2.13.2014
Oil Spill
BP's multibillion-dollar sell-off enters new phase
Houston Chronicle
HOUSTON – The massive 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill left BP bent on
trimming its balance sheet by selling off oil-producing and refining assets
across the globe.
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2014/02/12/new-wave-of-bp-asset-sales-could-be-smaller-more-lucrative/
State
Miss. River bridge reopens after chemical spill
I-20 traffic rerouted for more than 12 hours
Clarion Ledger
More than 12 hours after the Mississippi River bridge at Vicksburg was
closed and traffic on I-20 diverted in the wake of an early morning
chain-reaction collision of 18-wheelers, emergency responders contained a
dangerous, corrosive chemical that spilled from a tanker and allowed
traffic to resume.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20140213/NEWS01/302130010/Miss-River-bridge-reopens-after-chemical-spill
Alabama plant challenges Mississippi Silicon permit
Daily Journal Blog
It seems an Alabama company has filed a petition with the Mississippi
Department of Environmental Quality over its fast-tracking of a permit for
Mississippi Silicon, the company that announced last month it was building
a plant in Tishomingo County and adding 200 jobs.
Here's the press release from the company's public retains firm:
http://bizbuzz.djournal.com/2014/02/12/alabama-plant-challenges-mississippi-silicon-permit/
MDEQ to host community forum for Jackson County residents Feb. 17
Mississippi Press
April M. Havens
February 12, 2014 at 4:25 PM
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental
Quality will host an informational session and community open forum Feb. 17
to provide residents an opportunity to discuss environmental complaints and
concerns, as well as solutions for nuisances such as odors, dust and noise.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2014/02/mdeq_to_host_community_forum_f.html
MDEQ will host info session, forum in Pascagoula
Sun Herald
The state Department of Environmental Quality will host an Informational
Session and Community Open Forum at 5 p.m. Monday in Pascagoula on
environmental complaints and concerns as well as solutions for nuisances
such as odors, dust and noise.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/02/12/5334765/around-south-mississippi.html
M.D.E.Q. To Host Informational Session and Community Forum for Jackson
County Residents
WXXV
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) will host an
Informational Session and Community Open Forum on Monday, February 17, in
Pascagoula to provide residents of the area an opportunity to discuss
environmental complaints and concerns as well as solutions for nuisances
such as odors, dust, and noise.
http://www.wxxv25.com/news/local/story/M-D-E-Q-To-Host-Informational-Session-and/jwEwKDafCUu8GNBfxuTaZQ.cspx
DEQ advises people to stay out of Sound in west Gulfport
SUN HERALD
JACKSON -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality on Wednesday
advised people to stay out of the water off Gulfport between Tegarden Road
and Anniston Avenue. Contact with the water carries the risk of illness,
DEQ said.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/02/12/5332823/deq-advises-people-to-stay-out.html
Controversial flood plain mapping begins again
Itawamba County Times
Itawamba County is being put back on the map. This may or may not be a good
thing.
Recently, officials representing both Itawamba County and the City of
Fulton met with representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
and its local subsidiary, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, and
the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to discuss remapping
the area's floodplains, a process that has been ongoing for years.
http://itawambatimes.com/2014/02/12/controversial-flood-plain-mapping-begins/
Cochran, association talk water provisions in farm bill
by MBJ Staff
Published: February 12,2014
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), who met with members
of the Mississippi Rural Water Association yesterday, said rural
development and conservation provisions enacted with the new farm bill are
intended to help rural communities meet growing demands for water and
wastewater services, while reducing the amount of time it takes for
eligible entities to gain access to important programs.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2014/02/12/cochran-association-talk-water-provisions-farm-bill/
Audubon Center to educate businesses on birdwatchers
Sun Herald
BY CHRISTINA STEUBE
An estimated 11.5 million people spend more than $6 billion annually on
wildlife watching in the 53 coastal counties from Florida to Texas,
according to an Environmental Defense Fund Report.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/02/12/5334587/audubon-center-to-educate-businesses.html
Residents fed up with sewage problems at Hattiesburg apartment complex
WDAM
HATTIESBURG, MS (WDAM) -The residents of Spanish Oaks Apartments have been
experiencing sewage problems since late last week.
http://www.wdam.com/story/24705152/residents-fed-up-with-sewage-problems-at-hattiesburg-apartment-complex
Regional
La. senator to chair energy panel
Clarion Ledger
WASHINGTON — Sen. Mary Landrieu said creating jobs in domestic energy will
be among her priorities when she takes over the Senate Energy and Natural
Resources Committee.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20140213/BIZ/302130032/La-senator-chair-energy-panel
National
EPA touts Fort Collins as leader in addressing climate change
Federal administrators toured the Poudre River and met with city officials
during an event held Tuesday.
