Oil Spill
Gov. Phil Bryant on RESTORE Act: 'Common sense and decency' will prevail
Published: Tuesday, February 14, 2012, 5:56 AM
By Cherie Ward - The Mississippi Press
GULFPORT, Mississippi -- Gov. Phil Bryant told reporters Monday that he's
hopeful Congress will pass an oil spill fine bill designed to help the Gulf
Coast recover from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon catastrophe.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/02/gov_phil_bryant_on_restore_act.html
State News
Harrison County supervisors hear from drilling opponents
WLOX
The group opposed to offshore drilling in Mississippi waters appeared
before Harrison County supervisors Monday morning. Leaders of the 12 Mile
South Coalition want supervisors to join their cause.
http://www.wlox.com/story/16923638/harrison-county-supervisors-hear-from-drilling-opponents
Harrison board rejects dirt pit
Sun Herald
By MELISSA M. SCALLAN
Harrison County supervisors voted 3-2 Monday to uphold an appeal by
residents in the western part of the county who opposed a dirt pit in their
neighborhood.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/02/13/v-print/3750987/harrison-board-rejects-dirt-pit.html
Another controversial dirt pit project considered by Harrison County
WLOX
For the second straight week, Harrison County supervisors considered a
controversial dirt pit proposal at Monday's meeting. This time, the dirt
pit project would be located on East Dubuisson Road in Pass Christian.
http://www.wlox.com/story/16926480/another-controversial-dirt-pit-project-considered-by-harrison-county
Endowed chair at Gulf Coast Research Laboratory named in honor of McIlwain
Published: Monday, February 13, 2012, 4:21 PM Updated: Monday, February
13, 2012, 4:51 PM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- Veteran marine fisheries scientist Tom
McIlwain has been honored with an endowed chair in the Department of
Coastal Sciences at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/02/endowed_chair_at_gulf_coast_re.html
House committee OKs bill to cut AG's use of outside lawyers
Hood says move would cost state $11 million a year
AP
Mississippi House Republicans are moving forward with efforts to limit the
attorney general's power to hire private attorneys to file lawsuits for the
state.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120214/NEWS010504/202140339/House-committee-OKs-bill-cut-AG-s-use-outside-lawyers
Rez events balk at new fee
Board may revisit charges for festivities such as Pepsi Pops
Clarion Ledger
RIDGELAND — Organizers of metro area mainstays Pepsi Pops and the Madison
County Dragon Boat Regatta say a special event permit fee the Ross Barnett
Reservoir board has approved could cost them thousands of dollars and kill
their events.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120214/NEWS/202140332/Rez-events-balk-new-fee?odyssey=tab|
topnews|text|Home
Lawmakers vote to change state budget process
Mississippi Business Journal
by Wally Northway
Published: February 14,2012
JACKSON — The Mississippi House voted yesterday to change the state budget
process in a way some members call unfair and others call accountable.
