commercial Dispatch
November 16, 2013 10:22:32 PM
William Browning - wbrowning@cdispatch.com
STARKVILLE -- For years and years the guys behind Synergetics were
interested in solar power but never pulled the trigger.
http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=28917
Gulf Coast Research lab restocks south Mississippi rivers with striped bass
fingerlings
The Associated Press
November 18, 2013 at 5:47 AM
JACKSON, Mississippi -- A coastal research agency and the Mississippi
wildlife department have programs ongoing to restock Mississippi rivers and
streams with fish.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/11/gulf_coast_research_lab_restoc.html#incart_river
New Leadership Works To Get Troubled DMR Back On Track
MPB
BY EVELINA BURNETT | PUBLISHED 17 NOV 2013 11:02PM
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is trying to get back on
track after 10 former DMR employees, including the previous director of the
agency, allegedly embezzled more than $1 million in state funds starting in
2006. Seven of those employees are now facing criminal charges too.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/new_leadership_works_to_get_troubled_dmr_back_on_track
Pension results: Better or not?
Accounting makes both scenarios true
AP
Mississippi's public employee pension fund saw its financial position
improve last year.
Or it didn't.
http://www.clarionledger.com/viewart/20131118/NEWS01/311180012/Pension-results-Better-not-
National
For First Time, E.P.A. Proposes Reducing Ethanol Requirement for Gas Mix
NY Times
By MATTHEW L. WALD
WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday proposed
reducing the amount of ethanol that is required to be mixed with the
gasoline supply, the first time it has taken steps to slow down the drive
to replace fossil fuels with renewable forms of energy.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/16/us/for-first-time-epa-proposes-reducing-ethanol-requirement-for-gas-mix.html?ref=earth&_r=0&pagewanted=print
Hitting the Brake on Ethanol
Government Proposes Easing Level of Corn-Based Additive Required in
Gasoline
Wall Street Journal
By TENNILLE TRACY And KEITH JOHNSON
Updated Nov. 15, 2013 7:47 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON—The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday proposed for the
first time to ease an annual requirement for ethanol in gasoline, saying
that levels mandated in a 2007 law are difficult, if not impossible, to
meet.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303789604579195910936634756?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5
Obama touts clean energy agenda
The HIll
By Cameron Joseph
President Obama focused on energy independence in his weekly address,
following a week dominated by the chaotic rollout of his signature
healthcare law.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/190483-obama-touts-clean-energy-agenda
House Republicans tell EPA to step down on new power plant rules
The Hill
By Laura Barron-Lopez
Leaders from the House Energy and Commerce Committee called on the
Environmental Protection Agency to withdraw its proposed greenhouse gas
standards for new power plants.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/190464-house-republicans-tell-epa-step-down-on-carbon-rules
Opinion
Big Ethanol Finally Loses
The political fuel is losing support as its costs and harm grow.
Wall Street Journal
Nov. 17, 2013 6:07 p.m. ET
It's not often that the ethanol lobby suffers a policy setback in
Washington, but it got its head handed to it Friday. The Environmental
Protection Agency announced that for the first time it is lowering the
federal mandate that dictates how much ethanol must be blended into the
nation's gasoline. It's about time. It's been about time from the moment
the ethanol mandate came to life in the 1970s.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303789604579198081681248494?mod=trending_now_5
Press Releases
EPA Proposes 2014 Renewable Fuel Standards
Proposal Seeks Input to Address "E10 Blend Wall," Reaffirms Commitment to
Biofuels
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed
for public comment the levels of renewable fuels to be blended into
gasoline and diesel as required by Congress under the Energy Independence
and Security Act of 2007. Developed with input from the U.S. Department of
Energy and U.S. Department of Agriculture, the proposal seeks public input
on annual volume requirements for renewable fuels in all motor vehicle
gasoline and diesel produced or imported by the United States in 2014. The
proposal seeks to put the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program on a steady
path forward – ensuring the continued long-term growth of the renewable
fuel industry – while seeking input on different approaches to address the
"E10 blend wall."
