DOE Says GAO Unfair In Savannah River Tank Audit

September 15th, 2010 | Environment | | Leave a comment

The Department of Energy reacted in an Aiken Standard report on The Government Accountability Office report that says the clean-up price on 22 one million gallon tanks at the Savannah River nuclear weapons site that were  filled with highly radioactive liquid nuclear waste was 1.5 billion over what the contractor and Department of Energy said be the cost.

The Aiken paper reported in an e-mail sent Tuesday night, the DOE said it disagreed with the GAO findings and that the report didn’t go far enough.

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NYT: U.S. General Cites Goals to Train Afghan Forces

August 24th, 2010 | National Security | | Leave a comment

Elisabeth Bumiller reporting from Afghanistan in The New York Times reports that the commanding general says he will need to recruit 141,000 new soldiers and police officers over the next year, and this effort will expend past the July 2011 deadline to begin withdrawing American troops.

Read more at NYT.com

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USA Today: Gulf oil leak prompts hundreds of lawsuits

June 1st, 2010 | Environment | | Leave a comment
The Old Law Building, home to the Paul M. Hebert Law Center in september 2004. Author : Nicolas Larchet
The Old Law Building, home to the Paul M. Hebert Law Center in september 2004. Author : Nicolas Larchet
Hundreds of lawsuits are being filed against oil company BP, Transocean, and other BP contractors as a result of Transocean’s sunken Deepwater Horizon oil rig that has spilled millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

“There are an unbelievable array of issues in this case,” said Stanford law professor Jeffrey Fisher, who represented Alaska businesses in their lawsuit against Exxon, after its oil tanker hit a reef and spilled at least 10.8 million gallons of oil into the Prince William Sound in 1989.

Under the 1990 Oil Pollution Act, the company that is responsible for a spill is liable for up to $1 billion for clean-up and repair, and up to $75 million in economic damages. This amount could be greater if the federal government finds negligence, misconduct or violations of federal regulations.

The Justice Department could also file criminal charges under the Clean Water Act, Migratory Bird Act, Endangered Species Act and other laws.

Fishermen, property owners, and state governments can also seek compensation.

READ THIS STORY AT USATODAY.COM

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BP Top Kill Attempt LIVE

May 26th, 2010 | Environment | | Leave a comment

AP: BP Starts “Top kill”

BP launched its bid to plug the gushing oil well in the Gulf of Mexico Wednesday. They are force feeding heavy mud into the well and will then shoot in cement to plug the well permanently. BP’s chief executive said the procedure had a 60 to 70 percent chance of working.

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