[EDITORIAL] Editorial: A promising BP settlement

Getty Images

Nearly eight months after the April 2010 BP oil spill, workers in Waveland, Miss., remove tar balls from along the Gulf Coast. Under a settlement Thursday, BP will pay $18.7 billion to resolve nearly all outstanding claims.

The settlement announced Thursday in the 2010 BP oil spill marks a major turning point for the federal-state effort to repair the Gulf of Mexico after the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history. The $18.7 billion that BP has agreed to pay is substantial enough to help the gulf, punitive enough to send a message to the industry and affordable enough to keep a major player active in the vital energy sector. Florida fares well at first glance, but it will be up to regulators and the courts to ensure that this framework agreement actually fulfills its promise.

The settlement would resolve nearly all outstanding claims resulting from the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, which sank off the coast of Louisiana on April 20, 2010, killing 11 workers and causing millions of barrels of oil to spew into the Gulf of Mexico. BP would pay $18.7 billion in damages and fines, including $7.1 billion for environmental restoration, $5.9 billion for economic claims from the five gulf states and a record $5.5 billion in penalties under the Clean Water Act (80 percent of which will be directed to gulf restoration projects), plus other costs.

State and federal officials could have held out for more, and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson said he would have liked to have seen larger damages. The federal court in New Orleans overseeing the case was expected to rule on damages any day, and BP lost its bid this week to have the U.S. Supreme Court consider its appeal on damages. But this deal is a reasonable effort to end years of litigation, provide certainty for all sides and bring serious money to the table for economic losses and restoration. And it's on top of $1 billion the company fronted early on for restoration projects (several of which are under way in Florida). BP also committed another $1 billion to resolve local government claims; Tampa announced Thursday it would receive $27 million. And BP will set aside an additional $600 million to cover any future environmental damage and any outstanding response costs.

Via: Tampa Bay Times

Continue Reading....

Anatomy of shutdown: How collapse of governing led to closing of D.C.'s WW II memorial BY DAVID LIGHTMAN

WASHINGTON — The World War II veterans from Mississippi’s Gulf Coast had been planning their trip to Washington’s World War II memorial since the spring.

On Oct. 1, at 7 a.m., the 91 veterans boarded a US Airways charter at Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport, bound for the nation’s capital.

They flew into a media firestorm.

Their buses pulled up to a memorial surrounded by metal barricades, closed as part of the partial federal-government shutdown. A handful of congressmen and senators awaited them, many accusing President Barack Obama of coldly ordering the memorial closed just to show the human toll of a shutdown driven by Republicans. All of it played out for the TV cameras.

In fact, the decisions that put the memorial at risk of being closed were made at key points months earlier, not just in the week the government shut down. More than a single flash point in a partisan clash, the closing of the war memorial serves as a case study in the collapse of governing in Washington.

Today, little has been resolved. The shutdown ended with a temporary spending pact that will expire soon. Congressional negotiators have until next Friday to craft a federal budget before money runs out again on Jan. 15. Even if they forge an agreement, it probably will be an affirmation of the new reality of lurching from crisis to crisis, not a return to the deliberative process of deciding spending item by item.

Via: McClatchyDC

Continue Reading,...

Read more here: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/12/06/210737/anatomy-of-shutdown-how-collapse.html#storylink=cpy

WHILE RED STATES DROWN, WHITE HOUSE RELEASES BEER RECIPE

This week, the media solemnly suggested that, with a tropical storm bearing down on the Gulf Coast, the RNC should considering canceling their convention. It would be in poor tasted, they scolded, to continue with political speeches and celebrations while New Orleans was threatened with another devastating storm. Today, as the storm moves north and residents of the Gulf Coast begin to clean up, over 500,000 people are without power and thousands remain in shelters. In other news today, the White House released its own beer recipe.

From the White House:

Inspired by home brewers from across the country, last year President Obama bought a home brewing kit for the kitchen. After the few first drafts we landed on some great recipes that came from a local brew shop. We received some tips from a couple of home brewers who work in the White House who helped us amend it and make it our own. To be honest, we were surprised that the beer turned out so well since none of us had brewed beer before.

As far as we know the White House Honey Brown Ale is the first alcohol brewed or distilled on the White House grounds. George Washington brewed beer and distilled whiskey at Mount Vernon and Thomas Jefferson made wine but there's no evidence that any beer has been brewed in the White House. (Although we do know there was some drinking during prohibition…)

Since our first batch of White House Honey Brown Ale, we've added the Honey Porter and have gone even further to add a Honey Blonde this past summer. Like many home brewers who add secret ingredients to make their beer unique, all of our brews have honey that we tapped from the first ever bee-hive on the South Lawn. The honey gives the beer a rich aroma and a nice finish but it doesn't sweeten it.

Via: Breitbart

Continue Reading...

Katrina Anniversary: Obama Plans to Campaign in Va. While Isaac Lands in La.

=(CNSNews.com)   – The White House announced on Monday that President Barack Obama plans to campaign in Charlottesville, Va., on Wednesday--the day the National Hurricane Center predicts Hurricane Isaac will hit the Gulf Coast.

Wednesday, Aug. 29, is also the seventh anniversary of the day that Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast in 2005.

According to the center, Tropical Storm Isaac is predicted to become a Category One Hurricane by Monday night and will make landfall along the Louisiana and Mississippi coastline late Tuesday or early Wednesday.

According to the center, Isaac will have maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour with storm surges up to 12 feet.

National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service fall under the umbrella of the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.

The National Weather Service issued a hurricane warning at 1:42 p.m. CDT for New Orleans, stating that Isaac was strengthening and becoming more organized. It advised New Orleans residents to "rush to completion of preparations for the protection of life and property. Evacuate if directed to do so by local officials ... or if your home is vulnerable to high winds or flooding."

Isaac "is currently forecast to make landfall as a Category One hurricane near the southwest pass of the Mississippi River Tuesday night," said the warning.

The warning had not been updated at the time of publication.

Via: CNSNews

Continue Reading...