State
Sewage injury lawsuit returned to Oktibbeha County
Commercial Dispatch
February 16, 2015 10:07:53 AM
JACKSON -- The Mississippi Supreme Court has reversed a lower court ruling
that granted immunity to the city of Starkville over maintenance of its
sewage system.
http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=40076
Anglers, biologists differ on Barnett bass
Clarion Ledger
The Barnett Reservoir largemouth bass population is healthy
according to information presented by Mississippi Department of
Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks biologists at a meeting this week.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/2015/02/14/anglers-biologists-differ-barnett-bass/23425411/
Mississippi Power wants a rehearing before it refunds $257M
WLOX
One day after the Mississippi Supreme Court ordered Mississippi Power to
refund two years of rate increases back to its customers, the company says
it will likely file for a rehearing.
http://www.wlox.com/story/28105039/mississippi-power-wants-a-rehearing-before-it-refunds-257m
House votes to strip MDOT of law enforcement duties
Clarion Ledger
The House has passed legislation to transfer the Mississippi
Department of Transportation law enforcement duties to the
Department of Public Safety despite opposition from MDOT's executive
director.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/02/15/house-votes-strip-mdot-law-enforcement-duties/23475099/
Oil Spill
Studies: BP spill reduced Gulf life
Houston Chronicle
Oil from the Deepwater Horizon blowout in 2010 may have created a vast zone
on the Gulf of Mexico floor where marine life is much sparser than before
toxic petroleum settled there, according to studies presented Monday at a
Houston conference on the BP oil spill.
http://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Studies-BP-spill-reduced-Gulf-life-6084391.php
BP cherry-picks study to dodge blame for massive deaths of gulf dolphins
LA Times
In the years since its Deepwater Horizon oil spill befouled huge stretches
of the Gulf of Mexico, oil giant BP has honed its skill at cherry-picking
scientific studies to duck responsibility for the spill's environmental
impacts.
http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-bp-cherrypicks-a-study-20150216-column.html#page=1
BP Loses Bid for $750 Million Transocean Spill Insurance
Bloomberg
BP Plc isn't covered under Transocean Ltd.'s insurance policies for the
undersea well blowout that caused the 2010 Gulf of Mexico disaster, the
Texas Supreme Court said, blocking the oil company's access to $750 million
for spill costs.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-02-13/bp-loses-bid-for-750-million-transocean-insurance-for-oil-spill
Transocean CEO steps down as company slashes dividend by 80%
LA Times
In more fallout from slumping oil prices, the chief executive of
Transocean, a company associated with the Deepwater Horizon explosion, is
stepping down, the firm announced Monday.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-transocean-ceo-steps-down-20150216-story.html
Regional
Federal judge dismisses levee authority's wetlands damage lawsuit against
oil, gas companies
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
February 13, 2015 at 10:16 PM
A federal judge on Friday (Feb. 13) dismissed a controversial wetlands
damage lawsuit filed by the east bank levee authority against more than 80
oil, gas and pipeline companies, ruling that the authority failed to make a
valid claim against the energy firms.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/02/federal_judge_dismisses_east_b.html#incart_river
Louisiana coastal restoration: State studying diversions' effects on
economy, fishing
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
February 13, 2015 at 7:28 PM
Louisiana's coastal restoration officials said the state has embarked on a
comprehensive socioeconomic analysis of the effects of four proposed
sediment diversions along the lower Mississippi River on coastal
communities and the economy.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/02/state_has_embarked_on_comprehe.html#incart_river
National
Pebble Mine debate in Alaska: EPA becomes target by planning for rare
'veto'
Washington Post
Just north of Iliamna Lake in southwestern Alaska is an empty expanse of
marsh and shrub that conceals one of the world's great buried fortunes: A
mile-thick layer of virgin ore said to contain at least 6.7 million pounds
— or $120 billion worth — of gold.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/internal-memos-spur-accusations-of-bias-as-epa-moves-to-block-gold-mine/2015/02/15/3ff101c0-b2ba-11e4-854b-a38d13486ba1_story.html
Lawsuits focus on cheap pork versus the environment
AP
DES MOINES, Iowa - From Washington state to North Carolina, federal
lawsuits are challenging the efficient, profitable livestock industry to
change its ways. The arguments found in the suits are based on studies that
increasingly show the impact phosphorous, nitrate and bacteria from
fertilizer and accumulated manure have on lakes and rivers as well as air
pollution that may be harmful to respiratory health.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/lawsuits-focus-on-cheap-pork-vs-the-environment/
2 West Virginia towns evacuated as another oil train derails, catches fire
BY CURTIS TATE
McClatchy Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — A train carrying crude oil derailed and caught fire Monday in
West Virginia, less than two weeks after the U.S. Department of
Transportation sent a packageof new rail safety regulations to the White
House for review.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/02/16/6074458/oil-train-derails-catches-fire.html?sp-tk=A8DC1398D524587A23756C60328D95E7E2455C705702867ED81C1EADB58525798AC7AF941C3749BE366B1B7F528582D2FA25A8A94C09BB508BCBA4C7FA1A4E6ECE8A8A3284BEA790F46780E67386D9971D2E5128F226AFA38743C3763895AE3887203A1C6CD30DF349EA3901C75A0816CA21D493
Budget for fighting Asian carp in Great Lakes downsized
Detroit Free Press
WASHINGTON — President Obama's budget includes millions of dollars
to defend the Great Lakes against Asian carp, including funds to
finish a long-standing third electric barrier near Chicago and to
monitor the spread of the voracious species across the upper
Midwest.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/02/16/budget-fighting-asian-carp-great-lakes/23463909/
New regs for Tuesday: Cybersecurity, air pollution, disclosure
The Hill
Air pollution: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing new
emissions standards for aerospace manufacturers and repair facilities.
