Oil Spill
BP points to 'significant progress' since the oil spill
WLOX
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) -BP says the Gulf of Mexico is undergoing a
"robust recovery"in the four years since the oil spill. The company
released a report this week outlining the progress that's been made since
the Deepwater Horizon accident in 2010. That report looks at tourism,
fishing and the environment.
http://www.wlox.com/story/25264750/bp-points-to-significant-progress-since-the-oil-spill
BP oil spill cleanup will continue, Coast Guard tells state coastal
authority
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
April 17, 2014 at 12:02 AM
The Coast Guard has scaled back its clean-up response to the BP Deepwater
Horizon oil spill, but that scale-back is not as extensive as BP indicated
in a news release issued Tuesday, an irritated Capt. Thomas Sparks told the
state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority on Wednesday.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2014/04/oil_spill_cleanup_will_continu.html#incart_river
Coastal expert responds to BP's move to end active clean-up
WWL
The advisor to Governor Jindal on coastal affairs is concerned about BP's
announcement that the Coast Guard is ending active clean-up efforts on
Louisiana's coast. The oil company makes the announcement just days before
the fourth anniversary of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster. Jerome
Zeringue says oiling of Louisiana's coastline will continue.
http://www.wwl.com/pages/18830416.php?contentType=4&contentId=15075636
'Active Cleanup' of Oil Spill Is Ended on Louisiana Coast
NY Times
By EMMA G. FITZSIMMONS
APRIL 16, 2014
The cleanup efforts on the Gulf Coast in response to the
Deepwater Horizon oil spill have entered a new phase, with
the oil company BP announcing that it is ending its
"active cleanup" of Louisiana's coast almost four years
after the disaster.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/17/us/bp-oil-cleanup-gulf-coast.html?ref=earth
BP says Gulf spill shoreline cleanup operations are over
The HIll
By Laura Barron-Lopez
Four years after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, BP and the U.S. Coast Guard
are ending cleanup operations along the shoreline.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/203715-bp-coast-guard-end-gulf-cleanup-operations
4 years after BP spill, oystermen struggling
WVUE
POINTE A LA HACHE, LA (WVUE) -Wednesday was a perfect day for oyster
fishing in Plaquemines Parish, but no boats were moving.
As the four-year anniversary of the BP oil spill approaches, some say it's
still not practical to even take their boats out. They say in a region that
at one time was the most productive in the world, the oysters are gone.
http://www.fox8live.com/story/25266709/4-years-after-bp-spill-oystermen-struggling
Four Years After the BP Oil Spill
WJHG
PANAMA CITY BEACH -- Despite Sunday being the 4 year anniversary,
individuals and businesses(Embedded image moved to file: pic23805.jpg) are
still seeking damages against BP, saying they were hurt financially by the
spill.
http://www.wjhg.com/news/headlines/Four-Years-after-the-BP-Oil-Spill-255566821.html
Help improve environment
Daily Comet
April 16, 2014 at 10:22 a.m.
The environmental advocacy organization Restore or Retreat will hold its
annual general membership meeting April 28 in Thibodaux.
Justin Ehrenwerth, executive director of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem
Restoration Council, headlines the event. The council is responsible for
managing a portion of oil spill fines.
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20140416/HURBLOG/140419629/1223?Title=Help-improve-environment-
Ex-US Attorney heads Gulf spill claims audit panel
The Associated Press
April 17, 2014
NEW ORLEANS — A former U.S. attorney in Baton Rouge heads up a new
three-member audit panel appointed to review the settlement program arising
from the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/04/17/5502654/ex-us-attorney-heads-gulf-spill.html?sp=/99/184/218/
Oil and gas activity in full rebound 4 years after Macondo well blowout
Jennifer Larino
The Times-Picayune
April 16, 2014 at 6:30 PM
Oil had been gushing from BP's ill-fated Macondo well for only a few days
in late April 2010 when managers at Covington-based LLOG Exploration faced
some of the toughest and most expensive decisions in the company's 30-year
history.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2014/04/oil_and_gas_activity_in_full_r.html
BP president: Along the Gulf Coast, resilience and signs of recovery
AL.com
April 17, 2014
By John Mingé
As we approach four years since the Deepwater Horizon accident, memories of
that day, the tragic loss of eleven lives, and the difficult time that
followed remain vivid for BP and many along the Gulf Coast. But this year
has also has brought new evidence of the progress the Gulf Coast and its
people have made, and the resilience they have demonstrated in the face of
those who doubted the region could recover.
