Bring on the tourists!
Sun Herald
Memorial Day weekend marks the traditional start of the peak tourism season
and Mississippi — especially South Mississippi — is hoping that 2012 will
be the first really good tourism season in a few years.
(Embedded image moved to file: pic00041.jpg)
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/05/21/3960497/bring-on-the-tourists.html
Oil spill fines targeted for coastal restoration, protection
Published: Monday, May 21, 2012, 8:21 PM Updated: Monday, May 21, 2012,
8:21 PM
By Jeff Adelson, The Times-Picayune
BATON ROUGE -- Measures to ensure fines from the Deepwater Horizon disaster
go toward coastal protection and to require the state automatically pay its
contract with New Orleans for costs associated with Harrah's Casino moved
forward Monday.
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/05/oil_spill_fines_targeted_for_c.html
State News
MDEQ AWARDS $50,000 SOLID WASTE GRANT
WHLT
By Beth Alexander
(Jackson, Miss.) -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
(MDEQ) has awarded Jones County a solid waste assistance grant of $50,000
that will be used by the county for a household hazardous waste collection
event.
http://www2.whlt.com/news/2012/may/21/mdeq-awards-50000-solid-waste-grant-ar-3831614/
Grant will help with disposal of waste tires
WTVA
JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental
Quality is providing a grant for the disposal of waste tires in the Golden
Triangle.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/Grant-will-help-with-disposal-of-waste-tires/puDScjkfzUGiyH7uY72GUg.cspx
Dirty investigation leads to arrests
WTVA
MONROE COUNTY, Miss. (WTVA) -- It's a crime that you rarely see an arrest
for because it's not always easy to distinguish one person's trash from
another.
Now a closer investigation in Monroe County is what led to the arrests of
four people for dumping garbage.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/Dirty-investigation-leads-to-arrests/gb76CbpaiEalNIcb5o9ntA.cspx
Getting water to rural Mississippi
WTVA
ITAWAMBA COUNTY, Miss. (WTVA) — Lathen Walton is thankful to have running
water.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/Getting-water-to-rural-Mississippi/iB-5iBvxKUmi0QzEVbbCCQ.cspx
Least terns nest at state port
Sun Herald
By ANITA LEE
GULFPORT -- Nesting least terns have forced state port officials to block
off areas of the expanded West Pier, but a contract dispute has already put
elevation work on hold.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/05/21/3962094/least-terns-nest-at-state-port.html
Pascagoula man dies in accident at fertilizer plant
Sun Herald
JACKSON COUNTY -- A Pascagoula man died during an maintenance procedure at
Mississippi Phosphates fertilizer plant on Industrial Road east of
Pascagoula on Monday afternoon, authorities said.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/05/21/3962098/pascagoula-man-dies-in-accident.html
National News
USDA to spend $32 million on wetland restoration
AP
LITTLE ROCK, ARK. — A $32 million set of projects across seven states in
the Mississippi River Basin will restore a variety of wetland types, from
Iowa to Louisiana.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120522/NEWS/120522001/USDA-spend-32-million-wetland-restoration?odyssey=tab|
topnews|text|Home
Gov. Perdue issues executive order creating fracking task force
Charlotte Observer
By John Frank
RALEIGH With Republican lawmakers pushing to legalize fracking, Democratic
Gov. Bev Perdue issued an executive order Monday that creates a task force
to develop regulations for the controversial natural gas drilling method.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/05/21/3257899/gov-perdue-issues-executive-order.html
Opinion
Gulfport council downplays BP's efforts to restore Gulf Coast
Clarion Ledger
The editorial signed by the city councilmembers of Gulfport, MS, ("It's
time for BP to stop dancing," April 28) paints an incomplete and misleading
picture of BP's extensive efforts to help restore the economy and
environment of the Gulf Coast region.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20120517/OPINION/205170318/Gulfport-council-downplays-BP-s-efforts-restore-Gulf-Coast
Press Releases
Water Quality Innovations of a Mississippi Delta Farm
USDA Blog
Preventing fertilizer from rushing into a nearby bayou is not rocket
science, but it does take a dedicated farmer and Pete Hunter of Stovall
Farms is one of those dedicated Mississippi farmers.
Last month Pete spoke with the Mississippi River/ Gulf of Mexico Watershed
Nutrient Task Force when they toured his farm in Coahoma County, telling
them about the steps Stovall Farms has taken to lower its environmental
footprint.
