10.1.14
State
Hattiesburg wastewater consent agreement made official
Hattiesburg American
United States District Court Judge Keith Starrett officially signed
off Monday on a consent agreement between the City of Hattiesburg
and Gulf Restoration Network.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/hattiesburg/2014/09/30/hattiesburg-keith-starrett-gulf-restoration-network-leaf-river-wastewater/16497555/
Mississippi agencies begin budget requests for 2016 fiscal year
The Associated Press
October 01, 2014 at 8:02 AM
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Leaders of Mississippi government agencies are
appearing before lawmakers this week to request money for fiscal 2016,
which begins July 1.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2014/10/mississippi_agencies_begin_bud.html
Oil Spill
Workshop to detail RESTORE Act project submission process Wednesday at
International Trade Center
Al.com
Michael Finch II
September 30, 2014 at 11:57 AM
MOBILE, Alabama -- Two environmental organizations will host a seminar
Wednesday, explaining the some of the complexities behind submitting
restoration projects for funds under the RESTORE Act.
http://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2014/09/workshop_to_detail_restore_act.html
National
EPA: Greenhouse gases from major polluters grew last year
The Hill
Large industrial facilities emitted 20 million more metric tons of
greenhouse gases, or a 0.6 percent increase, last year over 2013, the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/219316-epa-emissions-from-major-greenhouse-gas-polluters-grew-last-year
Administration launches climate competition
The Hill
The Obama administration launched a competition Wednesday aimed at helping
cities and towns cut greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the effects
of climate change.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/219413-administration-launches-climate-competition-for-cities
Oil, rail industries want 7 years to fix tank cars
BY JOAN LOWY
Associated PressOctober 1, 2014
WASHINGTON — The oil and railroad industries are urging federal regulators
to allow them as long as seven years to upgrade existing tank cars that
transport highly volatile crude oil, a top oil industry official said
Tuesday. The cars have ruptured and spilled oil during collisions, leading
to intense fires.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/10/01/5830042/oil-rail-industries-want-7-years.html?sp=/99/184/767/312/
Wildlife Numbers Drop by Half Since 1970, Report Says
Analysis by WWF and Others Was Based on Thousands of Species in Rivers, on
Land and at Sea
Wall Street Journal
Earth lost half its wildlife in the past four decades, according to the
most comprehensive study of animal populations to date, a far larger
decline than previously reported.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/report-wildlife-numbers-drop-by-half-since-1970-1412085197
Senate Dems call for 'strongest possible' fracking regs
The Hill
A group of Senate Democrats called for the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) on Friday to issue the "strongest possible" safety standards for
fracking operations on public lands.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/219336-senate-dems-to-omb-fracking-regs-need-to-be-strongest-possible
California bans plastic bags at grocery, convenience stores
The Associated Press
September 30, 2014 at 1:29 PM
Gov. Jerry Brown on Tuesday signed legislation imposing the nation's first
statewide ban on single-use plastic bags at grocery and convenience stores,
driven to action by a buildup of litter and damage to aquatic ecosystems.
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/09/california_plastic_bag_ban.html#incart_river
Opinion
Double Trouble Carbon Regulation
The D.C. Circuit will hear an important challenge to EPA abuse.
Wall Street Journal
President Obama prophesied at the United Nations last week that climate
change is the "one issue that will define the contours of this century more
dramatically than any other," and perhaps this vision of Apocalypse
explains why he thinks he can disregard the law to regulate carbon.
Whatever they think about warming, the courts may pay more respect to
statutes.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/double-trouble-carbon-regulation-1412119495
Press releases
EPA Releases Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data from Large Facilities
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released
its fourth year of Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program data, detailing
greenhouse gas pollution trends and emissions broken down by industrial
sector, geographic region and individual facilities. In 2013, reported
emissions from large industrial facilities were 20 million metric tons
higher than the prior year, or 0.6 percent, driven largely by an increase
in coal use for power generation.
"Climate change, fueled by greenhouse gas pollution, is threatening our
health, our economy, and our way of life—increasing our risks from intense
extreme weather, air pollution, drought and disease," said EPA
Administrator Gina McCarthy. "EPA is supporting the President's Climate
Action Plan by providing high-quality greenhouse gas data to inform
effective climate action."
The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program is the only program that collects
facility-level greenhouse gas data from major industrial sources across the
United States, including power plants, oil and gas production and refining,
iron and steel mills and landfills. The program also collects data on the
increasing production and consumption of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
predominantly used in refrigeration and air conditioning.
