5.23.14
Oil Spill
Three Years After Oil Spill, Lawmakers Learn About $5 Million BP Gave To
Governor's Office
Texas Public Radio
Typically, money slated for the state budget is handled by the Legislature.
But yesterday the Texas House Appropriations and Natural Resources
Committee found out about $5 million paid to the state of Texas by British
Petroleum following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
http://tpr.org/post/three-years-after-oil-spill-lawmakers-learn-about-5-million-bp-gave-governors-office
State
Acid mist forced MDEQ to shut down Pascagoula's Mississippi Phosphates
plant
Sun Herald
BY KAREN NELSON
PASCAGOULA -- The air was so bad at times last summer along Bayou Casotte
the state Department of Environmental Quality shut down both of Mississippi
Phosphates' sulfuric acid plants with a cease-and-desist order. That's a
punitive measure the agency rarely uses on industry.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/05/22/5595306/acid-mist-forces-mdeq-to-shut.html?sp=/99/100/&ihp=1
Recycling projects expand with MDEQ funding
WTVA
OXFORD, Miss. (WTVA) -- Recycling efforts in Oxford are set to expand with
the funding of a $227,160 grant.
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality awarded the funds for a
project to enhance the curbside recycling system in Oxford and to expand
recycling access in its partnering communities.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/Recycling-projects-expand-with-MDEQ-funding/6c2GSQ5rsEKFDBxx_ELBZw.cspx
Greenwood, McComb, Natchez, Oxford gain MDEQ grants
MBJ
Four community projects in the state have been awarded Regional Recycling
Cooperative Grants by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.
The more than $1 million in grants will be used to fund regional
cooperative recycling projects in Greenwood, McComb, Natchez and Oxford.
http://msbusiness.com/businessblog/2014/05/22/greenwood-mccomb-natchez-oxford-gain-mdeq-grants/
Popular beach spots in Biloxi, Gulfport cleared for swimming
WLOX
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) -Three busy sections of the beach in Harrison
County are now clear for beachgoers, and just in time for the big holiday
weekend.
http://www.wlox.com/story/25592389/popular-beach-spots-in-biloxi-gulfport-cleared-for-swimming
Senators urge EPA to extend coal-fired power plant comment period
WDAM
Most of us don't think twice before cutting on a light, or powering up our
laptops. Electricity doesn't come from some magic generator in the walls of
our homes; it comes from places like the J.T. Dudley Senior Generation
Complex, one of South Mississippi's power plants.
http://www.wdam.com/story/25593550/power-plant-steaming-over-epa-regulations
EPA task force recruits MSU to battle farmland runoff into river
by Associated Press
Published: May 21,2014
STARKVILLE ? A task force established by the Environmental Protection
Agency to curtail farmland pollution that flows into the Mississippi River
has reached an agreement with 12 universities, including one in
Mississippi.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2014/05/21/epa-task-force-recruits-msu-battle-farmland-runoff-river/
State Wants To Hear From Fishermen About Oyster, Blue Crab
MPB
The Department of Marine Resources wants to hear from Mississippi oyster
and blue crab fishermen on its plans for almost $11 million of recovery
money the state is receiving.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/state_wants_to_hear_from_fishermen_about_oyster_blue_crab
Gulf LNG to begin pre-filing review with FERC on potential $8 billion
export expansion at Pascagoula terminal
Mississippi Press
April M. Havens
May 22, 2014 at 10:41 PM
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Gulf LNG Liquefaction Co., which wants to add
liquefaction and export capabilities to the $1 billion liquefied natural
gas storage terminal in Pascagoula, received permission this week from the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to begin its pre-filing review
process.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2014/05/gulf_lng_to_begin_pre-filing_r.html#incart_river
Regional
Most Mississippi River Basin States Have Completed Plans to Control
Nutrient Pollution
Bloomberg
May 21 ? Ten of the 12 states participating in a federal-state task force
to tackle hypoxia in the Mississippi River and Gulf of Mexico have
submitted either draft or final plans to reduce nutrient runoff into the
basin, according to the task force co-chairman.
http://www.bna.com/mississippi-river-basin-n17179890697/
Researcher, Birmingham native recounts how Facebook changed the way we look
at tornado debris
Al.com
Leigh Morgan
May 22, 2014 at 8:01 AM
He was only 4 years old, but it's the kind of thing you remember.
