Oil Spill
Interior finalizes drilling-safety rule stemming from 2010 BP oil spill
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 08/15/12 05:54 PM ET
The Interior Department's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement
(BSEE) finalized an offshore drilling rule Wednesday that cements safety
measures put in place after the 2010 BP oil explosion.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/243897-interior-finalizes-drilling-safety-rule
Florida counties plan for BP oil spill fines
The Associated Press
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. --
Representatives from Florida's 23 Gulf Coast counties are deciding how to
best spend billions of dollars in fines that are expected to come from the
massive 2010 BP oil spill.
http://www.fortmilltimes.com/2012/08/16/2145978/florida-counties-plan-for-bp-oil.html
State News
SPEC releasing thousands of seatrout fingerlings in bay
by MBJ Staff
Published: August 15,2012
SAINT LOUIS BAY — The Seatrout Population Enhancement Cooperative (SPEC), a
partnership of the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research
Laboratory (GCRL), Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) and
Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) of Mississippi since 2005, is
releasing thousands of spotted seatrout fingerlings into the waters of
Saint Louis Bay this week.
http://msbusiness.com/2012/08/spec-releasing-thousands-of-seatrout-fingerlings-in-bay/
Gravel pit rejected
DeSoto Times
By ROBERT LEE LONG
HERNANDO — A standing-room only crowd applauded as plans for a gravel
mining operation by Memphis Stone and Gravel near the largest-scale
subdivision development in the city's history was unanimously rejected by
the Hernando Planning Commission Tuesday.
http://www.desototimes.com/articles/2012/08/16/news/doc502c2def3f3c5558305898.txt
DeSoto board OK's pact with new plant operator
The Associated Press
HERNANDO, MISS. — The DeSoto Regional Utility Authority has given final
approval to a two-year contract with Severn Trent to manage the county's
wastewater treatment operations.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/08/16/4129166/desoto-board-oks-pact-with-new.html
Aldermen delaying water, sewer plans
By CALEB BEDILLION
DAILY LEADER
Aldermen have set aside plans to borrow $4.4 million for water and sewer
projects and instead voted to address the city's infrastructure needs
incrementally.
http://www.dailyleader.com/topstories/article_0a2d2aa2-e6f5-11e1-b358-001a4bcf887a.html
National News
EPA to approve sorghum for cleaner ethanol; experts say grain has less
impact on food prices
By Associated Press, Published: August 15
BISMARCK, N.D. — The federal government is on the verge of approving a
grain mainly used as livestock feed to make a cleaner version of ethanol, a
decision officials say could give farmers a new moneymaking opportunity,
boost the biofuels industry and help the environment.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/epa-to-approve-sorghum-for-cleaner-ethanol-experts-say-grain-has-less-impact-on-food-prices/2012/08/15/8861a178-e70e-11e1-9739-eef99c5fb285_print.html
NOAA: July was fourth-hottest on record worldwide
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 08/15/12 05:09 PM ET
The global average temperature in July was the fourth-warmest on record and
marked the 329th consecutive month with a worldwide temperature above the
20th century average, according to federal data released Wednesday.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/243885-noaa-july-was-fourth-hottest-on-record-worldwide
Salt creeping up the Mississippi River
By Tom Watkins, CNN
(CNN) -- A drought in Louisiana has lowered the Mississippi River, leaving
its southern tip awash in saline from the Gulf of Mexico and prompting
health officials in Plaquemines Parish to issue a drinking water advisory.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/15/us/louisiana-drinking-water/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
EXCLUSIVE: State Department oversight of climate change spending abroad is
a mess, watchdog reports
By George Russell
Published August 15, 2012
FoxNews.com
Inadequate oversight, lax bookkeeping, sloppy paperwork, haphazard
performance agreements and missing financial documentation have plagued
U.S. State Department spending of tens of millions of dollars to combat
climate change, according to a report by State's internal financial
watchdog — and the problem could be much, much bigger than that.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/08/15/exclusive-state-department-oversight-climate-change-spending-abroad-is-mess/?test=latestnews
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
News Clippings 8/14/12
Oil Spill
BP sued over Deepwater Horizon equipment dispute
Houston Business Journal by Shaina Zucker, Reporter
A Minneapolis-area company is seeking $13 million from BP Plc (NYSE: BP)
for allegedly losing and damaging oil-skimming equipment it rented to clean
up the Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business
Journal reports.
http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/morning_call/2012/08/bp-is-sued-over-equipment-dispute-and.html?s=print
BP Not Out Of The Woods Yet, Sells Carson Refinery For $2.5B To Tesoro
Forbes
Still looking to recover from the disastrous Gulf of Mexico oil spill,BP
announced the sale of its Carson refinery in California for $2.5 billion in
cash on Monday. Tesoro will be buying the refinery along with affiliated
businesses and the ARCO brand, helping BP take its total asset divestitures
to $26.5 billion since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/afontevecchia/2012/08/13/bp-not-out-of-the-woods-yet-sells-carson-refinery-for-2-5b-to-tesoro/
RESTORE money to come from three 'buckets'
Gulf Coast News
Posted: Monday, August 13, 2012 1:42 pm
BY JOHN MULLEN
GULF SHORES — In the past two years, the leaders of Gulf Shores and Orange
Beach have been drawn closer together as the two cities try to cope with
the ongoing recovery from the 2010 BP oil spill.
