Oil Spill
Levels of deadly bacteria more than 100 times higher in Gulf waters during
the BP spill
Friday, July 27, 2012, 4:52 PM
By Ben Raines, Press-Register
Although the Gulf's oyster harvest was off by about 40 percent due to
fishing closures stemming from the BP oil spill, 2010 ranks as one of the
deadliest years on record for illnesses caused by eating oysters tainted
with Vibrio vulnificus.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/07/levels_of_deadly_bacteria_more.html
Gulf Coast Tourism Partnership Parceling Out $16 Million from BP to Market
Mississippi
MPB
PUBLISHED BY RHONDA MILLER ON 27 JUL 2012 06:59PM
The tourism marketing group in charge of spending $16 million from BP to
help the Mississippi Gulf Coast bounce back from oil spill has groups
lining up with grant applications. MPB's Rhonda Miller has more.
http://mpbonline.org/News/article/gulf_coast_tourism_partnership_parceling_out_16_million_from_bp
Baykeepers wish list presented to Baldwin County
Monday, July 30, 2012, 7:35 AM
By Jane Nicholes, Press-Register
Now that the RESTORE Act is a reality, Baldwin County is in line for
hundreds of millions of dollars to repair and protect beaches, watersheds
and other parts of the coastline.
http://blog.al.com/live/2012/07/baykeepers_wish_list_presented.html
State News
DeSoto utility panel OK's plant site expansion
Commercial Appeal
By Henry Bailey
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Looking to stay ahead of growth and service needs, the DeSoto Regional
Utility Authority Friday approved a $1 million contract with Brocato
Construction of Batesville for a three-acre site expansion at the Short
Fork Waste Water Treatment Facility.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jul/28/desoto-utility-panel-oks-plant-site-expansion/?print=1
Local leaders say meeting with Gov. Phil Bryant to discuss proposed $50
million reservoir went well
Friday, July 27, 2012, 4:17 PM
By Kaija Wilkinson
Mississippi Press
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Leaders from Jackson and George counties described
a visit with Gov. Phil Bryant to discuss the proposed Lake George reservoir
and seek $5 million as very productive.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/george_county_leaders_encourag.html
Lamar weighs recycle options
Hattiesburg American
Lamar County may be prepared to make it easier for residents who wish to
recycle their paper, metals and plastics.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20120729/NEWS01/207290341/Lamar-weighs-recycle-options
It's shark season in the Sound
Sun Herald
MISSISSIPPI SOUND -- The Mississippi Sound is a magnificent body of water.
During the winter months, the Sound appears dead with little movement of
fish other than the species, such as speckled trout, redfish and black
drum, that call the body of water home.
The summer months, however, are a different story as the Sound turns into a
nursery for many different species.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/07/28/4089257/the-mississippi-sound-is-home.html
Research lab recovery slowly coming out of the ground
WLOX
Administrators at the Gulf Coast Research Lab in Ocean Springs recently
broken ground on a new building. When it's complete, the interior will
look a lot like the picture attached to this story.
http://www.wlox.com/story/19130601/research-lab-recovery-slowly-coming-out-of-the-ground
Marine science students explore at Gulf Coast Research Lab
Published: Monday, July 30, 2012, 6:15 AM
By Special to The Mississippi Press
OCEAN SPRINGS, Mississippi -- A group of marine science students recently
gathered early in the morning on the dock next to the Tom McIlwain, the
55-foot research vessel of the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf
Coast Research Lab.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-living/2012/07/marine_science_students_explor.html
Bryant: Port funds for channel, not elevation?
