State
Rubbish pit operator pays $40,000 fine for violations
AP
BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (AP) - A Hancock County rubbish pit operator is paying
a $40,000 civil fine because it failed to stop unauthorized waste from
being dumped and wasn't covering waste with dirt.
http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/29949233/rubbish-pit-operator-pays-40000-fine-for-violations
Pass Christian water advisory lifted; Coast clear of advisories
Sun Herald
Officials with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality lifted a
water contact advisory Wednesday for a stretch of beach in Pass Christian.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/09/02/6394729_pass-christian-water-advisory.html?rh=1
Gautier hit with 30 percent increase in fees by Jackson County Utility
Authority
Mississippi Press
Joanne Anderson
GAUTIER, Mississippi --- Faced with a 30 percent rate increase from the
Jackson County Utility Authority, Mayor Gordon Gollott and the city council
looked at several options during a budget work session on Tuesday night on
how to come up with the money.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2015/09/gautier_hit_with_30_percent_in.html#incart_river
Experts work to save pair of whales found on Gulfport beach
The Associated Press
GULFPORT, Mississippi — The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies in Gulfport
is working around the clock as a mysterious pair of whales, their species
unseen in South Mississippi for 40 years, fight for survival.
http://www.gulflive.com/news/index.ssf/2015/09/experts_work_to_save_pair_of_w.html#incart_river
Oil Spill
Biloxi plans to make its $4.1 million from BP grow
Sun Herald
BILOXI -- City attorney Gerald Blessey calls Biloxi's creation of a
perpetual fund with its $4.1 million BP settlement "a landmark piece of
legislation" and suggests the state should follow the example.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/09/02/6394926/biloxi-plans-to-make-its-41-million.html
Biloxi using BP money on economic development
WLOX
BILOXI, MS (WLOX) -A new economic development fund in the city of Biloxi
could soon help pay for facility improvements, create new businesses or
expand existing businesses, without any cost to the taxpayers.
http://www.wlox.com/story/29943998/biloxi-using-bp-money-on-economic-development
In appeals court, BP seeking restitution of some Gulf oil spill business
claims
AP
NEW ORLEANS – BP is going back to a federal appeals court in a case
involving businesses' damage claims from the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of
Mexico.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/09/03/in-appeals-court-bp-seeking-restitution-some-gulf-oil-spill-business-claims/
Deepwater Horizon settlements mean millions for politically connected law
firms, website reports
Andy Grimm
Times-Picayune
September 03, 2015 at 7:02 AM
Law firms with political players on their staff stand to take in millions
in fees from cities and towns that collected damages from BP to settle
claims from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, reports the law industry news
site The Louisiana Record.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/09/deepwater_horizon_settlements.html#incart_river
National
Ozone Rule to Receive Expedited OMB Review
Bloomberg
The White House Office of Management and Budget will have just more than
one month to review the Environmental Protection Agency's final decision on
whether to revise or retain the current national ambient air quality
standards for ozone in order for the EPA to meet a court-ordered deadline
for signing the rule.http://www.bna.com/ozone-rule-receive-n17179935441/
States: Obama water rule should be blocked nationwide
The Hill
Thirteen states and the Obama administration are battling in court over
whether the new federal water pollution rule should apply in every state.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/252560-states-say-epa-water-rule-should-be-blocked-nationally
In win for oil and gas, lesser prairie chicken stripped of federal
protection
The Associated Press
September 02, 2015 at 5:46 PM
MIDLAND, Texas — A federal court in Texas has stripped the lesser prairie
chicken of Endangered Species Act protections, a victory for oil and gas
companies that argued conservation efforts are working.
http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2015/09/lesser_prairie_chicken_strippe.html#incart_river
EPA to propose clean-water rules if Washington doesn't develop its own
The Associated Press
September 02, 2015 at 4:20 PM
SEATTLE — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is following through on
its promise to propose a new clean-water rule for Washington, in case the
state doesn't come up with its own plan in time.
http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2015/09/epa_to_propose_clean-water_rul.html
Documentary 'Gasland' pivotal to anti-fracking movement: study
Reuters
An Oscar-nominated HBO documentary that showed American homeowners near
hydraulic fracturing sites setting fire to their tap water may have been
the main trigger for a surge in public opposition to the oil and gas
production technique, according to a study to be published next month.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/02/us-usa-fracking-gasland-idUSKCN0R229N20150902
Colorado Mine Spill Prompts Changes in Warning System
AP
A massive wastewater spill from an old gold mine in Colorado has prompted
state officials to expand the list of downstream users they will warn after
such accidents.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/colorado-mine-spill-prompts-warning-system-33487401
More than 3 trillion trees grow on Earth, study finds
The Associated Press
September 02, 2015 at 2:42 PM
WASHINGTON -- More than 3 trillion trees now grow on Earth, seven times
more than scientists previously thought. But it's also trillions fewer than
there used to be, a new study concludes.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/09/earth_tree_count_3_trillion.html#incart_river