http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/04/bp_president_along_the_gulf_co.html
The Deepwater Horizon Threat
NY Times
By S. ELIZABETH BIRNBAUM and JACQUELINE SAVITZ
APRIL 16, 2014
FOUR years ago this Sunday, BP's Macondo well in the Gulf
of Mexico blew out, destroying the Deepwater Horizon
drilling rig, killing 11 workers and setting off an
uncontrolled oil gusher lasting 87 days. By the time the
flow was stopped, an estimated 200 million gallons of oil
had entered the ocean.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/17/opinion/the-deepwater-horizon-threat.html?hp&rref=opinion&_r=0
State
Simpson County Community Cleans Up After Dam Breach
WJTV
HARRISVILLE, Miss. - A Simpson County community is faced with a clean up
after an issue at a lake off Hawkins Road Tuesday night.
http://www.wjtv.com/story/25267711/simpson-county-community-cleans-up-after-dam-breach
Lake floods Simpson County community
WLBT
SIMPSON COUNTY, MS (Mississippi News Now) -Safety has been restored in a
Simpson County community where people saw a wall of water rushing towards
their homes overnight. The problem, a nearby lake that had flooded.
http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/25267695/lake-floods-simpson-county?autostart=true
M.G.C.C.C. Students Participate in Bioquest at the Estuarine Education
Center
WXXV
Biology and zoology students at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College's
Jackson County Campus spent a week helping the Pascagoula River Audubon
Center and its partners conduct a bioquest as part of the Pascagoula River
Biodiversity Inventory. The inventory is an ongoing effort to document all
living things on the Pascagoula River.
http://www.wxxv25.com/news/local/story/M-G-C-C-C-Students-Participate-in-Bioquest-at-the/vltt3l1cLUacHanfZQMpBA.cspx
Keep Pearl Beautiful wins '14 national honor
Rankin Ledger
Keep Pearl Beautiful received Keep America Beautiful President's Circle
Award during Keep America Beautiful's 2014 National Conference, which
recently took place in Charlotte, N.C. The President's Circle Award
recognizes exemplary performance made by certified affiliates of the
national nonprofit in building and sustaining vibrant communities.
http://www.rankinledger.com/article/20140411/NEWS/304110001/Keep-Pearl-Beautiful-wins-14-national-honor
Dumpster schedule for upcoming weeks listed
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Daily Leader
The schedule for dumpster locations for the remainder of the 2014 Lincoln
County Great American Cleanup is as follows.
http://dailyleader.com/2014/04/16/dumpster-schedule-for-upcoming-weeks-listed/
Asbestos found in WPD building
Stone County Enterprise
By Jody O'Hara
Apr 10, 2014, 11:39
WIGGINS - The more inspectors look into the Wiggins Police
Department/Municipal Court building on First Street, the more problems they
find.
http://www.stonecountyenterprise.com/article_2094.shtml
Sheriff's department offers drug disposal for residents
WTVA
TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) -- The Lee County Sheriff's Department is offering the
public a chance to properly dispose of their prescription medications.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/Sheriffs-department-offers-drug-disposal-for/vSBgeEqk7Uig9DeDYaCeKA.cspx
Corps disagrees with Natchez mayor
Clarion Ledger
NATCHEZ – A riverfront project for which the city of Natchez is
hoping to enlist help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to
"complete" was finished nearly 20 years ago, a Corps spokesman said.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/2014/04/16/corps-disagrees-natchez-mayor/7806661/
Mississippi State makes NSF ranking of research universities
by MBJ Staff
Published: April 15,2014
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State University continues to rank among the
nation's top research universities, according to a new survey by the
National Science Foundation.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2014/04/15/mississippi-state-makes-nsf-ranking-research-universities/
Regional
A high-level promise: EPA regional chief vows long-term help to clean,
rebuild North Birmingham neighborhoods
Al.com
Joseph D. Bryant
April 16, 2014 at 3:53 PM
BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- The tiny room in Birmingham's Harriman Park
Recreation Center had run out of space to put chairs once Heather McTeer
Toney arrived Tuesday afternoon.
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2014/04/birmingham_alabama_--_the_tiny.html
National
Feds to provide $4B in green energy support
The Hill
By Laura Barron-Lopez
The Energy Department is opening up $4 billion in federal loan guarantees
to projects that reduce or capture greenhouse gas emissions.
