State
MDEQ director claims immunity in Mississippi Silicon lawsuit
WTVA
OXFORD, Miss. (WTVA) -- The executive director of the Mississippi
Department of Environmental Quality and the Mississippi Environmental
Quality Permit Board says he should be dismissed from a lawsuit trying to
stop construction of a silicon plant in Tishomingo County.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/MDEQ-director-claims-immunity-in-Mississippi/gDu5UMgB10KzNp8RICxV2g.cspx
Sand beach crews getting set for busy summer season
WLOX
HARRISON COUNTY, MS (WLOX) -They're getting 26 miles of sand ready for the
busy summer season. Harrison County sand beach crews are planting dune
grass and installing new fences.
http://www.wlox.com/story/28615062/sand-beach-crews-getting-set-for-busy-summer-season
Harrison County has state's fourth biggest growth spurt since 2010
Sun Herald
New county and metro-area population estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau
show South Mississippi has grown in the last four years, in some areas
significantly.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/03/25/6143484_harrison-county-has-states-fourth.html?rh=1
Oil Spill
Oil spill money targeted for La. colleges, under proposal
AP
Higher education leaders are eyeing Gulf oil spill recovery money as a
possible long-term financing source for Louisiana's college campuses.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Oil-spill-money-targeted-for-La-colleges-under-6160020.php
Regional
Science advisers say design of 4 river diversions can move forward
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
March 26, 2015 at 6:28 AM
A scientific advisory panel gave the green light Wednesday (March 25) to
the state's continued planning for construction of four major sediment
diversions on the lower Mississippi River, although it raised questions
about state's ongoing socioeconomic analysis of the diversions' potential
effects.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/03/science_advisors_say_design_of.html#incart_river
National
Supreme Court Seems Split on What Is 'Appropriate' in Setting Clean Air
Costs
NY Times
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Wednesday seemed closely
divided over the fate of one of the Obama administration's
most ambitious environmental initiatives.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/26/us/division-seen-in-supreme-court-on-pollution-limits.html?ref=earth&_r=0
Justices appear split on EPA plan for cutting toxic energy-plant emissions
Washington Post
The Obama administration's plan to limit emissions of mercury and other
hazardous pollutants from coal- and oil-fired power plants encountered a
wall of skepticism from the Supreme Court's most conservative justices
Wednesday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/justices-appear-split-on-epa-study-of-cutting-toxic-energy-plant-emissions/2015/03/25/0b290516-d324-11e4-a62f-ee745911a4ff_story.html
Supreme Court Appears Divided on EPA Rules to Limit Mercury Emissions
Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court appeared split on Wednesday over whether the
Environmental Protection Agency erred when it adopted first-ever
regulations requiring power plants to cut emissions of mercury and other
toxic air pollutants.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/supreme-court-appears-divided-on-epa-rules-to-limit-mercury-emissions-1427305800
House panel passes GOP coal ash bill
The Hill
A subpanel of the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed a
Republican-backed bill aimed at adding certainty to the Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA) coal ash disposal rule.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/236916-house-panel-passes-gop-coal-ash-bill
House panel subpoenas EPA chief in battle over missing texts
Fox News
The chairman of the House science committee announced Wednesday he is
issuing a subpoena to the Environmental Protection Agency for information
related to the potential deletion of roughly 5,000 text messages from
Administrator Gina McCarthy's phone.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/03/25/gop-house-subpoenas-epa-for-records-on-chief-mccarthy-emails-deleted-texts/?intcmp=latestnews
Opinion
Surprise at the Supreme Court
Justice Breyer pulls a fast one to rescue the EPA's mercury rule.
Wall Street Journal
The Supreme Court heard another challenge to the Environmental Protection
Agency's abusive anticarbon agenda on Wednesday, but oral arguments
featured a surprise defense that no one had heard prior to the questioning.