http://msbusiness.com/2012/02/lawmakers-vote-to-change-state-budget-process/
Overdue for repairs: Damage to state buildings costly
Clarion Ledger
On a recent Friday, buckets lined the fourth floor of the state Capitol,
capturing rain from leaks throughout the building.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120214/NEWS/202140331/Overdue-repairs-Damage-state-buildings-costly?odyssey=tab|
topnews|text|Home
Government work sessions endanger transparency Unofficial meetings allow
decisions to be made away from the public eye
Sun Herald
By MICHAEL NEWSOM
GULFPORT -- The Grenada Star newspaper recently uncovered a plan by city
and county officials to charter a bus and head 60 miles to Oxford to spend
the day discussing business at a club near the town square.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/02/13/v-print/3750950/government-work-sessions-endanger.html
National News
U.S. carbon rules could slam door on new coal plants
Reuters
By Timothy Gardner and Valerie Volcovici
WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The Obama
administration is expected soon to unveil long-delayed rules
limiting carbon emissions from new coal-fired power stations,
possibly helping to slam the door shut well into the future on
building plants that run on the fuel.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/13/usa-epa-coal-idUSL2E8DAGDN20120213
Obama's EPA budget: 1.2% cut would reduce aid to states, but Chesapeake Bay
would get more funds
Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin
The Obama administration proposed trimming the Environmental Protection
Agency's budget 1.2 percent Monday, cutting money to the states and for
hazardous cleanup even as it boosted money to restore the Chesapeake Bay.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/44/post/obamas-epa-budget-12percent-cut-would-reduce-aid-to-states-but-chesapeake-bay-would-get-more-funds/2012/02/13/gIQAb4O3AR_blog.html
Makers of genetically modified seeds say more farmers evading EPA rules
By Bloomberg News, Published: February 13
Monsanto Co. and other seedmakers reported a threefold increase last year
in U.S. farmers caught violating rules intended to stop insects from
developing resistance to genetically modified corn.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/makers-of-genetically-modified-seeds-say-more-farmers-evading-epa-rules/2012/02/09/gIQAdUKjBR_print.html
Obama's budget doubles down on renewable energy
The Hill
By Andrew Restuccia - 02/13/12 12:57 PM ET
President Obama's fiscal 2013 budget request doubles down on renewable
energy amid growing Republican attacks on the administration's green
agenda.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/210295-obamas-budget-doubles-down-on-renewable-energy
Boosted by regulations, a small business opens its own lobby shop
Washington Post
By Olga Khazan, Published: February 9 | Updated: Monday, February 13, 5:00
AM
Many small companies bemoan government regulations, but Electronic
Recyclers International celebrates them — or at least one in particular.
ERI recycles e-waste, and in the company's six-year history, the number of
states with e-waste recycling laws has gone from three to 25.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/on-small-business/boosted-by-regulations-a-small-business-opens-its-own-lobby-shop/2012/02/09/gIQAxoaR2Q_print.html
Press Releases
EPA's FY 2013 Budget Proposal Focuses on Core Environmental and Human
Health Protections
EPA budget supports President Obama's vision of an America that is built to
last
WASHINGTON – Today the Obama Administration proposed a FY 2013 budget of
$8.344 billion for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This
budget reflects a government-wide effort to reduce spending and find
cost-savings, and is $105 million below the EPA's enacted level for FY
2012. The FY 2013 budget is the result of EPA's ongoing efforts to
carefully consider potential cost savings and reductions while continuing
its commitment to core environmental and health protections -- safeguarding
Americans from pollution in the air they breathe, the water they drink and
the land where they build their communities.
"This budget is focused on fulfilling EPA's core mission to protect health
and the environment for millions of American families. It demonstrates
fiscal responsibility, while still supporting clean air, healthy waters and
innovative safeguards that are essential to an America built to last," said
EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "It has taken hard work and difficult
choices to reach this balanced approach, and while we had to make
sacrifices, we have maintained our commitment to the core priorities of
this agency and ensured the protections the American people expect and
deserve."
Key FY 2013 budget highlights include:
Supporting State Governments. The budget proposes $1.2 billion in
categorical grants for states that are on the front lines implementing
environmental statutes such as the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act.
The increases from FY 2012 levels include nearly $66 million for State and
Tribal Air Quality Management grants, nearly $27 million for Pollution
Control (Clean Water Act Section 106) grants, and about $29 million for the
Tribal General Assistance Program.
Protecting America's Waters. The proposal provides $2 billion for Clean
Water and Drinking Water State Revolving funds (SRFs). This will allow the
SRFs to finance over $6 billion in wastewater and drinking water
infrastructure projects annually. EPA will work to target assistance to
small and underserved communities with limited ability to repay loans,
while maintaining state program integrity.
Cleaning Up Contaminated Sites in Communities. The proposal includes $755
million in funding for the Superfund Cleanup program which maintains
funding to support cleanup at hazardous waste sites that address
emergencies (Superfund Emergency Response and Removal) at the nation's
highest priority sites (Superfund Remedial).
