State
Siemens paying fine for waste and emergency plan violations
by Associated Press
Published: January 19,2015
COLUMBUS — A contractor for the Steel Dynamics mill in Columbus is paying a
$61,867 civil fine for environmental violations relating to hazardous waste
and emergency readiness.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2015/01/19/siemens-paying-fine-waste-emergency-plan-violations/
Soap maker pays $50,000 fine for violating wastewater permit
The Associated Press
OLIVE BRANCH, MISS. — An Olive Branch soap maker is paying a $50,000 civil
fine for failing to renew its wastewater permit on time and for increasing
wastewater discharges.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/01/18/6024727/soap-maker-pays-50000-fine-for.html
Hybrid Plastics of Hattiesburg pays $15,000 environmental fine over
hazardous waste violations
AP
HATTIESBURG, Mississippi — A Hattiesburg company that makes molecularly
enhanced plastics is paying a $15,000 civil fine over hazardous waste
violations.
http://www.greenfieldreporter.com/view/story/42d7d7e0fe294af9aa6c566715443727/MS--Hybrid-Plastics-Fine
Weyerhaeuser pays $37K fine for air pollution over limits
The Associated Press
COLUMBUS, MISS. — Weyerhaeuser Co.'s Columbus pulp mill is paying a $37,500
civil fine for exceeding emissions limits during a 2013 test.
http://www.bnd.com/2015/01/19/3617644_weyerhaeuser-pays-37k-fine-for.html?sp=/99/102/&rh=1
Calvert pays environmental fine, agrees to improvement plan
The Associated Press
RICHLAND, MISS. — A Rankin County company is paying a $9,034 civil fine and
has agreed to spend at least $15,000 to install a solvent recovery system.
http://www.thestate.com/welcome_page/?shf=/2015/01/20/3938557_calvert-pays-environmental-fine.html
Claiborne County pays fine over failure to send dump report
The Associated PressJanuary 20, 2015
PORT GIBSON, MISS. — The Claiborne County Board of Supervisors is paying a
$4,000 civil fine for failing to submit an annual report for its
construction debris dump.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/01/20/6027144/claiborne-county-pays-fine-over.html
Dumpsters desired to discourage dead deer disposals
Ernest Herndon
Enterprise-Journal
January 16, 2015 2:00 pm
As officials begin to negotiate a garbage pickup and disposal contract for
Pike County, they said they will look into having the contractor provide
Dumpsters for deer carcasses — many of which currently wind up tossed in
ditches and creeks.
http://www.enterprise-journal.com/news/article_f7041f84-9db4-11e4-9642-63cfb658c6c1.html
Federal judge tosses Mississippi water association suit against state
regulation
The Associated Press
January 18, 2015 at 1:23 PM
JACKSON, Mississippi -- A federal judge has dismissed a suit that sought to
stop the Mississippi Public Service Commission from regulating certain
aspects of rural water associations and electric cooperatives.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2015/01/federal_judge_tosses_mississip.html#incart_river
Reeves' agenda: tax cuts, guns, reform and red meat
Clarion Ledger
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves on Monday unveiled an ambitious election-year
legislative agenda full of crowd pleasers – tax cuts, abolishing
vehicle inspection stickers – red meat and reform.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/01/19/reeves-agenda-tax-cuts-guns-reform-red-meat/22024285/
Oil Spill
BP facing potential $13.7 billion penalty as next leg of oil spill trial
begins Tuesday
The Associated Press
January 19, 2015 at 10:52 AM
NEW ORLEANS -- Lawyers for the government and oil giant BP head to federal
court Tuesday for a trial in that could add more than $13 billion in
penalties to the billions BP already has shelled out as a result of 2010
Gulf oil spill.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2015/01/bp_facing_potential_137_billio.html#incart_river
BP to push for lower fine in penalty phase of Gulf spill trial
Reuters
By Jonathan Kaminsky
NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - BP Plc will try to whittle away at $13.7 billion in
potential fines under the Clean Water Act as the penalty phase starts on
Tuesday in its trial over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/20/us-bp-trial-idUSKBN0KT11T20150120
Oil Prices to Play Into BP Fine
Drop in Crude Prices Strains Company—Which Lawyers Will Note in Court
Wall Street Journal
After its oil-well explosion in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, BP PLC caught
one lucky break: Oil prices surged and boosted its cash flow, helping it to
cover billions of dollars in legal and oil-spill cleanup costs.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/oil-prices-to-play-into-bp-fine-1421610065?autologin=y
Anadarko to Fight Oil-Spill Fine
