The Michigan Department of Transportation has denied a bid by Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel (Matty) Moroun to let more hazardous materials cross his bridge than currently allowed by law.

 

In announcing the denial, MDOT region engineer Tony Kratofil said that public safety would not be enhanced by allowing corrosive or flammable materials to cross the bridge.

 

WASHINGTON — More crude oil was spilled in U.S. rail incidents last year than was spilled in the nearly four decades since the federal government began collecting data on such spills, an analysis of the data shows.

 

Including major derailments in Alabama and North Dakota, more than 1.15 million gallons of crude oil was spilled from rail cars in 2013, according to data from the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

 

By comparison, from 1975 to 2012, U.S. railroads spilled a combined 800,000 gallons of crude oil. The spike underscores new concerns about the safety of such shipments as rail has become the preferred mode for oil producers amid a North American energy boom.

 

The federal data does not include incidents in Canada where oil spilled from trains. Canadian authorities estimate that more than 1.5 million gallons of crude oil spilled in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, on July 6, when a runaway train derailed and exploded, killing 47 people. The cargo originated in North Dakota.

 

January 31, 2014

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Jan. 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The Marine Spill Response Corporation (MSRC) and Alaska Maritime Prevention and Response Network (Network) today announced a "Strategic Alliance" to support NTVs in meeting new Federal regulations and enhance oil spill response in Western Alaska and Prince William Sound. 

The announcement was made today at the Alaska Regional Response Team meeting in Anchorage.  As a part of this Alliance, the Network will join the Marine Preservation Association (MPA), the funding organization for MSRC.  Through its membership in MPA, the Network and its Participants will have access to MSRC's resources and know-how.  MSRC has the largest, dedicated resources of personnel and equipment located in the continental U.S, including resources for potential cascading to Alaska.

 

 

When they hear the terms “biodegradable” or “compostable” in ads, most people probably get a good feeling about the product’s environmental friendliness. The Federal Trade Commission, however, has landed on six companies for making misleading and unsubstantiated claims about the biodegradability of their products.

 

The FTC’s Green Guides are not rules or regulations, but they do describe the kinds of environmental claims that the agency may find deceptive. They say the following about claims that a product is degradable:

 

• Marketers may make an unqualified degradable claim only if they can prove that the “entire product or package will completely break down and return to nature within a reasonably short period of time after customary disposal.” The “reasonably short period of time” for complete decomposition of solid waste products? One year.