http://thehill.com/regulation/232751-new-regs-for-tuesday-cybersecurity-air-pollution-disclosure
Opinion
Miss. could face shortages under 'clean power plan'
Clarion Ledger
Right now, Mississippi gets 14 percent of its electricity from
coal-fired power plants. But what would happen if the state were
suddenly forced to seek all of its electricity from other sources?
Could Mississippi experience shortages of power during peak use,
with the cost of household power jumping significantly?
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/opinion/columnists/2015/02/13/miss-face-shortages-clean-power-plan/23393317/
DAVID DALLAS — The dirt on Kemper Coal
MBJ
The State Supreme Court has told Mississippi Power and its parent Southern
Company to refund money to almost 200,000 customers. The state's Public
Service Commission had given Southern Company permission to start
increasing rates on customers in an effort to pay off what is easily the
most expensive boondoggle in Mississippi history.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2015/02/16/david-dallas-dirt-kemper-coal/
Press Releases
Climate Action Plan Toolkit: EPA Releases Stormwater Climate Change Tool
Stormwater Management Model tool helps communities prepare for climate
change impacts
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 13, 2015
WASHINGTON – As part of President Obama's Climate Action Plan Virtual
Climate Resilience Toolkit, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
announced the release of the Climate Adjustment Tool for EPA's Stormwater
Management Model – a widely-used, downloadable online stormwater simulation
model. The Climate Adjustment Tool allows engineers and planners to
evaluate the performance of water infrastructure while considering future
climate change projections, such as more frequent high-intensity storms and
changes in evaporation rates of seasonal precipitation, to determine the
benefits of resiliency decisions to reduce local economic burden and
protect communities.
"Climate change means increased risks to our health, our economy, and our
environment," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. "But with the
President's Climate Action Plan, the agency is taking action to advance
science-based technology, such as the addition of the Climate Adjustment
Tool, to help state and local planners combat the impacts of climate
change, especially significant economic burden from severe weather, and
protect communities through sustainability and resiliency measures."
The new tool will enable users to add climate projections based on the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's climate change scenarios to
existing simulations to determine the quality of water traveling through
traditional infrastructure - a system of gutters, storm drains, pipes,
channels, collection tanks and storage devices. The tool also has the
ability to model the performance of green infrastructure practices,
including permeable pavement, rain gardens, and green roofs. Engineers and
planners are able to accurately represent any combination of traditional
and green infrastructure practices within an area to determine their
effectiveness in managing stormwater and combined sewer overflows in their
community.
Stormwater runoff is a major environmental problem resulting in flooding,
erosion, and contaminated waters. Every year billions of gallons of raw
sewage, trash, household chemicals, fertilizers, and urban runoff flow into
our streams, rivers and lakes. Polluted stormwater runoff can adversely
affect plants, animals, and people.
The Climate Adjustment Tool, in addition to other tools in the President's
Climate Action Plan Virtual Climate Resilience Toolkit, can help users make
planning, analysis, and design decisions that will guard against the
impacts of climate change. Using these tools to choose the best adaptation
options is an innovative and efficient way to promote healthy waters and
support more sustainable communities. View the Virtual Climate Resilience
Toolkit here: http://toolkit.climate.gov/tools
EPA's Stormwater Management Model is used throughout the world for
stormwater runoff reduction planning, analysis and design of combined and
sanitary sewers, and other drainage systems. Originally released decades
ago, SWMM is now used in thousands of communities throughout the world,
including as the core modeling engine in cities such as Philadelphia,
Cincinnati, Indianapolis, and Seattle.
To assist community planners and managers in determining resiliency and
sustainability actions that will help protect against extreme weather and
reduce the local economic burden after a natural disaster, EPA has
developed additional tools, including:
EPA's Stormwater Calculator- a tool that can be used by homeowners,
landscapers, and developers to estimate the amount of rainwater and
frequency of runoff on a specific site based on local soil conditions, land
cover, historic rainfall records, and climate change scenarios.
For more information on the complementary National Stormwater Calculator,
visit:
http://www2.epa.gov/water-research/national-stormwater-calculator
EPA's Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness Tool (CREAT)- a tool that
assists drinking water and wastewater utility owners and operators
understand potential climate change threats and assess the related risks.
For more information on the Climate Resilience Evaluation and Awareness
Tool, visit:
http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/watersecurity/climate/creat.cfm
For additional information about the Stormwater Management Model and
Climate Adjustment Tool, visit
http://www2.epa.gov/water-research/storm-water-management-model-swmm
For more information about the President's Climate Action Plan, visit
http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/image/president27sclimateactionplan.pdf
For more information on EPA's Green Infrastructure research, visit
http://water.epa.gov/infrastructure/greeninfrastructure/index.cfm