Investor in Ill-Fated Deepwater Horizon Rig Unable to Avoid Liability
Wall Street Journal
When a federal judge ruled last fall on who was to blame for the 2010
Deepwater Horizon disaster, he didn't point a finger at Anadarko Petroleum
Corp.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/anadarko-to-fight-oil-spill-fine-1421610192?autologin=y
Five Things to Know About the Latest BP Gulf Oil Spill Trial
Bloomberg
One should be forgiven for losing track of the never-ending legal warfare
over the April 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. With lawyers swinging back
into action in federal court in New Orleans this week, here's a cheat sheet
for sorting through the jurisprudential muck.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2015-01-20/the-latest-bp-oil-spill-trial-explained
Environmental groups say BP deserves max $13.7 billion oil spill fine
Jennifer Larino
The Times-Picayune
January 19, 2015 at 9:33 PM
Environmental groups say a federal judge's Thursday ruling that the 2010
Gulf of Mexico oil spill was smaller than government estimates was fair and
an "important step" in the sprawling spill litigation. As the trial moves
forward, they say BP should face the maximum penalty for its role in the
spill.
http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2015/01/environmental_groups_say_bp_de.html#incart_river
Could BP, Feds settle in massive 2010 oil spill civil case? Experts weigh
in
Jennifer Larino
The Times-Picayune
January 16, 2015 at 2:19 PM
BP faces a top fine of $13.7 billion for its role in the 2010 Gulf of
Mexico oil disaster, down from a possible $18 billion after a federal judge
ruled Thursday that the spill was smaller than the federal government had
estimated.
http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2015/01/could_bp_feds_end_2010_oil_spi.html
National
Obama toughens up on climate
The Hill
President Obama has doubled down on his climate change and energy policies
over the last three months, further stoking a fire with a
Republican-controlled Congress.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/229853-obama-toughens-up-on-climate
Low oil prices will not affect U.S. environmental rules: EPA chief
Reuters
Fri, Jan 16 2015
By Valerie Volcovici
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Current low oil prices are a short-term blip and
will not affect how the U.S. crafts new environmental regulations,
including forthcoming standards for heavy duty vehicles, the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) chief said Friday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/16/us-usa-climatechange-epa-idUSKBN0KP26J20150116
Government report refutes 'sue-and-settle' claims
The Hill
A new government report refutes claims that the Environmental Protection
Agency colluded with public interests groups in the rulemaking process.
http://thehill.com/regulation/229813-government-report-refutes-sue-and-settle-claims
EPA faces internal review over scrubbed text messages
Fox News
The Environmental Protection Agency, on the heels of the controversy at the
IRS over missing emails, is facing a probe of its own over whether it
improperly scrubbed text messages.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/01/17/epa-faces-internal-review-over-scrubbed-text-messages/
Oil spill forces drinking water to be trucked into Montana town
Published January 20, 2015
Associated Press
GLENDIVE, Mont. – Truckloads of drinking water were being shipped to the
eastern Montana city of Glendive on Monday after traces of a major oil
spill along the Yellowstone River were detected in public water supplies,
raising concerns about a potential health risk.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/01/20/oil-spill-forces-drinking-water-to-be-trucked-into-montana-town/?intcmp=latestnews
Press releases
EPA Launches Finance Center to Improve Community Water Infrastructure and
Resiliency
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched the Water
Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center today to help communities
across the country improve their wastewater, drinking water and stormwater
systems, particularly through innovative financing and by building
resilience to climate change. The center was announced as Vice President
Biden and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy toured the construction site for
a tunnel to reduce sewer overflows into the Anacostia River in Washington,
D.C. by 98 percent. The center is part of the White House Build America
Investment Initiative – a government-wide effort to increase infrastructure
investment and promote economic growth by creating opportunities for state
and local governments and the private sector to collaborate, expand
public-private partnerships, and increase the use of federal credit
programs.
