State News
Bryant touts energy policy, offshore drilling
Published: Tuesday, March 13, 2012, 6:48 AM
By Harlan Kirgan, Mississippi Press
BILOXI, Mississippi -- Gov. Phil Bryant touted a state energy plan to
develop jobs, development and research at the Gulf Coast Energy Summit on
Monday at the Mississippi Coliseum and Convention Center.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/03/bryant_touts_energy_policy_off.html
Oxford considers compost-mulch program
by Errol Castens
NEMS Daily Journal Oxford Bureau
03.13.12 - 07:45 am
OXFORD - City officials are considering the expansion of Oxford's rubbish
site, but they are also mulling an effort that could drastically slow down
the amount of material that goes underground.
…The compost/mulch operation is still only a possibility, as it would
require both Board of Aldermen approval and authorization by the
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.
Russell said just getting DEQ's approval to get into the permitting process
has taken more than two years.
http://nems360.com/view/full_story/17850358/article-Oxford-considers-compost-mulch-program?instance=secondary_stories_left_column
Agency advertising bill 'ill-conceived'
by Clay Chandler
Mississippi Business Journal
A bill that cleared the committee in the Senate and awaits action on the
floor has caught the attention of advertising and media outlets.
Senate Bill 2736 would prohibit state agencies from spending funds
appropriated from the state's general fund on radio and television
advertisements that promote programs and initiatives, unless there is a
bidding process involved.
"It's got a lot of us concerned," said Peter Marks, president of Jackson
advertising agency Maris West and Baker, which has contracted with the
State Department of Health to promote some of its anti-smoking campaigns.
"It affects the education of these programs. A lot of these programs
educate, for example, people about teen pregnancy. There's a way to talk
about it and to educate young men and young women about how to keep from
getting pregnant. How do you get that work out? Do you do it totally with
social media? You need a media mix for it to be effective. You need radio,
you need TV, and then you need the Internet, social media. It just bothers
me that government will put that much control on how agencies spend their
money. Why are putting more restrictions in place?"
Sen. Merle Flowers, R-Southaven, told a Jackson television station the
measure was aimed at cutting costs.
"If the state is going to be spending money, we need to know how they're
spending it," Flowers said. "The public has a right to require their
government to get the best deal possible."
Dan Modisett, general manager of Jackson NBC affiliate WLBT, said the
spirit of the bill is unfair, and not carefully planned.
"It's just so ill-conceived," he said. "It doesn't speak to other
advertising, just radio and television. If you're going to do this, apply
it to everybody.They obviously don't understand the complexities of
advertising, or what constitutes advertising. Public safety initiatives –
take the use of seatbelts and all the campaigns that have centered on that
– would qualify as advertising. It's poorly thought out. You have to really
stretch to think there's a way this could benefit anybody."
http://msbusiness.com/2012/03/agency-advertising-bill-%E2%80%98ill-conceived%E2%80%99/
Senate bill seeks ad cuts
DeSoto Times
Published: Tuesday, March 13, 2012 1:05 AM CDT
JACKSON — When state agencies want to showcase or bring awareness to a
program in the future, word of mouth may be just about the only advertising
they can do.
That's if Senate Bill 2736 becomes law. It looks to pull the plug on all
state agencies' ability to advertise, mostly on television and radio.
http://www.desototimes.com/articles/2012/03/13/news/doc4f5e8c5b0d8c5663403794.txt
National News
Faulty Wells, Not Fracking, Blamed for Water Pollution
Wall Street Journal
By RUSSELL GOLD
Some energy companies, state regulators, academics and environmentalists
are reaching consensus that natural-gas drilling has led to several
incidents of water pollution—but not because of fracking.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304537904577277814040731688.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
EPA Doubts Its Own Anti-Fracking Study, While Ohio Determines Fracking Did
Not Spawn Earthquake Swarm
Forbes
Some positive news for fracking fans today, with three items that in a
rational world would help convince some anti-fracking zealots that they
ought to find something else to protest.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2012/03/12/epa-doubts-its-own-anti-fracking-study-while-ohio-determines-fracking-did-not-spawn-earthquake-swarm/
API sues EPA over biofuels
UPI
Published: March. 13, 2012 at 6:50 AM
WASHINGTON, March 13 (UPI) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is
out of touch with its mandates for cellulosic biofuels, the American
Petroleum Institute said.
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2012/03/13/API-sues-EPA-over-biofuels/UPI-56741331635813/
