3.6.14
Oil Spill
State joins federal suit over oil spill
By ZACK McDONALD | The News Herald
Published: Wednesday, March 5, 2014 at 18:59 PM.
PANAMA CITY — Florida filed suit Wednesday in Panama City seeking
compensation for environmental damages caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil
spill, which released about 210 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of
Mexico.
http://www.newsherald.com/news/government/state-joins-federal-suit-over-oil-spill-document-1.287023
State
Jackson County named in annual list of Clean Water Act violators
Sun Herald
BY LAUREN WALCK
A piece of land just north of the Jackson County Recreation Department in
Vancleave is going to cost an extra $27,350 after the county pays the
Environmental Protection Agency over violating the Clean Water Act.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/03/05/5392848/jackson-county-named-in-annual.html
Jackson County has 2 of 18 illegal sewage discharge sites in lawsuit
settled by consent decree
The Associated Press
March 05, 2014 at 2:40 PM
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Total Environmental Solutions Inc. and Utility
Services LLC have agreed to address violations of the Clean Water Act,
including effluent violations and unauthorized overflows of untreated raw
sewage at 18 sites in Mississippi.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2014/03/jackson_county_has_2_of_18_ill.html
IMMS worried outdated NOAA regulations will hurt fishing industry
WLOX
HARRISON COUNTY, MS (WLOX) -The people who help rehab injured marine life
say outdated NOAA regulations could hurt the fishing industry on the Coast.
Several hurricane damaged fishing piers in Gulfport will not be repaired
until a study is done to determine whether fishing off those piers will
negatively impact Kemps Ridley and Loggerhead sea turtles.
http://www.wlox.com/story/24898121/imms-worried-outdated-noaa-regulations-will-hurt-fishing-industry
Gulf Coast Industries workers recycle Mardi Gras beads
WLOX
GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) -Many may be wondering what to do with all of those
beads you caught at parades this year. Gulf Coast Industries has a way for
you to put those Mardi Gras beads to very good use.
http://www.wlox.com/story/24896387/gulf-coast-industries-workers-recycle-mardi-gras-beads
Toyota recycler opens near plant
New Albany Gazette
Nationwide and globally recognized scrap metal recycling and waste handling
company Green Metals, Inc. opened up a new facility located at 1034 Corolla
Lane in Blue Springs.
http://newalbanygazette.com/2014/02/27/toyota-recycler-opens-near-plant/
National
House GOP moves to block EPA rules on power plants
AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans are moving to block President Barack
Obama's plan to limit carbon pollution from new power plants.
http://www.stltoday.com/news/national/govt-and-politics/house-gop-moves-to-block-epa-rules-on-power-plants/article_f5c3e2de-637f-583d-9070-6d10f5666fa8.html
Record Fine Proposed for Coal Mining Operations
AP
The Obama administration is proposing a record fine for thousands of water
pollution violations by coal mine operators in five Appalachian states.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/record-fine-proposed-coal-mining-operations-22794353
House passes bill on energy efficiency
The Hill
By Laura Barron-Lopez
The House passed a bipartisan package on Wednesday intended to up energy
efficiency in homes and federal agencies.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/200027-house-passes-energy-efficiency-bill
Rail carries Canadian crude while Keystone pipeline decision simmers
BY CURTIS TATE
McClatchy Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — While supporters and opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline
have been busy debating the controversial proposal, the oil that it's
intended to move has found another carrier _ one that didn't require the
president's stamp of approval or several years and billions of dollars to
construct.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/03/06/5391942/rail-carries-canadian-crude-while.html
Opinion
MARK HENRY: Employment and the economy are improving in Mississippi
A Sun Herald Forum
March 5, 2014
In her recent article in the Sun Herald, Anita Lee contended that the
employment picture in Mississippi is much worse than Gov. Phil Bryant has
indicated. Well, let's look at the facts.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/03/05/5392064/mark-henry-employment-and-the.html
Understanding state employees' pay
Clarion Ledger
The state is operating with fewer employees than it did a decade ago, a
move partially pushed through for budgetary reasons.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20140306/OPINION/303060049/Understanding-state-employees-pay
Press Releases
Company Agrees to Upgrade 18 Wastewater Facilities in Mississippi to Stop
Illegal Discharges of Sewage
Contact: Davina Marraccini, 404-562-8293 (direct), 404-562-8400 (main),
marraccini.davina@epa.gov
ATLANTA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Department
of Justice and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
announced a proposed settlement today with Total Environmental Solutions,
Inc. (TESI) and Utility Services, LLC to address violations of the Clean
Water Act (CWA), including effluent violations and unauthorized overflows
of untreated raw sewage. These companies have agreed to undertake a
thorough assessment of, and implement extensive improvements to, 18
wastewater treatment facilities and wastewater collection and transmission
systems located in Mississippi.
The proposed consent decree resolves TESI's liability for CWA violations at
these Mississippi facilities, including numerous effluent violations,
instances of failure to monitor and sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs).TESI's
failure to properly operate and maintain these wastewater treatment
facilities and wastewater collection and transmission systems resulted in
violations of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits
issued by the State of Mississippi.
Utility Services, LLC intends to purchase these facilities from TESI and
then assume the responsibilities of TESI to perform the injunctive relief
required under the consent decree at an estimated cost of $1.075 million.
The proposed consent decree also requires TESI to pay a civil penalty of
$225,000.