John Knox was watching a baseball game at Rickwood Field in August 1969
when lightning struck.
He looked up and saw chairs flying off the roof, then promptly hid under
his seat as what was possibly a funnel cloud went by.
http://blog.al.com/wire/2014/05/researcher_birmingham_native_r.html#incart_river
National
Forty-five U.S. senators seek extra time for input on EPA carbon rule
Reuters
Thu, May 22 2014
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Environmental Protection Agency should double
the amount of time the public will have to give input on its forthcoming
proposal that will aim to cut carbon pollution from power plants
nationwide, 45 U.S. senators urged on Thursday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/22/us-epa-climatechange-idUSBREA4L18V20140522
Secrecy of Oil-by-Train Shipments Causes Concern Across the U.S.
Crude-by-Rail Has Jumped in Shale Boom, but Towns en Route Don't Get Data
They Need for Safety
Wall Street Journal
Emergency responders in Cincinnati know that trains full of crude oil have
been rumbling through their city; they can see mile-long chains of black
tank cars clacking across bridges over the Ohio River.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303749904579577861760037536?mg=reno64-wsj
Opinion
The EPA's Carbon Capture Flip-Flop
One of the agency's own regional offices and a panel of EPA judges have
ruled that the policy is too expensive.
Wall Street Journal
By BRIAN H. POTTS
May 22, 2014 7:18 p.m. ET
With great fanfare, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a rule
last fall that would require all newly built coal-fired power plants in the
U.S. to install an expensive new technology called carbon capture and
storage, or CCS. Although the technology has never been installed on a
large-scale power plant anywhere in the world, it theoretically will
separate the primary greenhouse gas?carbon dioxide?from the plant's exhaust
and pump it to underground reservoirs for storage.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303480304579575993716327878?mg=reno64-wsj
Press Releases
MDEQ Announces Regional Recycling Cooperative Grant Awards
Provided to Greenwood, McComb, Natchez, Oxford and Partners
(JACKSON, Miss.) -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
(MDEQ) announced today the award of the agency's inaugural Regional
Recycling Cooperative Grants to four community projects in the state. More
than $1 million in grants will be used to fund regional cooperative
recycling projects in the Cities of Greenwood, McComb, Natchez, and Oxford.
Each of the grant recipients, along with their partner communities, will
use the grant funding to develop or enhance recycling systems in their
region to help achieve the state waste reduction and recycling goal of 25
percent.
"We are excited to launch this new grant program and to work with these
cities and their partners to expand recycling services and recycling access
in the state. Increasing the access to recycling to more Mississippians
means that more materials can be diverted from landfills and put back into
manufacturing uses where the materials can be used over and over again.
The continued use of recycled materials in manufacturing has multiple
benefits such as conserving raw material resources, reducing our reliance
on imports from other countries, conserving energy, reducing pollution,
reducing our reliance on landfills, and gaining the economic benefit of
using materials multiple times rather than simply disposing of the
materials," said Trudy Fisher, MDEQ Executive Director.
●The City of Greenwood, in partnership with Leflore County and the Cities
of Itta Bena, Sidon, and Indianola, will receive a grant award in the
amount of $399,700 to increase and expand recycling efforts in the region.
The current recycling system consists of drop-off recycling locations
within the city and throughout the county. Funds will be used to provide
curbside recycling in parts of Greenwood with plans to expand the service
throughout the city. Additionally, new drop-off locations will be
developed in each of the partner communities. Grant funds will also be
used to acquire curbside recycling bins, drop-off recycling containers for
partner communities, and vehicles and equipment to facilitate the expansion
of the collection and processing of additional recyclable materials.
