10.27.2014
State
Officials: District to keep tabs on taps
Justin Vicory
Enterprise-Journal
October 26, 2014
LIBERTY — The Amite County Board of Supervisors held a public hearing
Friday to announce their intentions to form a water management district
with Wilkinson County to oversee the use of billions of gallons of water
needed to sustain hydraulic fracturing operations at oil wells in the two
counties.
http://www.enterprise-journal.com/news/article_c3478158-5cc4-11e4-a35d-7f11065bb59e.html
IMMS releases eight more Kemp's Ridley turtles
WLOX
GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) -Eight more endangered Kemp's Ridley turtles are back
in their natural habitat. The U.S. Coast Guard assisted the Institute for
Marine Mammal Studies in releasing the sea turtles late Friday morning near
Ship Island. The turtles are among some 300 which have been rehabilitated
this year at the IMMS.
http://www.wlox.com/story/26885773/imms-releases-eight-more-kemps-ridley-turtles
EPA introduces new patch for Girl Scouts
Sun Herald
BY ENGITSHUN MAGEE
Girl Scouts can now earn a patch signifying their knowledge of climate
control and how it affects the water supply.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/10/26/5878054/epa-introduces-new-patch-for-girl.html?sp=/99/184/185/
Oil Spill
COAST GEARS UP FOR RESTORATION JOBS
MPB
Billions of dollars for oil spill restoration will soon start flowing to
Mississippi and the rest of the Gulf region. As MPB's Evelina Burnett
reports, community groups want to ensure that money will be used to create
local jobs as well.
http://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/2014/10/24/coast-gears-up-for-restoration-jobs/
Louisiana shrimp safe to eat after BP Gulf of Mexico spill, local study
says
Benjamin Alexander-Bloch
The Times-Picayune
October 24, 2014 at 1:45 PM
Louisiana shrimp was safe to eat following the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon
oil spill, a new study concluded, reaffirming previous federal and state
studies.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2014/10/safety_of_eating_louisiana_shr.html#incart_river
Gulf State Park convention center challenged in lawsuit; Group calls
project 'shocking misuse of restoration funds'
Press-Register
Dennis Pillion
October 24, 2014 at 5:29 PM
GULF SHORES, Alabama -- The Gulf Restoration Network, an environmental
group based in New Orleans, has filed a law suit seeking to block the use
of $58 million in Deepwater Horizon oil spill recovery funds to construct a
hotel and conference center at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores.
http://www.al.com/news/beaches/index.ssf/2014/10/gulf_state_park_convention_cen_1.html
National
EPA chief: Public tired of debating climate change
The Hill
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy said
Friday that the public does not want more "debate or discussion" about
climate change, but government action.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/221772-epa-head-public-doesnt-want-more-debate-and-discussion-on-climate
Dividing and Conquering the Trash
NY Times
Nate Morris pulled his rental Toyota Prius into a parking
spot outside Bavarian Waste Services, a waste management
company in rural Walton, Ky. Stepping out of the car, he
inhaled the putrid odor wafting down from Bavarian's
landfill.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/business/dividing-and-conquering-the-trash.html?ref=earth&_r=0
EPA cracks down on toxic chemicals
The Hill
Chemical manufacturers are coming under new scrutiny by the Environmental
Protection Agency.
http://thehill.com/regulation/221831-epa-cracks-down-on-toxic-chemicals
Opinion
Yes, BP Did Damage the Gulf
Politico
By KARA LANKFORD
October 26, 2014
In an opinion article published Tuesday, the oil giant BP would have us
believe that the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster wasn't all that bad for the
Gulf of Mexico. Yes, company spokesman Geoff Morrell admits the event was a
tragedy, and that, sadly, both people and wildlife perished. But he hastens
to point out that the disaster's impact was not as dire as predicted, and
that recovery is already happening or perhaps complete.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/yes-bp-did-damage-the-gulf-112211.html?hp=l1#.VE5AnPmjNcY
To save Louisiana's coast, protect our Restore Act funds:
Times-Picayune
Kevin Kane
October 25, 2014 at 12:24 PM
Louisianans received good news this month, in the form of an announcement
from the U.S. Department of Treasury that BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill
fines will begin flowing to the Gulf Coast states impacted by the
environmental catastrophe.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2014/10/to_save_louisianas_coast_prote.html
Press releases
USDA Announces New Partnership with National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
to Support Ongoing Gulf Restoration
Jackson, Miss., Oct. 24, 2015 – USDA's Natural Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS) and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today
announced a new partnership that will provide additional support for
restoration of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem in response to impacts that
occurred as a result of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill.
