1.8.2014
Oil Spill
BP, claiming fraud, wants to stop oil-spill payments
BY SEAN COCKERHAM
McClatchyWashington Bureau
January 7, 2014
WASHINGTON -- The Deepwater Horizon settlement agreement is in turmoil,
with BP attempting to stop the payments and saying money shouldn't have
gone to an adult escort service, a global nuclear consultant and others
that haven't proved the monster 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico cost
them business.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/01/07/5240136/bp-claiming-fraud-wants-to-stop.html
Fishers sue Texas lawyer in BP claims dispute
The Associated Press
January 07, 2014 at 6:08 PM
A group of Vietnamese fishermen sued a Texas lawyer on Tuesday over
allegations that he falsely claimed to represent thousands of deckhands to
secure a lucrative appointment on a committee of attorneys representing
victims of BP's 2010 Gulf oil spill.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2014/01/fishers_sue_texas_lawyer_in_bp.html
State
Mississippi secures $833,800 more to continue recovery efforts from storms,
tornadoes, flooding
Mississippi Press
April M. Havens
January 07, 2014 at 2:36 PM
WASHINGTON -- The state of Mississippi will receive an $833,835 National
Emergency Grant incremental award to continue its cleanup and recovery
efforts resulting from the severe weather and flooding on Feb. 10, 2013 in
Forrest, Lamar, Marion and Wayne counties, the U.S. Department of Labor
announced today.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2014/01/mississippi_secures_833800_mor.html#incart_river
Regional
Feds Out: Florida 'Thrilled' Over Judge's Nutrient Criteria Order
Sunshine State News
By: Nancy Smith | Posted: January 8, 2014 3:55 AM
In a ruling that ends a long battle over who gets to keep Florida water
clean, U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle ruled Monday in support of the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) motion to modify the consent
decree regarding numeric nutrient criteria for Florida's waters.
http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/story/feds-out-florida-thrilled-over-judges-nutrient-criteria-order
National
The Future of Coal: New Pollution Rules Choke Old Power Plants
Southern Co. Builds New Plant That Captures CO2. The Price: $5.24 Billion
Wall Street Journal
By REBECCA SMITH and JOHN W. MILLER
Updated Jan. 7, 2014 8:34 p.m. ET
The world was riveted in October by eerie photos of Harbin, an industrial
city in northeastern China that was smothered by thick smog from burning
coal.
The U.S. had its own encounters with choking pollution several decades ago.
Though nearly forgotten today, the incidents sparked the creation of the
Environmental Protection Agency and federal regulations that have reshaped
the electricity industry—then and now the country's largest industrial
source of air pollution.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303330204579248771284421960
U.S. EPA unlikely to step up fracking enforcement efforts for now -analysts
Reuters
Mon, Jan 6 2014
By Valerie Volcovici
WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) - Federal regulators are unlikely to step up
enforcement of potential water contamination cases linked to natural gas
drilling - despite new concerns about water safety - given a lack of
political will and limited resources to pursue such cases, analysts said.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/01/06/usa-energy-fracking-idINL2N0KG0UP20140106