According to the RESTORE Act, 80 percent of that fine will go to the five
states.
http://www.gulfcoastnewstoday.com/area_news/article_b22e851e-e576-11e1-a509-001a4bcf887a.html
State News
Crew cleaning up site while city looks for prospective buyer
by Associated Press
Published: August 13,2012
VICKSBURG — City crews began work last week to repair drainage and erosion
problems on city land off Fisher Ferry Road.
http://msbusiness.com/2012/08/crew-cleaning-up-site-while-city-looks-for-prospective-buyer/
Options for State Port Expansion Outlined at Gulfport Workshop
MPB
PUBLISHED BY RHONDA MILLER ON 13 AUG 2012 11:11PM
A restoration project using $570 million in federal money is underway at
the state port in Gulfport. But that's just rebuilding from Katrina. As
MPB's Rhonda Miller reports, a proposal for long-term expansion of the port
is adding to concerns in the community.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/options_for_state_port_expansion_outlined_at_gulfport_workshop
Phosphate Holdings reports second-quarter profit of $900,000
Monday, August 13, 2012, 3:33 PM
By April M. Havens, The Mississippi Press
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Phosphate Holdings Inc., owner of Mississippi
Phosphates in Pascagoula, today reported a second-quarter net income of
$0.9 million, or 10 cents per share, compared to a loss of $1.8 million, or
21 cents per share, in the same quarter last year.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-business/2012/08/phosphate_holdings_reports_second-quarter_profit_of_900000.html
National News
Federal appeals court sides with Texas against EPA
AP
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal appeals court ruled Monday that the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency violated the Clean Air Act by rejecting a
Texas program for approving air permits.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-08-13/federal-appeals-court-sides-with-texas-against-epa
Global leaders to press US on biofuels output
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 08/13/12 01:10 PM ET
The United States will come under increasing pressure from global leaders
to change its biofuels policy to alleviate global food concerns, according
toReuters.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/243393-global-leaders-to-press-us-on-biofuels
Press Releases
OSHA issues two educational resources on protecting workers
from mercury exposure in fluorescent bulbs
WASHINGTON – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has
issued two new educational resources to help protect workers from mercury
exposure while crushing and recycling fluorescent bulbs. Compact
fluorescent bulbs are more efficient than incandescent bulbs, but the shift
to energy-saving fluorescents, which contain mercury, calls for more
attention to workers who handle, dispose of, and recycle used fluorescent
bulbs.
The OSHA fact sheet* explains how workers may be exposed, what kinds of
engineering controls and personal protective equipment they need, and how
to use these controls and equipment properly. In addition, a new OSHA Quick
Card* alerts employers and workers to the hazards of mercury and provides
information on how to properly clean up accidentally broken fluorescent
bulbs to minimize workers' exposures to mercury.
Fluorescent bulbs can release mercury and may expose workers when they are
broken accidentally or crushed as part of the routine disposal or recycling
process. Depending on the duration and level of exposure, mercury can cause
nervous system disorders such as tremors, kidney problems, and damage to
unborn children.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are
responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their
employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working
men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training,
education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.
###
EPA and Federal Environmental Executive Honor Federal Electronics
Stewardship Efforts
Award winners have saved $7.8 million
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of the
Federal Environmental Executive are pleased to announce the recipients of
the 2012 Federal Electronics Challenge (FEC) Awards. The 2012 FEC Awards
are being given to 33 federal facilities from ten different federal
agencies. The activities of the winners resulted in $7.8 million savings in
FY2011 and greenhouse gas emissions reductions equivalent to taking 6,000
passenger cars off the road for a year.
This year's FEC award winners include: ten Platinum Awards, five Gold
Awards, ten Silver Awards and eight Bronze Awards. The 2012 FEC Award
winners completed a variety of electronics stewardship activities in fiscal
year 2011, including purchasing more than 105,000 green electronics
registered with EPEAT; enabling power saving sleep features on more than 97
percent of their computers and monitors; and recycling more than 361,000
pounds of electronics.
For the complete list of winners and more information on the FEC Award
requirements:http://www.epa.gov/fec/awards.html#winners
BP sued over Deepwater Horizon equipment dispute
Houston Business Journal by Shaina Zucker, Reporter
A Minneapolis-area company is seeking $13 million from BP Plc (NYSE: BP)
for allegedly losing and damaging oil-skimming equipment it rented to clean
up the Deepwater Horizon Gulf oil spill, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business
Journal reports.
http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/morning_call/2012/08/bp-is-sued-over-equipment-dispute-and.html?s=print
BP Not Out Of The Woods Yet, Sells Carson Refinery For $2.5B To Tesoro
Forbes
Still looking to recover from the disastrous Gulf of Mexico oil spill,BP
announced the sale of its Carson refinery in California for $2.5 billion in
cash on Monday. Tesoro will be buying the refinery along with affiliated
businesses and the ARCO brand, helping BP take its total asset divestitures
to $26.5 billion since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/afontevecchia/2012/08/13/bp-not-out-of-the-woods-yet-sells-carson-refinery-for-2-5b-to-tesoro/
RESTORE money to come from three 'buckets'
Gulf Coast News
Posted: Monday, August 13, 2012 1:42 pm
BY JOHN MULLEN
GULF SHORES — In the past two years, the leaders of Gulf Shores and Orange
Beach have been drawn closer together as the two cities try to cope with
the ongoing recovery from the 2010 BP oil spill.
