State
Repairs underway following oil well explosion
WLBT
SMITH COUNTY, MS (Mississippi News Now) -Officials from Texas have arrived
in Smith County, to aid in putting out an oil well fire, which was still
burning Monday night.
http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/27946144/oil-well-explosion-repairs-underway
Natural gas line explosion in Smith County
Clarion Ledger
Officials say there has been a natural gas line explosion in Smith
County off County Road 539 west of Raleigh.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/01/26/possible-oil-well-explosion-in-smith-county/22356229/
Lab owner loses challenge to 40 months in waste case
The Associated Press
JACKSON, MISS. — A federal appeals court has upheld a Mississippi
environmental laboratory owner's sentence for falsifying records on
industrial wastewater samples.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/01/27/6039442/lab-owner-loses-challenge-to-40.html
Wicker unwavering on climate change skepticism
By Joe Rutherford
Daily Journal
U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker remains low key about his lone-wolf vote last week
against an amendment, introduced by Rhode Island Democratic Sen. Sheldon
Whitehouse, "To express the sense of the Senate that climate change is real
and not a hoax."
http://djournal.com/news/wicker-unwavering-climate-change-skepticism/
18-wheeler crash stalls traffic
Tate County Democrat
The entry ramp onto I-55 North in Senatobia remains shut down as
authorities work to clear up a crash involving an 18-wheeler.
http://www.thedemocrat.com/contentitem/385277/2368/18wheeler-crash-stalls-traffic
OSHA fines 4 companies after fatal Omega Protein blast, welders were
unaware of explosive fumes
Mississippi Press
April M. Havens
January 26, 2015 at 12:51 PM
MOSS POINT, Mississippi -- The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration has proposed fines of $187,620 for four companies after a
deadly blast at Omega Protein last year.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2015/01/osha_fines_omega_protein_3_oth.html#incart_river
A Distemper Outbreak in Wildlife has Authorities on Alert
WTOK
Meridian, Miss. A virus known as distemper has been spreading rapidly
throughout the state of Mississippi and surrounding areas. Distemper isn't
as bad as rabies, but is something to be aware of when coming in contact
with wild animals, especially foxes and raccoons.
http://www.wtok.com/home/headlines/A-Distemper-Outbreak-in-Wildlife-has-Authorities-on-Alert-289735561.html
Former state senator Tommy Robertson of Moss Point indicted on five counts
of embezzlement
Mississippi Press
Warren Kulo
January 26, 2015 at 2:15 PM
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Former state senator Tommy Robertson has been
indicted on five counts of embezzlement for taking nearly half a million
dollars from a Singing River Credit Union trust fund over which he had
control.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2015/01/former_state_senator_tommy_rob.html#incart_river
Oil Spill
Expert witness testifies to BP's 'extraordinarily effective' oil spill
response
Jennifer Larino
The Times-Picayune
January 26, 2015 at 4:19 PM
BP conducted an "extraordinarily effective response" to the 2010 Gulf of
Mexico oil spill, rapidly mobilizing people, equipment and a wide range of
cleanup measures to prevent oil from washing ashore, an oil spill response
expert testified Monday (Jan. 26).
http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2015/01/expert_witness_testifies_to_bp.html
Witnesses for BP: 2010 Gulf oil spill cleanup was exemplary
The Associated Press
January 26, 2015 at 4:04 PM
BP struggled for 87 days to contain the millions of gallons of crude that
spilled into the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, but an expert witness on Monday
called its cleanup response exemplary.
http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/01/witnesses_for_bp_2010_gulf_oil.html#incart_river
Supreme Court rejects BP executive's appeal in oil spill case
The Hill
The Supreme Court declined Monday to hear an appeal from a BP executive, an
appeal that sought to challenge a charge stemming from the 2010 Deepwater
Horizon explosion.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/230717-supreme-court-rejects-bp-executives-appeal-in-oil-spill-case
BP Freezes Pay in 2015 as Part of Cost-Cutting Plan
Company Had Been Selling Assets and Making Cuts Even Before Oil Prices
Plunged
Wall Street Journal
LONDON— BP PLC Chief Executive Bob Dudley told staff in a Monday memo that
the company would freeze 2015 base pay, part of a larger round of cost
savings and cuts the company has undertaken as oil prices remain at less
than half the level of mid-2014, a BP spokesman said.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/bp-freezes-pay-in-2015-as-part-of-cost-cutting-plan-1422296132
Regional
DuPont wins in whistleblower case that alleged leaks of cancer-causing gas
at Ascension Parish chemical plant
Emily Lane
The Times-Picayune
January 26, 2015 at 9:16 PM
A jury in Baton Rouge has sided with DuPont chemical company in a federal
whistleblower lawsuit, which claims the company's plant in Ascension Parish
regularly leaked cancer-causing gas.
