'Top Chef' Tom Colicchio: 'Fish That's Coming Out of the Gulf Is Safe'

Last evening, "Top Chef" star/producer and restaurateur Tom Colicchio [pictured] told CNN's Campbell Brown that, after having spent time in Grand Isle, La., with several other prominent chefs, he thinks seafood from the Gulf Coast is safe to eat.

"We spent a lot of time with fishermen, fishing families, and talking to them -- just to try to get a better idea of what was going on there," the award-winning Colicchio recalled. "And there's sort of two stories right now that I think you need to tell about the Gulf.

"One is that this is devastating. It's horrible what's going on down there. They need to stop this oil somehow, some way. Hopefully, it will happen with this new well that they're drilling.

"But, on the other hand, there's a lot of hope. There are fishermen that are still fishing... The fishermen that aren't cleaning up the oil, they are actually fishing. And the fish that's coming out of the Gulf is safe."

Colicchio went on to note that the multi-government agency response to the BP oil-spill disaster is well-coordinated, ambitious and ongoing.

"There's five different agencies testing the waters," he noted. "There's tissue samples being taken every day. I think there were over 300 done so far since May."

"And just to be clear," said Brown, "they're not fishing in the oil spill area."

"No, no, no, no," Colicchio replied.

To read the entire transcript of Brown's interview with Colicchio, go to: http://bit.ly/ColicchioCNN.

For the latest information about food-safety issues related to the Gulf Coast oil spill, please visit: http://bit.ly/OilSpillUpdateFDA.

If you have questions or concerns about seafood, or wish to report any seafood you have purchased that you suspect of being contaminated with oil, call 1-888-INFO-FDA.

GoodBiz113's Take
This endorsement, of sorts, from Chef Colicchio is most reassuring -- and should prove to be a palatable boost to the devastated Gulf Coast economy. Hopefully, it serves Gulf Coast fishermen, restaurants, hoteliers, resort owners and tourism officials well in the short- and long term.

SOURCES: CNN, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
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Landrieu Aims to Improve Evaluation of Oil-Spill Cleanup Proposals

United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu [D-La.], chair of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, today held a hearing to discuss the evaluation process for proposals to clean up the leaking oil in the Gulf of Mexico from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, as well as ways to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the process.

The hearing -- entitled "Harnessing Small Business Innovation: Navigating the Evaluation Process for Gulf Coast Oil Cleanup Proposals" -- brought together federal witnesses from the U.S. Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] to discuss what the current process entails, and how small businesses can play a pivotal role in the Gulf Coast cleanup.

"As I have said before, after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, our business owners were up to their chins in water," Sen. Landrieu said. "Now, because of this disaster, these same business owners are up to their knees in oil. We want to find out how small businesses with the technology and innovation to help clean up this oil can get those technologies and innovative ideas deployed to the Gulf of Mexico.

"The most recent data from the Flow Rate Technical Group estimates as much as 60,000 barrels of oil a day is escaping from the damaged well. With so much at stake along the Gulf Coast, small businesses with the knowledge of oil-spill cleanup can play an active role in cleaning up this disaster, and we want to make sure they have the opportunity to do that."

Testifying on the first panel for the U.S. Coast Guard was Rear Admiral Ronald J. Rábago, assistant commandant for acquisition and chief acquisition officer [CAO]; and Dr. Paul T. Anastas, assistant administrator and science advisor for the EPA's Office of Research and Development [ORD].

The second panel included witnesses from businesses and universities with experience working with oil-spill cleanup -- including Oscar-winning actor and entrepreneur Kevin Costner [pictured], from Ocean Therapy Solutions LLC; Eric Smith, from Tulane University; Dan Parker, with C.I.Agent Solutions®; Heather Baird, with MicroSorb Environmental Products Inc.; and Dr. Carys Mitchelmore, from the University of Maryland.

During the hearing, the U.S. Coast Guard testified that over 1,900 proposals have been reviewed by the federal Interagency Alternative Technology Assessment Program [IATAP], and screened about 600 proposals. To date, no proposals have yet been deployed in the Gulf of Mexico, but IATAP has forwarded one proposal to Rear Admiral James A. Watson, the federal on-scene coordinator, for possible deployment in the Gulf of Mexico.

As of today, BP has received over 35,000 proposals -- with only four in the testing phase and none deployed to the Gulf of Mexico.

Chair Landrieu pressed the Coast Guard and EPA officials to improve communications with companies submitting proposals -- particularly in getting timely responses on the status of those proposals. She also encouraged the agencies to make the process more transparent, and to communicate with local Gulf Coast officials on possible credible proposals.