According to the RESTORE Act, 80 percent of that fine will go to the five
states.
http://www.gulfcoastnewstoday.com/area_news/article_b22e851e-e576-11e1-a509-001a4bcf887a.html
State News
Crew cleaning up site while city looks for prospective buyer
by Associated Press
Published: August 13,2012
VICKSBURG — City crews began work last week to repair drainage and erosion
problems on city land off Fisher Ferry Road.
http://msbusiness.com/2012/08/crew-cleaning-up-site-while-city-looks-for-prospective-buyer/
Options for State Port Expansion Outlined at Gulfport Workshop
MPB
PUBLISHED BY RHONDA MILLER ON 13 AUG 2012 11:11PM
A restoration project using $570 million in federal money is underway at
the state port in Gulfport. But that's just rebuilding from Katrina. As
MPB's Rhonda Miller reports, a proposal for long-term expansion of the port
is adding to concerns in the community.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/options_for_state_port_expansion_outlined_at_gulfport_workshop
Phosphate Holdings reports second-quarter profit of $900,000
Monday, August 13, 2012, 3:33 PM
By April M. Havens, The Mississippi Press
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Phosphate Holdings Inc., owner of Mississippi
Phosphates in Pascagoula, today reported a second-quarter net income of
$0.9 million, or 10 cents per share, compared to a loss of $1.8 million, or
21 cents per share, in the same quarter last year.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-business/2012/08/phosphate_holdings_reports_second-quarter_profit_of_900000.html
National News
Federal appeals court sides with Texas against EPA
AP
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A federal appeals court ruled Monday that the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency violated the Clean Air Act by rejecting a
Texas program for approving air permits.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2012-08-13/federal-appeals-court-sides-with-texas-against-epa
Global leaders to press US on biofuels output
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 08/13/12 01:10 PM ET
The United States will come under increasing pressure from global leaders
to change its biofuels policy to alleviate global food concerns, according
toReuters.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/243393-global-leaders-to-press-us-on-biofuels
Press Releases
OSHA issues two educational resources on protecting workers
from mercury exposure in fluorescent bulbs
WASHINGTON – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has
issued two new educational resources to help protect workers from mercury
exposure while crushing and recycling fluorescent bulbs. Compact
fluorescent bulbs are more efficient than incandescent bulbs, but the shift
to energy-saving fluorescents, which contain mercury, calls for more
attention to workers who handle, dispose of, and recycle used fluorescent
bulbs.
The OSHA fact sheet* explains how workers may be exposed, what kinds of
engineering controls and personal protective equipment they need, and how
to use these controls and equipment properly. In addition, a new OSHA Quick
Card* alerts employers and workers to the hazards of mercury and provides
information on how to properly clean up accidentally broken fluorescent
bulbs to minimize workers' exposures to mercury.
Fluorescent bulbs can release mercury and may expose workers when they are
broken accidentally or crushed as part of the routine disposal or recycling
process. Depending on the duration and level of exposure, mercury can cause
nervous system disorders such as tremors, kidney problems, and damage to
unborn children.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are
responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their
employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working
men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training,
education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.
###
EPA and Federal Environmental Executive Honor Federal Electronics
Stewardship Efforts
Award winners have saved $7.8 million
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of the
Federal Environmental Executive are pleased to announce the recipients of
the 2012 Federal Electronics Challenge (FEC) Awards. The 2012 FEC Awards
are being given to 33 federal facilities from ten different federal
agencies. The activities of the winners resulted in $7.8 million savings in
FY2011 and greenhouse gas emissions reductions equivalent to taking 6,000
passenger cars off the road for a year.
This year's FEC award winners include: ten Platinum Awards, five Gold
Awards, ten Silver Awards and eight Bronze Awards. The 2012 FEC Award
winners completed a variety of electronics stewardship activities in fiscal
year 2011, including purchasing more than 105,000 green electronics
registered with EPEAT; enabling power saving sleep features on more than 97
percent of their computers and monitors; and recycling more than 361,000
pounds of electronics.
For the complete list of winners and more information on the FEC Award
requirements:http://www.epa.gov/fec/awards.html#winners
Monday, August 13, 2012
News Clippings 8/13/12
Oil Spill
State lacks plan for RESTORE Act projects
Baton Rouge Advocate
WASHINGTON — With the federal RESTORE Act now law, state officials,
environmental groups and others are trying to figure out how billions of
dollars' worth of coastal restoration projects will be put into action.
The projects, to be funded from fines from the BP oil disaster, could
create nearly 60,000 jobs in Louisiana.
http://theadvocate.com/news/3578356-123/state-lacks-plan-for-restore
State News
MDA Director Will Decide If Gulf Drilling Rules Stand
MPB
PUBLISHED BY JEFFREY HESS ON 10 AUG 2012 04:13PM
It is now up to the executive director of the Mississippi Development
Authority to decide if oil and gas exploration can proceed in Mississippi
Gulf waters. MPB's Jeffrey Hess reports that three environmental groups are
challenging the rules to prevent drilling in Mississippi waters.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/mda_director_will_decide_if_gulf_drilling_rules_stand
Vicksburg working on site it hopes to sell
AP
VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) - City crews worked this week to repair drainage and
erosion problems on city land off Fisher Ferry Road.
