State
KiOR seeks plant receiver, says Mississippi ran off buyer
By JEFF AMY
Associated Press
Posted: Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015
JACKSON, Miss. The financier of a shuttered biofuel refinery is asking a
Mississippi state court judge to name a receiver for the company's Columbus
plant, at the same time that he's accusing the state of scaring off a
potential buyer.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2015/01/13/5444385/khosla-seeks-kior-plant-receiver.html#.VLXFZPfy_4E.twitter
Over 1,000 sign up for Hattiesburg recycling
WDAM
HATTIESBURG, MS (WDAM) -Nearly 1,200 Hattiesburg residents have subscribed
to curbside recycling since the city overtook the program at the start of
the New Year.
http://www.wdam.com/story/27841419/hattiesburg-introduces-new-recycling-program
Man sues Hancock over dirt pit denial
Sea Coast Echo
By Dwayne Bremer
Jan 13, 2015, 19:12
Local businessman Kevin Haas last week filed a "Bill of Exceptions" in
Hancock County Circuit Court over a recent decision by the Hancock County
Board of Supervisors to deny a dirt pit on Old Kiln-Picayune Road.
http://www.seacoastecho.com/article_8516.shtml#.VLZyziujNcZ
Pearl River County School District Conserving Energy, Saving Money
Picayune Item
http://www.picayuneitem.com/2015/01/pearl-river-county-school-district-conserving-energy-saving-money/
Tupelo eyes energy savings
By William Moore
Daily Journal
TUPELO – The Tupelo City Council is considering a lighting and energy
upgrade plan that promises to save the city at least $140,000 annually in
utilities while only costing $116,000 each year.
http://djournal.com/news/tupelo-eyes-energy-savings/
Discarded Christmas trees do double duty as dwellings for fish
Commercial Appeal
Corps of Engineers ranger Dave Funderburk deals in reel estate.
Call him the "fish hotel" or "crappie condo" guy. That's fine with the
natural resources specialist at Corps-managed Arkabutla Lake that spreads
over southwestern DeSoto County and northern Tate County in North
Mississippi.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/local-news/desoto/discarded-christmas-trees-do-double-duty-as-dwellings-for-fish_84163485
Mississippi tax collections $91 million ahead of forecast at fiscal year
midpoint
The Associated Press
January 13, 2015 at 7:37 PM
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Mississippi tax collections are running $91 million
ahead of expectations just over halfway into the fiscal year, a top budget
writer said Tuesday.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2015/01/mississippi_tax_collections_91.html#incart_river
Oil Spill
EPA proposes more restrictive standards for oil spill dispersants
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
January 13, 2015 at 6:01 PM
Citing lessons learned during the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the
Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday proposed sweeping changes in
regulations for the use of chemical dispersants and other substances in
future spills.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/01/epa_proposes_revised_standards.html#incart_river
Santa Rosa Accepting RESTORE Projects
WUWF
Santa Rosa County residents in search of RESTORE Act funding for their
projects can begin submitting their requests as of Monday. About $4.4
million is available.
http://wuwf.org/post/santa-rosa-accepting-restore-projects
Regional
Helis Oil drilling and fracking project seeks to tap into localized
geologic formation
Robert Rhoden
The Times-Picayune
January 13, 2015 at 12:16 PM
Helis Oil & Gas Co. has responded to various concerns and questions raised
by citizens about its proposed drilling and fracking project near
Mandeville and, for the first time, shed light on why it chose a location
at the southern fringe of the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale formation.
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/01/helis_oil_fracking_project_see.html#incart_river
Radioactive leak reported at TVA nuclear plant in North Alabama
Chattanooga Times Free Press
A leak of radioactive water from a tank at the Browns Ferry Nuclear
Power Plant released tritium into the environment this week, but a TVA
spokesman said Saturday the leak was quickly contained and presented no
public risk.
