4.29.14
Oil Spill
BP refuses to pay for more research on Deepwater Horizon oil spill effects
on dolphins, turtles, oysters
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
April 25, 2014 at 2:31 PM
BP has refused to pay for continued studies of the effects of its Deepwater
Horizon oil spill on marine mammals, turtles and oysters that officials say
are required to complete a federally required Natural Resource Damage
Assessment, according to documents obtained by NOLA.com | The
Times-Picayune.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2014/04/bp_refuses_to_pay_for_more_res.html#incart_river
BP axes funding for study of Gulf Coast species, says there are 'defects'
in agreement with the federal government
Press-Register
Michael Finch II
April 28, 2014 at 8:00 PM
Funding for the study of certain marine mammals and other species has been
axed by BP, contending that it being denied access to the research,
according to news reports.
http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2014/04/bp_axes_funding_for_study_of_g.html
How a Gulf Settlement That BP Once Hailed Became Its Target
By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON and JOHN SCHWARTZAPRIL 26, 2014
NY Times
NEW ORLEANS — Four years ago the Deepwater Horizon oil rig
caught fire and exploded, killing 11 men, spewing millions
of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico and staining,
seemingly indelibly, the image of BP, the international
energy giant responsible for the well.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/27/us/how-a-gulf-settlement-that-bp-once-hailed-became-its-target.html?_r=0
Inside Report: Oil cleanup not over 'by a long shot'
Baton Rouge Advocate
The U.S. Coast Guard has moved almost three miles of Louisiana beach into a
new phase of cleanup called a "Middle Response" following the 2010 Gulf of
Mexico oilfield disaster at the Deepwater Horizon.
http://theadvocate.com/news/opinion/8907826-123/inside-report-oil-cleanup-not
Recovery council working diligently toward restoration of the Gulf
AL.com
By Skip Gruber
As a Baldwin County commissioner and a member of Governor Bentley's Alabama
Gulf Coast Recovery Council (AGCRC), I am part of daily conversations about
how to repair and restore Alabama's Gulf Coast.
http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2014/04/recovery_council_working_dilig.html
State
Dead sea turtles are washing ashore in South Mississippi
WLOX
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) -Dead sea turtles have been washing up along the
beach from Biloxi to Waveland. So far this year, the Institute for Marine
Mammal Studies has responded to nearly 40 dead turtles, ten in the past few
days. The majority of the turtles found dead have been young.
http://www.wlox.com/story/25372048/dea-sea-turtles-are-washing-ashore-in-south-mississippi
Volunteers help Biloxi become clean and green
WLOX
BILOXI, MS (WLOX) -
The people of Biloxi took advantage of the beautiful weather on Saturday
and held a special cleanup day for the city. The Great American Cleanup is
something the city has taken part in for many years.
http://www.wlox.com/story/25349889/volunteers-help-biloxi-become-clean-and-green
Towns host hazardous waste collection events
WTVA
NETTLETON, Miss. (WTVA) -- Mississippi residents looking to rid their home
of hazardous waste will have several opportunities to do so Saturday.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/Towns-host-hazardous-waste-collection-events/J0nWtMihNkiHF9i5txhRiQ.cspx
1,200 cars swing through Gautier with hazardous materials to drop off
Mississippi Press
April M. Havens
April 26, 2014 at 1:22 PM
GAUTIER, Mississippi -- More than 1,200 vehicles -- loaded down with rusty
paint cans, crusty oil buckets and deteriorating tires -- pulled through
the "drive through" today during Jackson County's 11th annual Household
Hazardous Waste Collection Day.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2014/04/1200_cars_swing_through_gautie.html
Byram: City to kick off recycling program
Clarion Ledger
Wednesday will be the first day residents can drop off items at Public
Works for the city's new recycling program.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2014/04/26/byram-city-kick-recycling-program/8218915/
In-house cleanup: Hattiesburg decides to continue garbage pickup
Hattiesburg American
The City of Hattiesburg had considered getting out of the trash-toting
business if the price was right.