Sun Herald
GULFPORT -- Gov. Phil Bryant questions whether the state port should spend
time and money to elevate the port's West Pier if federal funds could
instead be used to deepen the port's channel, as other ports are doing to
attract jobs and economic development from widening of the Panama Canal.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/07/28/4090154/governor-port-money-could-pay.html
DeSoto County administrator Garriga departing for private sector
DeSoto's lauded administrator Garriga departing for private sector: 'Time
to move on'
Commercial Appeal
By Henry Bailey
Sunday, July 29, 2012
DeSotoCounty administrator Michael Garriga has announced he is resigning to
take a governmental affairs post in the private sector.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/jul/29/desoto-county-administrator-garriga-departing/?print=1
Gov. Phil Bryant touting new attempt to pay teachers based on student
performance
Saturday, July 28, 2012, 7:35 AM
By The Associated Press
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Gov. Phil Bryant wants to end Mississippi's
statewide system of seniority-based teacher raises. Instead, the Republican
governor wants each of the state's 151 school districts to design their own
system to pay teachers according to student performance.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/gov_phil_bryant_touting_new_at.html
National News
Researcher says big drought means smaller dead zone in Gulf
Saturday, July 28, 2012, 5:47 PM
By The Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana -- This year's Gulf of Mexico "dead zone," an area
of low oxygen that develops every spring and summer, is the fourth-smallest
since measurements of the zones began in 1985, a new report says.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/07/researcher_says_big_drought_me.html
Groups battle over request from ranchers to ease ethanol rule
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 07/27/12 12:44 PM ET
Interest groups on both sides of the corn ethanol debate are stepping up
their messaging on an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rule that
lawmakers have targeted in recent weeks.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/240749-groups-amplify-corn-ethanol-fight
Opinion
WYATT EMMERICH: Kemper plant generates a 'plethora of risks'
Brandon Presley, the northern district public service commissioner, is
looking mighty smart right now.
Presley, 35, former mayor of the small Lee County town of Nettleton, has
been clanging the alarm about the proposed Kemper lignite plant for years.
As costs escalate and huge electricity rate increases loom, Presley's
concerns about the unproven technology are proving to be on target.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/07/28/4089165/wyatt-emmerich-kemper-plant-generates.html
Press Releases
COCHRAN & WICKER BACK RIGS TO REEFS LEGISLATION
Measure Requires Interior Dept. to Assess Marine Life Benefits from Defunct
Offshore Rigs
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Under legislation cosponsored by U.S. Senators Thad
Cochran (R-Miss.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), coral reef growth and other
marine habitats surrounding offshore energy rigs are among the details that
must be assessed before the Interior Department forces removal of
nonproducing platforms from the Gulf of Mexico.
The Rigs to Reefs Habitat Protection Act (S.1555) would allow some
nonproducing offshore oil and gas platforms to remain in the Gulf of Mexico
and other U.S. waters if they have become habitats for coral populations
and other critical marine life. Current Interior Department policy requires
defunct rigs to be decommissioned and removed within five years.
"It seems counterproductive to have a blanket policy that requires the
removal of all structures even if they are fostering healthy coral and fish
ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico," Cochran said. "This legislation allows
nonproductive platforms to be assessed for potential marine life benefits
before they are summarily removed. I think this is a balanced approach."
"Coral reefs in the Gulf of Mexico help promote diversity of species and
are essential for our fishery resources," said Wicker. "Unused oil and gas
rigs create a suitable environment for reef growth. In addition to job
creation, this is another benefit of energy production in the Gulf."
The Rigs to Reefs legislation would prohibit the removal of nonproducing
offshore oil and gas platforms before they are assessed to determine if
coral populations or other protected species are in the platform's
vicinity. The reviews must also identify any recreational or commercial
species in the area. Decommissioning would be suspended if it is determined
that platform removal would harm such ecosystems.
The bill would also exempt certain rig removal deadlines for rig lessees
that commit to place the platform in an artificial reef program under that
National Fishing Enhancement Act of 1984. The Rigs to Reefs legislation
also creates a Reef Maintenance Fund that would be sustained by payments
from lessees that enroll in an artificial reef program and commit to
maintaining an anode system on the remaining rig structure.
S.1555 was authored by Senator David Vitter (R-La.) and has been referred
to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. A companion measure,
HR.3429, has been introduced by Representative Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.).
That bill is cosponsored by Representatives Gregg Harper (R-Miss.) and Alan
Nunnelee (R-Miss.).
