6.30.14
Oil Spill
Approval of BP restoration money in final stage
Pensacola News Herald
Securing millions of dollars BP has earmarked for 15 local, proposed
projects — including a fish hatchery and research center for
Pensacola's bayfront and a national seashore ferry service — has
made it through a critical hurdle.
http://www.pnj.com/story/news/2014/06/28/bp-restoration-funds-final-stage/11656171/
BP-funded Mahogany Mill boat ramp opens in Pensacola with eco-friendly
design
Press-Register
Dennis Pillion
June 27, 2014 at 7:23 PM
PENSACOLA, Florida -- State and county officials gathered at the site of
the old Mahogany Mill on the waters of Bayou Chico to cut the ribbon on
Florida's first major construction project to be funded with money from the
Natural Resources Damage Assessment funded by BP PLC in the wake of the
2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
http://www.al.com/news/beaches/index.ssf/2014/06/bp-funded_mahogany_mill_boat_r.html
Final plan released for $627 million early restoration projects to remedy
BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Press-Register
Michael Finch II
June 27, 2014 at 4:45 PM
MOBILE, Alabama -- The third phase of plans to remedy some of the damage
done by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill were finalized Thursday after a
months-long public comment period. The $627 million provided by BP would be
allocated toward 44 projects in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Louisiana and
Mississippi.
http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2014/06/final_plan_released_of_627_mil.html
Ex-BP executive can be charged with lying to Congress, court rules
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
June 28, 2014 at 11:44 AM
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Friday threw out a lower court's
dismissal of a charge of obstruction of Congress against former BP
exploration vice president David Rainey for providing low-ball estimates of
the amount of oil being released during the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill,
finding that the judge misinterpreted the meaning of the word "committee"
in the obstruction statute.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2014/06/appeals_court_reverses_dismiss.html#incart_river
BP seeks return of claim 'overpayments'
AP
By KEVIN McGILL
Published: Jun 27, 2014
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - BP wants a federal judge to order restitution - plus
interest - of what it says are hundreds of millions of dollars in
overpayments to some businesses that claimed losses due to the 2010 Gulf
oil spill.
http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268748/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=nqpMTwfd
State
Celebrations make a splash on reservoir
Clarion Ledger
The banks of the Ross Barnett Reservoir in Madison and Rankin
counties on Saturday were decked in red, white and blue for the
annual Waterfest and Independence Day Celebration.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2014/06/28/celebrations-make-splash-reservoir/11697919/
Residents quiz Gulf LNG, FERC officials about emissions, safety for
proposed $8 billion expansion in Pascagoula
Mississippi Press
April M. Havens
June 27, 2014 at 8:11 AM
MOSS POINT, Mississippi -- Gulf LNG Liquefaction Co., which is considering
an $8 billion project to add on to an existing liquefied natural gas
storage terminal in Pascagoula, drew a steady crowd Thursday night during a
community open house.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2014/06/residents_ask_about_emissions.html#incart_river
"Hattiesburg Stink Fest" focuses on music, foul odors
WDAM
Music promoters in Hattiesburg Saturday hoped some hard rockin' sounds
would focus attention on some unpleasant downtown smells. The "Hattiesburg
Stink Fest" was a music and arts event with the goal of bringing attention
to the ongoing problems of foul odors in the eastern part of town.
http://www.wdam.com/story/25896334/hattiesburg-stinkfest-focuses-on-eliminating-downtown-odors
Mississipppi Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo features two new changes
Mississippi Press
Al Jones
June 30, 2014 at 7:13 AM
GULFPORT, Mississippi - The 66th annual Mississippi Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo
is set to begin Thursday at the Gulfport Small Craft Harbor.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-sports/2014/06/mississipppi_deep_sea_fishing.html#incart_river
Auditor still mum on DMR case, but restitution dollars trickling in
Sun Herald
BY ANITA LEE
BILOXI -- State Auditor Stacey Pickering has collected at least 3 percent
of the money he demanded in November from former employees of the state
Department of Marine Resources, his office and court records indicate.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/06/28/5675102/auditor-still-mum-on-dmr-case.html?sp=/99/184/832/
Is CH2M Hill overkill? Port of Gulfport's commissioner thinks so, but
director says engineering firm needed
CH2M Hill gets $200K each month from port
Sun Herald
BY ANITA LEE
GULFPORT -- The state port continues to pay international engineering firm
CH2M Hill well over $200,000 a month for managing a restoration and
expansion project, although an engineer on the port board says the expenses
give him "heartburn" and he would prefer to see a local firm managing the
job.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/06/27/5673582/is-ch2m-hill-overkill-port-of.html?sp=/99/184/185/
Local optometrist has an eye for fossils
BY EMILY HAM PRICE
Hattiesburg AmericanJune 29, 2014
HATTIESBURG, MISS. — Growing up in the Panama Canal Zone, Dr. John Turner
realized that he had an eagle's eye when it came to finding fossils and
artifacts. But little did he know the keepsakes of years past would play a
part in major scientific discoveries for Panama and paleontologists around
the globe.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/06/29/5675483/local-optometrist-has-an-eye-for.html?sp=/99/184/218/
Regional
Environmental lawsuit against 92 energy companies belongs in federal court,
judge rules
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
June 28, 2014 at 10:12 PM
The controversial environmental damages lawsuit filed by the Southeast
Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East against 92 oil, gas and pipeline
companies will remain in federal court, a federal judge ruled on Friday.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2014/06/federal_judge_rules_east_bank.html#incart_river
Recycling has $13 billion impact in South Carolina
AP
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - A new study shows that the recycling industry has a
$13 billion impact on South Carolina's economy.