As it turned out, it wasn't.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20140428/NEWS01/304280001/In-house-cleanup-Hattiesburg-decides-continue-garbage-pickup
Local agencies participate in National Drug Take Back Day
WLOX
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) -Police departments across the country, including
several right here in South Mississippi, participated in national drug take
back day on Saturday. This year's drop off locations included Gulfport,
Long Beach and Pass Christian police departments as well as Keesler Air
Force Base's AAFES exchange.
http://www.wlox.com/story/25349815/local-agencies-participate-in-national-drug-take-back-day
Police collect 115 pounds of expired prescription drugs
Hattiesburg American
Hattiesburg police collected of about 115 pounds of expired or discarded
prescription drugs during Saturday's "National Drug Take Back Program."
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20140429/NEWS01/304290013/Police-collect-115-pounds-expired-prescription-drugs?nclick_check=1
Parts of Horn Island closed to protect bird nesting areas
WLOX
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) -It's a sure sign that spring has arrived on the
Mississippi Gulf Coast. Much of the western end of Horn Island has been
closed to human traffic.
http://www.wlox.com/story/25341937/parts-of-horn-island-closed-to-protect-bird-nesting-areas
Scott Walker gets two month delay in his sentencing
WLOX
Scott Walker was supposed to find out his sentencing next Tuesday after
pleading guilty to fraud charges in the DMR corruption case. But this
morning, Walker knows he's gotten a bit of a reprieve.
http://www.wlox.com/story/25368859/scott-walker-asks-for-delay-in-sentencing
New gas station to offer compressed natural gas
By Terri Ferguson Smith
The Meridian Star
MERIDIAN — A growing number of drivers in the U.S. are searching for
alternative fuel sources for their autos and one local company is hoping to
turn that into profit.
http://www.meridianstar.com/local/x493479539/New-gas-station-to-offer-compressed-natural-gas
Company aims for 'net zero' energy costs
MBJ
by Lisa Monti
Published: April 25,2014
The owners of M2C Energy Solutions, a full-service energy saving products
company, is getting ready for its national rollout at the end of the month.
Based in Gulfport, the company researches, educates and recommends
products, systems and services for residential and commercial customers who
want to save money on energy.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2014/04/25/company-aims-net-zero-energy-costs/
Regional
Arkansas environmental panel approves air quality permit for $1.1B proposed
steel mill
By CHUCK BARTELS Associated Press
April 25, 2014
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas — A planned $1.2 billion steel mill planned
for northeast Arkansas cleared an important hurdle Friday with a state
regulatory panel's approval of its air quality permit.
Big River Steel had a lengthy fight for the permit for the Osceola plant,
with a competitor, Nucor Steel in Blytheville, filing multiple objections
along the way.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/f82d452c7415406f9380b52de33d1ea3/AR--Arkansas-Steel-Mill
National
Challenge to Chesapeake cleanup tests EPA power
BY HOPE YEN
Associated PressApril 29, 2014
WASHINGTON — Maryland is joining three other jurisdictions in supporting
the Obama administration's plan to clean up the Chesapeake Bay watershed,
seeking to counter an election-year legal challenge by farmers and 21
attorneys general that could shape future U.S. environmental policy.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/04/29/5530155/challenge-to-chesapeake-cleanup.html?sp=/99/102/
EPA chief rejects GOP lawmakers' 'secret science' claim
Published April 29, 2014
FoxNews.com
Environmental Protection Agency administrator Gina McCarthy is pushing back
against Republican lawmakers who claim that the agency is relying on
"secret science" in its push to impose regulations on air and water
pollution.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/04/29/epa-chief-slams-secret-science-claim/?intcmp=latestnews
Republicans warn of threat to natural gas from EPA rule
The Hill
By Timothy Cama - 04/28/14 02:58 PM EDT
The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposal to clarify which
bodies of water it can regulate would dramatically extend the agency's
reach and hurt natural-gas companies that have to build pipelines, Rep.
Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) said Monday.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/204561-rep-shuster-epas-water-rule-would-hurt-natural-gas-industry
EPA: Automakers on track to cut emissions
The Hill
By Laura Barron-Lopez - 04/25/14 11:35 AM EDT
The Environmental Protection Agency is reporting that U.S. automakers are
"off to a good start" in meeting the Obama administration's greenhouse gas
standards for cars and light trucks.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/204377-epa-automakers-on-track-in-cutting-emissions
The reasons -- and risks -- behind shipping crude oil by rail
BY CURTIS TATE
McClatchy Washington BureauApril 25, 2014
WASHINGTON — Domestic oil production is literally rolling across the
country.
The country's vast rail network has become, in effect, the pipeline for
newer sources of crude oil unlocked by hydraulic fracturing, particularly
in North Dakota's Bakken region.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/04/25/5522896/the-reasons-and-risks-behind-shipping.html?sp=/99/100/&ihp=1
Opinion
Partners in Ethanol Crime
The corn-fuel mandate has been an invitation to mass fraud.
Wall Street Journal
Ethanol is losing political steam on the left and right, but the fuel
retains a powerful patron in the Environmental Protection Agency. On
Wednesday the EPA retroactively reduced the 2013 gasoline-blending mandate
for cellulosic ethanol to 810,185 gallons from six million.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304512504579491750362682742?mg=reno64-wsj
Press Releases
EPA Report: Data Show Automakers on Track in meeting Greenhouse Gas
Standards
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released
a Manufacturers Performance Report that assesses the automobile industry's
progress toward meeting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for cars
and light trucks in the 2012 model year – the first year of this fourteen
year program. The report reveals that consumers bought cleaner vehicles in
the first year of the program than the 2012 GHG standard required, and that
automakers are off to a good start in meeting program requirements.
"President Obama's Climate Action Plan calls for reductions in greenhouse
gases and this report shows that the automakers are off to a good start
reducing harmful emissions. EPA's greenhouse gas standards for light duty
cars and trucks are already reducing the dangerous carbon emissions that
contribute to climate change while saving consumers money at the pump, and
strengthening our nation's energy security by relying less on foreign oil,"
said EPA Administrator, Gina McCarthy. "Our first official glimpse at how
the auto companies are doing shows that they are rising to the challenge of
meeting these standards, and realizing these benefits for our families and
our country."
The data show that in model year 2012, the industry reduced tailpipe carbon
dioxide emissions, and also used the optional flexibilities built into the
standards. Those flexibilities include emissions credits for improvements
in air conditioning systems, and a system that allows transfer of emissions
credits from year to year, and among manufacturers. These flexibilities
allow greater emissions reductions, lower compliance costs, and more
consumer choice, all while providing manufacturers with options on how and
when to make reductions. Because of the program's multi-year structure, EPA
will not make formal compliance determinations for the 2012 model year
until 2015. EPA will be closely tracking progress towards compliance, and
intends to issue annual Manufacturers Performance Reports on the program.
The trend towards more efficient, cleaner cars and trucks continued in
model year 2012. According to EPA's most recent Fuel Economy Trends Report,
fuel economy improved by 1.2 mpg in 2012 compared to 2011, the second
biggest improvement in the last 30 years. Further, in 2013 there were twice
as many sport utility vehicle models that achieved at least 25 miles per
gallon (mpg), and seven times as many car models that achieved 40 mpg or
more, compared to just five years ago.
The GHG emission standards are projected to cut 6 billion metric tons of
greenhouse gases over the lifetimes of vehicles sold in model years
2012-2025 – more than the total amount of carbon dioxide emitted by the
United States in 2012. The standards are also projected to save consumers
who purchase a new model year 2025 vehicle more than $8,000 in fuel costs
over that vehicle's lifetime.
More Information on the Manufacturers Performance Report:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/ghg-report.htm
More information on Light Duty Vehicle Standards:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/climate/regs-light-duty.htm
More information on GHG and Fuel Economy Trends:
http://epa.gov/otaq/fetrends.htm
EPA Seeks Small Businesses' Input on Lead Paint for Public and Commercial
Buildings
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is inviting
small businesses to participate as consultants for a Small Business
Advocacy Review (SBAR) Panel as the agency considers steps to reduce lead
based paint exposure from the renovation, repair, and painting of public
and commercial buildings as required by section 402(c)(3) of the Toxic
Substances Control Act (TSCA).