On the business panel, Kevin Costner, partner of Ocean Therapy Solutions LLC, testified that he has spent 15 years and $24 million of us own funds developing his company’s technology. An additional $1 million was spent adjusting the machines to prepare them for testing.

Costner indicated that his company had screened this technology for various federal agencies over the years, but they were noncommittal and did not follow up. BP is contracting with Ocean Therapy Solutions to deploy more than 30 machines into the Gulf of Mexico.

During the hearing, Sen. Landrieu made public a two-page document for small businesses that wish to submit a product or credible idea to the Unified Area Command or BP. The document includes specific instructions for submitting information, as well as information on the overall process. To view the application, visit: http://bit.ly/OilSpillCleanupApp.

To view a video of the hearing, as well as testimony from each witness, please go to: http://bit.ly/OilSpillCleanupHearing.

SOURCES: Ocean Therapy Solutions LLC [photo], U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
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Kerry, Snowe Lead Push for Energy Efficiency Funding for Small Businesses

Yesterday, Sens. John Kerry [D-Mass.] and Olympia Snowe [R-Maine], chairman and ranking member of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, urged the Bush administration to invest more resources to help small businesses become more energy efficient and reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.

Although small businesses represent half of the nation’s economy and are responsible for half of the country’s energy consumption, the government spends less than two percent of the ENERGY STAR® program’s $50 million annual budget reaching out to help small businesses. Sens. Joe Lieberman [I/D-Conn.], Mary Landrieu [D-La.], Maria Cantwell [D-Wash.], Norm Coleman [R-Minn.], and Jon Tester [D-Mont.] joined Kerry and Snowe in calling for a larger commitment to helping small firms.

“There’s no greater threat to the Earth than global climate change, but by leaving small businesses out of the solution, the Bush administration shows they’re not serious about tackling the problem,” said Kerry. “Small businesses can lead the way toward a cleaner, greener future, so the least the federal government can do is dedicate $2 million -- just 4 percent -- of ENERGY STAR® funds to help entrepreneurs reduce their energy costs and foster green innovation.”

“As the ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and as a longstanding steward of the environment,” said Sen. Snowe, “I am alarmed by the administration's lack of commitment to promoting small-business energy efficiency.

“According to a National Small Business Association [NSBA] survey, 40 percent of small businesses are still not familiar with the ENERGY STAR® product label and technical support programs that are available. And at a Committee hearing last year, the Environmental Protection Agency testified that it has only two full-time employees devoted to the ENERGY STAR® for Small Business program. I am pleased to join my bipartisan colleagues in urging the Administration to properly fund the EPA’s ENERGY STAR® small-business program.”

In a letter sent to the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], which implements the ENERGY STAR® program, the senators urged the Bush administration to increase funding for the ENERGY STAR® small-business program to $2 million a year, in order to provide technical assistance and resources necessary to small businesses.

Sens. Kerry and Snowe successfully secured provisions to aid small firms in becoming more energy efficient in the energy bill that the Senate will vote on in the near future. The provisions will:
* Require the Small Business Administration [SBA] to implement within 90 days an energy efficiency program that was mandated in the Energy Policy Act of 2005;
* Establish an audit program to increase energy efficiency, using Small Business Development Centers [SBDCs];
* Promote financing agreements between small businesses and utility companies to increase energy efficiency;
* Create a telecommuting pilot program at the SBA responsible for educational materials and outreach to small businesses on the benefits of telecommuting;
* Allow small businesses conducting energy efficiency or renewable energy research and development to be given priority consideration in the Small Business Innovation Research [SBIR] and Small Business Technology Transfer [STTR] programs; and
* Establish loans for small firms to invest in use of renewable sources of energy in their business.

***

The full text of the letter to EPA Administrator Steve Johnson follows:

January 2, 2008

The Honorable Stephen L. Johnson
Administrator
Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20004

Dear Administrator Johnson:

The issue of climate change has moved front and center in the national dialogue about our environment, our security, and our economy. CEOs from several Fortune 500 companies are bringing big business into the discussion, joining with environmental groups and urging the federal government to pass legislation and require significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. We believe that small businesses, which represent 50 percent of the nation’s economy, have just as big a stake in contributing to climate change solutions.

This year, the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship has paid particular attention to the effects of climate change and escalating fuel costs on small businesses, and the role America’s entrepreneurs can play in affecting change in these areas. Our committee has already devoted two hearings during the 110th Congress to these subjects.