The Vicksburg Post reports (http://bit.ly/OYxesC ) Mayor Paul Winfield said
he is seeking a buyer willing to develop the property and put it back on
the tax rolls.
The work, including materials costing about $85,000, was ordered after an
inspection by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. The
project is expected to take about two weeks to complete, interim public
works director Garnet Van Norman said.
http://www.wdam.com/story/19256350/vicksburg-working-on-site-it-hopes-to-sell
Scientists keeping close eye on first loggerhead turtle nests on
Mississippi beaches in 20 years
Sun Herald
Scientists are monitoring loggerhead turtle nesting sites in Pass Christian
waiting to see if hatchlings will emerge.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/08/10/4119754/scientists-keeping-close-eye-on.html
South Mississippi beaches called 'amazing' by USA Today
Sun Herald
BILOXI -- USA Today has named the beach along the Mississippi Coast one of
the most amazing American beaches.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/08/10/4118542/coast-beaches-named-amazing-by.html
Curbside recycling on table again?
Natchez Democrat
Published 12:07amTuesday, August 7, 2012
NATCHEZ — A possible partnership between Adams County and the City of
Natchez could bring
curbside and drop-off recycling to city and county residents next summer.
http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2012/08/07/curbside-recycling-on-table-again/
Legislators hope to streamline shale work
Natchez Democrat
Published 12:04amSaturday, August 11, 2012
NATCHEZ — In the coming weeks state officials will meet with oilfield
developers to determine what the
State ofMississippi needs to do to ensure the development of the Tuscaloosa
Marine Shale is a
worthwhile investment.
http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2012/08/11/legislators-hope-to-streamline-shale-work/
Thousands of dead fish floating in Garden Isles
WLOX
A dead zone of warm water and low oxygen has caused thousands of dead fish
to wash up in the bayous surrounding the Garden Isles community in Bay St
Louis.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19247724/thousands-of-dead-fish-floating-in-garden-isles
Mississippi pine beetle infestations double
AP
MCCOMB, Miss. — The Mississippi Forestry Commission says the first Southern
pine beetle outbreak to hit southwest Mississippi in nearly 20 years has
apparently doubled in size and shows no signs of slowing.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/viewart/20120812/NEWS01/120812007/Mississippi-pine-beetle-infestations-double-
Bryant seeks limited government role
AP
First-term Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant makes no apologies about his belief
in small government and his pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps philosophy.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20120813/OPINION/208130321/Bryant-seeks-limited-government-role?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs
National News
States and fishing groups push back against federal mandate to remove idle
oil and gas platforms (gallery, video)
By Ben Raines
Press-Register
As BP oil swirled on the Gulf's surface in May of 2010, the Press-Register
visited an oil platform due south of the Alabama/Mississippi line and dove
underwater.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/08/post_220.html
Coffee Island oyster restoration project more successful than designers
imagined
By Ben Raines
Press-Register
Coffee Island, which has been slowly disappearing for decades, has quit
shrinking.
In fact, there are signs that the island, located just south of Bayou La
Batre in the Mississippi Sound, is starting to grow larger.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/08/coffee_island_oyster_restorati.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Texas Rivers create low oxygen areas along the Gulf Coast
Corpus Christi Caller
By Bethany Peterson
Sunday, August 12, 2012
CORPUS CHRISTI — Oxygen isotopes helped Texas A&M University researchers
prove Texas rivers create low oxygen zones off the coast.
http://www.caller.com/news/2012/aug/12/texas-rivers-create-low-oxygen-areas-along-the/
Report tallies continuing TVA ash spill costs
By Pam Sohn, Chattanooga Times Free Press
CHATTANOOGA, TN. (Times Free Press) -- Although TVA has excavated more than
1.6 million cubic yards of coal ash from the Emory and Clinch river area,
the utility and EPA are looking at ways to handle another 500,000 cubic
yards of ash that remain underwater in the Emory, Clinch and Tennessee
rivers.
http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/19253506/report-tallies-continuing-tva-ash-spill-costs
Beverage companies pay millions to conserve water
By Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Associated Press
WEST COLUMBIA, Texas – Fifty miles outside the nation's fourth-largest city
is a massive field of waist-high grass, buzzing bees and palm-size
butterflies, just waiting to be ripped up by a developer.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/environment/story/2012-08-11/beverage-companies-water-conservation/56875526/1
Opinion
Anglers, guides say trout problem the result of oil spill
Published: Sunday, August 12, 2012, 3:46 AM
By Bob Marshall, The Times-Picayune
As BP's oil approached the coast in 2010, many marina operators and fishing
guides who had been wiped out by Hurricane Katrina found themselves looking
back at that disaster with something akin to longing.
http://www.nola.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2012/08/anglers_guides_say_trout_probl.html
Oklahoma attorney general: Fighting a secret strategy by EPA
The Oklahoman
An investigation into tactics that threaten Oklahoma interests and families
has revealed an apparent strategy by the Environmental Protection Agency
that I find disturbing and so compelling that I've asked other attorneys
generals to join me in a records request to expose the agency's "sue and
settle" scheme.
http://newsok.com/shedding-light-on-epas-secret-strategy/article/3699938
Press Releases
BP-Sponsored Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Awards New Grants
PUBLISHED FRIDAY, AUG. 10, 2012
RESTON, Va., Aug. 10, 2012 --
19 groups receive funds to study effects of Deepwater Horizon oil spill
RESTON, Va., Aug. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Gulf of Mexico
Research Initiative, or GoMRI, announced today that it has approved funding
for 19 grants that will support studies of the effects of the Deepwater
Horizon oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico. Roughly $20 million will be
awarded to these researchers over the next three years.
