1.23.14
Oil Spill
Ex-BP engineer to seek judge's recusal from case
AP
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -
Lawyers for a former BP engineer convicted of trying to obstruct a probe of
the company's 2010 Gulf oil spill plan to seek the disqualification of the
federal judge who presided over their client's trial last month.
http://www.wlox.com/story/24519665/ex-bp-engineer-to-seek-judges-recusal-from-case
Gulf fish studied for safety following Deepwater Horizon oil spill
UAB News
By Nicole Wyatt
The worst oil spill in U.S. history occurred when the Deepwater Horizon oil
rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, killing 11 people and
damaging a wellhead that led to 4.9 million barrels of oil leaking into the
ocean. In the aftermath of this event, one potential hazard was the safety
of eating seafood caught from the affected area.
http://www.uab.edu/news/latest/item/4055-gulf-fish-studied-for-safety-following-deepwater-horizon-oil-spill
State
Evacuation zone near biodiesel plant grows
Predawn fire, explosion rock facility outside New Albany
Clarion Ledger
Firefighters and emergency workers in Union County late Wednesday expanded
an area evacuated earlier in the day when a predawn fire and explosion
rocked North Mississippi Biodiesel on Mississippi 15 just outside New
Albany, causing a blaze that burned through the day and evening.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20140123/NEWS01/301230035/Evacuation-zone-near-biodiesel-plant-grows
Fire Rocks Biofuel Plant
WCBI
NEW ALBANY, MISS. (WCBI) – A massive fire destroys a biofuel plant in Union
County . The blaze and explosions kept a stretch of Highway 15 closed for
most of the day.
http://www.wcbi.com/wordpress/video-fire-rocks-biofuel-plant-closes-part-of-highway
Crews continue to fight fire hours after bio-diesel plant explosion
WMC
NEW ALBANY, MS -(WMC-TV) - The Mississippi Highway Patrol says the fire at
the bio-diesel facility is still burning in New Albany. Action News 5
cameras captured the second explosion that happened at the plant Wednesday
afternoon.
http://www.wmctv.com/story/24516296/explosion-at-bio-diesel-facility-no-injuries-reported
Another explosion hits biodiesel plant
WTVA
NEW ALBANY, Miss. (WTVA) -- Emergency officials in New Albany says there
has been another explosion at a bio-diesel facility.
http://www.wtva.com/mostpopular/story/UPDATE-Another-explosion-hits-biodiesel-plant/hYev8biQjEaL5seEUV16nw.cspx
Homes evacuated, schools closed due to plant explosions
Daily Journal
Approximately 50 homes are being evacuated due to the Tuesday morning
explosion at a Union County biodiesel plant.
http://djournal.com/news/homes-evacuated-schools-closed-due-plant-explosions/
Big blast rocks Union County; no one injured
By Errol Castens
Daily Journal
NEW ALBANY – A 40,000-gallon tank of fuel exploded at the JNS Biodiesel
plant just north of New Albany early Wednesday morning, rattling homes and
sending a fireball hundreds of feet into the air, followed by a
tornado-like column of smoke that could be seen for miles.
http://djournal.com/news/big-blast-rocks-union-county-no-one-injured/
Homes evacuated as biofuels plant burns
by Associated Press
Published: January 23,2014
NEW ALBANY — A voluntary evacuation of about 50 homes near a burning
biodiesel facility in north Mississippi was ordered late yesterday,
officials said.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2014/01/23/homes-evacuated-biofuels-plant-burns/
BlueFire project 'by no means dead'
Itawamba County Times
by Adam Armour January 22, 2014
After more than four years with seemingly little movement, Fulton's
would-be ethanol plant might seem ready to be declared legally dead. But
county officials say rumors of the plant's demise have been greatly
exaggerated.
http://itawambatimes.com/2014/01/22/bluefire-project-means-dead/
County residents to get warnings on trash
The Associated PressJanuary 23, 2014
GREENVILLE, MISS. — The Washington County Board of Supervisors has voted to
give residents a warning before ticketing them for dropping loose trash in
their curbside collection bins.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/01/23/5279326/county-residents-to-get-warnings.html
Bryant hits familiar themes in State of State Address
Clarion Ledger
Gov. Phil Bryant in his third State of the State Address said his goals are
for every Mississippian to be able to find a job here at home, get a
quality education, be born into a "mature two-parent family" and rest easy
that their tax dollars are being spent wisely.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20140123/NEWS01/301230022/Bryant-hits-familiar-themes-State-State-Address
Regional
Tough love: Can a local leader save the EPA's troubled southeast region?