The new partnership will significantly expand conservation efforts with
private landowners and operators who might not otherwise be eligible to
participate in existing recovery programs. The partnership will begin with
a $20 million investment from NFWF, matched by a $20 million investment
from NRCS. Additional commitments of up to $30 million from each partner
are possible over the next four years.
"The health of the Gulf ecosystem will be decided on private lands as 86
percent of the land area is privately owned," said Kurt Readus, state
conservationist in Mississippi. "Conservation work in Mississippi has had a
tremendous positive impact on the Gulf ecosystem, and this partnership will
help us continue these voluntary conservation efforts."
NFWF, NRCS and other partners will focus on working on private lands to
implement conservation projects that will enhance the existing recovery
efforts in Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Texas.
Potential projects include:
· Wetlands conservation;
· Stream and riparian buffer restoration;
· Farm and ranch land protection, including the practices that go along
with protection, such as improving soil health, implementing no-till
farming and enhancing wildlife habitat.
More information on project opportunities in Mississippi will be available
at www.ms.nrcs.usda.gov.
In early 2013, a U.S. District Court approved two plea agreements resolving
certain criminal cases against BP and Transocean which arose from the 2010
Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill. The agreements direct a total of
$2.544 billion to NFWF to fund projects benefiting the natural resources of
the Gulf Coast that were impacted by the spill.
"We are pleased and excited to announce this new partnership with USDA,"
said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. "This partnership
will serve to leverage and to enhance USDA's commitment to preserve and
protect the natural resources that are so important to communities across
the region. In the aftermath of recent disasters, such a commitment has
never been more vital to ensure the Gulf of Mexico remains a healthy and
productive habitat for future generations of Americans to enjoy."
This agreement builds on investments that NFWF and NRCS are making in the
region. NRCS works side-by-side with farmers, ranchers and private
landowners to make improvements to their land, helping clean water and air,
enhance habitat and enrich soil. This past year, NRCS worked with farmers,
ranchers, and forestland managers in the five Gulf States to improve the
health of more than 3 million acres.
"This new partnership with NFWF as well as our many Farm Bill conservation
programs will enable us to continue this crucial progress in Mississippi
and the rest of the Gulf region," Kurt Readus said.
For more news updates from NRCS, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/Newsroom. To get
started with NRCS, visit your local USDA Service Center or
www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted
#
Remarks by EPA Administrator at Georgetown University on the Economic Need
to Act on Climate
WASHINGTON--Thanks for the introduction, Dean Montgomery. And thanks to the
School of Public Policy for hosting. It seems like every other week I'm at
Georgetown for another great event.
I know you have a great day planned. Before I talk a bit about our energy
and environmental future, let's take a look at a lesson from the past. Most
of you won't remember this as I do, but in the 60's, industries and
business were growing. Suburbs were sprawling up and the automobile was a
symbol of the American dream - "a chicken in every pot and a car in every
driveway." The auto industry set the pace of the American economy.
Unfortunately, also in the 60's, our rivers were burning, future Superfund
sites were popping up all over, smokestacks were spewing black soot, and
cars were fueled by leaded gasoline. All the progress was great but folks
began to realize that it came at too high a cost. Sure, leaded gasoline
was affordable and reliable; but its full cost didn't show up at the pump.
Toxic leaded gas fumes and other pollutants choked our cities, impairing
public health. Lead fumes even threatened brain development in our
children. The, quote, "price of progress" proved too much to pay.
Millions of people demanded cleaner fuel for their cars, and EPA responded.
Despite special-interests disputing the science and the costs, EPA phased
out leaded gas. Since EPA was created more than 40 years ago,
technological innovations like catalytic converters, have allowed us to
drive cars that run 99 percent cleaner.
That same success story of science and innovation has been repeated over
and over, as we have tackled our environmental challenges in ways that have
sparked American ingenuity and led to a U.S. environmental technology
industry that's second to none. If there is one lesson we've learned by
now, it's that real economic progress, and real energy progress, need never
come at the price of economic growth or protecting our wellbeing; it comes
from investing in cleaner, more efficient technologies that keep people
healthy.
Today, climate change is the most complex energy and environmental
challenge we've ever faced. But like we always have, we can turn our
challenge into a tremendous opportunity to invigorate the way we make and
use energy. Under president Obama's leadership, EPA is seizing that
opportunity. And just like before, despite the naysayers and special
interests, people get it. They know that the cost of climate inaction is
too high. They know we can, and we must, make energy clean, efficient, and
affordable.