Joint Press Release
Sens. Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker
7/27/12
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Announces Support for Producers to Grow |
| Renewable Feedstocks for Advanced Biofuels |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Part of the Administration's 'All of the Above' Energy Strategy |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|WASHINGTON, July 27, 2012 — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today |
|announced payments for 125 advanced Biofuel producers across the country to |
|support the production and expansion of advanced biofuels from a wide |
|variety of non-food sources, including waste products. |
| |
| |
|"Advanced biofuels are a key component of President Obama's |
|'all-of-the-above' energy strategy to reduce the Nation's reliance on |
|foreign oil and take control of America's energy future," said Vilsack. |
|"These payments represent help spur an alternative fuels industry using |
|renewable feedstocks grown in America, broadening the range of feedstock |
|options available to biofuels producers, helping to create an economy built |
|to last." |
| |
| |
|The funding is being provided through USDA's Bioenergy Program for Advanced |
|Biofuels, which was established in the 2008 Farm Bill. Under this program, |
|payments are made to eligible producers based on the amount of biofuels a |
|recipient produces from renewable biomass, other than corn kernel starch. |
|Examples of eligible feedstocks include but are not limited to: crop |
|residue; animal, food and yard waste material; vegetable oil; and animal |
|fat. Through this and other programs, USDA is working to support the |
|research, investment and infrastructure necessary to build a biofuels |
|industry that creates jobs and broadens the range of feedstocks used to |
|produce renewable fuel. |
| |
| |
|For example, in Somerset, Ky., Somerset Hardwood Flooring will receive a |
|$7,040 payment for producing wood pellets from residual sawdust from its |
|hardwood flooring manufacturing process. The company produces about 40 tons |
|of wood pellets annually. FPE Renewables, LLC, based in Lyden, Wash., |
|generates nearly two million kilowatt hours of electricity annually. The |
|firm will receive a payment of $9,612 for producing biogas primarily from |
|dairy waste, which is converted to electricity. In West Point, Va., Virginia|
|Biodiesel Refinery, LLC, will receive a payment of $7,900 for making |
|biodiesel from recycled cooking oil and soybean oil. |
| |
| |
|Increased biofuel production plays a relatively minor role in retail food |
|price changes because the growing diversity of feedstock used to produce |
|biodiesel allows for flexibility and helps relieve market pressures. |
|Biodiesel is made from an increasingly diverse mix of non-food feedstocks, |
|including recycled cooking oil, agricultural oils and animal fats, allowing |
|most biodiesel producers to select from a choice of feedstocks if prices |
|rise or supplies are limited. Therefore, the industry's impact in commodity |
|markets is significantly reduced. As the market expands for home-grown |
|renewable energy, American farmers and producers will create even more |
|good-paying jobs that can't be exported. The biofuels industry in the U.S. |
|currently employs about 400,000 people and is expected to employ around a |
|million people in the U.S. by 2022. |
| |
| |
|USDA today is announcing $19.4 million in payments to 125 local producers |
|and business-owners. Below is a complete list of the 111 producers (by |
|state) receiving payments of more than $500 for production of advanced |
|biofuels. (Producers receiving payments in the amount of $500 or less are |
|not included in the list.) |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Mississippi
· Enviva, LP: $15,931.32 for Pellets
· Ethos Alternative Energy Mississippi, LLC: $11,446 for biofuel from
waste products
· Scott Petroleum Corporation: $57,294 for biofuel from waste products
The Obama administration, with Agriculture Secretary Vilsack's leadership,
has worked tirelessly to strengthen rural America, maintain a strong farm
safety net, and create opportunities for America's farmers and ranchers.
U.S. agriculture is currently experiencing one of its most productive
periods in American history thanks to the productivity, resiliency, and
resourcefulness of our producers.
To most assist farmers and ranchers impacted by the most wide-spread
drought in seven decades, USDA agencies have been working for weeks with
state and local officials, as well as individuals, businesses, farmers and
ranchers, as they begin the process of helping to get people back on their
feet. USDA offers a variety of resources for states and individuals
affected by the recent disasters. For additional information and updates
about USDA's efforts, please visit www.usda.gov/drought.
Creating new markets for the nation's agricultural products through
biobased manufacturing is one of the many steps the Administration has
taken over the past three years to strengthen the rural economy. Since
August 2011, the White House Rural Council has supported a broad spectrum
of rural initiatives including a Presidential Memorandum to create jobs in
rural America through biobased and sustainable product procurement, a $350
million commitment in SBA funding to rural small businesses over the next 5
years, launching a series of conferences to connect investors with rural
start-ups, creating capital marketing teams to pitch federal funding
opportunities to private investors interested in making rural and making
job search information available at 2,800 local USDA offices nationwide.
Since taking office, President Obama's Administration has taken historic
steps to improve the lives of rural Americans, put people back to work and
build thriving economies in rural communities. From proposing the American
Jobs Act to establishing the first-ever White House Rural Council - chaired
by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack - the President is committed to a
smarter use of existing Federal resources to foster sustainable economic
prosperity and ensure the government is a strong partner for businesses,
entrepreneurs and working families in rural communities.
USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, has an active portfolio
of more than $170 billion in loans and loan guarantees. These programs are
designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities,
businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life
in rural America.
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