Stovall Farms uses a series of ditches and pipes to recirculate water. This
keeps water containing fertilizers from washing into nearby Harris Bayou.
It also allows the farm to reuse water, reducing their need to pull from
underground water sources, which are declining in the Mississippi Delta
where the farm is located. Water is collected in a man-made reservoir and
then used to irrigate crops.
Nutrients, like common fertilizers used on farms, can impair water bodies.
Harris Bayou sends its waters to the Mississippi River, eventually flowing
to the Gulf of Mexico. This Task Force is studying ways to prevent
impairment of the Gulf.
A high level of nutrients such as phosphorous, nitrogen and sediments in
water can cause a pocket of water to form that lacks oxygen. These areas
are called hypoxic zones, and the Nation's largest is located off the coast
of Louisiana. It is fueled by rich nutrients discharged from the
Mississippi River.
This Task Force met for a two-day meeting in Memphis and it included a
visit to Stovall Farms, which has been described as an innovator in
conservation. This rice, soybean and corn farm has worked with Federal,
state and non-government organizations to get funding and advice for
environmentally-friendly conservation practices on their farm.
Members of the Task Force had the chance to see how this farm is using Farm
Bill and EPA 319 funding to ensure a cleaner operation. Funding for some of
the conservation actions came from a Natural Resources Conservation Service
program called Conservation Innovation Grants . Stovall Farms is a
demonstration site for the grant and it helps steer the direction of future
conservation practices.
Scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey and Mississippi State University
are sampling water to measure the effectiveness of the different
conservation actions/practices in use on the farm.
Additional partners include the Mississippi Department of Environmental
Quality, Delta F.A.R.M., Delta Wildlife, Mississippi Department of Marine
Resources, USDA's Natural Resource Conservation Service and U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency.
http://blogs.usda.gov/2012/05/21/water-quality-innovations-of-a-mississippi-delta-farm/
NASCAR and EPA Partner on Green Initiatives
WASHINGTON – Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the
National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) signed an agreement
to raise awareness of environmentally friendly products and solutions to
address America's environmental challenges. Today's memorandum of
understanding provides NASCAR with EPA technical assistance and
environmental expertise, using EPA programs like Design for the Environment
and the Economy, Energy and Environment (E3) framework, to help protect
Americans' health and the environment.
"Because NASCAR is followed by millions of passionate fans and many
businesses, it can be a powerful platform to raise environmental awareness,
drive the adoption of safer products by more Americans, and support the
growing green economy," said Jim Jones, EPA's acting assistant
administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention
(OCSPP). "The EPA and NASCAR partnership attests to the progress NASCAR has
already made on environmental stewardship through greener fuel choices and
multiple recycling initiatives for waste and automotive fluids, and
highlights opportunities to further these efforts."
"This MOU is a great example of NASCAR's commitment to green innovation and
our role as a leader in sustainability," said Steve Phelps, Chief Marketing
Officer of NASCAR. "Even with the largest sustainability program in sports,
NASCAR – along with our teams, tracks and partners – continues to create
innovative platforms to help reduce the environmental impact of our sport."
One of the areas of focus for the partnership is promoting safer products
that have earned EPA's Design for the Environment (DfE) label. The Design
for the Environment label helps consumers and businesses identify products
that perform well, are cost-effective, and are safer for the environment.
NASCAR can make a difference by using DfE products at racing events and
conveying to fans that choosing DfE products is an easy choice they can
make to protect the health of their families and the planet.
Another example is NASCAR's offer to encourage its suppliers to get an "E3
tuneup"-- to increase productivity, reduce the use of energy and materials,
lessen environmental impacts and be better positioned to compete in the
global marketplace. The E3 initiative – Economy, Energy and the Environment
-- helps promote sustainable manufacturing and economic growth throughout
the United States. E3 can help improve the profitability and
competitiveness of these businesses, which can help create higher-paying
skilled manufacturing jobs.
This MOU will pave the way for other opportunities and areas of focus for
EPA and NASCAR such as sourcing more sustainable concessions at NASCAR
events, expanding the use of safer chemical products, conserving water,
reducing waste and promoting recycling. By working together to foster more
sustainable behavior, addressing sustainability challenges and seizing on
E3 opportunities, a greener NASCAR and NASCAR supplier network will have
positive economic and environmental impacts that extend far beyond the
racetrack.
For more information on EPA's pollution prevention programs, including the
efforts with NASCAR, please visit: epa.gov/p2
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