2.25.2014
Oil Spill
Appeals court upholds dismissal of 11 parish suits against BP under
Louisiana wildlife law
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
February 24, 2014 at 9:18 PM
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday upheld a lower court's
dismissal of lawsuits filed by 11 Louisiana parishes that sought to recover
penalties from BP and its drilling partners under a Louisiana law for
pollution-related losses of aquatic life and wildlife resulting from the
Deepwater Horizon disaster and oil spill. The 5th Circuit agreed that the
suits were preempted by federal law.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2014/02/appeals_court_upholds_dismissa.html
BP Claims Administrator Patrick Juneau to tour art museum in Mobile
Press-Register
Michael Finch II
February 24, 2014 at 9:17 PM
MOBILE, Alabama -- The Mobile Museum of Art will host Patrick Juneau,
claims administrator for the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, early Tuesday.
The visit will include a tour of the museum's refurbished and reconfigured
art galleries, which were made possible with a $500,000 grant from a BP
Tourism and Seafood Promotional Fund.
http://blog.al.com/live/2014/02/bp_claims_administrator_patric.html
State
Concerns raised about DMR spending on fishing reef project
WLOX
BILOXI, MS (WLOX) -More than 500 concrete pilings from the demolition of
the old Margaritaville will be given to the DMR to use on nearby Katrina
reef, located just south of Deer Island.
State Senator Brice Wiggins sent a letter, raising concerns about the DMR
spending thousands of dollars on the salvaged concrete.
http://www.wlox.com/story/24810168/concerns-raised-about-dmr-spending-on-fishing-reef-project
Denbury Resources fights tax on carbon dioxide extraction
The Associated Press
February 24, 2014 at 5:02 PM
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Denbury Resources is fighting an attempt to tax
carbon dioxide drilled from underground deposits in Mississippi, another in
a series of efforts to penalize the oil producer for shipping carbon
dioxide out of state instead of using it in Mississippi.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2014/02/denbury_resources_fights_tax_o.html#incart_river
Pipeline hearing gets testy
Legislator, energy executive spar over tax exemption
Clarion Ledger
A House committee hearing on a bill that would remove carbon dioxide's
exemption from the state's oil and gas severance tax got testy when it came
time to parse the legislation's economics.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20140225/NEWS010504/302250029/Pipeline-hearing-gets-testy
Regional
Coast Guard reopens all portions of the Mississippi River
Jed Lipinski
The Times-Picayune
February 24, 2014 at 6:00 PM
The Mississippi River has reopened with restrictions as of 1:30 p.m.,
following the closure of a 65-mile stretch of the waterway due to an oil
spill near Vacherie on Saturday afternoon, the Coast Guard reported.
http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2014/02/coast_guard_reopens_all_portio.html#incart_river
National
For the Supreme Court, a Case Poses a Puzzle on the E.P.A.'s Authority
NY Times
By ADAM LIPTAK
FEB. 24, 2014
WASHINGTON — In trying to decide whether the Environmental
Protection Agency has the authority under two programs to
regulate greenhouse gas emissions from stationary sources
like power plants, the Supreme Court on Monday faced what
Justice Elena Kagan called "the conundrum here."
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/25/us/justices-weigh-conundrum-on-epa-authority.html?ref=earth&_r=0
Supreme Court divided on whether EPA has overreached on greenhouse gas
rules
Washington Post
By Robert Barnes
The Supreme Court was divided Monday over whether the Obama
administration's Environmental Protection Agency had gone too far in trying
to regulate power plant and factory emissions of gases blamed for global
warming.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-divided-on-whether-epa-has-overreached-on-greenhouse-gas-rules/2014/02/24/78852f6c-9d93-11e3-9ba6-800d1192d08b_story.html
Justices Divided on EPA Greenhouse-Gas Case
Supreme Court Weighs Arguments on Agency's Move to Cut Emissions From
Stationary Polluters
Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON—An Obama -administration effort to cut greenhouse-gas emissions
faced an uncertain fate at the Supreme Court on Monday, with justices
sharply divided over industry claims that the government is going too far
in applying the Clean Air Act.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304834704579403493490838398?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5
Justice Kennedy skeptical of EPA's powers
The Hill
The Supreme Court's swing vote on Monday voiced skepticism of a key plank
in the Obama administration's efforts to limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Justice Anthony Kennedy on Monday suggested he believed the Environmental
Protection Agency overstepped its bounds in the way it is requiring
greenhouse gases be regulated under permits for power plants, factories and
other "stationary" sources.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/199079-justice-kennedy-skeptical-of-epas-powers
EPA threatens Pa. over pollution rule
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is threatening to sanction
Pennsylvania unless it complies with a three-year-old air pollution rule.
