2.26.14
Oil Spill
Even after BP's change of heart, claims settlement process rolls on
Press-Register
Michael Finch II
February 25, 2014 at 6:57 PM
MOBILE, Alabama -- The strange mix of circumstances surrounding BP's oil
spill claims process have gotten even murkier lately as the British oil
giant began buying ads in newspapers decrying the process rife with fraud.
http://blog.al.com/live/2014/02/even_after_bps_change_of_heart.html
BP seeks to halt payments to seafood-industry claimants
Baton Rouge Advocate
BY RICHARD THOMPSON
A Texas lawyer who is the target of a federal probe into whether he grossly
inflated the number of clients he represented in the wake of the 2010 Gulf
of Mexico oil spill is due in federal court in New Orleans on Wednesday, as
BP takes aim at the $2.3 billion deal it brokered to compensate the seafood
industry for losses suffered by commercial fishing vessel owners, captains,
fishermen and crew members.
http://theadvocate.com/home/8465058-125/bp-seeks-to-halt-payments
Governor appoints six to Gulf Consortium
By News Herald staff
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
TALLAHASSEE -- The governor has appointed six Panhandle residents to the
Gulf Consortium, a board created to help allocate RESTORE Act dollars.
http://www.newsherald.com/news/government/governor-appoints-six-to-gulf-consortium-1.282900
BP begins oil production at major Gulf of Mexico deepwater hub
Jennifer Larino
The Times-Picayune
February 25, 2014 at 4:32 PM
BP has started production at a key offshore oil and gas hub, its third
major deepwater drilling project to begin flowing oil and gas in the Gulf
of Mexico this year, the company said this week.
http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2014/02/bp_begins_oil_production_at_ma.html
State
Questions remain about wastewater treatment plan
Hattiesburg American
For about two hours Tuesday night at the Hattiesburg Train Depot, a cascade
of voices veered from sharing straight-up concerns to injecting somewhat
baffling asides only tangentially related to the topic at hand.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20140226/NEWS01/302260013/Questions-remain-about-wastewater-treatment-plan
DEQ hosts public hearing on Hattiesburg waste water treatment
WDAM
HATTIESBURG, MS (WDAM) -Concerned Hattiesburg-area residents met with the
Mississippi Dept. of Environmental Quality Tuesday night to voice their
concerns about a new plan by the city to treat its waste water.
http://www.wdam.com/story/24823511/deq-hosts-public-hearing-on-hattiesburg-waste-water-treatment
Wiggins gets little response from DMR about spending
Sun Herald
BY PAUL HAMPTON
State Sen. Brice Wiggins didn't care for the response he got from the
Commission on Marine Resources when he raised concerns about Department of
Marine Resources spending.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/02/25/5370063/wiggins-gets-little-response-from.html
Cleveland recycling grows
Bolivar Commercial
by Denise Strub
It has been a little over a year since Cleveland began its recycling
program and since that time it has grown by bags and bales.
http://www.bolivarcom.com/view/full_story/24638981/article-Cleveland-recycling-grows?instance=main_article
Ridgeland joins Keep America Beautiful affiliates
Clarion Ledger
An affiliation ceremony was held Tuesday afternoon for the city of
Ridgeland in the City Hall boardroom. The Keep Ridgeland Beautiful
organization joins the national affiliates of Keep America Beautiful, which
brings people together to sustain vibrant communities.
http://blogs.clarionledger.com/theburbs/2014/02/25/ridgeland-joins-keep-america-beautiful-affiliates/
Keesler hospital earns energy-efficiency award from EPA
by MBJ Staff
Published: February 24,2014
BILOXI — Keesler Medical Center has earned its second consecutive
Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star Award.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2014/02/24/keesler-hospital-earns-energy-efficiency-award-epa/
National
Emergency DOT order mandates rail crude oil tests
The Hill
By Laura Barron-Lopez
The Department of Transportation on Tuesday issued an emergency order
mandating stricter standards for shippers transporting crude oil by rail.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/199223-dot-mandates-shippers-test-crude-oil-transported-via-rail
Data Harvesting Worries Farmers
Seed Makers Barrel Into Technology Business
Wall Street Journal
Big agricultural companies say the next revolution on the farm will come
from feeding data gathered by tractors and other machinery into computers
that tell farmers how to increase their output of crops like corn and
soybeans.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304450904579369283869192124.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_6
Press Releases
EPA Honors Corporate Leadership in Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Center
for Corporate Climate Leadership announced the third annual Climate
Leadership Award winners in partnership with the Association of Climate
Change Officers (ACCO), the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES)
and The Climate Registry (TCR). Nineteen awards were given to 15
organizations and two individuals in the public and private sectors for
their leadership in addressing climate change by reducing carbon pollution.