"Today is a significant milestone for the GoMRI," said Dr. Rita Colwell,
chairman of the GoMRI Research Board. "We have complemented the eight
research consortia we have already funded with important smaller grants
that significantly extend the scope of work being done by GoMRI. These
grants help fill some gaps in GoMRI's research portfolio that existed
between the consortia."
The GoMRI has now awarded more than $130 million of the $500 million that
BP committed to independent research into the effects of the tragic
Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico.
The research proposals being funded today were submitted in response to the
GoMRI's RFP-II initiative. This program funds research with defined goals
within at least one of the following five themes: 1) Physical distribution,
dispersion, and dilution of petroleum (oil and gas), its constituents, and
associated contaminants under the action of physical oceanographic
processes, air-sea interactions, and tropical storms; 2) Chemical evolution
and biological degradation of the petroleum/dispersant systems and
subsequent interaction with coastal, open-ocean, and deepwater ecosystems;
3) Environmental effects of the petroleum/dispersant system on the sea
floor, water column, coastal waters, beach sediments, wetlands, marshes,
and organisms, and the science of ecosystem recovery; 4) Technology
developments for improved response, mitigation, detection,
characterization, and remediation associated with oil spills and gas
releases; and, 5) Impact of oil spills on public health.
The GoMRI received 629 letters of intent from potential applicants.
Applications were evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an expert
panel. The Research Board considered the panel's recommendations and
approved funding for 19 of the research proposals.
Funded grants are:
· Defining Ecologically Relevant Sublethal Effects: How Do Low Levels
of Exposure to Oil and Dispersants Affect Performance and Survival of
Larvae of Gulf Nekton? Edward J. Chesney, Louisiana Universities
Marine Consortium
· Dynamics of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon and Dissolved Oxygen Following
Natural or Manmade Petroleum Carbon Release into Marine Environments
Wei-Jun Cai and Xinping Hu, University of Georgia
· Using Embryonic Stem Cell Fate to Determine Potential Adverse Effects
of Petroleum/Dispersant Exposure Demetri D. Spyropoulos, Satomi
Kohno, John E. Baatz, and Louis J. Guillette, Medical University of
South Carolina
· Multifunctional Colloidal Particles as Dispersants for Maximizing
Biodegradation of Crude Oil Arijit Bose, University of Rhode Island;
Anubhav Tripathi, Brown University; Mindy Levine, University of Rhode
Island; and Anuj Chauhan, University of Florida
· Analysis of Continental Shelf Meiofauna in the Northern Gulf of
Mexico: Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Investigated
During a Long-Term Community Study (2007-Present) Stephen C. Landers,
Troy University; Frank A. Romano, III, Jacksonville State University;
Kewei Yu, Troy University; and Martin V. Sorensen, Natural History
Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen
· Accelerating Recovery after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Response
of the Plant-Microbial-Benthic Ecosystem to Mitigation Strategies
Promoting Wetland Remediation And Resilience Irving A. Mendelssohn,
Qianxin Lin, Aixin Hou, and Kevin R. Carman, Louisiana State
University
· Creating a Predictive Model of Microbially Mediated Carbon
Remediation in the Gulf of Mexico Jack Gilbert, University of Chicago
· Large Eddy Simulation of Turbulent Dispersion of Oil in the Ocean
Surface Layers: Development, Testing and Applications of
Subgrid-Scale Parameterizations Charles V. Meneveau, Johns Hopkins
University; and Marcelo Chamecki, The Pennsylvania State University
· Resolving Deepwater Horizon Impacts on Highly Variable
Ichthyoplankton and Zooplankton Dynamics in the Northern Gulf of
Mexico Frank J. Hernandez, Jr., Dauphin Island Sea Lab
· Monitoring of Oil Spill and Seepage Using Satellite Radars Hans
Graber, CSTARS-University of Miami; Brian Haus and Roland Romeiser,
RSMAS-University of Miami; and John Hargrove, Sr., CSTARS-University
of Miami
· Effect of Photochemistry on Biotransformation of Crude Oil Matthew A.
Tarr, University of New Orleans; Russell Schmehl, Tulane University;
Amy Callaghan and Joseph Suflita, University of Oklahoma
· The Effect of Sediment Bioturbators on the Biological Degradation of
Petroleum in Coastal Ecosystems Paul L. Klerks, Darryl Felder, Andrei
Chistoserdov, and Febee Louka, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
· The Environmental Effects of an Oil Spill on Blue Crabs in the Gulf
of Mexico and the Dynamics of Recovery: Integrating Oceanography and
Molecular Ecology Joseph E. Neigel, University of Louisiana at
Lafayette; and Caroline M. Taylor, Tulane University
· Novel Sensor System for the Early Detection and Monitoring of
Offshore Oil Spills Wei-Chuan Shih, Craig Glennie, and Zhu Han,
University of Houston
· Spatial and Temporal Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on
Growth and Productivity of Important Recreational and Commercial
Fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico Debra J. Murie, Daryl C. Parkyn, and
Robert Ahrens, University of Florida
· Characterizing the Composition and Biogeochemical Behavior of
Dispersants and their Transformation Products in Gulf of Mexico
Coastal EcosystemsKevin L. Armbrust, Mississippi State University; P.
