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Note to Publishers: Overnight Energy will not publish Friday due the Christmas holiday.
Today, we are looking at a $43million settlement over America’s longest-running oil spillage. A possible lawsuit over the Interior Departments failure to protect polar bears. And a study indicating another unfortunate side effect of microplastics.
Rachel Frazin and Zack Budryk were the Hill’s editors. Send us tips: [email protected] [email protected]. Follow us on Twitter: @RachelFrazin @BudrykZack.
Lets jump in.
Oil spillage will cost $43M to energy company
Taylor Energy, the company responsible for the longest-running oil spillage in the United States, has agreed to pay $43 million in removal costs and civil penalties. This was after its pipeline in the Gulf of Mexico began leakage in 2004.
According to a consent decree proposed by the Department of Justice announced Wednesday, Taylor Energy would also transfer a $432 Million trust fund to the Department of Interior.
A settlement requires that the Louisiana gas-oil company must also dismiss three existing lawsuits against the government. Taylor Energy has agreed not to “assume any liability to the United States of America or the State arising from the MC-20 Incident.”
What’s next? The court will review and approve the consent decree.
The settlement comes nearly a year after the United States sued a gas and oil company over an oil spillage that had drained hundreds of thousand of gallons from the Gulf of Mexico. The oil leakage that continues to this day was caused by a production system that was damaged during Hurricane Ivan.
Nicole LeBoeuf, director of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Ocean Service, stated in a statement that the settlement is an important down payment.
U.S. attorney Duane A. Evans, Eastern District of Louisiana, stated that although the oil spillage has been a catalyst for environmental technological innovation, it is unacceptable that the ecosystem has been damaged.
Learn more about the settlement.
Group to sue for failure to protect polar bears
Wednesday, March 31, 2009 – Center for Biological DiversityA notice of intent was filedTo sue the U.S. Interior Department alleges it has not adequately protected polar bears against oil industry encroachment.
Trump approved 88 Energy, an oil company that is engaged in oil and gas exploration in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, for its five year Peregrine Exploration Program. The drilling of new wells would still require approval from the Biden administration.
What is the problem? According to the environmental group, the project would cause significant noise pollution in polar bear habitats. According to the notice, this includes construction of roads and air strips as well as almost constant traffic on roads or airways.
60 days prior to a formal lawsuit under Endangered Speies Act (ESA), a notice of intent that names both the Interior Department AND the Bureau of Land Management is required.
The project’s greenhouse gas emissions would, however, directly impact the bears habitat and contribute to the melting Arctic sea ice. The notice Cite one studyThis indicates that every metric ton of carbon dioxide emitted equals the loss of approximately three square meters of September Arctic sea-ice.
Learn more about the notice.
Study suggests that microplastics could cause bowel disease
IBD patients have higher levels of microplastics than healthy controls. new studyIt was found.
According to a study published in Environmental Science & Technology, recent estimates show that people consume tens to thousands of microplastics less than 5 mm in size. These plastics come from a variety sources, including food, water, and air.
Although the health effects of such consumption are not known, researchers from Nanjing University in China found that IBD can be linked to the ingestion fragments. A statement was included with the study.
IBD, which can include Crohns disease or ulcerative colitis, is characterized as chronic inflammation of the digestive system. It can be caused by diet and environmental factors. IBD is still on the rise worldwide.
This study revealed that there is a significant variation in the concentration of [microplastics]According to the authors, IBD patients and healthy people can both feces.
Researchers collected feces from 50 healthy subjects (30 male and 20 female) and 52 people (31 male and 21 female) with IBD from different regions of China. They found that IBD patients had 1.5 times more microplastics per gram than healthy subjects. The study also found that people with more severe IBD symptoms had higher levels in fecal microplastics.
Find out more about the study.
WHAT WE’RE READING
Finally, something a little offbeat and unorthodox: A Christmas miracle.
This is it for today. Thanks for reading. Check out The Hills Energy & Environment PageFor the most recent news and coverage. We look forward to seeing you Monday.