The SBAR Panel is being established pursuant to the Regulatory Flexibility
Act, and will include representatives from the Small Business
Administration (SBA), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and EPA.
The Panel will ask a selected group of Small Entity Representatives (SERs)
to provide advice and recommendations on behalf of their company,
community, or organization to inform the Panel on impacts of a proposed
rule on small entities involved in the renovation, repair, and painting of
public and commercial buildings. SER panelists may participate via
telephone or webinar, as well as in person.
EPA seeks self-nominations directly from the small businesses, small
governments and small organizations that may be subject to the rule
requirements to facilitate the selection of SERs. An entity is eligible to
be a SER if it will be directly subject to the particular proposed
regulation under development and meets one of the SBA's definitions
http://www.sba.gov/content/table-small-business-size-standards
to qualify as a small entity.
EPA encourages the actual owners or operators of small businesses,
community officials, and representatives of non-profit organizations to
participate in this process. However, a person from a trade association
that exclusively or primarily represents potentially regulated small
entities may also serve as a SER.
Self-nominations may be submitted through the link below and must be
received by May 9, 2014.
To nominate yourself, visit: How can I get Involved:
http://www.epa.gov/rfa/lead-pncb.html
More Information: http://www.epa.gov/sbrefa/faq.htm
EPA Recognizes Seven University Teams for Environmental Solutions
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
announced seven winning student teams of EPA's People, Prosperity and the
Planet (P3) phase II awards for innovative and sustainable designs to help
solve today's complex environmental problems at the 10th annual National
Sustainable Design Expo in Washington, D.C.
"As we mark the 10th year of the National Sustainable Design Expo and P3
competition, we continue to be inspired by the next generation of
scientists and engineers shaping the future of our country," said Bob
Perciasepe, U.S. EPA Deputy Administrator. "These students support a vision
for the future that encourages a prosperous economy while seeking
sustainable and creative solutions to some of the most pressing
environmental and health challenges facing our world."
EPA's P3 Program challenges student teams to create designs for a
sustainable future while offering quality hands-on experience that brings
science, technology, engineering and math classroom learning to life. This
year's winners were selected from 35 competing teams following two days of
judging by a panel of national experts convened by the American Association
for the Advancement of Science.
Each award-winning team is recommended for a grant of up to $90,000 to
further develop their design, apply it to real world situations, and bring
it to the marketplace. Previous P3 award winners have started successful
businesses and are marketing their technologies in the U.S. and around the
world.
Winners of this year's awards are:
Cornell University, New York, for designing a low-cost monitor for
measuring water quality.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida, for designing an innovative
air conditioning system that runs on solar power.
Iowa State University for designing a new kind of fabric made with fibers
from bacteria and yeast grown in tea and polymers of corn and soy.
Purdue University, Indiana, for researching how to improve indoor air
quality by using plants grown in the air filter of a home HVAC system.
SUNY Stony Brook, New York, for designing and building Poseidon, an ocean
energy harvester that converts wave motion into electrical energy.
University of Tennessee, Knoxville, for exploring ways to use green oak or
"heart centers," the low-quality part of hardwood logs in U.S. building
construction.
University of Wisconsin, Madison, for implementing a campus recycling
program for expanded polystyrene packaging thereby diverting almost 2000
boxes and other polystyrene material from landfills in 6 months of
operation.
The winning teams announced today received EPA's P3 award and will each be
recommended for Phase II funding of a grant up to $90,000. Phase I funding
provided teams with up to $15,000 to develop their design. In addition to
the seven winning team, 17 teams were recognized as Honorable Mentions for
their project quality inspiring innovation for environmental solutions.
Now in its tenth year, EPA's P3 program has funded 477 student team
projects, that involved over 3,400 undergraduate and graduate students and
1,000 faculty members.
The 2014 National Sustainable Design Expo was held in conjunction with the
USA Science and Engineering Festival (USA SEF) at the Walter E. Washington
Convention Center in Washington, DC. This was the third year of the
Festival, the largest science festival in the United States.
More information on the P3 Program and this year's projects:
http://www.epa.gov/ncer/p3/
More information on USA SEF: http://www.usasciencefestival.org/