http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/local/story/2015/jan/11/tvreports-tritium-leak-browns-ferry/282080/
National
Obama Administration to Unveil Plans to Cut Methane Emissions
NY Times
WASHINGTON — In President Obama's latest move using executive authority to
tackle climate change, administration officials are announcing plans this
week to impose new regulations on the oil and gas industry's emissions of
methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/14/us/politics/obama-administration-to-unveil-plans-to-cut-methane-emissions.html?_r=0
EPA Set to Regulate Oil and Gas Methane Emissions
Proposal Would Be First-Ever Direct Regulation on Methane
Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON—The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday is expect to
announce the first-ever national standards to cut methane emissions from
the nation's oil and natural-gas industry as part of President Barack
Obama's climate-change agenda.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/epa-set-to-regulate-oil-and-gas-methane-emissions-1421239861?autologin=y
EPA may loosen lead-based paint regs
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency is looking to ease certain lead-based
paint regulations, the agency said Tuesday.
http://thehill.com/regulation/229339-epa-may-loosen-lead-based-paint-regs
Press Releases
FACT SHEET: Administration Takes Steps Forward on Climate Action Plan by
Announcing Actions to Cut Methane Emissions
The Obama Administration is committed to taking responsible steps to
address climate change and help ensure a cleaner, more stable environment
for future generations. As part of that effort, today, the Administration
is announcing a new goal to cut methane emissions from the oil and gas
sector by 40 – 45 percent from 2012 levels by 2025, and a set of actions to
put the U.S. on a path to achieve this ambitious goal.
U.S. oil production is at the highest level in nearly 30 years, providing
important energy security and economic benefits. The U.S. is also now the
largest natural gas producer in the world, providing an abundant source of
clean-burning fuel to power and heat American homes and businesses.
Continuing to rely on these domestic energy resources is a critical element
of the President's energy strategy. At the same time, methane – the primary
component of natural gas – is a potent greenhouse gas, with 25 times the
heat-trapping potential of carbon dioxide over a 100-year period.
Methane emissions accounted for nearly 10 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas
emissions in 2012, of which nearly 30 percent came from the production
transmission and distribution of oil and natural gas. Emissions from the
oil and gas sector are down 16 percent since 1990 and current data show
significant reductions from certain parts of the sector, notably well
completions. Nevertheless, emissions from the oil and gas sector are
projected to rise more than 25 percent by 2025 without additional steps to
lower them. For these reasons, a strategy for cutting methane emissions
from the oil and gas sector is an important component of efforts to address
climate change.
The steps announced today are also a sound economic and public health
strategy because reducing methane emissions means capturing valuable fuel
that is otherwise wasted and reducing other harmful pollutants – a win for
public health and the economy. Achieving the Administration's goal would
save up to 180 billion cubic feet of natural gas in 2025, enough to heat
more than 2 million homes for a year and continue to support businesses
that manufacture and sell cost-effective technologies to identify,
quantify, and reduce methane emissions.
ADMINISTRATION ACTIONS TO REDUCE METHANE EMISSIONS
Building on prior actions by the Administration, and leadership in states
and industry, today the Administration is announcing a series of steps
encompassing both commonsense standards and cooperative engagement with
states, tribes and industry to put us on a path toward the 2025 goal. This
coordinated, cross-agency effort will ensure a harmonized approach that
also considers the important role of FERC, state utility commissions and
environmental agencies, and industry. Administration actions include:
Propose and Set Commonsense Standards for Methane and Ozone-Forming
Emissions from New and Modified Sources
In 2012, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) laid a foundation for
further action when it issued standards for volatile organic compounds
(VOC) from the oil and natural gas industry. These standards, when fully
implemented, are expected to reduce 190,000 to 290,000 tons of VOC and
decrease methane emissions in an amount equivalent to 33 million tons of
carbon pollution per year. The standards not only relied on technologies
and practices already in widespread use in the oil and gas sector, but also
incorporated innovative regulatory flexibility. Along with a rule to
streamline permitting of oil and gas production on certain tribal lands,
this approach ensured that important public health and environmental
protections could be achieved while oil and gas production continued to
grow and expand.
Building on five technical white papers issued last spring, the peer review
and public input received on these documents, and the actions that a number
of states are already taking, EPA will initiate a rulemaking effort to set
standards for methane and VOC emissions from new and modified oil and gas
production sources, and natural gas processing and transmission sources.