Investing in Cutting Edge Research. EPA's proposed budget provides $576
million to support research and innovation. Science to Achieve Results
(STAR) grants are funded at $81 million to conduct research in key areas
such as hydraulic fracturing, potential endocrine disruptors, and green
infrastructure. Building upon ongoing research and collaborating with the
Department of Energy and the US Geological Survey, a total $14 million
investment will begin to assess potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing
on air quality, water quality, and ecosystems. The EPA also will release an
Interim Report on the Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Drinking Water
Resources in 2012.
Ongoing Support to Economically and Environmentally Vital Water Bodies. To
ensure the progress made during the past three years continues, EPA is
proposing $300 million for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Programs
and projects will target the most significant environmental problems in the
Great Lakes. About $73 million, which is a $15 million increase, will fund
the Chesapeake Bay program's continued implementation of the President's
Executive Order on Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration. Funding will
support bay watershed states as they implement their plans to reduce
nutrient and sediment pollution in an unprecedented effort to restore this
economically important ecosystem.
Protecting Americans from Harmful Chemicals. EPA is proposing $68 million,
an increase of $11 million from FY 2012, to reduce chemical risks, increase
the pace of chemical hazard assessments, and provide the public with
greater access to toxic chemical information. Funding will sustain the
agency's successes in managing the potential risks of new chemicals coming
into the market and accelerating the progress to help ensure the safety of
chemicals on the market that have not been tested for adverse human health
and environmental impacts.
Next Generation Compliance. EPA's budget proposal requests $36 million to
support "Next Generation Compliance", a new enforcement model designed to
enhance EPA's ability to detect violations that impact public health. The
three components of this approach are: promoting electronic reporting by
facilities, modifying data systems to implement electronic reporting, and
deploying modern monitoring technology. This will work toward improved
compliance and transparency, and more efficient processes that do not rely
on paper-based reporting. And, create cost savings and efficiencies for
EPA, states and industry.
Supporting the National Fuel Economy and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Standards
Program. The budget contains a $10 million increase to the EPA's National
Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory for certification and compliance
testing programs and to evaluate new biofuels technologies. The national
program of fuel economy and Greenhouse Gas (GHG) standards for light duty
vehicles alone will save approximately 12 billion barrels of oil and
prevent 6 billion metric tons of GHG emissions over the lifetime of the
vehicles sold through model year 2025. These funds will improve testing
methods for the agency's renewable fuels program, and the GHG and fuel
economy programs intended to reduce dependence on oil and save consumers
money at the pump.
Reducing and Eliminating Programs. The budget includes $50 million in
savings by eliminating several EPA programs that have either completed
their goals or can be implemented through other federal or state efforts.
More information: http://www.epa.gov/budget
The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the availability of "Why
Green Is Your Color: A Woman's Guide to a Sustainable Career," which is
designed to help women find and keep higher paying jobs in the clean
energy economy.
The online publication, available at
http://www.dol.gov/wb/Green_Jobs_Guide, will help workers learn about a
range of in-demand and emerging jobs, as well as job training
opportunities and career development tools in the clean energy economy.
The guide also serves as a resource for workforce development
professionals, training providers, educators, career counselors and
women's advocacy organizations.
"Many occupations in the clean energy economy remain virtually untapped
by women," said Sara Manzano-Dias, director of the Women's Bureau. "This
guide is an invaluable resource that workforce professionals can use to
help women transition into higher paying jobs that serve as a pathway
into the middle class. It is also a tool to help fight job segregation."
The guide is an outcome of nationwide roundtables at which leaders from
the public and private sectors discussed opportunities for women in the
clean energy economy. These conversations revealed that an overall lack
of awareness and information about nontraditional jobs was a significant
challenge to women hoping to succeed in this marketplace. Information
about the roundtables is available at
http://www.dol.gov/wb/media/green.htm.
Additional resources to help women succeed in nontraditional and
emerging job sectors are available by contacting the Women's Bureau at
202-693-6710 or visiting its Web pages at http://www.dol.gov/wb.
The Women's Bureau, established by Congress in 1920, is the only federal
agency designated to represent the needs of working women. Today, the
bureau's goal is to empower all working women to achieve economic
security by preparing them for higher paying jobs, ensuring fair
compensation, promoting workplace flexibility and helping homeless women
veterans reintegrate into the workforce.