●The City of McComb, in partnership with Pike County and the Cities of
Osyka, Magnolia, and Summit, will receive a grant award in the amount of
$123,916 to expand current recycling efforts in Pike County. The project
involves establishing recycling drop-off stations in all of the partner
communities and recycling drop-off containers for the public placed in
centrally accessible locations. In addition, a public education and
outreach program will be developed to inform residents and area schools of
the benefits of recycling and the importance of their participation in the
program.
●The City of Natchez, along with the City of Brookhaven and Wilkinson
County, will use the grant award of $317,162 to enhance the current
curbside recycling programs in the City of Natchez and the City of
Brookhaven. Additional recycling collection points will be established for
the general public in Wilkinson County and at strategic locations at local
college campuses, the regional airport, the port commission, the convention
center, and other high visibility locations in Natchez. Recycling
collection containers placed at these locations will provide greater public
access to recycling in public venues and maximize material collection. A
public education and outreach campaign will be developed to promote these
expanded recycling efforts by the partner communities and to help the
public understand the benefits of recycling and the importance of their
participation.
●The City of Oxford, in partnership with the City of Batesville, Panola
County, Lafayette County, the University of Mississippi, and Calhoun City,
receives a grant award of $227,160 to enhance the curbside recycling system
in the City of Oxford and to expand recycling access in each partner
community. The project includes adding recycling collection stations on
the Ole Miss campus, the development of a recycling education and outreach
campaign, recycling drop-off containers for partner communities, curbside
recycling bins for the City of Oxford, and new equipment to transport
recycling containers to the Oxford materials recovery facility.
These grant awards are the final step of the Funding Opportunity
Announcement released by MDEQ last year to assist communities in achieving
the state waste reduction and recycling goal of 25 percent. MDEQ expects
to make additional Regional Recycling Cooperative Grants to local
governments in the future and will provide a second Funding Opportunity
Announcement as these funds become available.
# # #
EPA and Duke Energy enter Agreement to Cleanup Coal Ash Release in the Dan
River
Contact Information: James Pinkney, (404) 562-9183 (Direct), (404) 562-8400
(Main) pinkney.james@epa.gov
(Atlanta, GA ? May 22, 2014) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency signed an enforceable agreement with Duke Energy Carolinas, LLC
(Duke) to perform a comprehensive assessment, determine the location of
coal ash deposits and to remove deposits along the Dan River as deemed
appropriate by EPA in consultation with the US Fish and Wildlife Service as
a result of the coal ash spill that occurred at the Dan River Steam Station
on February 2, 2014.
Under the Administrative Order and Agreement on Consent (Order), entered
into under the Superfund law, EPA will oversee the cleanup and Duke will
reimburse EPA for its oversight costs.
"EPA will work with Duke Energy to ensure that cleanup at the site, and
affected areas, is comprehensive based on sound scientific and ecological
principles, complies with all Federal and State environmental standards,
and moves as quickly as possible," said EPA Regional Administrator Heather
McTeer Toney. "Protection of public health and safety remains a primary
concern, along with the long-term ecological health of the Dan River."
Since the contamination extended into Virginia, and because removal and
assessment work will occur in both North Carolina and Virginia, the Order
will be signed by both EPA Southeast and Mid-Atlantic Region Superfund
Division Directors. In addition, the Order also requires Duke to reimburse
all past EPA response costs, as well as all future oversight costs in
connection with the Site.
Duke's work will be subject to review and approval by EPA, in consultation
with the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources and
Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality, to ensure full compliance
with Superfund law. Once removal activities are complete, Duke will be
required to assess any remaining contamination to determine whether
additional actions may be needed.
Coal ash at the site contains arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead,
mercury, nickel, selenium and zinc, which are hazardous substances as
defined under the Superfund law. The terms of the Order require that the
disposal of coal ash from the spill meet specific protective disposal
standards for landfills, such as synthetic liners, leachate collection
systems and groundwater monitoring.
For additional information about the Order and EPA's response, visit:
http://epa.gov/region4/duke-energy/index.html.
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