EPA will issue a proposed rule in the summer of 2015 and a final rule will
follow in 2016. In developing these standards, EPA will work with industry,
states, tribes, and other stakeholders to consider a range of common-sense
approaches that can reduce emissions from the sources discussed in the
agency's Oil and Gas White Papers, including oil well completions,
pneumatic pumps, and leaks from well sites, gathering and boosting
stations, and compressor stations. As it did in the 2012 standards, the
agency, in developing the proposal and final standards, will focus on
in-use technologies, current industry practices, emerging innovations and
streamlined and flexible regulatory approaches to ensure that emissions
reductions can be achieved as oil and gas production and operations
continue to grow.
New Guidelines to Reduce Volatile Organic Compounds
EPA will develop new guidelines to assist states in reducing ozone-forming
pollutants from existing oil and gas systems in areas that do not meet the
ozone health standard and in states in the Ozone Transport Region. These
guidelines will also reduce methane emissions in these areas. The
guidelines will help states that are developing clean air ozone plans by
providing a ready-to-adopt control measure that they can include in those
plans.
Consider Enhancing Leak Detection and Emissions Reporting
EPA will continue to promote transparency and accountability for existing
sources by strengthening its Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program to require
reporting in all segments of the industry. In addition to finalizing the
updates to the program EPA has already proposed by the end of 2015, EPA
will explore potential regulatory opportunities for applying remote sensing
technologies and other innovations in measurement and monitoring technology
to further improve the identification and quantification of emissions and
improve the overall accuracy and transparency of reported data
cost-effectively.
Lead by Example on Public Lands
The Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will update
decades-old standards to reduce wasteful venting, flaring, and leaks of
natural gas, which is primarily methane, from oil and gas wells. These
standards, to be proposed this spring, will address both new and existing
oil and gas wells on public lands. This action will enhance our energy
security and economy by boosting America's natural gas supplies, ensuring
that taxpayers receive the royalties due to them from development of public
resources, and reducing emissions. BLM will work closely with EPA to ensure
an integrated approach.
Reduce Methane Emissions while Improving Pipeline Safety
The Department of Transportation's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration (PHMSA) will propose natural gas pipeline safety standards
in 2015. While the standards will focus on safety, they are expected to
lower methane emissions as well.
Drive Technology to Reduce Natural Gas Losses and Improve Emissions
Quantification
The President's FY16 Budget will propose $15 million in funding for the
Department of Energy (DOE) to develop and demonstrate more cost-effective
technologies to detect and reduce losses from natural gas transmission and
distribution systems. This will include efforts to repair leaks and
develop next generation compressors. The President's budget will also
propose $10 million to launch a program at DOE to enhance the
quantification of emissions from natural gas infrastructure for inclusion
in the national Greenhouse Gas Inventory in coordination with EPA.
Modernize Natural Gas Transmission and Distribution Infrastructure
DOE will continue to take steps to encourage reduced emissions,
particularly from natural gas transmission and distribution, including:
· Issuing energy efficiency standards for natural gas and air
compressors;
· Advancing research and development to bring down the cost
of detecting leaks;
· Working with FERC to modernize natural gas infrastructure;
and
· Partnering with NARUC and local distribution companies to
accelerate pipeline repair and replacement at the local level.
Release a Quadrennial Energy Review (QER)
The Administration will soon release the first installment of the QER,
which focuses specifically on policy actions that are needed to help
modernize energy transmission, storage, and distribution infrastructure.
This installment of the QER will include additional policy recommendations
and analysis on the environmental, safety, and economic benefits of
investments that reduce natural gas system leakage.
INDUSTRY ACTIONS TO REDUCE METHANE EMISSIONS
The Administration's actions represent important steps to cut methane
emissions from the oil and gas sector. Fully attaining the Administration's
goal will require additional action, particularly with respect to existing
sources of methane emissions. Several voluntary industry efforts to address
these sources are underway, including EPA's plans to expand on the
successful Natural Gas STAR Program by launching a new partnership in
collaboration with key stakeholders later in 2015. EPA will work with
DOE, DOT, and leading companies, individually and through broader
initiatives such as the One Future Initiative and the Downstream
Initiative, to develop and verify robust commitments to reduce methane
emissions. This new effort will encourage innovation, provide
accountability and transparency, and track progress toward specific methane
emission reduction activities and goals to reduce methane leakage across
the natural gas value chain.