"Biofuels are a key part of the Obama Administration's "all of the above"
energy strategy, helping to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, cut
carbon pollution and create jobs," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.
"We have made great progress in recent years, and EPA continues to support
the RFS goal of increasing biofuel production and use. We look forward to
working with all stakeholders to develop a final rule that maintains the
strength and promise of the RFS program."
The proposal discusses a variety of approaches for setting the 2014
standards, and includes a number of production and consumption ranges for
key categories of biofuel covered by the RFS program. The proposal seeks
comment on a range of total renewable fuel volumes for 2014 and proposes a
level within that range of 15.21 billion gallons. Specifically, EPA is
seeking comment on the following proposed volumes:
|-------------------+------------------+------------------------|
| | | |
| Category |Proposed Volume a | Range |
|-------------------+------------------+------------------------|
| | | |
|Cellulosic biofuel | 17 mill gal | 8-30 million gallons |
|-------------------+------------------+------------------------|
| | | |
| Biomass-based | 1.28 bill gal | 1.28 billion gallons |
| diesel | | |
|-------------------+------------------+------------------------|
| | | |
| Advanced biofuel | 2.20 bill gal |2.0-2.51 billion gallons|
|-------------------+------------------+------------------------|
| | | |
| Renewable fuel | 15.21 bill gal | 15.00-15.52 billion |
| | | gallons |
|-------------------+------------------+------------------------|
|aAll volumes are | | |
|ethanol-equivalent,| | |
|except for | | |
|biomass-based | | |
|diesel which is | | |
|actual | | |
|-------------------+------------------+------------------------|
Nearly all gasoline sold in the U.S. is now "E10," which is fuel with up to
10 percent ethanol. Production of renewable fuels has been growing rapidly
in recent years. At the same time, advances in vehicle fuel economy and
other economic factors have pushed gasoline consumption far lower than what
was expected when Congress passed the Renewable Fuel Standard in 2007. As a
result, we are now at the "E10 blend wall," the point at which the E10 fuel
pool is saturated with ethanol. If gasoline demand continues to decline, as
currently forecast, continuing growth in the use of ethanol will require
greater use of higher ethanol blends such as E15 and E85.
The Obama Administration has taken a number of steps to allow or encourage
the use of these higher ethanol blends. In 2010, EPA approved E15 for use
in vehicles newer than model year 2001 and developed labeling rules to
enable retailers to market E15. In addition, since 2011, USDA has made
funding available through the Rural Energy for America Program to support
deployment of "flex-fuel" pumps that can dispense a range of ethanol
blends. The 2014 proposal seeks input on what additional actions could be
taken by government and industry to help overcome current market
challenges, and to minimize the need for adjustments in the statutory
renewable fuel volume requirements in the future. Looking forward, the
proposal clearly indicates that growth in capacity for ethanol consumption
would continuously be reflected in the standards set beyond 2014. EPA looks
forward to further engagement and additional information from stakeholders
as the agency works in consultation with the Departments of Agriculture and
Energy toward the development of a final rule.
The renewable fuels program was developed by Congress in an effort to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions and expand the nation's renewable fuels
sector while reducing reliance on foreign oil. The standards determine how
much renewable fuel a refiner or importer is responsible for, and are the
standards designed to achieve the national volumes for each type of
renewable fuel.
Today, in a separate action, EPA is also seeking comment on petitions for a
waiver of the renewable fuel standards that would apply in 2014. EPA
expects that a determination on the substance of the petitions will be
issued at the same time that EPA issues a final rule establishing the 2014
RFS.
Once the proposal is published in the Federal Register, it will be open to
a 60-day public comment period.
More information on the standards and regulations:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/renewablefuels/regulations.htm
More information on renewable fuels:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/fuels/renewablefuels/index.htm