Over 8,000 large-emitters reported direct greenhouse gas emissions to the
program in 2013, representing approximately 50 percent of total U.S.
emissions. The data from these facilities show that in 2013:
· Power plants remained the largest source of U.S. greenhouse gas
emissions, with over 1,550 facilities emitting over 2 billion metric
tons of carbon dioxide, roughly 32 percent of total U.S. greenhouse
gas pollution. Power plant emissions have declined by 9.8 percent
since 2010, but there was an uptick in emissions of 13 million metric
tons in 2013 due to an increased use of coal.
· Petroleum and natural gas systems were the second largest stationary
source, reporting 224 million metric tons of greenhouse gas
emissions, a decrease of 1 percent from the previous year.
·
o Reported methane emissions from petroleum and natural gas
systems sector have decreased by 12 percent since 2011, with
the largest reductions coming from hydraulically fractured
natural gas wells, which have decreased by 73 percent during
that period. EPA expects to see further emission reductions as
the agency's 2012 standards for the oil and gas industry become
fully implemented.
· Refineries were the third largest stationary source, reporting 177
million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions, up 1.6 percent from
the previous year.
· Reported emissions from other large sources in the industrial and
waste sectors increased by 7 million metric tons of greenhouse gas
pollution, up 1 percent from 2012.
Under President Obama's Climate Action Plan, EPA is taking steps to address
carbon pollution from the power and transportation sectors, and to improve
energy efficiency in homes, businesses and factories. Under EPA's proposed
Clean Power Plan, carbon emissions from the power sector would decrease by
30 percent below 2005 levels and electricity bills would shrink by 8
percent by 2030. EPA's pollution standards for cars and light trucks for
model years 2012-2025 will save Americans more than $1.7 trillion at the
pump. In addition, the agency's partnerships with industry have prevented
more than 365 million metric tons of greenhouse gas pollution, equal to the
annual electricity use of more than 50 million homes.
EPA will be holding information webinars today and Thursday to demonstrate
the greenhouse gas data publication tool, FLIGHT, highlight new features
added this year, and provide a tutorial on common searches. FLIGHT allows
users to view top emitters in a state or regions; see emissions data from a
specific industry; track emissions trends by facility or region; and
download maps, list and charts.
See key facts and figures and explore Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program
Data:
www.epa.gov/ghgreporting/
Register for FLIGHT webinars:
September 30, 1 p.m. EDT
October 2, 3 p.m. EDT
More information about climate change:
www.epa.gov/climatechange
EPA Honors Manufacturers with ENERGY STAR Award
Eastman Chemical, Janssen R&D, and Merck use Combined Heat and Power
systems to cut carbon pollution, save money, and combat climate change
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized
three industrial facilities today with the ENERGY STAR Combined Heat and
Power (CHP) Award for their highly efficient CHP systems—energy production
systems that decrease energy costs and reduce their carbon emissions, which
cause climate change.
"The companies recognized today with the ENERGY STAR Combined Heat and
Power Award are leading by example and reducing carbon pollution equal to
the generation of electricity used by more than 63,000 homes, and have
reduced their combined energy costs by over $54 million annually," said EPA
Administrator Gina McCarthy. "The CHP technology offers a strategy to help
meet the goals of the President's Climate Action Plan for a cleaner power
sector while boosting the efficiency and competitiveness for many U.S.
manufacturers."
CHP systems used by the award winners achieve operating efficiencies of
between 62 and 78 percent—much higher than the efficiency of conventional
production of electricity and thermal energy, which can be less than 50
percent.
The ENERGY STAR Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Award winners are:
· Eastman Chemical Company, Kingsport, Tenn.
· Janssen R&D LLC, Spring House, Pa.
· Merck, West Point, Pa.
CHP, also known as cogeneration, simultaneously produces electricity and
steam or hot water from a single heat source, using traditional or
renewable fuels. By recovering and using heat typically wasted by the
conventional production of electricity, CHP gives U.S. manufacturers a
competitive edge by minimizing production costs while reducing carbon
pollution.
CHP is ideally suited for many industrial facilities as it provides
reliable and cost-effective electricity and heat for a variety of
manufacturing processes, including the production of chemicals and
pharmaceuticals, where energy costs can be a significant portion of
operating costs. By generating electricity on site, the systems also reduce
demands on the nation's electricity transmission and distribution
infrastructure.
EPA is presenting the awards at today's ENERGY STAR Industrial Partner and
Focus Meetings in Washington, D.C.
Established in 2001, EPA's voluntary CHP Partnership program seeks to
reduce the environmental impact of power generation by promoting the
cost-effective use of CHP. The partnership works closely with energy users,
the CHP industry, state and local governments, and other clean energy
stakeholders to facilitate the development of new CHP projects and to
promote CHP's environmental and economic benefits.
More on the EPA Combined Heat and Power Partnership: http://epa.gov/chp/
More on the EPA ENERGY STAR Industrial Program: www.energystar.gov/industry
More on the awards: http://epa.gov/partnership/awards.html
