State
MISSISSIPPIANS BEGIN CLEAN-UP AFTER FLOODS
MPB
Residents of Southwest Mississippi are picking up the pieces after floodwaters tore through communities along the state border.
http://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/2016/08/16/mississippians-begin-clean-up-after-floods/
Board puts moratorium on solar panel construction
Daily Corinthian
The Corinth Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Tuesday enacted a 30-day moratorium on the erecting of any solar panels or solar arrays in the city.
http://www.dailycorinthian.com/view/full_story/27250991/article-Board-puts-moratorium-on-solar-panel-construction?
Oil Spill
Alabama makes plans for oil spill settlement
Committee approves settlement split from BP oil spill
WVTM
MONTGOMERY, Ala. —A legislative committee advanced a plan for spending Alabama's settlement money from the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.wvtm13.com/news/alabama-makes-plans-for-oil-spill-settlement/41240390
Bay County Commissioners approve a list of projects for BP oil spill money
WJHG
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Bay County Commissioners have approved a list of projects which will be funded by part of the BP oil spill settlement.
Regional
Coast Guard responding to 840-gallon crude spill near Pilottown
Times-Picayune
The U.S. Coast Guard responded Tuesday to a spill of 840 gallons of crude oilfrom a corroded flow line near Pilottown, at the southern end of the Mississippi River. It's the second spill in less than a month in which the Houston-based Texas Petroleum Investment Co. was named as the "responsible party."
UNO wins grant to improve turtle nets
AP
NEW ORLEANS
The University of New Orleans has been awarded a $232,500 grant to design a device that protects sea turtles from being captured in small shrimping nets.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/business/article96111892.html
National
Trucking Industry Cautiously Embracing New Federal Standards
Large companies mostly back the rules but some say requirements burden smaller truck companies
WSJ
WASHINGTON—Major truck manufacturers and operators of large commercial fleets cautiously embraced federal standards released Tuesday requiring cuts in fuel usage of big trucks, one of the last in a long line of regulations President Barack Obama has issued over the past several years seeking to clamp down on greenhouse gas emissions across the U.S. economy.
EPA Strengthens Greenhouse-Gas Efficiency Goals for Big Rigs
Bloomberg
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, resisting lobbying from the trucking industry, unveiled tough new regulations to reduce carbon emissions from tractor-trailers and other long-haul trucks in support of a key policy goal of President Barack Obama’s administration.
Too Big to Frack? Oil Giants Try Again to Master Technology That Revolutionized Drilling
BP and others are hoping that hydraulic fracturing will allow them to coax enough oil out of U.S. wells to replace output from declining megaprojects
WSJ
PERRYTON, Texas—The oil-and-gas well BP PLC is drilling here in the Texas Panhandle looks ordinary enough from the surface. Yet a mile-and-a-half underground, horizontal pipes shoot off for at least a mile in three directions, like a chicken’s foot.
Opinion
The Pipeline and the Short Seller
Emails show a federal regulator shared non-public information with an investor.
WSJ
Trust in Washington has hit a historic low, and one reason is the sense that government regulators favor some people over others. Consider an email trail that reveals how a federal employee shared inside information about regulatory approval with a short seller.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-pipeline-and-the-short-seller-1471388783
Press releases
EPA and DOT Finalize Greenhouse Gas and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Heavy-Duty Trucks
Standards address second-largest segment of U.S. transportation in terms of emissions and energy use
WASHINGTON – Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) jointly finalized standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles that will improve fuel efficiency and cut carbon pollution, while bolstering energy security and spurring manufacturing innovation. The final phase two standards were called for by President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, and respond to the President’s directive in early 2014 to develop new standards that run into the next decade.
The final phase two program promotes a new generation of cleaner, more fuel-efficient trucks by encouraging the wider application of currently available technologies and the development of new and advanced cost-effective technologies through model year 2027. The final standards are expected to lower CO2 emissions by approximately 1.1 billion metric tons, save vehicle owners fuel costs of about $170 billion, and reduce oil consumption by up to two billion barrels over the lifetime of the vehicles sold under the program. Overall, the program will provide $230 billion in net benefits to society, including benefits to our climate and the public health of Americans. These benefits outweigh costs by about an 8-to-1 ratio.
