Thursday, May 08, 2014

WIMS Environmental HotSheet 5/8/14

National / International News

 

<> Is EPA Leadership Obstructing It's Own Inspector General? - Testimony from U.S. EPA and EPA's Office of Inspector General before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

<> U.S. DOT Takes New Emergency Actions as Part of Comprehensive Strategy to Keep Crude Oil Shipments Safe - Emergency order requires railroads transporting crude to notify state emergency response commissions; safety advisory urges use of tank cars with highest integrity

<> Administration strongly opposes H.R. 4438, which would permanently extend and expand the R&D credit - By making the R&D credit permanent without offsets, H.R. 4438 would add $156 billion to the deficit over the next 10 years.

<> Energy Department Announces Innovative Offshore Wind Energy Projects - May 7, 2014, the Energy Department announced the selection of three pioneering offshore wind demonstrations to receive up to $47 million each over the next four years to deploy innovative, grid-connected systems in federal and state waters by 2017. . .

<> Sen. Reid blocks Keystone XL insertion in energy efficiency bill - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., on Wednesday blocked a Republican attempt to add a pipeline measure to an energy efficiency bill. . .

<> ERC Releases 2014 Directory of U.S. WTE Facilities - The Energy Recovery Council today released The 2014 ERC Directory of Waste-to-Energy Facilities, which provides information on the 84 waste-to-energy facilities in the United States. . .

<> Senate Finance Committee Hearing On New Routes for Funding and Financing Highways & Transit – Statements, testimony and webcast

<> GAO-14-407, Alternative Jet Fuels: Federal Activities Support Development and Usage, but Long-term Commercial Viability Hinges on Market Factors, May 07, 2014 - The federal government supports the development and use of alternative jet fuels through both broad and targeted initiatives. Broad national strategies promote the development of a variety of alternative fuels

<> National Farmers Union Dispels Myths Surrounding Clean Water Rule - We have noticed several misleading statements surrounding the Obama Administration's new clean water rule. This rule clarifies the extent of the Clean Water Act after two Supreme Court decisions created confusion.

<> EPA's Clean Water Act Policies: Fact vs. Fiction – Senate GOP Environment & Public Works blog posting

<> EPA Adds Seven Hazardous Waste Sites to Superfund's National Priorities List/Agency also proposes to add an additional five sites - Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is adding seven hazardous waste sites that pose risks to people's health and the environment to the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites.

 

Federal Register Highlights 

The following is an alert of Environmental Federal Register announcements that may be of interest for: Thursday, May 8, 2014.  (Click here to access today's complete Federal Register index with links to complete announcements).

 

1. (Tuesday, May 6, 2014) Energy, Pipeline - Notice of Data. U.S. DOT, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA); Pipeline Safety: Lessons Learned From the Release at Marshall, Michigan PDF | Text | 

2. Nothing We're Tracking Today (click for the complete Energy & EPA announcements)