Marine Pollution Control8631 West Jefferson Avenue
Detroit, MI 48209 USA
313.849.2333 - 24/hour
11320 E Lakewood Blvd., #11
Holland, MI 49424
800-521-8232 – 24/Hour
GSA Contract #: GS-10F-0268R
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Pace of oil spill recovery in Gulf picking up
June 10, 2013
WASHINGTON — Three years after the BP oil spill ravaged the Gulf Coast in the nation’s worst environmental disaster, federal officials and coastal communities say the pace of government-sponsored recovery efforts is slowly starting to pick up.
Billions in civil fines paid by BP remain undistributed as lawyers wrangle in court. States are still drawing up priority lists of projects for funding. And a total damage assessment of the spill that spewed nearly 5 million barrels of oil into the Gulf over 84 days is at least two years away.
But key elements of the RESTORE Act, which directs as much as $21 billion in BP fine money to the five Gulf Coast states, are beginning to take shape, according to witnesses at a hearing Thursday before the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.
Under a plea agreement reached earlier this year, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation received more than $2.5 billion in oil spill money to pay for environmental mitigation projects over the next several years.
Kodak offers $49M trust for environmental issues
June 3, 2013
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — As it inches closer to emergence from bankruptcy, Eastman Kodak is still wrestling with the financial repercussions of past environmental problems.
Federal and New York state officials have filed a dozen claims for past environmental damage and expenses, including demands for up to $10.1 million to address toxic silver contamination of sediments in the Genesee River. At the same time, Kodak is negotiating with a state agency to create an environmental trust fund that would become responsible for ongoing cleanup and any as-yet-undiscovered issues related to historic contamination at Eastman Business Park.
Kodak would endow the trust fund with $49 million then wash its hands of future liability for the historic environmental problems at Eastman Business Park. If that money were to run out, someone else would have to pick up the tab for study or cleanup at the 1,200-acre business park.
New NOAA Report Examines National Oil Pollution Threat from Shipwrecks
May 22, 2013
NOAA presented to the U.S. Coast Guard today a new report that finds that 36 sunken vessels scattered across the U.S. seafloor could pose an oil pollution threat to the nation's coastal marine resources. Of those, 17 were recommended for further assessment and potential removal of both fuel oil and oil cargo.
Wal-Mart pleads guilty in U.S. hazardous waste cases, to pay $82 million
May 29, 2013
(Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc on Tuesday said it would pay nearly $81.63 million to the federal government as it pleaded guilty to charges that it improperly discarded hazardous waste such as bleach and fertilizer years ago.
The U.S. Department of Justice said that in cases filed by federal prosecutors in California, Wal-Mart pleaded guilty to six counts of violating the Clean Water Act by illegally handling and disposing of hazardous materials at U.S. stores.
EPA Advises Facility Operators to Minimize Releases during Hazardous Weather Events
May 22, 2013
ATLANTA – As hurricane season approaches, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a Hazardous Weather Release Prevention and Reporting alert to remind facility operators of certain regulations that require minimization of chemical releases during process shutdown operations. This alert is designed to increase awareness among facility operators about their obligation to operate facilities safely and report chemical releases in a timely manner.
The alert specifies operational release minimization requirements and clarifies reporting requirements, including exemptions. Unlike some natural disasters, the onset of a hurricane is predictable and allows for early preparations to lessen its effect on a facility. Before hurricane force winds and associated storm surge flooding damage industrial processes, the alert recommends that operators take preventive action by safely shutting down processes, or otherwise operate safely under emergency procedures.
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