Marine Pollution Control8631 West Jefferson Avenue
Detroit, MI 48209 USA
313.849.2333 - 24/hour
11324 E Lakewood Blvd., #12 & #13
Holland, MI 49424
800-521-8232 – 24/Hour
GSA Contract #: GS-10F-0268R
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Coast Guard signs agreement to increase offshore oversight
May 9, 2013
NEW ORLEANS - Under fire for not conducting its own safety audits of offshore drilling rigs and oil platforms, the Interior Department announced Thursday that it has signed an agreement with the Coast Guard to coordinate and beef up offshore oversight.
The Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement struck the accord with the Coast Guard as a part of plans it announced in 2012 to work more effectively with the military branch.
PCBs Are Everywhere: Problem Exists in Industrial City and Rural Community
May 8, 2013
Since polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are produced through industrial processes or activities, it is assumed that people living in industrial cities will have higher concentrations of these toxic chemicals in their blood than people in rural communities.
Researchers at the University of Iowa say this isn't the case. In a paper published in March in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, scientists report that mothers and children in East Chicago, Ind., and Columbus Junction, Iowa, had only subtle differences in their PCB blood levels. This analytical paper is the first to report such a comparison between two communities, between mothers and children, and including all 209 PCB compounds.
Obama ocean plan aims to protect economy, environment
April 18, 2013
The White House released a plan on Tuesday aimed at protecting oceans, coastal and Great Lakes environments around the United States while safeguarding related businesses that support more than 44 million jobs.
The plan drew criticism from some Republican lawmakers who called it bureaucratic overreach but was lauded by environmental groups as smart management that supports economic development.
The National Ocean Policy Implementation Plan is meant to put into practice the National Ocean Policy, established by President Barack Obama in 2010. It will involve some 27 federal agencies, departments and offices, the White House Council on Environmental Quality said a statement.
Oil spill judge: What is gross negligence?
April 25, 2013
NEW ORLEANS -- The judge who will allocate responsibility for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill has told lawyers to give him their views about whether a series of negligent acts can add up to gross negligence.
The Justice Department and private plaintiffs' attorneys contend that BP PLC acted with gross negligence before the blowout on April 20, 2010. If Judge Carl Barbier agrees, BP's civil penalties could soar.
Polluting Plastic Particles Invade the Great Lakes
April 10, 2013
Floating plastic debris -- which helps populate the infamous "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" in the Pacific Ocean -- has become a problem in the Great Lakes, the largest body of fresh water in the world. Scientists reported on the latest findings from the Great Lakes in New Orleans on April 9 at the 245th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
"The massive production of plastic and inadequate disposal has made plastic debris an important and constant pollutant on beaches and in oceans around the world, and the Great Lakes are not an exception," said Lorena M. Rios Mendoza, Ph.D., who spoke on the topic at the meeting.