9/24/14
State
Third-party damage greatest threat to pipeline safety
Clarion Ledger
Eight people awoke on Feb. 4, 1986, got dressed, ate breakfast,
kissed their loved ones and went to work in downtown Crystal Springs
at the 3-year-old pre-fab metal building that, later that afternoon,
would erupt into a raging inferno and kill them all.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2014/09/23/third-party-damage-greatest-threat-pipeline-safety/16137069/
Harrison County Farm provides outdoor classroom for conservation
WLOX
HARRISON COUNTY, MS (WLOX) -Near perfect weather on the first day of fall
provided a great opportunity for an outdoor classroom. That's what hundreds
of Long Beach fourth graders enjoyed Tuesday at the Harrison County farm.
http://www.wlox.com/story/26608192/fourth-graders-learn-conservation-at-harrison-county-farm
Oil Spill
4 things to know about the BP oil spill court hearings on Wednesday
Jennifer Larino
The Times-Picayune
September 23, 2014 at 4:42 PM
A federal judge in New Orleans is set to hold hearings on a range of legal
disputes related to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, including whether or
not BP has the right to recover what it says were overpayments under its
settlement program.
http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2014/09/4_things_to_know_about_the_bp.html#incart_river
Barbier to hear arguments over repayment of oil spill settlement money
by Associated Press
Published: September 24,2014
NEW ORLEANS — The federal judge for Gulf of Mexico oil spill cases was set
to hear arguments today about whether BP PLC should get back hundreds of
millions of dollars from businesses that got settlement payments between
August 2012 and October 2013.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2014/09/24/barbier-hear-arguments-repayment-oil-spill-settlement-money/
Regional
Water management plan will be unveiled Friday
Experts tapped by Bentley to attend symposium at University of Alabama
By Jason Morton
The Tuscaloosa News
Published: Monday, September 22, 2014 at 10:00 p.m.
Members of a statewide water policy group will present their
recommendations for the formation of an Alabama water management plan this
week at the Bryant Conference Center.
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20140922/NEWS/140929891/1007?Title=Water-management-plan-will-be-unveiled-Friday
Opinion
EPA pulls back on West Virginia farm's stormwater runoff case
Southeast Farm Press
American Farm Bureau
Tue, 2014-09-23 11:14
The Environmental Protection Agency decided not to appeal a key federal
ruling in favor of West Virginia farmer Lois Alt. The American Farm Bureau
says it highlights the cynicism that drives the agency's water agenda.
http://southeastfarmpress.com/government/epa-pulls-back-west-virginia-farms-stormwater-runoff-case
Press Releases
EPA Recognizes Manufacturing, Retail Leaders in Electronics Recycling
Challenge
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recognized
leading electronics manufacturers and retailers for their outstanding
achievements in used electronics stewardship under the Sustainable
Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge. Leaders from Best Buy,
Dell, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, Sprint and Staples gathered
in Washington, D.C. to celebrate their environmental achievements, which
include diverting more than 220,000 metric tons of used electronics to
third party certified recyclers in 2013 -- an increase of 7.6 percent since
2012.The amount of greenhouse gas emissions saved from this increase is
equivalent to removing more than 8,500 passenger cars from the road for one
year.
"Electronics are made of valuable resources such as precious metals,
copper, plastic and glass – all of which require energy to extract and
manufacture," said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA's
Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. "Improper handling of
discarded electronics can result in serious health consequences to
communities and workers. The efforts by these leaders to collect, track and
recycle used electronics is a great step towards addressing these public
health concerns, conserving materials, and reducing greenhouse gas
emissions."
EPA also recognized Best Buy, Dell, Sprint, and Samsung as SMM Electronics
Champion award winners for demonstrating significant environmental, social
and economic outcomes for their organizations and the public that go above
and beyond the requirements of the SMM Electronics Challenge.
The United States generates almost 3.4 million tons of electronic waste per
year—and that number is only growing. By participating in the SMM
Electronics Challenge, leaders in the electronics industry are rethinking
business as usual as they commit to increasing the amount of used
electronics they collect and, in addition, sending 100 percent of used
electronics to third-party certified refurbishers and recyclers. Through
this Challenge, the EPA is providing a transparent and measurable way for
companies to endorse safe and environmentally protective practices for the
refurbishment and recycling of used electronics, and to publicly show
progress toward recycling goals.
The SMM Electronics Challenge supports President Obama's "National Strategy
for Electronics Stewardship" as it embodies efforts to increase safe and
effective handling of used electronics in the United States.
In the November 2010 Presidential Proclamation for America Recycles Day,
the President established the Interagency Task Force on Electronics
Stewardship with the EPA as one of the lead agencies. The Task Force
released the National Strategy for Electronics Stewardship report in 2011
outlining the federal government's plan to enhance the management of
electronics throughout the product lifecycle - from the design to the
eventual recycling or disposal of a product.
More information on the SMM Electronics Challenge:
http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/smm/electronics/index.htm
More information on the National Strategy:
http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/materials/ecycling/taskforce/index.htm
More information on certified recycling:
http://www.epa.gov/waste/conserve/materials/ecycling/certification.htm
EPA's SmartWay Honors Green Freight Industry Leaders
WASHINGTON – The EPA today announced the 2014 winners of the coveted
SmartWay Excellence Awards. The awards honor freight industry companies who
model environmental leadership and innovation as they move goods across
America.
Winners are in the top 5 percent of SmartWay performers in improving fuel
efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and reducing air pollution.
"For over ten years SmartWay partners have shown how reducing carbon
pollution is good for business and good for the environment," said Janet
McCabe, acting assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Air and
Radiation. "The SmartWay partners that we recognize today are examples of
how American companies are cutting costs, saving fuel and reducing
pollution while meeting the needs of their customers."
The annual SmartWay Excellence Award honors top truck, intermodal and rail
carrier partners that are setting efficiency benchmarks in how they move
products and supplies. Shipping and logistics partners are recognized for
superior efficiency and additional actions to reduce freight emissions
through effective collaboration, advanced technology and operational
practices, a robust system for validating and reporting their SmartWay
data, and communications and public outreach. SmartWay Excellence Award
recipients for shipper and logistic companies are being recognized at the
Council of Supply Chain Management Conference in San Antonio, Texas.
The shipper and logistic awardees are as follows:
Hewlett-Packard, Lowe's Companies, Inc., The Home Depot U.S.A., Inc., Johns
Manville, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, SC Johnson and Son, Inc., Nordstrom,
Inc., Expeditors International of Washington, Inc., Menlo Logistics, Ryder
Supply Chain Solutions, and ShipCarsNow.
The SmartWay program launched in 2004 to help the freight industry improve
its environmental performance. Clean air achievements through SmartWay
include reducing over 50 million metric tons of carbon dioxide which is
equivalent to emissions from over 120 million barrels of oil or the
emissions from 10 million cars for one year. SmartWay has also reduced
roughly 738,000 tons of nitrogen oxide, and 37,000 tons of particulate
matter, helping to protect the health and well-being of citizens.
More information on SmartWay: http://www.epa.gov/smartway/
