Tuesday, March 25, 2014

WIMS Environmental HotSheet 3/25/14

National / International News

 

<> Today the Obama Administration proposed a landmark  rule that will clarify which types of water bodies are protected by the Clean Water Act -  National Wildlife Federation's response to the Environmental Protection Agency's announcement

(Note: at press time EPA had not yet released an announcement)

<> Biofuel Trade Organizations Ask for Extension of Advanced Biofuel Tax Incentives - Biofuel trade organizations sent a letter to the Senate encouraging extension of critical advanced biofuel tax incentives.

<> IPCC starts meeting to finalize Working Group II report - Japan, 25 March – Government representatives and scientists on Tuesday opened a five-day meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to finalize a report assessing the impacts of climate change on human and natural systems, options for adaptation, and the interactions among climate changes, other stresses on societies, and opportunities for the future.

<> Energy Department Authorizes Jordan Cove to Export Liquefied Natural Gas - Energy Department Authorizes Jordan Cove to Export Liquefied Natural Gas Terminal in Coos Bay, Oregon Authorized to Export Liquefied Natural Gas to Non-Free Trade Agreement Countries. . .

<> Upcoming Funding Opportunity for Water Power Manufacturing - March 24, 2014Upcoming Funding Opportunity for Water Power Manufacturing On March 24, 2014, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a Notice of Intent to issue a funding opportunity titled "Water Power Manufacturing."

<> Designing Effective State Programs for the Industrial Sector - March 24, 2014 New SEE Action Publication "Industrial Energy Efficiency: Designing Effective State Programs for the Industrial Sector - an overview of U.S. industrial energy efficiency programs delivered by a variety of entities.

<> Coast Guard Update 5: Texas City "Y" incident response - TEXAS CITY, Texas — As of this evening, the Port of Houston remains closed. The Unified Command continues to assess the situation with oil in the channel to determine when vessel traffic can resume. There are 46 outbound. . .

<> Barnes & Thornburg's Due-Diligence Mini-Series - Next webinar: April 10; US EPA's All Appropriate Inquiry (AAI) regulatory updates and how it impacts use of Phase I ESA standards

<> Statement from Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on National Agriculture Day - March 25, 2014—Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today released the following statement. . .

<> USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack Announces Increased Opportunity for Producers as part of New Farm Bill - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced increased opportunity for producers as a result of the 2014 Farm Bill. A fact sheet outlining modifications including an increase of the guarantee amount on Conservation Loans from 75 to 80 percent and 90 percent for socially disadvantaged borrowers and beginning farmers. . .

<> New UNEP/IRP report confirms role of forests & forest products in fighting climate change - Geneva/Jakarta, 21 March 2014 – Building Natural Capital: How REDD+ Can Support a Green Economy, a report by the International Resource Panel (IRP) and the UN REDD Programme, outlines that forests, forest services and. . .

<> EPA Office of Inspector General Report - "EPA Needs to Improve Management of the Cross-Media Electronic Reporting Regulation Program in Order to Strengthen Protection of Human Health and the Environment," March 21, 2014.

<> EPA Office of Inspector General Report - "EPA's Information Systems and Data Are at Risk Due to Insufficient Training of Personnel With Significant Information Security Responsibilities," March 21, 2014.

Federal Register Highlights 

The following is an alert of Environmental Federal Register announcements that may be of interest for: Tuesday, March 25, 2014.  (Click here to access today's complete Federal Register index with links to complete announcements).

 

1. Nothing We're Tracking Today