The final standards are cost effective for consumers and businesses, delivering favorable payback periods for truck owners. The buyer of a new long-haul truck in 2027 would recoup the investment in fuel-efficient technology in less than two years through fuel savings.
“The actions we take today on climate change will help lessen the impacts on future generations,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “This next phase of standards for heavy- and medium-duty vehicles will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions while driving innovation, and will ensure that the United States continues to lead the world in developing fuel-efficient technologies through the next decade and beyond.”
“Today’s ambitious but achievable announcement is a huge win for the American people, giving us cleaner air, more money saved at the pump, and real benefits for consumers across the supply chain,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “Today’s action preserves flexibility for manufacturers to deliver on these objectives through a range of innovations and technology pathways.”
Heavy-duty trucks are the second largest segment and collectively make up the biggest increase in the U.S. transportation sector in terms of emissions and energy use. These vehicles currently account for about 20 percent of GHG emissions and oil use in the U.S. transportation sector. Globally, GHG emissions from heavy-duty vehicles are growing rapidly and are expected to surpass emissions from passenger vehicles by 2030. Through the Paris climate agreement and discussions with other countries, the United States is working with other major economies to encourage progress on fuel economy standards, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that will improve global energy and climate security by reducing our reliance on oil.
The product of four years of extensive testing and research and outreach to industry, environmental organizations, labor unions, and other stakeholders, the vehicle and engine performance standards would cover model years 2021-2027, and apply to semi-trucks, large pickup trucks and vans, and all types and sizes of buses and work trucks. These standards will result in significant GHG emissions reductions and fuel efficiency improvements across all of these vehicle types. For example, when the standards are fully phased in, tractors in a tractor-trailer will achieve up to 25 percent lower CO2 emissions and fuel consumption than an equivalent tractor in 2018.
The agencies are also finalizing fuel-efficiency and GHG standards for trailers for the first time. The EPA trailer standards, which exclude certain categories such as mobile homes, will begin to take effect in model year 2018 for certain trailers, while NHTSA’s standards will take effect as of 2021, with credits available for voluntary participation before then. Cost effective technologies for trailers – including aerodynamic devices, light weight construction and self-inflating tires – can significantly reduce total fuel consumption by tractor-trailers, while paying back the owners in less than two years due to the fuel saved. Recognizing that many trailer manufacturers are small businesses, the program includes provisions that reduce burden, such as a one-year delay in initial standards for small businesses and simplified certification requirements.
Compared to the proposal, the final program:
- Achieves 10 percent more GHG and fuel consumption reductions;
- Has more robust compliance provisions, including improved test procedures, enhanced enforcement audits and protection against defeat devices;
- Includes more stringent diesel engine standards
- Improves the vocational vehicle program with a regulatory structure better tailored to match the right technology for the job;
- Maintains the structure and incremental phase-in of the proposed standards, allowing manufacturers to choose their own technology mix and giving them the lead time needed to ensure those technologies are reliable and durable.
NHTSA and EPA have worked together to harmonize their standards under this program. The agencies have worked closely with the State of California’s Air Resources Board in developing and finalizing the standards. All three agencies are committed to the goal of setting harmonized national standards. Throughout every stage of development, this work has benefited from a collaborative dialogue with industry, labor and environmental organizations. For example, this feedback has improved the agencies’ ability to measure industry performance and enforce compliance for both full vehicle and engine standards.
Today’s final rulemaking builds on the fuel efficiency and GHG emissions standards already in place for model years 2014-2018, which alone will result in CO2 emissions reductions of 270 million metric tons and save vehicle owners more than $50 billion in fuel costs. Truck sales were up in model years 2014 and 2015, the years covered under the first round of truck standards.
The rule also builds on standards that the Administration has put in place for light-duty vehicles, which are projected to reduce carbon pollution by billions of tons of over the lifetime of vehicles sold, and will save consumers money at the pump.
