12/10/13
Oil Spill
Most of deleted messages were not relevant to oil-spill probe, recipient
says
Contractor praises defendant, work
Baton Rouge Advocate
BY RICHARD THOMPSON
A few days after federal prosecutors read in open court many of the
recovered text messages that former BP engineer Kurt Mix is accused of
deleting to hamper investigators in the wake of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon
disaster, the BP contractor who received many of the messages testified
Monday that he didn't believe most of them were relevant to the oil-spill
response.
http://theadvocate.com/news/7804362-123/most-of-deleted-messages-were
BP Argues Companies Are Unfairly Cashing In On 2010 Spill
NPR
by JEFF BRADY
December 10, 2013
Oil giant BP is challenging hundreds of millions of dollars in claims from
businesses that were filed after the company's 2010 oil spill in the Gulf
of Mexico.
http://www.npr.org/2013/12/10/249734365/bp-argues-companies-are-unfairly-cashing-in-on-2010-spill
State
$57.7 million in projects proposed in Vicksburg
AP
VICKSBURG — Improvements to the city's water and sewer system top a list of
12 proposed capital improvement projects over five years that would cost
about $57.7 million.
http://www.clarionledger.com/viewart/20131210/NEWS01/312100016/-57-7-million-projects-proposed-Vicksburg
National
Supreme Court to hear arguments Tuesday over EPA pollution rules
Washington Post
By Reid Wilson and Juliet Eilperin, Published: December 9
The Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday on whether the Environmental
Protection Agency can require Midwestern states to cut the smog and soot
that travels from their power plants downwind to Northeast and Mid-Atlantic
states.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-to-hear-arguments-tuesday-over-epa-pollution-rules/2013/12/09/5417b50a-60ee-11e3-8beb-3f9a9942850f_print.html
Northeast, Mid-Atlantic states ask for pollution control from upwind states
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CONCORD, New Hampshire — Eight Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states petitioned
the federal government Monday to require nine upwind states to cut down air
pollution emissions.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/077d2416b6154c4f9eb1c1c6b0abef27/NH--EPA-Downwind-Pollution
EPA chief visiting China amid record air pollution
The Hill
By Laura Barron-Lopez
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy will begin her
tour of China on Monday as one of the country's largest cities faces record
air pollution.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/192473-natural-gas-may-cure-chinas-air-pollution-problem
EPA sued over bees
The Hill
By Julian Hattem
Beekeepers are suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over its
approval of a chemical they say kills honey producers.
The pesticide sulfoxaflor is "highly toxic" to bees and other insects, the
groups say, and could be contributing to broader declines of bee
populations around the world.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/court-battles/192523-epa-sued-over-bees
California Presses On With Water Project
Environmental and Cost Concerns Persist as Draft Analysis Lays Out $25
Billion Plan to Bypass and Restore Delta
Wall Street Journal
A contentious project to divert water supplied to Southern California past
an ecologically sensitive river delta moved a step closer to fruition
Monday, as state and federal officials unveiled a draft final environmental
analysis.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303330204579248540598741948?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5
Press Releases
Applications Open for Presidential Innovation Award for Environmental
Educators
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in partnership
with the White House Council on Environmental Quality, is currently
accepting applications for the third annual Presidential Innovation Award
for Environmental Educators. The award recognizes outstanding K-12 teachers
and their local education agencies nationwide for excellence in integrating
environmental education into their lessons and demonstrating the connection
between health and the environment for their students..
Successful applicants demonstrate creativity, innovation, community
engagement and leadership as students learn more about civic responsibility
and environmental stewardship. Past winners have increased student
participation in local watershed cleanup efforts, created school-wide
recycling programs, and implemented green land stewardship practices.
Winners went on to use their awards to bring high-tech science equipment
into the classroom and expand the number of students on field trips and in
labs.
Applicants have until February 28, 2014 to apply for the award under
updated criteria released in November. Up to twenty teachers nationwide
will receive award plaques and a financial award of $2,000 to support their
professional development in environmental education. Each teacher's school
will also receive a $2,000 award to help fund environmental education
activities and programs that support the teacher. Winners will also be
considered for the National Environmental Education Foundation's Richard C.
Bartlett award, which recognizes outstanding teachers who engage students
in interdisciplinary solutions to environmental challenges.
More information about the program and how to apply:
http://www.epa.gov/education/teacheraward
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