Lee Ferguson, Duke University; Bruce J. Brownawell and Anne E.
McElroy, Stony Brook University
· Weathering of Petroleum and Dispersant Components in the Aftermath of
the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Elizabeth B. Kujawinski, Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institution; and Helen K. Whilte, Haverford College
· Development of Cost-Efficient and Concentration-Independent
Dispersants for Improved Oil Spill Remediation Scott M. Grayson,
Tulane University; Daniel A. Savin, University of Southern
Mississippi; and Wayne Reed, Tulane University
· The Combined Effect of Environmental and Anthropogenic Stressors on
Fish Health Thijs Bosker, University of Connecticut; Joseph Griffitt,
University of Southern Mississippi; Maria S. Sepulveda, Purdue
University; and Christopher Perkins, University of Connecticut
The GoMRI Research Board is an autonomous body that administers BP's
ten-year research program, created to study the effect, and the potential
associated impact, of hydrocarbon releases on the environment and public
health, as well as to develop improved spill mitigation, oil detection,
characterization and remediation technologies. Through a series of
competitive grant programs, the GoMRI is investigating the impacts of the
oil, dispersed oil, and dispersant on the ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico
and the affected coastal States in a broad context of improving fundamental
understanding of the dynamics of such events and their environmental
stresses and public health implications. The GoMRI also funds research
that improves techniques for detecting oil and gas, spill mitigation, and
technologies to characterize and remediate spills. Knowledge accrued will
be applied to restoration and to improving the long-term environmental
health of the Gulf of Mexico.
To learn more about the GoMRI, please visit
http://www.gulfresearchinitiative.org/.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/10/4713658/bp-sponsored-gulf-of-mexico-research.html
State lacks plan for RESTORE Act projects
Baton Rouge Advocate
WASHINGTON — With the federal RESTORE Act now law, state officials,
environmental groups and others are trying to figure out how billions of
dollars' worth of coastal restoration projects will be put into action.
The projects, to be funded from fines from the BP oil disaster, could
create nearly 60,000 jobs in Louisiana.
http://theadvocate.com/news/3578356-123/state-lacks-plan-for-restore
State News
MDA Director Will Decide If Gulf Drilling Rules Stand
MPB
PUBLISHED BY JEFFREY HESS ON 10 AUG 2012 04:13PM
It is now up to the executive director of the Mississippi Development
Authority to decide if oil and gas exploration can proceed in Mississippi
Gulf waters. MPB's Jeffrey Hess reports that three environmental groups are
challenging the rules to prevent drilling in Mississippi waters.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/mda_director_will_decide_if_gulf_drilling_rules_stand
Vicksburg working on site it hopes to sell
AP
VICKSBURG, Miss. (AP) - City crews worked this week to repair drainage and
erosion problems on city land off Fisher Ferry Road.
The Vicksburg Post reports (http://bit.ly/OYxesC ) Mayor Paul Winfield said
he is seeking a buyer willing to develop the property and put it back on
the tax rolls.
The work, including materials costing about $85,000, was ordered after an
inspection by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. The
project is expected to take about two weeks to complete, interim public
works director Garnet Van Norman said.
http://www.wdam.com/story/19256350/vicksburg-working-on-site-it-hopes-to-sell
Scientists keeping close eye on first loggerhead turtle nests on
Mississippi beaches in 20 years
Sun Herald
Scientists are monitoring loggerhead turtle nesting sites in Pass Christian
waiting to see if hatchlings will emerge.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/08/10/4119754/scientists-keeping-close-eye-on.html
South Mississippi beaches called 'amazing' by USA Today
Sun Herald
BILOXI -- USA Today has named the beach along the Mississippi Coast one of
the most amazing American beaches.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/08/10/4118542/coast-beaches-named-amazing-by.html
Curbside recycling on table again?
Natchez Democrat
Published 12:07amTuesday, August 7, 2012
NATCHEZ — A possible partnership between Adams County and the City of
Natchez could bring
curbside and drop-off recycling to city and county residents next summer.
http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2012/08/07/curbside-recycling-on-table-again/
Legislators hope to streamline shale work
Natchez Democrat
Published 12:04amSaturday, August 11, 2012
NATCHEZ — In the coming weeks state officials will meet with oilfield
developers to determine what the
State ofMississippi needs to do to ensure the development of the Tuscaloosa
Marine Shale is a
worthwhile investment.