Grist
By Brentin Mock
Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) picked Heather McTeer
Toney, a former Mississippi mayor, as the new director of its historically
troubled southeast region.
http://grist.org/climate-energy/tough-love-can-a-local-leader-save-the-epas-troubled-southeast-region/
National
ALA sues EPA over U.S. air quality standards
St. Louis American
Wednesday, January 22, 2014 2:13 pm
The American Lung Association is putting pressure on the government to
protect public health from ozone hazards.
Yesterday, the ALA asked a federal court to force the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency to complete its review of national air quality standards
as required by the Clean Air Act.
http://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/article_8a42f984-83a1-11e3-9d33-001a4bcf887a.html
Natural gas locomotives may prove cheaper, cleaner
BY JOSH FUNK
Associated PressJanuary 23, 2014
OMAHA, NEB. — The diesel-burning locomotive, the workhorse of American
railroads since World War II, will soon begin burning natural gas — a
potentially historic shift that could cut fuel costs, reduce pollution and
strengthen the advantage railroads hold over trucks in long-haul shipping.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/01/23/5279151/natural-gas-locomotives-may-prove.html
Ex-EPA official told lawmakers of project to 'modify the DNA' of capitalism
Fox News
A former high-ranking EPA official who recently was sentenced to prison for
fraud told lawmakers last month that, before he left the agency, he was
working on a "project" examining ways to "modify the DNA of the capitalist
system."
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/01/22/ex-epa-official-told-lawmakers-project-to-modify-dna-capitalism/?intcmp=latestnews
Docs shed new light on EPA's phony CIA spy
The Hill
By Ben Goad
The high-level Environmental Protection Agency official convicted of posing
as part-time CIA operative and defrauding taxpayers to the tune of hundreds
of thousands of dollars concocted the scheme specifically as a way to steal
time from the government, he told congressional investigators.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/196162-docs-shed-new-light-on-epas-phony-spy
Inside the mind of an EPA con man
Politico
By: Andrew Restuccia
January 22, 2014 07:46 PM EST
The EPA con man who spent years posing as a part-time CIA spy, fooling
federal officials and collecting nearly $1 million in unearned pay, says he
exploited the trust of his colleagues.
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/01/inside-the-mind-of-an-epa-con-man-102499.html?hp=l3
'Secret dealing'? Emails show cozy relationship between EPA, environmental
groups
Fox News
Newly disclosed emails suggest senior policy officials at the Environmental
Protection Agency and environmental groups are working closely to kill the
Keystone XL pipeline, critics say.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/01/22/emails-show-cozy-relationship-between-epa-environmental-groups-on-keystone-coal/?intcmp=latestnews
Opinion
Neeley: EPA leaks are an inevitable part of big government
Governments thrive on data that make us more vulnerable
Houston Chronicle
By Josiah Neeley | January 22, 2014
Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency released the personal
information of about 100,000 farmers and ranchers in 29 states to
environmentalist groups.
http://www.chron.com/opinion/outlook/article/Neeley-EPA-leaks-are-an-inevitable-part-of-big-5166483.php?cmpid=opedhphcat
Press Releases
Gov. Phil Bryant Details Mississippi's Progress, Goals
during Third State of the State Address
Governor Also Announces New Employment, Health Care Initiatives
JACKSON—In his third State of the State address, Gov. Phil Bryant detailed
the progress Mississippi has made toward the objectives he outlined in his
2012 Inaugural Address. He also set new objectives for public education,
public safety and the state's fiscal health.