The department issued its draft request for applications of renewable
energy and energy efficient projects on Wednesday. The agency is looking
for projects that will help advance electric grid integration with
renewable sources, create more compatible biofuels and turn waste into
energy.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/203662-doe-rolls-out-renewable-energy-loan-guarantees
Watchdog: EPA inflating success of wetlands programs
Published April 16, 2014
FoxNews.com
An EPA inspector general report suggests the agency is inflating the
success of its wetland preservation programs.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/04/16/watchdog-epa-inflating-success-wetlands-programs/
Earthjustice snags EPA environmental justice head
The Hill
By Laura Barron-Lopez
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official Lisa Garcia is joining the
prominent environmental law group Earthjustice.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/203690-earthjustice-snags-epa-environmental-justice-head
Fracking study in Pennsylvania finds few water concerns
UPI
April 17, 2014 at 9:31 AM
Daniel J. Graeber
HARRISBURG, Pa., April 17 (UPI) -- HARRISBURG, Pa., April 17 (UPI) -- Water
quality in Pennsylvania hasn't been affected by hydraulic fracturing in the
state, a report from state's conservation department said.
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2014/04/17/Fracking-study-in-Pennsylvania-finds-few-water-concerns/3061397740293/
Portland plans reservoir flush after teen cited
BY STEVEN DUBOIS
Associated PressApril 17, 2014
PORTLAND, ORE. — Call it the Big Flush 2, and this time the sequel promises
to be much bigger than the original.
Portland officials said Wednesday they are flushing away millions of
gallons of treated water for the second time in less than three years
because someone urinated into a city reservoir.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/04/17/5502521/portland-plans-reservoir-flush.html?sp=/99/184/767/312/
4,000 chemical containers removed from Seattle home
USA Today
SEATTLE — Federal investigators successfully removed 4,000
containers of hazardous chemicalsfrom a home here in a cleanup that
took almost 10 days, officials said.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/17/residential-chemical-removal/7813739/
Opinion
Seismic Shifts in Fracking Policy?
US News & World Report
Who would have thought that government decisions impacting our nation's
energy future would be shaped by some "rock heads" from Ohio?
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/economic-intelligence/2014/04/16/ohio-adopts-stricter-anti-fracking-rules-near-earthquake-areas
OP-ED: Time for the Southeast to Act on Climate this Earth Day
By Heather McTeer Toney, Regional Administrator for the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency
The Southeast will join the rest of the nation and countries across the
world in celebrating Earth Day on April 22. The entire month of April is a
great time to reflect on the strides we have made to reduce pollution over
the last 44 years, and assess current environmental conditions while
evaluating our personal responsibility to a cleaner environment.
This year's theme, "Act on Climate," serves to remind us that
we—individually and collectively—have the power to reverse the damaging
effects of climate change. Climate change is a serious threat to the health
and welfare of American families—particularly in the Southeast, which has
experienced more billion dollar weather and climate-related disasters than
any other region.
The eight states that make up the Southeastern region are home to 20
percent of the U.S. population. We collectively generate 24 percent of the
nation's electricity and electricity-related carbon dioxide emissions. We
also use more fuel and drive more miles than any other region.
Many families, communities, businesses, and states are already taking
action to reduce carbon pollution and protect themselves and their property
from the risks caused by climate change. You may be wondering: what can I
do?
Cutting carbon pollution can be simple and cost effective. For example, you
could save almost $60 each year in energy costs if you were to replace the
five most frequently used lights in your home with ENERGY STAR LED lights.
If every household in the Southeast did this, it would cut the greenhouse
gas emissions equal to the annual emissions from nearly 1 million cars per
year!
There are a number of resources that can make the switch to ENERGY STAR LED
lights even more affordable. Check out the Database of State Incentives for
Renewables & Efficiency (www.dsireusa.org), funded by the U.S. Department
of Energy, and the ENERGY STAR Rebate and Special Deals Finder (
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=rebate.rebate_locator).
One of the most powerful things you can do is educate yourself about
climate change and talk to your friends and neighbors about the challenge
we face. Visit www.epa.gov/earthday during the month of April to learn easy
ways to cut carbon pollution in your daily life.
Preparing for the impacts of climate change can be as easy as just making
yourself aware of potential changes in weather that scientists are
expecting for your area. Is the drainage around your home prepared for more
frequent, heavier downpours? Is your yard resilient to drier, hotter
summers? Knowing the changes in climate can help you plan for the future,
and save you time and money.
During April, my staff and I will participate in events throughout the
region focused on educating the public about climate change. From
preschools to colleges, to homes and businesses, we will be reaching out
with ways to help you cut your carbon footprint and encourage climate
preparedness planning.
For more information on ways you can help, and to find out where we will
be, connect with EPA Region 4 on Facebook (www.facebook.com/eparegion4) and
on Twitter @EPASoutheast.
"In a gentle way, you can shake the world."
¯ Mahatma Gandhi
Heather McTeer Toney was appointed by President Barack Obama as Regional
Administrator for EPA's Southeast Region in January 2014. EPA's Southeast
Region covers Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and 6 Tribes.