Keeping raw sewage out of the waters of the United States is one of the
EPA's national enforcement initiatives. The initiative focuses on reducing
sewer overflows and permit limit exceedances, which can present a
significant threat to human health and the environment. These reductions
are accomplished by obtaining commitments from the operators of wastewater
systems to implement timely, affordable solutions to these problems.
The proposed consent decree has been lodged in the U.S. District Court for
the Southern District of Mississippi, and is subject to a 30-day public
comment period and final court approval. A copy is available on the
Department of Justice website at: www.justice.gov/enrd/Consent Decrees.html
.
More information on EPA's national enforcement initiative is available at:
www.epa.gov/compliance/data/planning/initiatives/2011sewagestormwater.html
Coal Companies and Subsidiaries to Spend Estimated $200 Million on
Treatment and System-wide Upgrades to Reduce Water Pollution
$27.5 Million Civil Penalty is Largest in History Under Section 402 of the
Clean Water Act
WASHINGTON – Alpha Natural Resources, Inc. (Alpha), one of the nation's
largest coal companies, Alpha Appalachian Holdings (formerly Massey
Energy), and 66 subsidiaries have agreed to spend an estimated $200 million
to install and operate wastewater treatment systems and to implement
comprehensive, system-wide upgrades to reduce discharges of pollution from
coal mines in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West
Virginia, the Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) announced today. Overall, the settlement covers approximately
79 active mines and 25 processing plants in these five states.
EPA estimates that the upgrades and advanced treatment required by the
settlement will reduce discharges of total dissolved solids by over 36
million pounds each year, and will cut metals and other pollutants by
approximately nine million pounds per year. The companies will also pay a
civil penalty of $27.5 million for thousands of permit violations, which is
the largest penalty in history under Section 402 of the Clean Water Act
(CWA).
"This settlement is the result of state and federal agencies working
together to protect local communities from pollution by enforcing the law,"
said Cynthia Giles, Assistant Administrator of EPA's Office of Enforcement
and Compliance Assurance. "By requiring reforms and a robust compliance
program, we are helping to ensure coal mining in Appalachia follows
environmental laws that protect public health."
"The unprecedented size of the civil penalty in this settlement sends a
strong deterrent message to others in this industry that such egregious
violations of the nation's Clean Water Act will not be tolerated," said
Robert G. Dreher, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice
Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "Today's agreement
is good news for communities across Appalachia, who have too often been
vulnerable to polluters who disregard the law. It holds Alpha accountable
and will bring increased compliance and transparency among Alpha and its
many subsidiaries."
In addition to paying the penalty, the companies must build and operate
treatment systems to eliminate violations of selenium and salinity limits,
and also implement comprehensive, system-wide improvements to ensure future
compliance with the CWA. These improvements, which apply to all of Alpha's
operations in Appalachia, include developing and implementing an
environmental management system and periodic internal and third-party
environmental compliance audits.
The companies must also maintain a database to track violations and
compliance efforts at each outfall, significantly improve the timeliness of
responding to violations, and consult with third party experts to solve
problem discharges. In the event of future violations, the companies will
be required to pay stipulated penalties, which may be increased and, in
some cases, doubled for continuing violations.
The government complaint alleged that, between 2006 and 2013, Alpha and its
subsidiaries routinely violated limits in 336 of its state-issued CWA
permits, resulting in the discharge of excess amounts of pollutants into
hundreds of rivers and streams in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee,
Virginia, and West Virginia. The violations also included discharge of
pollutants without a permit.
In total, EPA documented at least 6,289 violations of permit limits for
pollutants that include iron, pH, total suspended solids, aluminum,
manganese, selenium, and salinity. These violations occurred at 794
different discharge points, or outfalls. Monitoring records also showed
that multiple pollutants were discharged in amounts of more than twice the
permitted limit on many occasions. Most violations stemmed from the
company's failure to properly operate existing treatment systems, install
adequate treatment systems, and implement appropriate water handling and
management plans.
Today's settlement also resolves violations of a prior 2008 settlement with
Massey Energy, and applies to the facilities and sites formerly owned by
the company. Under the 2008 settlement, Massey paid a $20 million penalty
to the federal government for similar CWA violations, in addition to over a
million dollars in stipulated penalties over the course of the next two
years. Alpha purchased Massey in June 2011 and, since taking over the
company, has been working cooperatively with the government in developing
the terms of today's settlement.
CWA permits allow for the discharge of certain pollutants in limited
amounts to rivers, streams, and other water bodies. Permit holders are
required to monitor discharges regularly and report results to the
respective state agencies.
Alpha, headquartered in Bristol, Va., is one of the largest coal companies
in the nation. Alpha operates more than 79 active coal mines and 25 coal
preparation plants located throughout Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee,
Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. The Wyoming operations are not
included in today's settlement.
The States of West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky are co-plaintiffs
in today's settlement. The U.S. will receive half of the civil penalty and
the other half will be divided between the co-plaintiffs based on the
number of violations in each state, as follows: West Virginia
($8,937,500), Pennsylvania ($4,125,000), and Kentucky ($687,500).
The consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern
District of West Virginia, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and
approval by the federal court.
More information on the settlement:
http://www2.epa.gov/enforcement/alpha-natural-resources-inc-settlement
More information on Clean Water Act Enforcement:
http://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/cwa/index.html