http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2012/08/11/legislators-hope-to-streamline-shale-work/
Thousands of dead fish floating in Garden Isles
WLOX
A dead zone of warm water and low oxygen has caused thousands of dead fish
to wash up in the bayous surrounding the Garden Isles community in Bay St
Louis.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19247724/thousands-of-dead-fish-floating-in-garden-isles
Mississippi pine beetle infestations double
AP
MCCOMB, Miss. — The Mississippi Forestry Commission says the first Southern
pine beetle outbreak to hit southwest Mississippi in nearly 20 years has
apparently doubled in size and shows no signs of slowing.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/viewart/20120812/NEWS01/120812007/Mississippi-pine-beetle-infestations-double-
Bryant seeks limited government role
AP
First-term Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant makes no apologies about his belief
in small government and his pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps philosophy.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20120813/OPINION/208130321/Bryant-seeks-limited-government-role?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs
National News
States and fishing groups push back against federal mandate to remove idle
oil and gas platforms (gallery, video)
By Ben Raines
Press-Register
As BP oil swirled on the Gulf's surface in May of 2010, the Press-Register
visited an oil platform due south of the Alabama/Mississippi line and dove
underwater.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/08/post_220.html
Coffee Island oyster restoration project more successful than designers
imagined
By Ben Raines
Press-Register
Coffee Island, which has been slowly disappearing for decades, has quit
shrinking.
In fact, there are signs that the island, located just south of Bayou La
Batre in the Mississippi Sound, is starting to grow larger.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/08/coffee_island_oyster_restorati.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Texas Rivers create low oxygen areas along the Gulf Coast
Corpus Christi Caller
By Bethany Peterson
Sunday, August 12, 2012
CORPUS CHRISTI — Oxygen isotopes helped Texas A&M University researchers
prove Texas rivers create low oxygen zones off the coast.
http://www.caller.com/news/2012/aug/12/texas-rivers-create-low-oxygen-areas-along-the/
Report tallies continuing TVA ash spill costs
By Pam Sohn, Chattanooga Times Free Press
CHATTANOOGA, TN. (Times Free Press) -- Although TVA has excavated more than
1.6 million cubic yards of coal ash from the Emory and Clinch river area,
the utility and EPA are looking at ways to handle another 500,000 cubic
yards of ash that remain underwater in the Emory, Clinch and Tennessee
rivers.
http://www.wrcbtv.com/story/19253506/report-tallies-continuing-tva-ash-spill-costs
Beverage companies pay millions to conserve water
By Ramit Plushnick-Masti, Associated Press
WEST COLUMBIA, Texas – Fifty miles outside the nation's fourth-largest city
is a massive field of waist-high grass, buzzing bees and palm-size
butterflies, just waiting to be ripped up by a developer.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/environment/story/2012-08-11/beverage-companies-water-conservation/56875526/1
Opinion
Anglers, guides say trout problem the result of oil spill
Published: Sunday, August 12, 2012, 3:46 AM
By Bob Marshall, The Times-Picayune
As BP's oil approached the coast in 2010, many marina operators and fishing
guides who had been wiped out by Hurricane Katrina found themselves looking
back at that disaster with something akin to longing.
http://www.nola.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2012/08/anglers_guides_say_trout_probl.html
Oklahoma attorney general: Fighting a secret strategy by EPA
The Oklahoman
An investigation into tactics that threaten Oklahoma interests and families
has revealed an apparent strategy by the Environmental Protection Agency
that I find disturbing and so compelling that I've asked other attorneys
generals to join me in a records request to expose the agency's "sue and
settle" scheme.
http://newsok.com/shedding-light-on-epas-secret-strategy/article/3699938
Press Releases
BP-Sponsored Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative Awards New Grants
PUBLISHED FRIDAY, AUG. 10, 2012
RESTON, Va., Aug. 10, 2012 --
19 groups receive funds to study effects of Deepwater Horizon oil spill
RESTON, Va., Aug. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Gulf of Mexico
Research Initiative, or GoMRI, announced today that it has approved funding
for 19 grants that will support studies of the effects of the Deepwater
Horizon oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico. Roughly $20 million will be
awarded to these researchers over the next three years.
"Today is a significant milestone for the GoMRI," said Dr. Rita Colwell,
chairman of the GoMRI Research Board. "We have complemented the eight
research consortia we have already funded with important smaller grants
that significantly extend the scope of work being done by GoMRI. These
grants help fill some gaps in GoMRI's research portfolio that existed
between the consortia."
The GoMRI has now awarded more than $130 million of the $500 million that
BP committed to independent research into the effects of the tragic
Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico.
The research proposals being funded today were submitted in response to the
GoMRI's RFP-II initiative. This program funds research with defined goals
within at least one of the following five themes: 1) Physical distribution,
dispersion, and dilution of petroleum (oil and gas), its constituents, and
associated contaminants under the action of physical oceanographic
processes, air-sea interactions, and tropical storms; 2) Chemical evolution
and biological degradation of the petroleum/dispersant systems and
subsequent interaction with coastal, open-ocean, and deepwater ecosystems;
3) Environmental effects of the petroleum/dispersant system on the sea
floor, water column, coastal waters, beach sediments, wetlands, marshes,
and organisms, and the science of ecosystem recovery; 4) Technology
developments for improved response, mitigation, detection,
characterization, and remediation associated with oil spills and gas
releases; and, 5) Impact of oil spills on public health.
The GoMRI received 629 letters of intent from potential applicants.
Applications were evaluated for scientific and technical merit by an expert
panel. The Research Board considered the panel's recommendations and
approved funding for 19 of the research proposals.