According to a recent survey conducted by the National Small Business Association, 75 percent of small businesses believe that energy efficiency can make a significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, only 33 percent of those had successfully invested in energy efficiency programs for their businesses. In fact, only 60 percent of the respondents to the survey reported being familiar with the ENERGY STAR® for Small Business program at the Environmental Protection Agency.

We need to significantly improve energy efficiency investment by small businesses. To that end, we worked to include provisions in the Clean Energy Act of 2006 that take great strides in this direction. These provisions promote financing agreements between small businesses and utility companies to increase energy efficiency; allow small businesses conducting energy efficiency or renewable energy research and development to be given priority consideration in the Small Business Innovation Research [SBIR] program; and establish loans for small firms to invest in use of renewable sources of energy in their business.

The 26 million small businesses in the United States comprise 99.7 percent of all domestic employer firms, and consume approximately half of all the commercial and industrial energy in the United States. In each of the last five years, the ENERGY STAR® program has received approximately $50 million in annual funding.

Regrettably, of this $50 million appropriation, less than two percent has been allocated to the ENERGY STAR® for Small Business program, which is responsible for reaching the entire small-business community. Clearly, this inadequate percentage grossly underestimates the critically important role small businesses could play in improving our nation’s energy efficiency and reducing our carbon footprint.

We believe that the time has come for small businesses to play a leading role in combating climate change and reducing our carbon footprint in the future. To achieve these results, we urge the administration to fund the EPA’s ENERGY STAR® for Small Business program at a minimum of $2 million annually. This would provide small businesses with the funding, technical assistance, and resources necessary to improve small-business energy efficiency.

Sincerely,

John F. Kerry
Olympia J. Snowe
Joseph Lieberman
Mary Landrieu
Maria Cantwell
Norm Coleman
Jon Tester


GoodBiz113's take: Bravo! As the issue of climate change finally takes center stage -- environmentally, economically, socially and geopolitically -- we applaud Sen. John Kerry's Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship for its bold move to press the EPA and Bush administration for ENERGY STAR® program funding that incentivizes America's 26.8 million small businesses to do our fair share in optimizing global energy resources.

SOURCES: Library of Congress, U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
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Kerry-Snowe Bill Provisions Help Small Businesses Increase Energy Efficiency

Today, as the Senate debated a comprehensive energy bill, Senators John Kerry [D-Mass.] and Olympia J. Snowe [R-Maine] introduced legislation to press the Bush Administration to take action to help small businesses increase their energy efficiency.

The bipartisan bill also holds the Bush administration accountable for failing to implement an energy-efficiency assistance program enacted into law in 2005, and provides tools that will help small businesses reduce their dependency on fossil fuels.

As GoodBiz113 previously reported, in March, the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship held a hearing that revealed the federal government needs to play a more aggressive role in assisting small businesses in becoming more energy efficient.

Then, in April, Kerry and Snowe wrote to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [EPA], seeking details on the Bush administration’s progress in implementing the ENERGY STAR Small Business Program. They also wrote to the Small Business Administration [SBA], asking for information about how the agency has implemented the energy-efficiency program mandated by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 [EPAct].

“Improving energy efficiency isn’t just good for the environment; it’s good for the bottom line,” declared Kerry, chairman of the committee.

“Many small businesses want to be part of the solution to addressing climate change -- one of our generation’s greatest challenges," he noted. "But we need leadership from this administration to promote and provide resources to help small firms that want to take the next step and reduce their energy use and costs. I am working to get provisions passed in the energy bill that will help small businesses achieve this goal.”

“As the ranking Republican on the Small Business Committee and as a longstanding steward of the environment," Snowe noted, "I firmly believe that small businesses have a pivotal role to play in forging a solution to global climate change and rising energy prices.

“According to a recent survey conducted by the National Small Business Association, 75 percent of small businesses believe that energy efficiency can make a significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. And, yet, only 33 percent of those respondents had successfully invested in energy-efficiency programs for their businesses. Our measure will help to incentivize small businesses to make a smaller carbon ‘footprint.’”

The Kerry-Snowe bill:

* Requires the [SBA] to implement, within 90 days, an energy efficiency program that was mandated in EPAct -- passed in 2005 to ensure jobs for our future with secure, affordable and reliable energy;

* Establishes an audit program to increase energy efficiency, using Small Business Development Centers [SBDCs];

* Promotes financing agreements between small businesses and utility companies to increase energy efficiency;

* Creates a telecommuting pilot program at the SBA, responsible for educational materials and outreach to small businesses on the benefits of telecommuting;

* Allows small businesses conducting energy-efficiency or renewable-energy research and development to be given priority consideration in the SBA-administered Small Business Innovation Research [SBIR] and Small Business Technology Transfer [STTR] programs; and

* Establishes loans for small firms to invest in use of renewable sources of energy in their business.