The 2014 Climate Leadership Award recipients are:
Organizational Leadership Award: City of Chula Vista, Sprint, and
University of California, Irvine
Individual Leadership Award: Sam Brooks, Associate Director, D.C.
Department of General Services, and Robert Taylor, Energy Manager,
Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
Supply Chain Leadership Award: Sprint
Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Achievement Award): The
Boeing Company; Caesars Entertainment; Cisco Systems, Inc.; Ecolab;
The Hartford; IBM; Johnson Controls; Kohl's Department Stores; Mack
Trucks; and Novelis
Excellence in Greenhouse Gas Management (Goal Setting Certificate):
Fruit of the Loom, Inc.; Hasbro, Inc.; and Kohl's Department Stores
"Our Climate Leadership Award winners have made great strides in reducing
greenhouse gas emissions, and are providing leadership nationwide in many
sectors of our economy," said Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator
for EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. "Their innovative approaches and
commitment to reducing carbon pollution demonstrate that efforts to address
climate change are repaid by saving money and energy, while supporting more
livable and resilient communities, and a healthier, better protected
environment now and for future generations."
The national awards program recognizes and incentivizes exemplary
corporate, organizational, and individual leadership in response to climate
change. Award recipients represent a wide array of industries, including
finance, manufacturing, retail, technology, higher education and local
government.
"The Association of Climate Change Officers is pleased to recognize another
exceptional class of organizations and individuals who are demonstrating
leadership in driving climate action into their organizational cultures,"
said Daniel Kreeger, ACCO's co-founder and executive director. "These award
recipients are demonstrating critical devotion and leadership to managing
and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to the risks and
challenges posed by climate change. These recipients are role models for
corporate, organizational, and individual leaders who can and should be
responding proactively to climate change risks and opportunities."
"Communities and businesses are already experiencing the impacts of climate
change, and we need to act now to protect both our environment and our
economy," said C2ES President Eileen Claussen. "We join EPA in applauding
the winners of the Climate Leadership Awards. These companies,
organizations, and individuals demonstrate that we can save energy, reduce
emissions, and take decisive steps toward a low-carbon future. We hope
their accomplishments will serve as an example for others to follow."
"The Climate Registry applauds this year's Climate Leadership Award winners
for demonstrating a meaningful, results-oriented response to climate
change," said David Rosenheim, executive director of TCR. "Exhibiting
transparency, consistent metrics, and innovative mitigation measures, our
deserving award recipients are building a stronger platform for policy,
innovation, and business solutions to reducing carbon pollution."
The President's Climate Action Plan calls on the federal government to work
with all stakeholders to take action to cut the harmful carbon pollution
that fuels climate change. These organizations and individuals are working
to do just that.
The awards are held in conjunction with the 2014 Climate Leadership
Conference at the Hyatt Mission Bay Hotel in San Diego, Calif.
More information about the 2014 Climate Leadership Award winners is
available at www.epa.gov/climateleadership/awards/2014winners.html
The EPA's Center for Corporate Climate Leadership was launched in 2012 to
establish norms of climate leadership by encouraging organizations with
emerging climate objectives to identify and achieve cost-effective GHG
emission reductions, while helping more advanced organizations drive
innovations in reducing their greenhouse gas impacts in their supply chains
and beyond. The Center serves as a comprehensive resource to help
organizations of all sizes measure and manage GHG emissions, providing
technical tools, ground-tested guidance, educational resources, and
opportunities for information sharing and peer exchange among organizations
interested in reducing the environmental impacts associated with climate
change.
More information about EPA's Center for Corporate Climate Leadership:
www.epa.gov/climateleadership
