10.20.14
State
Landowner speaks out at Oil and Gas Board meeting
Justin Vicory | Enterprise-Journal | Friday, October 17, 2014
A meeting of the Mississippi Oil and Gas Board held Wednesday at Southwest
Mississippi Community College was largely dominated by oil industry
lawyers.
http://www.enterprise-journal.com/news/article_ecbd5d5a-5620-11e4-9a25-7350a79904e9.html
26th annual Coastal Cleanup nets more than 1,600 bags of trash
WLOX
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) -The 26th annual Mississippi Coastal Cleanup was a
smashing success on Saturday. According to officials with the Mississippi
Department of Marine Resources, more than 1,600 volunteers from across the
Coast came together to pick up 1,603 bags of trash along the 100 miles of
coastline in Hancock, Harrison and Jackson Counties.
http://www.wlox.com/story/26822282/26th-annual-coastal-cleanup-nets-more-than-1600-bags-of-trash
CVFD responds quickly to chemical spill
Bolivar Commercial
On Wednesday emergency personnel responded to a call at Aguzzi Farms around
7 p.m. after a gas tank was punctured and began to leak.
http://www.bolivarcom.com/view/full_story/25970293/article-CVFD-responds-quickly-to-chemical-spill?instance=latest_articles
Oil Spill
MISSISSIPPI TO SUBMIT FOUR PROPOSALS FOR SPILL FUNDING
MPB
Some environmental groups say Mississippi is moving in the right direction
with its proposals for the latest round of post-BP oil spill funding under
the Restore Act.
http://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/2014/10/20/mississippi-to-submit-four-proposals-for-spill-funding/
Regional
Crude oil spills into Caddo bayou, kills wildlife
Shreveport Times
MOORINGSPORT – A major crude oil spill discovered near here Monday
that stopped just shy of Caddo Lake has already killed dozens of
fish and some reptiles and will keep cleanup crews and regulatory
agencies on site likely for months to come.
http://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/local/2014/10/18/crude-oil-spills-caddo-bayou-kills-wildlife/17522017/
National
Waste From Ebola Poses Challenge to Hospitals
NY Times
When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
assured the public this month that most American hospitals
could treat cases of Ebola, it was technically correct.
Hospitals routinely treat highly contagious diseases, and
top-tier ones are extensively equipped to isolate patients
who pose special risks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/18/us/waste-from-ebola-poses-challenge-to-hospitals.html?module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3As%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A14%22%7D&module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3As%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A14%22%7D&module=Search&mabReward=relbias%3As%2C%7B%222%22%3A%22RI%3A14%22%7D&_r=0
Can an oil and gas superpower lead on climate change?
Reuters
Fri, Oct 17 2014
By Valerie Volcovici and Ayesha Rascoe
WASHINGTON, Oct 17 (Reuters) - A day before President Barack Obama
addressed the United Nations to declare the nation is "stepping up to the
plate" to tackle climate change, nearly 400,000 protesters jammed New York
City streets in a climate change march. Many held signs calling for an end
to fracking.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/17/climatechange-summit-oil-policy-idUSL2N0S933V20141017
EPA moves to phase out ozone-depleting chemicals
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency moved to phase out chemicals that
deplete the planet's ozone layer and exacerbate climate change.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/221146-epa-moves-to-phase-out-ozone-depleting-chemicals
EPA Meeting on Water Rule Impact Comes 'Too Little, Too Late,' Rural
Utilities Say
Friday, October 17, 2014
Bloomberg
The Environmental Protection Agency's meeting to evaluate the impact of the
proposed waters of the U.S. rule on small businesses has come "too little,
too late," the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association said Oct.
15.
http://www.bna.com/epa-meeting-water-n17179897016/
EPA finds little benefit to pesticide linked to bee declines
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said that it found little to no
benefit to using neonicotinoid pesticides to keep soybeans free of insects.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/221055-epa-finds-little-benefit-to-pesticide-linked-to-bee-declines
GOP asks green group to open its files
The Hill
Republicans are putting the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) under
the microscope as they comb through the green group's communications with
federal regulators.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/221155-gop-asks-green-group-to-open-its-files
Old Fields poultry farmer prevails over EPA
The State Journal
Oct 18, 2014 7:00 AM CDT
By Linda Harris
Hardy County poultry farmer Lois Alt has prevailed over the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency and four environmental groups that wanted
her to pay a hefty fine for allegedly polluting waterways.
http://www.statejournal.com/story/26815951/old-fields-poultry-farmer-prevails-over-epa
Opinion
Viewpoint: The whole story: Concrete facts on the Gulf's recovery
Pensacola News Journal
By Geoff Morrell
Florida Wildlife Federation Vice President Preston Robertson's
recent Viewpoint "When is BP going to do the right thing?" (Sept.
20), ignores key facts about BP's response to the Deepwater Horizon
accident and the true state of the Gulf environment in an apparently
unabashed effort to mislead your readers.
http://www.pnj.com/story/opinion/contributors/2014/10/19/viewpoint-whole-story-concrete-facts-gulfs-recovery/17548487/
Press Releases
EPA Releases Guidance to Improve Schools' Indoor Air Quality and Energy
Efficiency
WASHINGTON --- Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
released new guidance to help school districts protect indoor air quality
while increasing energy efficiency during school renovations.
"This guidance provides common-sense solutions for improving energy
efficiency and indoor air quality in schools across the country," said
Janet McCabe, acting assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Air and
Radiation. "By using these guidelines, school districts can cut their
energy bills and help ensure that students have a healthy and safe learning
environment."
Both energy management and protection of indoor air quality (IAQ) are
important considerations for school facility management during energy
upgrades and retrofits, and schools can protect occupant health by
addressing both goals holistically. These renovation and construction
activities can create dust, introduce new contaminants and contaminant
pathways, create or aggravate moisture problems, and result in inadequate
ventilation in occupied spaces. EPA's Energy Savings Plus Health: Indoor
Air Quality Guidelines for School Building Upgrades offers opportunities to
prevent and control potentially harmful conditions during school
renovations.
The practices outlined in the new guidance support schools as healthy,
energy-efficient buildings that play a significant role in local
communities. Nearly 55 million elementary and secondary students occupy our
schools, as well as 7 million teachers, faculty and staff. In addition,
many communities use school buildings after regular school hours as
after-care facilities, recreation centers, meeting places and emergency
shelters during natural disasters.
For more than a decade, EPA has made significant strides in protecting
children's health in schools by equipping personnel at the state, district
and school level with the necessary knowledge and tools to create healthy
indoor environments. The new guidance builds on EPA's existing programs,
such as ENERGY STAR for schools and Indoor Air Quality Tools for Schools,
which helps schools identify, resolve and prevent air quality problems,
often with low- and no-cost measures.
Today, half of the schools in the United States have adopted indoor air
quality (IAQ) management plans, the majority of which are based on EPA's
IAQ Tools for Schools. However, there are still about 25 million children
in nearly 60,000 schools who are not yet protected by IAQ management
programs.
Visit www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/energy_savings_plus_health.html to download
the new guidance and www.epa.gov/schools for other valuable school
environmental health resources.