The Justices shouldn't fall for this immaculate legal misconception.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/surprise-at-the-supreme-court-1427325513
Press Releases
Washington, D.C. Leads Nation on EPA's Energy Star Top Cities List
DC has the most Energy Star buildings of any city in the U.S.; followed by
Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released
its seventh-annual list of the top 25 U.S. metropolitan areas with the most
Energy Star certified buildings in 2014. This year, Washington, D.C.,
debuts in the top spot with 480 buildings. EPA's Energy Star Top Cities
list shows how cities across America, with help from Energy Star, are
embracing energy efficiency as an effective way to save money and reduce
greenhouse gas emissions that fuel climate change.
"Cities across the country are saving billions every year through
partnering with our Energy Star program and increasing energy efficiency,
while doing their part to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions that fuel
climate change," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. "This is the type of
leadership we need from city leaders and building owners who are
demonstrating that increasing energy efficiency strengthens local
economies, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and helps preserve a healthy
planet for future generations."
More than 25,000 buildings across America have earned EPA's Energy Star
certification since 1999. The buildings have saved nearly $3.4 billion on
utility bills and prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to the emissions
from the annual electricity use of nearly 2.4 million homes.
Energy use in commercial buildings accounts for 17 percent of U.S.
greenhouse gas emissions at a cost of more than $100 billion per year.
Energy Star certified buildings are verified to perform better than 75
percent of similar buildings nationwide, and they use an average of 35
percent less energy and are responsible for 35 percent fewer emissions than
typical buildings. Many common building types can earn the Energy Star,
including office buildings, K-12 schools, hotels, and retail stores.
The program starts with tools to help building owners or managers
understand how their buildings are currently performing and what to aim for
in terms of improvements. A typical upgrade includes the following: tuning
up the building systems; reducing lighting loads; reducing supplemental
loads (e.g., equipment, wasteful behaviors, leaky windows, poor insulation,
etc.); improving air distribution systems; and making upgrades to heating
and cooling equipment. The stages, when followed in order, account for the
interactions between different building systems. For example, replacing
heat-producing incandescent bulbs with cool CFLs or LEDs will mean that a
building's air conditioner won't have to work as hard in the summer months,
so a building may be able to downsize its cooling system based on the new
lighting's heat output. Another benefit of the five-stage approach is that
it ensures the lowest-cost measures are tackled first. As organizations
progress through the five stages, they can roll their cost savings into
larger and larger investments, culminating in the last, most expensive
stage. By the time organizations start making upgrades to heating and
cooling equipment, they typically have already amassed substantial cost
savings from previous lower-cost improvements.
To create the annual top cities list, EPA tallies the number of Energy Star
certified buildings for the end of the previous year within each
metropolitan area, as defined by the U.S. Census. These areas include the
city itself as well as surrounding towns and suburbs.
The top 25 cities are:
Rank Metro Area 2014 Building Count
1 Washington, DC 480
2 Los Angeles 475
3 Atlanta 328
4 New York 299
5 San Francisco 292
6 Chicago 251
7 Dallas-Fort Worth 248
8 Houston 235
9 Denver 195
10 Boston 176
11 Phoenix 165
12 Philadelphia 158
13 Seattle 149
14 Riverside, Calif. 127
15 Minneapolis-St. Paul 122
16 Charlotte 95
17 San Diego 92
18 Miami 90
19 Sacramento 89
20 Virginia Beach 81
21 Detroit 80
22 San Jose 70
23 Austin 65
23 Portland, Ore. 65
24 Louisville 59
24 Tampa 59
25 Salt Lake City 55
Energy Star is the simple choice for energy efficiency. For more than 20
years, people across America have looked to EPA's Energy Star program for
guidance on how to save energy, save money, and protect the environment.
Behind each blue label is a product, building, or home that is
independently certified to use less energy and cause fewer of the emissions
that contribute to climate change. Today, Energy Star is the most widely
recognized symbol for energy efficiency in the world, helping families and
businesses save $300 billion on utility bills, while reducing greenhouse
gas emissions by two billion metric tons since 1992. Join the millions who
are already making a difference at energystar.gov.
More on the 2015 top cities: www.energystar.gov/topcities
Search for Energy Star certified buildings: www.energystar.gov/buildinglist
More about earning the Energy Star label for commercial buildings:
www.energystar.gov/buildingcertification