Voluntary efforts to reduce emissions in a comprehensive and transparent
manner hold the potential to realize significant reductions in a quick,
flexible, cost-effective way. Achieving significant methane reductions from
these voluntary industry programs and state actions could reduce the need
for future regulations. The Administration stands ready to collaborate with
these and other voluntary efforts, including in the development of a regime
for monitoring, reporting and verification.
BUILDING ON PROGRESS
Today's announcement builds on the "Strategy to Reduce Methane Emissions"
released in March 2014. Since its release, the Administration has taken a
number of actions to set us on a course to reduce methane emissions from
the oil and gas sector and other sources:
· DOE has launched a new initiative that will make up to $30
million available to develop low-cost highly sensitive technologies
that can help detect and measure methane emissions from oil and gas
systems. Just last month, DOE announced the 11 innovative projects
selected.
· DOE convened a series of roundtable discussions with
leaders from industry, environmental organizations, state regulators,
consumer groups, academia, labor unions, and other stakeholders. The
meetings culminated in July 2014, with the creation of an Initiative
to Modernize Natural Gas Transmission and Distribution Infrastructure
that laid out a series of executive actions, partnerships, and
stakeholder commitments to help modernize the nation's natural gas
transmission and distribution systems, increase safety and energy
efficiency and reduce methane emissions.
· The US Department of Agriculture (USDA), EPA and DOE, in
partnership with the dairy industry, released a Biogas Opportunities
Roadmap in August 2014 highlighting voluntary actions to reduce
methane emissions through the use of biodigesters.
· BLM released an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
(ANPRM) in April 2014 to gather public input on the development of a
program for the capture and sale, or disposal, of waste methane from
coal mines on public lands.
· EPA proposed updates to its 1996 New Source Performance
Standards for new municipal solid waste landfills and sought public
feedback on whether EPA should update guidelines for existing
landfills in June 2014, which they anticipate finalizing this year.
EPA Proposal Strengthens Nation's Preparedness Level and Response to Oil
Spills
Agency Proposes Amendments to Subpart J of the National Oil and Hazardous
Substances Pollution Contingency Plan
Washington- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to
amend requirements under the National Oil and Hazardous Substances
Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP) to improve the nation's ability to plan
for and respond to oil spills. This proposal addresses issues raised by
the public, responders, government, and industry officials during the 2010
Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.
"Our emergency officials need the best available science and safety
information to make informed spill response decisions when evaluating the
use of specific products on oil discharges," said Mathy Stanislaus,
assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency
Response. "Our proposed amendments incorporate scientific advances and
lessons learned from the application of spill-mitigating substances in
response to oil discharges and will help ensure that the emergency planners
and responders are well-equipped to protect human health and the
environment."
The proposed Subpart J revisions include:
· New and revised product toxicity and efficacy test methodologies for
dispersants, and other chemical and biological agents;
· New toxicity and efficacy criteria for listing agents on the Subpart
J Product Schedule;
· Additional human health and safety information requirements from
manufacturers;
· Revised area planning requirements for chemical and biological agent
use authorization; and
· New dispersant monitoring requirements when used on certain oil
discharges.
Dispersant manufactures will be able to use a new, well-tested and peer
reviewed laboratory method for determining the effectiveness of their
dispersant on two types of crude oils at two temperatures measured against
proposed performance criteria. The agency is also proposing an aquatic
toxicity threshold such that products that meet both the performance and
toxicity criteria will offer greater performance at less environmental
impact.
EPA is also proposing product chemical ingredient disclosure options and
new evaluation criteria and a process for removing products from the
Product Schedule.
The agency will accept public comments on the proposal for 90 days
following publication in the Federal Register.
Details about the proposed amendments are available at:
http://www2.epa.gov/emergency-response/national-contingency-plan-subpart-j
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