GoodBiz113's take: Despite myopic, misguided and purely nonsensical arguments to the contrary, climate change is real. We're pleased that Sens. Kerry and Snowe are leading this bipartisan effort to simultaneously hold America's 26 million small businesses accountable and incentivize us to do our part to help reverse the far-reaching and devastating effects of global warming.

Sources: Library of Congress, U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship
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Senators Kerry and Snowe Press SBA for Action on Energy Program

Three weeks after pressing Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson re EPA's inadequate allocation of resources for its ENERGY STAR for Small Business program [see GoodBiz113's "Kerry, Snowe Seek Energy Star Details from EPA" post on April 9], Senators John Kerry [D-Mass.] and Olympia Snowe [R-Maine] are now looking to the U.S. Small Business Administration for answers regarding SBA’s implementation of a federally mandated energy efficiency program.

At a hearing last month, the assistant administrator for SBA's Office of Policy testified that, although the program was created as part of the Energy Policy Act in August 2005, the program has not been implemented by the Administration.

Following, is the text of Kerry-Snowe letter to SBA Administrator Steven Preston:


April 24, 2007

The Honorable Steven Preston
Administrator
U.S. Small Business Administration
409 Third Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20416

Dear Administrator Preston,

As Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, we recently held a hearing to explore the ways in which small businesses can help to address the global warming crisis. We thank you for the testimony of Dan Horowitz, Assistant Administrator for the Office of Policy, on behalf of the Small Business Administration [SBA]. The purpose of this letter is to follow up on Mr. Horowitz’s testimony -- specifically, as it addressed the SBA’s responsibilities that were mandated by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 [EPAct].

The EPAct, which President George W. Bush signed into law on August 8, 2005, requires, inter alia, that the SBA, working with several other agencies, “shall develop a governmentwide program, building on the ENERGY STAR for Small Business program,” to assist small business with:
[A] Becoming more energy-efficient;
[B] Understanding the cost savings from improved energy efficiency;
[C] Understanding and accessing Federal procurement opportunities with regard to ENERGY STAR technologies and products; and
[D] Identifying financing options for energy-efficiency upgrades.

In addition, the SBA, as part of the outreach to small businesses under the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR for Small Business program, may enter into cooperative agreements with qualified partners to establish, maintain, and promote a “Small Business Energy Clearinghouse.” This Clearinghouse would provide a centralized resource where small businesses may access, telephonically and electronically, technical information and advice to help increase energy efficiency and reduce energy costs.

We are, frankly, concerned by the lack of progress SBA has made in implementing these requirements. Twenty months have passed since the EPAct was signed into law, and SBA appears to be nowhere close to satisfying these requirements.

Mr. Horowitz addressed the Administration’s efforts to implement this program, testifying that, although this program was not yet operational, “there are several people working on it,” and that the hearing “provided a catalyst for making [the program] a priority.” Mr. Horowitz also testified that the SBA would provide to the Committee a progress report on the four mandated requirements under the Energy Policy Act.

Small business is the engine that drives the American economy, employing half of all private-sector employees, producing half of the nation’s non-farm private gross domestic product, and creating nearly three-quarters of all net new jobs each year. Some estimates project that small businesses also use approximately half of all commercial and industrial energy in this country.

Despite these statistics, and despite Mr. Horowitz’s testimony to the contrary, there is little evidence that promoting energy efficiency for small businesses is a priority within the Administration. More than a month has passed since the date of the hearing, and the Committee has received none of the information that SBA promised to supply.

We request that you provide, within 30 days of receipt of this letter, an update on all of SBA’s small business requirements under the EPAct, including:
[1] Any and all resources required to implement the program, as well as whether additional appropriations are needed for SBA to effectively implement the EPAct requirements;

[2] Any and all staff that are dedicated to implementing and administering the Small Business Energy Clearinghouse; and

[3] A timeframe that details a schedule for completion of all SBA requirements under the EPAct.

We believe that the SBA can and must play a significant role in assisting small businesses to become more energy-efficient.

Thank you for your attention to our request. Should you have any questions about the substance of the hearing, please do not hesitate to contact us directly, or to contact Brian Rice [with Senator Kerry] at [202] 224-5175 or Alex Hecht [with Senator Snowe] at [202] 224-7884.