http://www.wspa.com/story/25865988/recycling-has-13-billion-impact-in-south-carolina
National
EPA science advisors urge stricter limits on lung-damaging ozone
LA Times
A committee of scientific advisors has urged the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency to adopt a tougher federal standard for ozone, saying
current limits on the lung-damaging pollutant fail to protect public
health.
http://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-ozone-science-advisors-epa-20140627-story.html
EPA finds rail yards transfer pollutants as well as freight
Agency says diesel soot can trigger number of health conditions
Chicago Tribune
June 27, 2014|By Michael Hawthorne and Alex Richards, Tribune reporters
From the sidewalk in front of her apartment in Cicero, Yolanda Foster can
see long freight trains and an endless line of trucks rumbling day and
night through the sprawling rail yard across the street.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-06-27/news/ct-railyard-diesel-pollution-met-20140627_1_diesel-soot-diesel-pollution-freight
Everglades restoration project has had modest impact, report shows
Reuters
Fri, Jun 27 2014
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A $13.5 billion project to restore the Florida
Everglades has had limited impact even as the embattled ecosystem faces
threats from climate change and invasive species, a progress report said on
Friday.
http://in.reuters.com/article/2014/06/27/us-usa-everglades-idINKBN0F223920140627
EPA bans sewage discharge all along Mass. coast
Boston Globe
By David Abel
For decades, the large ferries that plied the cobalt waters south of Cape
Cod dumped tons of specially treated sewage as they made their runs back
and forth to Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/06/27/epa-bans-sewage-discharge-from-vessels-all-along-mass-coast/fiYADcMM5VGThBe0hzImdL/story.html
Oklahoma looks for answers on earthquakes
AP
By TIM TALLEY
Associated Press
EDMOND, Okla. (AP) - Central Oklahoma residents are demanding to know
whether earthquake swarms that have shaken their homes and their nerves in
recent months are caused by oil and gas drilling operations in the area.
http://www.wjtv.com/story/25874232/oklahoma-looks-for-answers-on-earthquakes
Press Releases
EPA Proposes Approval of New Climate-Friendly Refrigerants
Proposal supports president's Climate Action Plan by curbing emissions of
potent greenhouse gases
WASHINGTON – In support of President Obama's Climate Action Plan, the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to increase the options
for refrigerants in the United States that offer better climate protection
without harming the ozone layer. This is the agency's first action that
addresses refrigerants under the Climate Action Plan, which calls on EPA's
Significant New Alternatives Policy (SNAP) Program to identify and approve
additional climate-friendly chemicals.
Under the authority of the Clean Air Act, EPA's SNAP Program evaluates
substitute chemicals and technologies that are safe for the ozone layer.
This proposed action would expand the list of SNAP-approved substitutes to
include more low-global warming potential (GWP) alternatives that can
replace both the ozone-depleting substances and high-GWP hydrofluorocarbons
(HFCs).
"Last June, President Obama introduced a broad set of initial steps
designed to slow the effects of climate change, including reducing potent
greenhouse gases," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. "This proposal is
a great example of how businesses and EPA can foster innovation by working
together to identify refrigerants that better protect our environment."
After receiving input from industry, environmental groups, and others, EPA
is proposing to list additional low GWP hydrocarbon refrigerants in six
refrigeration and air conditioning applications: stand-alone commercial and
household refrigerators and freezers; very low temperature refrigeration;
non-mechanical heat transfer; vending machines; and room air conditioning
units. The proposal also adds one lower-GWP HFC (HFC-32) that has just
one-third the GWP of the conventional refrigerants currently being used in
room air conditioning units. These refrigerants are already in use in many
of these applications in Europe and Asia.
In addition to adding these climate friendly alternatives, EPA is also
revising the current venting prohibition to account for four of these
substitutes, as current evidence suggests that their venting, release, or
disposal does not pose a threat to the environment.
EPA will accept comment on the proposal for 60 days following publication
in the Federal Register.
Learn more about EPA's SNAP Program and the proposal:
http://www.epa.gov/ozone/strathome.html