"Two years ago we began our journey together," Gov. Bryant told a joint
session of the Mississippi Legislature. "Our goal was simple: We would
accomplish great things for all Mississippians.
"In those two years, my administration has endeavored to work with you to
advance the common good…so we set about with four fundamental beliefs
guiding our plan for the future.
"First, we believe every Mississippian should have the opportunity to be
gainfully employed right here at home. Second, every Mississippian must
have the opportunity to learn from the best educational system we can
offer. Third, we believe that every Mississippian deserves to be born into
a mature, two-parent family. Finally, we believe that every Mississippian
should be certain that his or her tax dollars are put to proper use."
The governor reported that Mississippi has made significant progress toward
these goals in the past two years.
Under Bryant's administration, the state's economic development efforts
have yielded the announcement of nearly 9,000 new jobs and more than $1.4
billion in private sector investment. Mississippi's Gross Domestic Product
reached $100 billion for the first time in the state's history, and the
state has received numerous national recognitions and accolades for
economic performance.
As part of his push toward increased job creation and employment for
Mississippians, Gov. Bryant announced that Mississippi is launching a
first-of-its kind website and mobile application that will pair job seekers
and employers with real-time employment information.
"It will put job seekers and employers a click away from success. Finding a
job or a qualified employee in Mississippi will be easier and more
effective than ever."
The governor also announced a revolutionary new health care effort that
aims to use telehealth technology to provide cutting-edge medical care from
the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson with 200 diabetes
patients in Sunflower County in the Mississippi Delta.
Gov. Bryant recounted Mississippi's success in enacting sweeping public
education reforms in 2013 through his Education Works agenda, and he urged
lawmakers to focus on properly implementing these efforts.
He also called on the Legislature to support the National Board Certified
Teacher program in Mississippi and to enact a $1.5 million pilot program to
study using the ACT as a high school exit exam. Mississippi currently
spends more than $4 million per year on its group of existing high school
assessments.
Gov. Bryant also emphasized the importance of Mississippi's fiscal health
to lawmakers, urging them to keep spending in check, fill the state's
savings account to its limit and move toward a more accountable,
performance-based budget system.
From the outset of his administration, Gov. Bryant has worked with schools,
churches, health care professionals, elected officials and youth from
across the state to confront and address the epidemic of teen pregnancy in
Mississippi.
"We have started making a difference. According to the annual report of the
Mississippi State Department of Health, our state's teen pregnancy rate
declined by 10.3% in 2012."
The governor also called on Mississippi State Senator Michael Watson to
introduce legislation to add the words "In God We Trust" to seal of the
state of Mississippi.
"I continue to believe this is the right time to stand for our beliefs—our
faith, our families, and our nation."
The final portion of the governor's remarks were devoted to public safety.
Last fall, Bryant pledged to dedicate the 2014 legislative session to
addressing Mississippi's public safety and criminal justice needs.
He reiterated his support for the ideas produced by a bi-partisan task
force on criminal justice (http://bit.ly/19QgZXX) but reminded lawmakers,
"any modification to the correctional system should put the victim first."
Gov. Bryant also called on the Legislature to adopt his proposals to fully
fund the state's drug court system, establish a veterans treatment court
system and establish violent crime strike forces to work in high-crime
areas throughout the state.
He also reiterated his call for lawmakers to fund a trooper academy for the
Mississippi Highway Patrol. The trooper force is nearly 150 officers shy of
its recommended limit. The last trooper academy, held in 2011, graduated 51
cadets. The governor's Fiscal Year 2014 Executive Budget Recommendation
recommended $6.9 million to fund another academy, which would cover
training, salaries and equipment for 60 new troopers.
The governor closed his address by saying, "Mississippians as a whole are
without a doubt the most resilient, the most passionate and the most
capable people in this nation. Time and time again, history proves that
when we fix our focus on a goal…we are bold enough to do whatever it takes
to achieve success…Even your opposition makes us better as we consider
every new idea under the intensity of your gaze. But in the end, it is the
moving forward that keeps us together. It is the challenge of achieving the
people's will now and for the future. "
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