Sincerely,

John F. Kerry
Chairman

Olympia J. Snowe
Ranking Member

GoodBiz113's take: As champions of small business and the environment, we again commend Sen. Kerry and Sen. Snowe on their collaborative and persistent efforts to promote entrepreneurship and energy efficiency. Keep fighting the good, bipartisan fight!

For grass-roots information about how we can all help halt global warming, go to StopGlobalWarming.org.
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Kerry, Snowe Seek Energy Star Details from EPA

Last month, an official from the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship that current resources for the government's ENERGY STAR Small Business program amount to just two percent of the overall Energy Star budget, and include the equivalent of just two staff members.

On April 3, Senators John Kerry [D-Mass.] and Olympia Snowe [R-Maine] pushed the head of the EPA for details on the program -- including the specific steps the Bush Administration has taken to assist small businesses in addressing the climate-change crisis.

In a letter to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson, Kerry and Snowe called for more resources to be directed to the program, in light of estimates that small businesses use approximately half of all the commercial energy in the United States. Following, is the text of their letter to the EPA:


Dear Administrator Johnson,

As Chairman and Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, we recently held a hearing to explore ways in which small businesses can help to address the global warming crisis. We thank you for the testimony of Bill Wehrum, Acting Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency ['EPA']. Mr. Wehrum addressed the Administration’s efforts to assist small businesses in becoming more energy efficient through programs such as Energy Star.

We are impressed that the ENERGY STAR program helped Americans save $12 billion on their energy bills in 2005, while avoiding greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those of 23 million vehicles. However, we believe that the ENERGY STAR program can pay even greater dividends if funded adequately and administered effectively to meet the needs of America’s 25 million small businesses.

For example, during the hearing, Mr. Wehrum testified that the EPA spends 'about $1 million a year' on its small business program. If true, this represents approximately two percent of the EPA’s budget for the Energy Star program. In addition, we are also troubled that, according to Mr. Wehrum, EPA currently is committed to staffing 'the equivalent of two employees' who are dedicated to ENERGY STAR’s Small Business program.

Small business is the engine that drives the American economy, employing half of all private sector employees, producing half of the nation’s non-farm private gross domestic product, and creating nearly three-quarters of all net new jobs each year. Some estimates project that small businesses also use approximately half of all commercial and industrial energy in this country.

Christopher Lynch, the Director of the Environmental Management Assistance Program for the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers, testified that small businesses can realistically implement measures to save between twenty and thirty percent of energy usage annually. Across the country, this would translate into reductions in carbon dioxide emissions of between 93 and 140 million tons per year, while potentially realizing an estimated combined savings for small businesses of up to $18 billion in annual energy costs.

The pennies saved on 25 million energy bills add up quickly -- but only if the small business owners paying those bills are encouraged to act. We believe that the time has come for small business to play a leading role in combating climate change and reducing our carbon footprint in the future.

To achieve these results, the Administration must play an active role in providing small businesses with the technical assistance and resources necessary to improve energy efficiency. We believe that a staff of just two employees and a bare-bones budget of $1 million is not an adequate commitment to America’s small businesses or to the nation’s fight against global warming.

We request that you provide the following within 30 days of receipt of this letter:
[1] A five-year history of EPA’s budget for the overall ENERGY STAR program, as well as for the Energy Star Small Business program;
[2] A detailed description of the services provided by the staff designated to administer the ENERGY STAR Small Business program, as well as a five-year history of staffing allocations for this program, specifying the identities of any and all EPA employees dedicated to the ENERGY STAR Small Business program; and
[3] Detailed estimates, broken down into readily understood terms, of overall energy use by U.S. small businesses, and of the potential savings that are possible through energy efficiency improvements by small businesses.

In conclusion, we believe that EPA’s ENERGY STAR for Small Business program deserves the full attention and support of a Federal government that believes small businesses can make a difference in the fight to stop global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Thank you for your attention to our request. Should you have any questions about the substance of the hearing, please do not hesitate to contact us directly, or to contact our staff.

Sincerely,

John F. Kerry
Chairman

Olympia J. Snowe
Ranking Member


GoodBiz113's take: We applaud Sen. Kerry's and Sen. Snowe's bipartisan leadership in holding the Bush Administration, EPA and small businesses accountable for stopping global warming. We all need to do our fair share, and their efforts are significant first steps toward making that happen.

To learn about grass-roots efforts to help halt the climate-change crisis, go to StopGlobalWarming.org.
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