State
Rollback of environmental regs might not be best move for Republican
Congress
MBJ
by Becky Gillette
Published: November 20,2014
Some environmental groups are warning that the Republican takeover of
Congress could result in a major attack on environmental regulations. Mitch
McConnell from coal-heavy Kentucky, expected to be the new Senate Majority
Leader, has said his top priority next year is to rein in the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA).
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2014/11/20/rollback-environmental-regs-might-best-move-republican-congress/
Report: Mississippi could see 12,000 new jobs, $244M in annual revenue from
eastern Gulf drilling
Mississippi Press
April M. Havens
November 20, 2014 at 4:50 PM
Mississippi could gain more than 12,000 jobs and nearly $244 million per
year in revenue by 2035 if areas of the eastern Gulf of Mexico now off
limits to oil and gas exploration are opened, a new report says.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2014/11/report_mississippi_could_see_1.html#incart_river
Analyst: KiOR Columbus plant may end up sold as scrap
MBJ
by jack.weatherly
Published: November 20,2014
By Jack weatherly
Finding a buyer for the idled KiOR biofuels plant at Columbus would be a
tough sell, according to Pavel Molchanov, an equity analyst who had covered
Pasadena, Texas-based KiOR Inc. until it filed for bankruptcy protection on
Nov. 9.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2014/11/20/analyst-kior-columbus-plant-may-end-sold-scrap/
State's new banking chief Charlotte Corley has deep roots in the business
MBJ
by Ted Carter
Published: November 20,2014
Mississippi's bankers should have no difficulty recognizing the name of the
state's new banking commissioner.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2014/11/20/states-new-banking-chief-charlotte-corley-deep-roots-business/
Oil Spill
Dauphin Island officials pitch $58 million beach restoration project
through oil spill funds
Press-Register
Dennis Pillion
DAUPHIN ISLAND, Alabama -- Hoping to make one of Alabama's barrier islands
a bit more of a barrier to winds, tides and major storms, Dauphin Island
officials are hoping to secure oil spill restoration funding for a major
beach rejuvenation project on the west end of the island.
http://www.al.com/news/beaches/index.ssf/2014/11/dauphin_island_hoping_to_secur.html#incart_river
Alabama researchers land $6.4 million grant to study biodiversity's role in
oil spill recovery
Press-Register
Dennis Pillion
DAUPHIN ISLAND, Alabama -- Coastal Alabama is well-known for its vast
biological diversity and now a consortium of in-state researchers has been
awarded a major grant to investigate how that wide range of marine life may
have helped the state cope with oil and dispersants coming from the
Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
http://www.al.com/news/beaches/index.ssf/2014/11/dauphin_island_sea_lab_lands_6.html
Regional
Oil company pleads guilty to illegal dumping in Breton Sound, will pay $3
million fine
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
November 20, 2014 at 3:36 PM
An Oklahoma oil company has pled guilty in federal court in New Orleans to
dumping brine and produced water in Breton Sound, in violation of the Clean
Water Act. XPLOR Energy SPV-1, Inc., has agreed to pay a $3.1 million fine
and serve a 3-year probation term, U.S. Attorney Kenneth Polite announced.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2014/11/oil_company_pleads_guilty_to_d.html#incart_river
Explosion on Gulf of Mexico Oil Platform Kills One, Injures Three
Wall Street Journal
An explosion at an offshore oil and gas platform in the Gulf of Mexico
killed one worker and injured three others Thursday afternoon, the Bureau
of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/explosion-on-gulf-of-mexico-oil-platform-kills-one-injures-three-1416540625
National
House passes bill to enhance EPA reporting requirements
The Hill
The House on Thursday passed legislation to enhance the Environmental
Protection Agency's reporting requirements for the number of
pre-construction permits it issues under the Clean Air Act.
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/224843-house-passes-bill-to-enhance-epa-reporting-requirements
Lawmakers push for delay in EPA furnace rules
The Hill
Dozens of members of Congress asked the Environmental Protection Agency to
delay the proposed timeline to enforce new emissions rules for residential
wood furnaces.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/224865-lawmakers-push-for-delay-in-epa-furnace-rules
GOP bill would give EPA's fishing regulations the hook
The Hill
A pair of GOP senators is pushing legislation to delay looming
Environmental Protection Agency regulations requiring certain commercial
fisherman to carry special permits to hose down their decks.
http://thehill.com/regulation/224885-gop-bill-would-give-epas-fishing-regulations-the-hook
Press releases
Collaboration with Federal and State Agencies, Rice Growers and Industry
Further Protect Endangered Salmon and Steelhead Trout
WASHINGTON —Collaboration among federal and state agencies, rice growers
and industry has created federally enforceable restrictions of the
pesticide thiobencarb to protect threatened and endangered salmon and
steelhead trout in California.
"Working hand-in-hand with our partners we have met the critical
environmental and economic goals of protecting threatened and endangered
salmon and steelhead trout while maintaining rice production in
California," said Jim Jones, Assistant Administrator for Chemical Safety
and Pollution Prevention. "This was achieved by creating a unique approach
tailored to specific geographic locations critical to salmon and
considering the needs of rice growers. I am proud of our joint efforts to
protect threatened and endangered salmon."
"This is a smart approach to pesticide use that includes important
safeguards for protected fish while still allowing growers to care for
their crops," said Will Stelle, administrator of NOAA Fisheries' West Coast
Region." This demonstrates that we can find balanced and workable solutions
through collaboration."
National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), California Department of Pesticide
Regulation (CDPR), the California Rice Commission, and Valent, the
manufacturer of the pesticide thiobencarb worked to put these restrictions
in place.
The CDPR put in place measures to protect salmon and steelhead trout based
on proximity to endangered species habitat according to NOAA Fisheries
geographic locations and information from rice growers. After reviewing
CDPR's data on pesticide use and the state's protective measures, NOAA
Fisheries found that thiobencarb use on rice in California would not
jeopardize salmon and steelhead trout provided protective measures
currently being applied in California are ensured.
EPA is now making California's geographic use limits federally enforceable
by incorporating them into the pesticide label. These use limitations will
be effective April 1, 2015. This action represents EPA's first
implementation of a NOAA Fisheries salmon and steelhead trout Biological
Opinion. This action was a result of litigation brought against EPA and
NOAA Fisheries by the Washington Toxics Coalition (WTC) and the Northwest
Center for Alternatives to Pesticides (NCAP). NOAA Fisheries' final
Biological Opinion for thiobencarb and can be found at:
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/consultation/opinions/biop_thiobencarb.pdf .
The protection measures included in the NOAA Fisheries' final Biological
Opinion came from several sources including the California enforcement
standards, the use limitations on California's on-line database that
recommends protective measures for endangered and threatened species and
from the management practices the California Rice Commission receives from
the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board.
California is the only state within the range of Pacific salmon and
steelhead trout where rice is grown. Thiobencarb is typically used on rice
from May 1 through June 15.
View the Thiobencarb use restrictions for endangered salmon in 14
California counties where rice is grown at:
www2.epa.gov/endangered-species/thiobencarb-use-limitations.
For more information on endangered species protection bulletins visit
Bulletins Live site at: www.epa.gov/oppfead1/endanger/bulletins.htm.
