In The News
Tulsa World: Local leaders meet with delegation
Thursday May 6, 2010
In daylong sessions with the lawmakers, key members of the group, sponsored by the Tulsa Metro Chamber, took turns briefing the delegation.
Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett identified completion of the Gilcrease Expressway as the group's No. 1 priority.
On another major issue, Tulsa County Commissioner Karen Keith spoke about the need to address the receding shoreline and other problems with the Arkansas River.
Bartlett explained the dramatic impact the Gilcrease Expressway project is expected to have on the entire region, noting that it would provide direct access to the airport as well as to the Port of Catoosa.
Areas that continue to be disadvantaged would benefit directly, he said.
Any federal money would be added to funding provided by other sources, Bartlett said.
Alexander Asks If Corps Could Have Helped Avoid More Flood Damage
Thursday May 6, 2010
Posted by Matt Dempsey Matt_Dempsey@epw.senate.gov
In the News...
Chattanoogan.com
Alexander Asks If Corps Could Have Helped Avoid More Flood Damage
posted May 6, 2010
Link to Article
Senator Lamar Alexander today during a hearing of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, of which he is a member, discussed the recent Tennessee storm, the resulting flood and whether Army Corps of Engineers' reporting standards ought to be adjusted.
"We had 25 inches of rain in two days, and the mayor of Nashville estimates that there may be a billion dollars' worth of damage just in the Nashville area alone," Senator Alexander said. "This is a time for cleaning up and helping people, but it's also a time for asking the question, ‘What can we do better?'
Senator Alexander continued, "One of the things we might be able to do better in the event of a disaster like this is to have clear, correct and consistent information from the Army Corps of Engineers about the release of water from the Old Hickory and Percy Priest dams.
"It's too early to say whether the information we did receive was unclear, incorrect or inconsistent, but we should address whether more information about the rise of floodwaters on the Cumberland River to the community might have saved millions of dollars in damages.
"This was a problem after Katrina, I know that Senator Landrieu talked about it, and in an orderly and appropriate way, at the right time, I'd like to address this question."
The committee's chairman, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), and Ranking Republican Member, Senator Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), agreed to address the matter soon, officials said.
###
Senate cap-and-trade bill coming out next week -- Boxer
Wednesday May 5, 2010
Kerry revealed the tentative schedule for the unveiling of his long-awaited measure during the Democrats' weekly meeting of committee leaders. "He said it's looking good, and he hopes to have a press conference next week," said Environment and Public Works Chairwoman Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).
Both Kerry and Lieberman sidestepped questions about the timing of their bill. "It's coming soon," Lieberman said.
Kerry, Lieberman and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) originally planned to release their bill April 26 but postponed the press conference after Graham complained that Democratic leaders had pushed the politically thorny issue of immigration onto the Senate agenda, making it impossible for him to also work on the climate legislation.
The Kerry-Lieberman climate bill is expected to call by 2020
Kerry: Climate Bill Really a "Refund Bill" - "Nothing grows the size of government. Every penny goes back to creating jobs and protecting the American consumer."
Wednesday May 5, 2010
Speaking at the Good Jobs Green Jobs conference today in Washington, D.C., Kerry said he expects to be joined by the CEOs of General Electric Co., DuPont, FPL Inc. and American Electric Power Co. Inc. when his climate legislation is ready for release.
"Every one of them are among the top emission polluters in the country," Kerry said. "But they all know this is good for America, and we have to do it. What they want is business certainty of knowing what the next 20, 30, 40 years are going to look like so they can plan accordingly."
EPW To Hold Hearing on BP Oil Spill
Wednesday May 5, 2010
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and Senate Environment and Public Workers Committee will hold hearings Tuesday, followed by the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on Wednesday.
Among other issues, House subcommittee is requesting reports on inspections of the blowout preventer on BP's Deepwater Horizon rig and why it failed to prevent the explosion and the subsequent oil leak. The subcommittee also said it wants to know whether BP deployed any backup devices designed as a fail-safe when the blowout preventer doesn't function properly.
Sen. David Vitter, R-La., had asked the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee to put off Tuesday's hearing on the rig accident so that people working to control the spill aren't taken away from those responsibilities.
In a letter to Vitter, Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said the committee will only call witnesses who aren't involved in day-to-day response efforts, or who already planned to be in Washington on Tuesday.
Boxer said her "heart goes out" to victims of the oil spill, but said Congress has important oversight responsibilities to insure the oil spill response is being handled effectively and that disruption to the local economy is minimized.
