More Turmoil at Florida PSC

Florida Department of Law Enforcement reviewing PSC ethics complaint:

Posted by Julie Patel on March 9, 2010 12:55 PM

"A Public Service Commission staffer's testimony about a conversation Commissioner Lisa Edgar had in private with an FPL attorney doesn’t match up with the actual version of events.

That’s what PSC Inspector General Steve Stolting concluded after a brief inquiry. He has asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate."

DHEC Lifts Arsenic Limits on SCE&G

Critics: DHEC arsenic limits weak - Local / Metro - TheState.com:

By SAMMY FRETWELL - sfretwell@thestate.com

"The Department of Health and Environmental Control dropped arsenic limits in a new discharge permit for S.C. Electric and Gas after supporting rules to ease controls over the poisonous material two years ago. In effect, since South Carolina has an easier standard than it once did for arsenic, SCE&G doesn't need a limit on arsenic."

After Boom and Bust, Solar Power Has a Place in the Spanish Sun - NYTimes.com

After Boom and Bust, Solar Power Has a Place in the Spanish Sun - NYTimes.com:

By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL

Published: March 8, 2010

"When it was announced in the summer of 2007, Spain’s premium payment for solar power was the most generous anywhere — 58 cents per kilowatt-hour — with few strings attached."

High bills stoke anger - Local / Metro - TheState.com

High bills stoke anger - Local / Metro - TheState.com: By TIM FLACH - tflach@thestate.com

"Nearly 230 S.C. homeowners and businesses have filed written protests to state officials opposing that increase."

Norfolk Southern will pay $4mil in fines for Graniteville Spill (EPA)

03/08/2010: Railroad Company to Pay $4 Million Penalty for 2005 Chlorine Spill in Graniteville, SC

Under the settlement filed in federal court in Columbia, S.C., Norfolk Southern will be required to pay a civil penalty of $3,967,500 for the alleged CWA violations, to be deposited in the federal Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. The alleged CWA violations, included in an amended complaint filed in March 2009, are for the discharge of tons of chlorine, a hazardous substance, from a derailed train tank car and thousands of gallons of diesel fuel from ruptured locomotive engine fuel tanks. For the alleged Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) violation for failure to immediately notify the National Response Center of the chlorine release, Norfolk Southern will pay a penalty of $32,500, to be deposited in the Hazardous Substance Superfund.

EPA Greenversations � Question of the Week: When was the last time you fixed a leak?

Greenversations � Question of the Week: When was the last time you fixed a leak?:
"Question of the Week: When was the last time you fixed a leak?
Posted on March 8th, 2010 - 10:30 AM
An American home can waste, on average, more than 10,000 gallons of water every year due to running toilets, dripping faucets, and other household leaks. Nationwide, more than 1 trillion gallons of water leak from U.S. homes each year. That’s why WaterSense is promoting Fix a Leak Week from March 15 to 21, 2010, to remind Americans to check their plumbing fixtures and irrigation systems for leaks.

When was the last time you fixed a leak?"

FERC: News Release: FERC approves settlement on FRCC’s role in Florida Blackout

FERC: News Release: FERC approves settlement on FRCC’s role in Florida Blackout:

"The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) today approved a settlement under which the Florida Reliability Coordinating Council (FRCC) will pay a $350,000 civil penalty and undertake specific reliability improvements stemming from the Feb. 26, 2008, blackout that lost power for millions of Florida consumers."