The research from David and Stephen's new book, "Cheap and Clean",
underscores that truth. They say don't judge a book by its cover, but
frankly, the title says it all.
When we talk about energy being cheap, we're talking about cost of energy
on our monthly bills. But when we talk about energy being clean, that
doesn't mean we stop talking about costs. Clean energy isn't just about
protecting public health, it's also about protecting people's pocketbooks.
That's a point I want to make clear: clean energy means less pollution, and
less pollution means lower costs to our health and economy. Those costs
are not always line-itemed on our bills, but they are real nevertheless. As
temperatures and seas rise, so do insurance premiums, food prices, medical
bills, and more. And taxpayers and businesses pay the price.
The American people understand that fact. From all the recent public
opinion work out there on climate change, what stands out to me is this:
first, people overwhelmingly consider climate change a problem,and they
want action. And second, what's even more impressive, is the overwhelming
support specifically for EPA action to curb carbon pollution from power
plants.
Just like with our cars, the public sentiment that our energy should be
clean and affordable is not new. The good news is, history shows it's a
challenge we've successfully faced time and time again: Over the last 40
years, we've cut air pollution by 70 percent while our economy tripled in
size. And we did it without skyrocketing energy costs. And today, even
though we have commonsense standards to regulate mercury and arsenic, there
are currently no limits on the harmful carbon pollution fueling climate
change.
That's why president Obama directed EPA to act. A month ago at the UN
climate summit, president Obama said, quote, "We cannot condemn our
children to a future beyond their capacity to repair…not when we have the
means to begin repairing it right now." He's right. We can do this. EPA's
clean power plan is a commonsense path forward to make the power sector
cleaner, while keeping energy affordable and reliable. We've had well over
1 million comments on our plan already. And we extended the comment period
through December 1st, because we want every good idea on the table.
Our clean power plan will cut carbon pollution from our power sector 30
percent by 2030. When we cut carbon pollution, we reduce other harmful
pollutants that cause smog and soot. From those reductions alone, every
dollar we invest through the Clean Power Plan will return $7 dollars in
health benefits. In 2030, total climate and health benefits could reach up
to $93 billion dollars. And here's the thing, the energy efficiency
measures our plan helps put in place by 2030, will actually make energy
bills 8 percent cheaper.
It's easy to see why climate action makes sense. The energy landscape is
changing. EPA's plan looks at where we are today, and maps out where we're
going. We want to raise the common denominator for cleaner, affordable
power across all states. And our plan is not a one-size-fits-all
prescription, it boosts progress already underway in companies, city halls,
and state capitals across the nation.
38 states already have renewable energy portfolio standards. And 10 states
already have market based greenhouse gas emissions reduction programs.
Clean energy is getting cheaper by the minute. The price of utility-scale
solar power is almost 60 percent below where analysts predicted it would
be. And between 2012 and 2013, just one year, the price of solar power
installed on homes or local businesses dropped 12 to 15 percent. And
according to a report from the Carbon Disclosure Project, companies like
Delta, Google and Disney use an internal carbon price in their business
decisions because investors and CEO's see the value of climate action.
The key to making our Clean Power Plan ambitious and achievable, is
flexibility. Flexibility means states can choose the low-carbon path that
makes sense to them based on their own energy needs and their own economic
vision. Flexibility means more choices for them, and more ways to invest.
Our plan sends a powerful market signal that will unleash innovation and
create jobs. And that innovation will lead to even more affordable clean
power. It's a positive cycle that we should do everything we can to
encourage.
I was recently at a clean tech incubator in L.A.; those companies are
growing and creating jobs thanks to more market certainty. That's the real
prize of any regulatory action. We don't regulate to drive regulation, we
regulate to drive markets.
Decades ago, when American cities were choked by smog, we knew we had the
technology to begin to fix the problem, and we knew American ingenuity
would carry us forward. And it has. All we needed was to nudge the market
in the right direction to embrace cleaner energy, and to run with it. And
that's exactly what happened. We sent up a signal flare by making good
policy to protect public health. That signal drove markets, drove
innovation, cleaned up our cars, and served as a model for the world.
And because we took action, our kids won't grow up breathing toxic leaded
gas fumes. We can, and must, take on climate change the same way. Acting
on climate change is not just a responsibility we must accept for the sake
of our children; it's an opportunity we should seize, to retool and resurge
with new technologies, new industries, and new jobs.
This is our new catalytic-converter-moment. As we work to build a cleaner,
low-carbon energy future—let's remind ourselves what we're capable of.
Thank you.