"Infrastructure is central to the President's plan to build on the progress
the U.S. economy is making by creating jobs and expanding opportunity for
all Americans," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. "By modernizing the
nation's infrastructure we can protect our drinking water sources and
enhance resilience to the impacts of climate change by avoiding financial
and water supply losses from leaking pipes and reducing pollution from
sewer overflows and wastewater discharges."
Key Points
· EPA's center will serve as a resource for communities, municipal
utilities, and private entities as they seek to address water
infrastructure needs with limited budgets.
· EPA will help explore public-private partnerships and innovative
financing solutions.
· Aging and inadequate water infrastructure hinders the ability of
communities to provide clean drinking water, manage wastewater,
reduce flooding, and provide recreational waters that are safe to
swim and fish in.
· Impacts of climate change — including intense and frequent storms,
drought, floods, sea-level rise and water quality changes — create
challenges for communities as they prepare water infrastructure that
can withstand these impacts.
By the Numbers
· More than $600 billion is needed over the next 20 years to maintain
and improve the nation's water infrastructure.
· State-by-state breakdown of funding needs:
http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/upload/clean-water-and-drinking-water-infrastructure-needs-by-state.pdf
Audio
Administrator McCarthy discusses EPA's new center:
http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/bd4379a92ceceeac8525735900400c27/28ce3f2fe7f9df5285257dcf00577798!OpenDocument
Photos
https://www.flickr.com/photos/usepagov/sets/72157649907578489/
Details
The Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center will:
· Explore innovative financial tools, public-private partnerships, and
non-traditional finance concepts to better leverage federal funding
programs. The Center will build on the highly successful State
Revolving Fund and other programs of EPA and its federal partners.
· Explore ways to increase financing of climate-resilient water
infrastructure projects that integrate water efficiency, energy
efficiency, water reuse and green infrastructure.
· Support communities to develop sustainable sources of funding,
particularly for stormwater activities.
· Build upon existing work to support small community water systems to
build technical, managerial and financial capacities through
collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
· Closely coordinate with the EPA-supported Environmental Finance
Centers and consult with the Agency's Environmental Finance Advisory
Board.
Water infrastructure includes the pipes, drains, and concrete that carry
drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater. It includes industrial
wastewater pretreatment facilities; wastewater treatment plants; municipal
separate storm sewer systems; decentralized, onsite and septic systems;
public drinking water systems; and private wells. It also includes green
infrastructure, which uses natural land cover to capture rain where it
falls, allowing it to filter through the ground.
55th Mississippi Conservation Achievement Awards
The Mississippi Wildlife Federation is pleased to announce the recipients
of the 2014 Conservation Achievement Awards. "The Conservation Achievement
Awards are a great way to recognize the people and organizations from
across the state that have gone above and beyond in making a positive
impact on conservation in Mississippi," said Brad Young, Executive Director
of the Mississippi Wildlife Federation. "This year's winners are truly
deserving of this special honor."
Winners of the 2014 Conservation
Achievement Awards are:
Conservationist of the Year –
Mississippi State University College of Forest Resources
Wildlife Conservationist of the Year –
Becky Rosamond, Vaiden
Fisheries Conservationist of the Year –
Keith Meals, Waterford
Forest Conservationist of the Year –
Becky Stowe, Lucedale
Youth Conservationist of the Year –
Hallie Westbrook, Pickens
Conservation Partner of the Year –
Mississippi Environmental Focus Group, Jackson
Conservation Educator of the Year –
Bronson Strickland, Starkville
Conservation Officer of the Year –
Marc McClesky, Caledonia
Elected Official of the Year –
Representative Scott Bounds, Philadelphia
Hunter Education Volunteer Instructor of the Year –
Lanette Crocker, Waynesboro
Catch-A-Dream Volunteer of the Year –
Chris and Rosie Terry, Carmack
The Mississippi Wildlife Federation will host the 55th Mississippi
Conservation Achievement Awards Luncheon to recognize and honor those whose
achievements in natural resource conservation deserve statewide
recognition. MWF's Conservation Achievement Awards are among the most
prestigious for conservation efforts. They are presented annually on behalf
of MWF's members and supporters and its statewide network of affiliated
organizations.
The 55th Mississippi Conservation Achievement Awards Luncheon will be held
on February 26, 2015 at 11:30am at the Hilton in Jackson, Mississippi.
To purchase tickets, please call (601) 605-1790 or visit the Mississippi
Wildlife Federation website at www.mswildife.org