http://www.nola.com/crime/baton-rouge/index.ssf/2015/01/dupont_whistleblower_lawsuit_a.html#incart_river
National
EPA: States can't 'preempt' climate rule
The Hill
The Obama administration told an appeals court that 12 states cannot
preemptively challenge its landmark proposed climate rule for power plants.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/230702-epa-states-cant-preempt-climate-rule
Obama Administration to Propose New Offshore Areas for Oil and Gas Drilling
Leases Off Atlantic Coast Expected; Drilling in Parts of Beaufort, Chukchi
Seas Off Alaska Seen Blocked
Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON—The Obama administration is planning to propose opening up new
areas of the nation's federally owned waters to oil and natural gas
drilling, including areas along the Atlantic Coast, according to people
familiar with the plan.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/obama-to-propose-opening-more-federally-owned-waters-to-drilling-1422319009?autologin=y
State, local officials not notified of oil spill spotted at BP refinery
BY CURTIS TATE
McClatchy Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — State and federal officials are investigating an oil spill
from a railroad tank car discovered at BP Cherry Point Refinery last
November, but key agencies were kept in the dark about it for at least a
month.
The delayed notification of the spill highlights gaps in communication and
enforcement as more crude oil shipments travel by rail.
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2015/01/26/4099631/state-officials-initially-unaware.html
New regs for Tuesday: College banks, power plants, radiation
The Hill
Tuesday's edition of the Federal Register contains new rules for banks
marketing to college students, maintenance standards at bulk power plants,
and new radiation standards for medical facilities.
http://thehill.com/regulation/230696-new-regs-for-tuesday-college-banks-power-plants-radiation
Opinion
DAVID DALLAS — Roger Wicker: Profile in discouragement
For the MBJ
Published: January 26,2015
Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker has become a voice in the Wilderness, a Lone
Voice in the Wilderness.
Last week the United States Senate voted 98-1, declaring, "It is the sense
of the Senate that climate change is real and not a hoax."
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2015/01/26/david-dallas-roger-wicker-profile-discouragement/
Press releases
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| USDA Seeks Applications for Conservation Innovation Grants |
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|WASHINGTON, Jan. 26, 2015 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that |
|applications are being accepted for up to $20 million in grants to facilitate the |
|creation of new, innovative markets for carbon credits, providing additional revenue |
|sources for producers to use to address natural resource conservation challenges. These|
|grants are part of the Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) program, authorized through |
|the 2014 Farm Bill. |
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|"USDA has been a leader in supporting market-based solutions to improve water quality |
|and reduce carbon pollution," Secretary Vilsack said. "With this opportunity, we are |
|supporting the next generation of projects that will help mature these markets and |
|bring them to scale to benefit both producers and the environment." |
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|For 2015, approximately half of the $20 million is available for environmental markets |
|and conservation finance projects that engage agricultural producers. In past years, |
|CIG has helped fund the development of the basic infrastructure of these markets. This |
|year, USDA, through the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is seeking |
|applications for projects that will build on these efforts by maturing and scaling |
|markets and accelerating efforts to leverage private capital and investment in private |
|lands conservation. Improved quantification tools, multi-resource crediting, and |
|projects that substantively engage corporate or financial partners are the types of |
|activities NRCS is pursuing. |
| |
| |
|As an example, USDA, though CIG, helped fund the development of the first interstate |
|water quality trading program in the Ohio River Basin. Administered by the Electric |
|Power Research Institute, in April, the program is holding its first public auction of |
|water quality credits, generated by farmers in the basin. USDA also funded a project |
|led by the Delta Institute that culminated in the generation and sale of nitrous oxide |
|credits on corn fields in the Midwest. This project demonstrated that greenhouse gas |
|emissions can be reduced on cropland while maintaining corn yields. |
| |
| |
|USDA is also soliciting proposals for projects to stimulate natural resource |
|improvements, including, but not limited to, improvements in water quantity, soil |
|health, and wildlife habitat. Applications from this funding pool may also emphasize |
|expected benefits to historically underserved producers, veterans, and organic |
|producers. Applications in the fields of economics and sociology as they relate to |
|natural resources are also being welcomed. |
| |
| |
|Under CIG, Environmental Quality Incentives Program funds are used to award competitive|
|grants to non-Federal governmental or nongovernmental organizations, Tribes, or |
|individuals. The 2014 Farm Bill also included language that has led to some changes in |
|this year's CIG funding announcement. One change eliminates the requirement that half |
|the applicant's match be in cash. Another expands eligibility for the 10 percent |
|set-aside provision for historically underserved producers. |
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|As in prior years, NRCS will accept pre-proposals for initial review before inviting |
|entities to submit full proposals. Pre-proposals are due Tuesday, February 24, 2015. To|
|apply electronically, visit http://www.grants.gov or contact a local NRCS office. |
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|Today's announcement was made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill. The 2014 Farm Bill builds|
|on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, while achieving |
|meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers. Since enactment, |
|USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical |
|legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening|
|risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; |
|establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new |
|markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community|
|facilities to help improve quality of life. |
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