The Coloradoan
On a cross-country tour, Environmental Protection Agency administrator Gina
McCarthy made a stop in Fort Collins on Tuesday to discuss how the city's
role in a "groundswell" movement to address climate change will influence a
federal culture that has yet to catch up.
http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20140211/NEWS01/302110066/EPA-touts-Fort-Collins-leader-addressing-climate-change?nclick_check=1
Oklahoma AG to intervene in EPA emissions lawsuit
AP
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A federal judge says Oklahoma Attorney General Scott
Pruitt can intervene in the settlement of a lawsuit between the
Environmental Protection Agency and an environmental group over emission
standards in Oklahoma and other states.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/default/article/Oklahoma-AG-to-intervene-in-EPA-emissions-lawsuit-5229235.php
Wyoming officials prepare for court fight after EPA ruling hands land to
tribes
Fox News
Wyoming officials are gearing up for a potential court battle against the
Environmental Protection Agency as they try to reverse a sweeping agency
ruling that transferred more than 1 million acres of land -- including an
entire city of 10,000 -- to Native American tribes.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/02/12/wyoming-officials-prepare-for-court-fight-against-epa-ruling-that-gave-land-to/
Chevron Still Trying To Contain Natural-Gas Well Fire
Fire Still Burning After Explosion That Injured One Worker and Left Another
Missing
Wall Street Journal
By DANIEL GILBERT
Feb. 12, 2014 12:05 p.m. ET
Chevron Corp. was still trying Wednesday morning to put out a fire at a
natural-gas well in southwestern Pennsylvania, a day after an explosion
that injured one worker and left another missing.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304703804579378931505514444?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5
Huge thermal plant opens as solar industry grows
BY BRIAN SKOLOFF AND MICHAEL R. BLOOD
The Associated Press
PRIMM, NEV. — A windy stretch of the Mojave Desert once roamed by tortoises
and coyotes has been transformed by hundreds of thousands of mirrors into
the largest solar power plant of its type in the world, a milestone for a
growing industry that is testing the balance between wilderness
conservation and the pursuit of green energy across the West.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/02/12/5334912/huge-thermal-plant-opens-as-solar.html
Opinion
ALEX LITTLEJOHN: Benefits of new farm bill extend from Delta to Gulf
BY ALEX LITTLEJOHN
A Sun Herald ForumFebruary 12, 2014
On Feb.4, the U.S. Senate joined the House of Representatives in a
bipartisan vote to approve re-authorization of the U.S. Farm Bill.
Mississippi's entire congressional delegation supported the measure. As
ranking member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Sen. Thad Cochran
played a particularly central role in securing passage of the bill and in
ensuring that it contains provisions to help farmers conserve our state's
natural resources.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/02/12/5334026/alex-littlejohn-benefits-of-new.html
Press Releases
U.S. EPA and its Federal Partners Advance Decontamination Techniques
Researchers clean up buildings to practice real world techniques of
large-scale decontamination
WASHINGTON— Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along
with federal partners, announced the results of a multi-year project called
Bio-Response Operational Testing and Evaluation (BOTE) that tested and
evaluated decontamination techniques for a biological incident.
"The information gained from this project gives communities tested
decontamination methods and real world guidance to inform future response
efforts," said Lek Kadeli, acting assistant administrator of EPA's Office
of Research and Development. "Results of this collaborative research effort
is helping make the United States and our communities more secure, better
prepared, and increasingly resilient."
EPA plays an important role in helping to prepare and protect the country
against chemical, radiological and biological threats . As part of that
role it is necessary to test decontamination techniques in real world
situations to put the best methods into practice. This project also
examined the associated costs of each method, and the expense of managing
the waste cleanup.
Researchers released Bacillus atropheus, a harmless anthrax substitute
that mimics the behavior of biological spores into a test facility that was
modeled on common layouts found in homes and office buildings. Each room
included a variety of materials that required decontamination, such as
carpet, fabric and wood. Three decontamination methods were tested in the
facility. One method used a pH-adjusted bleach, and the other scenarios
employed the use of two different fumigants.
The study results found that the effectiveness of each decontamination
method varied based on certain conditions, such as the amount of humidity
and temperature in the room. The information gained during this exercise
will help guide future decontamination decisions and help to ensure a more
effective response to biological incidents.
The BOTE project involved more than 300 participants, including on-scene
coordinators from around the United States and National Guard Civil Support
Teams that may be called in to help in such an incident. Findings have
already been used as a guide to help decontaminate other incidents,
including decontamination following the 2013 ricin events. The results of
this research will help provide state and local leaders, on-scene
coordinators, waste managers and others with a guideline for effective
decontamination in the event of a biological threat.
For more information on the BOTE project: www.epa.gov/nhsrc/BOTE
For more information on EPA's homeland security research:
http://www.epa.gov/nhsrc/
EPA Awards More Than $3 Million to Researchers Studying How Chemical
Exposures May Impact Brain Development
WASHINGTON- Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced
over $3 million in grants to research institutions to better understand how
chemicals interact with biological processes and how these interactions may
lead to altered brain development. The studies are focused on improving
EPA's ability to predict the potential health effects of chemical
exposures.
