Oil Spill
SUN HERALD | Editorial: RESTORE Act trust fund is a grand idea
Gov. Phil Bryant's GoCoast 2020 Commission is considering ways to use money
Mississippi will receive under the RESTORE Act. We urge the commission to
pay particular attention to a recommendation by Gerald Blessey.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/10/16/4247575/sun-herald-editorial-restore-act.html
Congress applies pressure to BP over Gulf oil sheen
Houston Chronicle
Lawmakers in Washington are applying more pressure to BP and its chief
executive to give them answers about last month's discovery of an oil slick
in the Gulf of Mexico that has been traced to oil from the company's
blown-out Macondo well.
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2012/10/16/congress-applies-pressure-to-bp-over-gulf-oil-sheen/
State News
Council OKs $90M water repair contract
Work to come with guarantee
Clarion Ledger
The Jackson City Council on Tuesday approved a $90 million water and sewer
project worth one-fourth of the city's total budget, banking on a
contractor's guarantee that the work will pay for itself within 15 years.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20121017/NEWS/310170041/Council-OKs-90M-water-repair-contract?nclick_check=1
City approves water sewer improvement contract
WLBT
JACKSON, MS (WLBT) -
While the City of Jackson considers a solution to its water problems with a
proposed water sewer contract, some residents oppose the plan.
http://www.wlbt.com/story/19838729/city-approves-water-sewer-improvement-contract
Waste Water Plant Soon To Be Upgraded
Daily Times Leader
West Point's waste water treatment facility located on Old Tibbee Road will
soon be upgraded to meet state and federal environmental standards, as the
city is preparing this week to take bids on the estimated $6 million
project.
http://www.dailytimesleader.com/content/waste-water-plant-soon-be-upgraded
Hattiesburg views options for wastewater treatment
The Associated Press
HATTIESBURG, MISS. — It will be 2017 before the city of Hattiesburg must
start up its wastewater treatment system to meet new federal guidelines
regarding ammonia nitrate removal.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/10/17/4248228/hattiesburg-views-options-for.html
Kids across DeSoto County pore over clean-water message
Commercial Appeal
By Henry Bailey
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Just before hearing a tale about becoming a "Planet Protector" from DeSoto
County's road manager, 5-year-old kindergartner Sean Parker at Overpark
Elementary in Olive Branch pondered the issue of water.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2012/oct/16/kids-across-desoto-county-pore-over-clean-water/?print=1
Gulf fishery council to meet in Gulfport, Miss
The Associated Press
GULFPORT, MISS. — The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council will meet
Oct. 29-Nov. 1 in Gulfport.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/10/17/4248278/gulf-fishery-council-to-meet-in.html
Pascagoula Mayor Robbie Maxwell will not seek re-election in 2013
Mississippi Press
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi - Pascagoula Mayor Robbie Maxwell has decided he
will not run for a second term in the 2013 municipal elections, but he said
he plans to continue his lifetime of community service in other ways when
he leaves office next summer.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2012/10/mayor_maxwell_will_not_seek_re.html#
National News
California defends greenhouse gas regulation for fuels
Tue, Oct 16 2012
Reuters
By Rory Carroll
SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 16 (Reuters Point Carbon) - California attorneys
advocating for a program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from fuels came
under stern questioning from a three-judge panel on Tuesday, in a case that
threatens a key component of the state's ambitious effort to combat climate
change.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/16/california-emissions-idUSL1E8LGN4Y20121016?type=marketsNews
Conservation groups sue Calif agency over fracking
AP
OAKLAND, Calif. — Conservation groups are suing California's oil and gas
drilling regulators over hydraulic fracturing, charging officials with
failing to properly study the practice's environmental impacts.
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2012/10/17/conservation-groups-sue-calif-agency-over-fracking/
Opinion
SUN HERALD | Editorial: RESTORE Act trust fund is a grand idea
Gov. Phil Bryant's GoCoast 2020 Commission is considering ways to use money
Mississippi will receive under the RESTORE Act. We urge the commission to
pay particular attention to a recommendation by Gerald Blessey.
http://www.sunherald.com/2012/10/16/4247575/sun-herald-editorial-restore-act.html
Proposed water/sewer contract may be too good to be true
Clarion Ledger
The city of Jackson has been offered a deal it can't refuse. Or at least it
seems that way.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20121016/OPINION01/310160014/Proposed-water-sewer-contract-may-too-good-true?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7COpinion%7Cs&nclick_check=1
U.S. on the verge of water anarchy
Politico
By: James M. Oliver
October 16, 2012 09:22 PM EDT
'Water is for fighting," Mark Twain famously said. Before November's
election, the Supreme Court could thrust Congress into the middle one of
the biggest no-win fights yet in this age of gridlock — a simultaneous
renegotiation of some of the nation's most critical interstate water access
agreements.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1012/82465.html?hp=r20
Press Releases
EPA Announces Opportunity to Apply for 2013 Environmental Justice Small
Grants
Up to Five Awards Available in Southeast
Contact: Davina Marraccini, 404-562-8293 (direct), 404-562-8400 (main),
marraccini.davina@epa.gov
ATLANTA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it
is seeking applicants for a total of $1.5 million in environmental justice
small grants to be awarded in 2013. EPA's environmental justice efforts aim
to ensure equal environmental and health protections for all Americans,
regardless of race or socioeconomic status. The grants enable non-profit
organizations to conduct research, provide education and develop solutions
to local health and environmental issues in communities overburdened by
harmful pollution. One to five grants per EPA region will be made in
amounts of up to $30,000 per award.
"Environmental justice grants support efforts to raise awareness about
local health and environmental concerns," said Lisa Garcia, EPA's senior
advisor to the administrator for environmental justice. "By supporting
local projects in under-served communities, communities are able to develop
plans and partnerships that will continue to improve their local
environment and better protect human health into the future."
The 2013 grant solicitation is now open and will close on Jan. 7, 2013.
Applicants must be incorporated non-profits or tribal organizations working
to educate, empower and enable their communities to understand and address
local environmental and public health issues. EPA will host four
pre-application teleconference calls on Oct. 30, 2012; Nov. 14, 2012; Dec.
1, 2012; and Dec. 13, 2012 to help applicants understand the requirements.
Previous grants in the Southeast have supported activities including
projects to engage citizens along the Alabama coast in addressing storm
water runoff and oil pollution following the BP spill, conduct research on
surface water contamination near swine lagoons and spray fields Eastern
North Carolina and identify and reduce exposure to indoor air contaminants
and other environmental hazards inside affordable housing projects in
Atlanta, Ga.
The principles of environmental justice uphold the idea that all
communities overburdened by pollution – particularly minority, low income
and indigenous communities – deserve the same degree of protection from
environmental and health hazards, equal access to the decision-making
process and a healthy environment in which to live, learn and work. Since
1994, the environmental justice small grants program has provided funding
in more than 1,300 communities, to community-based non-profit organizations
and local governments working to address environmental justice issues. The
grants represent EPA's commitment to expand the conversation on
environmentalism and advance environmental justice in communities across
the nation.
Environment Justice Small Grants 2013 Request for Proposals and schedule of
pre-application teleconference calls:
http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/resources/publications/grants/ej-smgrants-rfp-2013.pdf
More information about the Environmental Justice Small Grants program:
http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/grants/ej-smgrants.html