For more details on DOT’s and EPA’s phase two greenhouse gas emissions and fuel efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, visit: https://www3.epa.gov/otaq/climate/regs-heavy-duty.htm and http://www.nhtsa.gov/fuel-economy
CMR certifies state fishing records
BILOXI, Miss. – The Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources on Tuesday certified four saltwater recreational fishing records.
David Rogers of Theodore, Ala., set the record for Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas) with a 203-pound shark caught July 1. The previous record was 164 pounds, 6 ounces and was set on August 4, 2013.
Rogers also set the record for Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) with a 390-pound shark caught July 2. Rogers used conventional tackle for both sharks. The previous record was 173 pounds, 12 ounces and was set on October 19, 2010.
Using conventional tackle, Mark Huffmaster of Sherwood, Ark., set the record for Finetooth Shark (Carcharhinus isodon) with a 34-pound, 6.64-ounce shark caught July 23. The previous record was 22 pounds, 9.66 ounces and was set on July 19, 2009.
Using fly tackle, Scott Corlew of Pascagoula set the record for Tripletail (Lobotes surinamensis) with a 24-pound, 7.01-ounce fish caught July 20. The previous record was 16 pounds, 11.84 ounces and was set on August 24, 2009.
NOAA launches America’s first national water forecast model
New tool hailed as a game changer for predicting floods, informing water-related decisions
August 16, 2016NOAA and its partners have developed a new forecasting tool to simulate how water moves throughout the nation’s rivers and streams, paving the way for the biggest improvement in flood forecasting the country has ever seen.
Launched today and run on NOAA’s powerful new Cray XC40 supercomputer, the National Water Model uses data from more than 8,000 U.S. Geological Survey gauges to simulate conditions for 2.7 million locations in the contiguous United States. The model generates hourly forecasts for the entire river network. Previously, NOAA was only able to forecast streamflow for 4,000 locations every few hours.
The model also improves NOAA’s ability to meet the needs of its stakeholders — such as emergency managers, reservoir operators, first responders, recreationists, farmers, barge operators, and ecosystem and floodplain managers — with more accurate, detailed, frequent and expanded water information.
The nation has experienced a number of disastrous floods in recent years, including the ongoing flooding this week in Louisiana, accentuating the importance of more detailed water forecasts to help people prepare.
“With a changing climate, we’re experiencing more prolonged droughts and a greater frequency of record-breaking floods across the country, underscoring the nation’s need for expanded water information,” said Louis Uccellini, Ph.D., director of the National Weather Service. “The National Water Model will improve resiliency to water extremes in American communities. And as our forecasts get better, so will our planning and protection of life and property when there’s either too much water, too little, or poor water quality.”
Today’s announcement fulfills a commitment President Obama made to the American public on World Water Day in March. In a White House statement, he called for “cross-cutting, creative solutions to solving the water problems of today, as well as innovative strategies that will catalyze change in how we use, conserve, protect and think about water in the years to come.”
Initially, the model will benefit flash flood forecasts in headwater areas and provide water forecast information for many areas that currently aren’t covered. As the model evolves, it will provide “zoomed-in,” street-level forecasts and inundation maps to improve flood warnings, and will expand to include water quality forecasts.
“Through our partnership with the research, academic and federal water community, NOAA is bringing the state-of-the-science in water forecasting and prediction to bear operationally,” said Thomas Graziano, Ph.D., director of NOAA’s new Office of Water Prediction at the National Weather Service. “Over the past 50 years, our capabilities have been limited to forecasting river flow at a relatively limited number of locations. This model expands our forecast locations 700 times and generates several additional water variables, such as soil moisture, runoff, stream velocity, and other parameters to produce a more comprehensive picture of water behavior across the country.”
The underlying technology for the model was developed by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). NOAA developed and implemented the model along with NCAR, the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Sciences, the National Science Foundation, and federal Integrated Water Resources Science and Services Consortium partners. Continuing to leverage partnerships with the research community will prepare NOAA for new collaborations and even greater innovation in the future.