The EPA on Monday said Pennsylvania is the only state that has not complied
with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards that federal regulators set
for lead.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energy-environment/199091-epa-threatens-pa-over-pollution-rule
'Big data' going public?
By Julian Hattem
The Hill
The Commerce Department wants to unleash the power of "big data," but it's
looking for the public's help.
On Monday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
released a formal request asking for private companies to help make its
immense amounts of data on the air, oceans and climate available to the
public.
http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/199128-noaa-looks-to-bring-big-data-to-public
Opinion
The Environmental Protection Agency's Breathtakingly Lawless Attempt To
Regulate Greenhouse Gases
Forbes
By MARLO LEWIS
Yesterday the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Utility Air Regulatory
Group v. EPA. The case is the first since Massachusetts v. EPA (2007) to
examine the extent of the EPA's Clean Air Act authority to regulate
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2014/02/25/the-environmental-protection-agencys-breathtakingly-lawless-attempt-to-regulate-greenhouse-gases/
Press Releases
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| USDA Announces New Grants to Help Communities Meet Water Challenges in |
| Coming Years |
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| $6 Million in Fiscal Year 2014, Up to $30 Million Over Next Five Years |
| Available |
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|WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2014 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced |
|today that USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will |
|make $6 million in grants available this year, and up to $30 million total |
|over the next five years as part of a new initiative to provide solutions to|
|agricultural water challenges. The grants will be used to develop management|
|practices, technologies and tools for farmers, ranchers, forest owners and |
|citizens to improve water resource quantity and quality. |
| |
| |
|"Cutting edge research holds the key to tackling the complex challenges |
|posed by prolonged drought and ensuring the future food security of our |
|nation," said Secretary Vilsack. "These grants will help arm America's |
|farmers and ranchers with the tools and strategies they need to adapt and |
|succeed, and build on ongoing, cross-governmental efforts to provide relief |
|to those impacted by severe drought." |
| |
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|Today's announcement builds on USDA efforts to help farmers, ranchers and |
|forest landowners mitigate the impacts of drought, including implementation |
|of the livestock disaster assistance programs provided through the 2014 Farm|
|Bill and $40 million in additional conservation dollars. |
| |
| |
|NIFA has identified three critical topics that will be funded through this |
|new challenge area: 1) ensuring the water security of surface and ground |
|water needed to produce agricultural goods and services; 2) improving |
|nutrient management in agricultural landscapes focused on nitrogen and |
|phosphorous; and 3) reducing impacts of chemicals and the presence and |
|movement of environmental pathogens in the nation's water supply. NIFA's |
|approach will link social, economic, and behavioral sciences with |
|traditional biophysical sciences and engineering to address regional scale |
|issues with shared hydrological processes, and meteorological and basin |
|characteristics. |
| |
| |
|NIFA is expected to make $30 million available over the next five years for |
|the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) water challenge area, |
|with the expectation that the new projects awarded this fiscal year would |
|receive additional funding in the following four years. All additional |
|funding is contingent on future congressional appropriations and achievement|
|of project objectives and milestones. |
| |
| |
|Building on its investment in water research, NIFA will also fund projects |
|through the National Integrated Water Quality Program (NIWQP), which |
|addresses critical water resource issues including water quality protection |
|and water conservation. The RFA for this program is expected to be released |
|in the spring of 2014. |
| |
| |
|The NIWQP supports research, education and Extension projects and programs |
|that address critical water resource issues in agricultural, rural and |
|urbanizing watersheds. These projects reflect the growing need to combine |
|knowledge from biological and physical sciences with social and economic |
|sciences to address complex water issues. |
| |
| |
|The NIWQP focuses on addressing water issues at the watershed scale. |
|Projects funded by the NIWQP are outcome-oriented, aiming to increase |
|awareness and change behaviors related to water resource management. |
| |
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|Through federal funding and leadership for research, education and extension|
|programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues |
|impacting people's daily lives and the nation's future. More information is |
|available at: www.nifa.usda.gov. |
| |
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