"This research will transform our understanding of how exposure to
chemicals during sensitive lifestages affects the development of the
brain," said Lek Kadeli, acting assistant administrator for EPA's Office of
Research and Development. "By better predicting whether chemicals have the
potential to impact health and human development, these grants will not
only advance the science necessary to improve chemical safety but protect
the well being and futures of children in this nation."
These grants focus on developing better adverse outcome pathways (AOPs),
which are models that predict the connection between exposures and the
chain of events that lead to an unwanted health effect. AOPs combine vast
amounts of data from different sources to depict the complex interactions
of chemicals with biological processes, and then extend this information to
explain an adverse health effect. EPA expects to use the knowledge gained
from this research to develop efficient and cost-effective models to better
predict if and how exposure to environmental chemicals may lead to
developmental neurotoxicity.
Recipients of EPA's funding for developmental neurotoxicity adverse outcome
pathway research include:
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.
The University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.
University of California, Davis, Calif.
Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, La Jolla, Calif.
These awards are advancing the science and technological capability to
model and predict how chemicals behave when they come into contact with
biological systems. This improved understanding supports the Agency's
mission of protecting human health and the environment and amplifies the
impact of its chemical safety research efforts. EPA's chemical safety
research is accelerating the pace of chemical screening, helping to protect
vulnerable populations and species, developing solutions for more
sustainable chemicals and using computational science to understand the
relationship between chemical exposures and health outcomes.
For more information about these awards visit:
http://epa.gov/ncer/adversepath
For more information on EPA's National Research Program on Chemical Safety,
visit:http://www.epa.gov/research/chemicalscience/
"Voices from the Land" Conservation in American Agriculture Briefing
Highlights Environmental Award Winners
Posted by Ann Mills, Deputy Under Secretary of Natural Resources and
Environment, on February 11, 2014 at 4:00 PM
"Water conservation begins where the first drop of rain falls…most likely
on private working lands." This is a favorite saying of Tom Vandivier, a
Texas cattle rancher and 2008 recipient of theSand County Foundation's
Leopold Conservation Award (LCA).
Tom was one of more than two dozen recipients of the LCA – which recognized
landowners for achievement in environmental improvement on agricultural
land – in Washington, D.C. last week. I was fortunate to meet with them
here at USDA headquarters to talk about the importance of conservation and
the need to spread the message that investing in conservation practices on
our farm and ranch lands not only protects water, air and wildlife – it
also makes economic sense.
Jill Giacomini Basch is a 2013 LCA recipient who, with her father and three
sisters, owns a family dairy in Marin County, Calif. I had a chance to
meet with the Giacomini family during my tour of several California farms
last month. Jill explained that conservation improves the way they run
their business. Partnerships with USDA's Natural Resources Conservation
Service and others have helped them protect their land and water resources,
and ensure their dairy will be prosperous for the next generation.
"We have very close ties with NRCS and other programs," Jill said. "They
have helped us with our water allocation — above ground storage pond
facilities and spring well drilling. With the USDA we were able to utilize
new technology to install a methane digester to help mitigate waste run off
into the nearby lagoon, but also eventually the Point Reyes National
Seashore. Because of the methane digester, we generate about 65 percent of
our on farm energy needs."
"Much of the work we've done has been through NRCS programs," Tom added.
"NRCS is very important to us. We're very much about conservation. The
stewardship practices that we've accomplished on our property have enhanced
water resources in the state of Texas. I think it's a message that needs
to be spread so others can take similar stewardship practices and hopefully
have the same results in their perspective states."
Jon Bednarski, 2013 LCA recipient, shared his story as well. He started
farming 12 years ago outside of Louisville, Ky. After meeting with NRCS,
he discovered he was farming a "sensitive" piece of land, upstream of
Louisville's drinking water source. Since then he has managed his operation
to help protect water quality.
The group discussed the need for conservation in the face of extreme
weather – including the significant drought conditions in 11 western
states. As we were meeting, the U.S. Senate was in the process of voting
on the Agricultural Act of 2014. I talked about how important this
legislation is to providing the tools and programs necessary for USDA to
help farmers, ranchers and forestland owners manage the risk and
uncertainty associated with extreme weather and climate change.
Conservation programs will be streamlined to better target limited
resources to areas of highest need, while building on record conservation
and stewardship efforts already underway. I also previewed Secretary Tom
Vilsack's announcement of USDA's new regional hubs to help agriculture and
forestry mitigate the impacts of a changing climate.
The group also discussed the importance of passing on to the next
generation the passion for agriculture and land stewardship. There is a new
energy in America around opportunities in agriculture. The Agricultural Act
of 2014 will provide our communities with additional support to attract new
economic opportunity and create jobs. We all agreed that outreach and
education is crucial. USDA will continue to work with the LCA recipients
and other partners to make that happen. To view a video about the meeting
click here.