Funded grants are:
· Defining Ecologically Relevant Sublethal Effects: How Do Low Levels
of Exposure to Oil and Dispersants Affect Performance and Survival of
Larvae of Gulf Nekton? Edward J. Chesney, Louisiana Universities
Marine Consortium
· Dynamics of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon and Dissolved Oxygen Following
Natural or Manmade Petroleum Carbon Release into Marine Environments
Wei-Jun Cai and Xinping Hu, University of Georgia
· Using Embryonic Stem Cell Fate to Determine Potential Adverse Effects
of Petroleum/Dispersant Exposure Demetri D. Spyropoulos, Satomi
Kohno, John E. Baatz, and Louis J. Guillette, Medical University of
South Carolina
· Multifunctional Colloidal Particles as Dispersants for Maximizing
Biodegradation of Crude Oil Arijit Bose, University of Rhode Island;
Anubhav Tripathi, Brown University; Mindy Levine, University of Rhode
Island; and Anuj Chauhan, University of Florida
· Analysis of Continental Shelf Meiofauna in the Northern Gulf of
Mexico: Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Investigated
During a Long-Term Community Study (2007-Present) Stephen C. Landers,
Troy University; Frank A. Romano, III, Jacksonville State University;
Kewei Yu, Troy University; and Martin V. Sorensen, Natural History
Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen
· Accelerating Recovery after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Response
of the Plant-Microbial-Benthic Ecosystem to Mitigation Strategies
Promoting Wetland Remediation And Resilience Irving A. Mendelssohn,
Qianxin Lin, Aixin Hou, and Kevin R. Carman, Louisiana State
University
· Creating a Predictive Model of Microbially Mediated Carbon
Remediation in the Gulf of Mexico Jack Gilbert, University of Chicago
· Large Eddy Simulation of Turbulent Dispersion of Oil in the Ocean
Surface Layers: Development, Testing and Applications of
Subgrid-Scale Parameterizations Charles V. Meneveau, Johns Hopkins
University; and Marcelo Chamecki, The Pennsylvania State University
· Resolving Deepwater Horizon Impacts on Highly Variable
Ichthyoplankton and Zooplankton Dynamics in the Northern Gulf of
Mexico Frank J. Hernandez, Jr., Dauphin Island Sea Lab
· Monitoring of Oil Spill and Seepage Using Satellite Radars Hans
Graber, CSTARS-University of Miami; Brian Haus and Roland Romeiser,
RSMAS-University of Miami; and John Hargrove, Sr., CSTARS-University
of Miami
· Effect of Photochemistry on Biotransformation of Crude Oil Matthew A.
Tarr, University of New Orleans; Russell Schmehl, Tulane University;
Amy Callaghan and Joseph Suflita, University of Oklahoma
· The Effect of Sediment Bioturbators on the Biological Degradation of
Petroleum in Coastal Ecosystems Paul L. Klerks, Darryl Felder, Andrei
Chistoserdov, and Febee Louka, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
· The Environmental Effects of an Oil Spill on Blue Crabs in the Gulf
of Mexico and the Dynamics of Recovery: Integrating Oceanography and
Molecular Ecology Joseph E. Neigel, University of Louisiana at
Lafayette; and Caroline M. Taylor, Tulane University
· Novel Sensor System for the Early Detection and Monitoring of
Offshore Oil Spills Wei-Chuan Shih, Craig Glennie, and Zhu Han,
University of Houston
· Spatial and Temporal Effects of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on
Growth and Productivity of Important Recreational and Commercial
Fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico Debra J. Murie, Daryl C. Parkyn, and
Robert Ahrens, University of Florida
· Characterizing the Composition and Biogeochemical Behavior of
Dispersants and their Transformation Products in Gulf of Mexico
Coastal EcosystemsKevin L. Armbrust, Mississippi State University; P.
Lee Ferguson, Duke University; Bruce J. Brownawell and Anne E.
McElroy, Stony Brook University
· Weathering of Petroleum and Dispersant Components in the Aftermath of
the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Elizabeth B. Kujawinski, Woods Hole
Oceanographic Institution; and Helen K. Whilte, Haverford College
· Development of Cost-Efficient and Concentration-Independent
Dispersants for Improved Oil Spill Remediation Scott M. Grayson,
Tulane University; Daniel A. Savin, University of Southern
Mississippi; and Wayne Reed, Tulane University
· The Combined Effect of Environmental and Anthropogenic Stressors on
Fish Health Thijs Bosker, University of Connecticut; Joseph Griffitt,
University of Southern Mississippi; Maria S. Sepulveda, Purdue
University; and Christopher Perkins, University of Connecticut
The GoMRI Research Board is an autonomous body that administers BP's
ten-year research program, created to study the effect, and the potential
associated impact, of hydrocarbon releases on the environment and public
health, as well as to develop improved spill mitigation, oil detection,
characterization and remediation technologies. Through a series of
competitive grant programs, the GoMRI is investigating the impacts of the
oil, dispersed oil, and dispersant on the ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico
and the affected coastal States in a broad context of improving fundamental
understanding of the dynamics of such events and their environmental
stresses and public health implications. The GoMRI also funds research
that improves techniques for detecting oil and gas, spill mitigation, and
technologies to characterize and remediate spills. Knowledge accrued will
be applied to restoration and to improving the long-term environmental
health of the Gulf of Mexico.
To learn more about the GoMRI, please visit
http://www.gulfresearchinitiative.org/.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/08/10/4713658/bp-sponsored-gulf-of-mexico-research.html
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