E&E; News: Climate bill isn't a priority for most Americans -- Gallup poll
Wednesday May 5, 2010
Despite devastating pictures of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill filling the news cycle, the Gallup poll found only about one in five of Americans surveyed would list energy and climate legislation as the highest priority for Congress. Instead, 39 percent of respondents listed financial reform as the highest priority, followed by 36 percent of Americans who said immigration should be highest priority right now.
Along party lines, 47 percent of Democratic respondents listed financial regulation reform as their highest priority for Congress. A narrow 27 percent of Democrats prefer tackling energy legislation next after financial reform, as opposed to 24 percent who prefer immigration reform next, according to the poll.
More than 40 percent of independents and Republicans polled said immigration reform legislation should be Congress' highest priority. Financial reform was the second highest priority for 33 percent of independents and 37 percent of Republicans in the poll.
E&E; News: Markey panel to address deniers head-on
Tuesday May 4, 2010
The Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming hearing follows news yesterday that the InterAcademy Council, an alliance of many of the world's science academies, had chosen its panel to review the methods of the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Flaws and typos revealed in the IPCC's influential 2007 report, particularly an error exaggerating the risk global warming poses to Himalayan glaciers, have damaged the panel's standing and given ammunition to those critical of science underlying climate change.
The IPCC review, requested by the United Nations, will be led by Harold Shapiro, an economist and former president of Princeton University. The peer-review report will examine, among other topics, the literature that may be cited in IPCC reports -- several errors stemmed from NGO or government reports that were not peer-reviewed -- and data quality control. The panel expects to deliver its findings by the end of August. (See related story in today's ClimateWire.)
Tulsa World: CareerTech to help train contractors on EPA rules
Monday May 3, 2010
Several CareerTech centers have either stepped up or are considering doing so to offer the much-needed training by contracting with out-of-state firms.
Maria Doa, director of the National Program Chemicals Division at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, confirmed that Metro Technology Centers in Oklahoma City became only the second agency in the state to be certified to teach the course.
Melanie Stinnett, Metro Tech's chief environmental safety and regulatory affairs officer, said Friday that classes could begin within seven to 10 days.
"We are ready to go," Stinnett said.
She said Metro Tech has been contacted by those seeking certification in Texas, Kansas and Arkansas.
"Their training facilities are filled," Stinnett said.
Congress Daily: Voinovich: Climate Bill Needs Final Analysis
Thursday April 29, 2010
While Reid has promised to have a bill analyzed before it hits the floor, Voinovich sent him a letter today arguing the study must take into account any changes made by Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., between the time they unveil a climate and energy plan and when it comes up on the Senate floor.
"As you are aware, comprehensive climate legislation of the type envisioned by Senator's Kerry, Graham and Lieberman is exceedingly complex," Voinovich wrote. Even small changes, he said, "can have significant effects on other regulated sectors and the cumulative economic impacts."
Inhofe Launches New Web Page to Provide Information on Lead-Based Paint
Thursday April 29, 2010
Posted by Matt Dempsey matt_dempsey@epw.senate.gov
Click Here for New Web Page on Lead-Based Paint Rule
Link to Inhofe "Dear Colleague" Letter on EPA Lead-Based Paint Rule
Hello, I am Jim Inhofe, Senator from Oklahoma.
We've got a serious problem. Now, listen to this:
On April 22, a new rule by the Environmental Protection Agency on lead-based paint went into effect that has caused a disaster in Oklahoma and around the country. My office has received a number of calls and emails from constituents -- from homeowners to contractors to landlords to plumbers -- all trying to get more information about the rule. In an effort to help alleviate that confusion, I am posting information on my website that will provide answers about the rule and how it affects you.
The rule requires that renovations in homes built before 1978 and that disturb more than six square feet must be supervised by a certified renovator and conducted by a certified renovation firm. In order to become certified, contractors must submit an application - with a fee - to EPA, and complete a training course for instruction on lead-safe work practices. Those who violate the rule could face a fine of $37,500 a day.
Unfortunately, there are not nearly enough contractors that have been certified. That is because there are far too few people certified to teach the certification classes. For example, in Oklahoma, there is not a single person teaching classes publically. I am continuing to try to resolve this.
Let's understand this: The Obama EPA has ruled that no one can repair a house as old as 1978 effecting six square feet, like one window, without a graduation certificate, and the EPA won't provide instructors to teach the classes. And if you do it, you can be penalized 37,500 a day.
For more information, visit my website at www.inhofe.senate.gov - there you will find a link that will help answer your questions. If the answer is not there, I have included contact information for my office.
This rule will affect more than 70 million homes in America, and I will continue to work to stop this jobs killer.
###
