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Day of action focuses on CT undocumented's healthcare needs; 7 jurors seated in first Trump criminal trial; ND looks to ease 'upskill' obstacles for former college students; Black Maternal Health Week ends, health disparities persist.

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Seven jury members were seated in Trump's hush money case. House Speaker Johnson could lose his job over Ukraine aid. And the SCOTUS heard oral arguments in a case that could undo charges for January 6th rioters.

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Rural Wyoming needs more vocational teachers to sustain its workforce pipeline, Ohio environmental advocates fear harm from a proposal to open 40-thousand forest acres to fracking and rural communities build bike trail systems to promote nature, boost the economy.

EPA Seeks to Improve Oil Spill Preparedness, Response

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Wednesday, January 14, 2015   

SANTA FE, N.M. - The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking input from people in New Mexico and across the nation on a plan it says will improve the nation's ability to prepare for and respond to oil spills.

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, which killed 11 people and caused massive environmental damage, also prompted the feds to rethink their response rules and procedures for oil spills. Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for the EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, said the agency now wants public comment on its proposal for policy changes.

"During that spill, we realized that the existing rules with respect to how we fight oil spills was outdated," he said. "For example, it did not include the best science. How do we evaluate toxicity? How do we look at short- and long-term impacts?"

Stanislaus said the EPA, U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies had to develop plans as the cleanup efforts for the Deepwater Horizon progressed because they had never responded to a spill of that magnitude. He said the updated rules, which include such details as the amount and toxicity of oil dispersants used, will create a better contingency plan for future oil spills.

"This is to ensure that the tools are available immediately," he said, "but when those tools are applied, making sure that it is the most effective, and is least impactful to the environment."

The EPA is accepting public comment on the proposed rule changes for the next 90 days.

EPA's proposed rule change is online at epa.gov.


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