2/8/13
Oil Spill
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council's Mississippi public meeting set
Feb. 19 in Coliseum
By Mississippi Press Staff
updated February 07, 2013 at 9:48 AM
BILOXI, Mississippi -- The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council today
announced the dates for upcoming public engagement sessions to provide
early opportunities for initial input into the Comprehensive Plan for Gulf
Coast restoration after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/gulf_coast_ecosystem_restorati.html#incart_river
State News
Jasper County oil leak much worse than early estimate
Spill from pipeline may top 16,800 gallons
Clarion Ledger
Some 1,260 gallons of crude oil spewed from a pipeline leak into a creek
outside Bay Springs on Tuesday, 30 times more than originally estimated but
a fraction of what some say could be the final tally.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130208/NEWS01/302080043/Jasper-County-oil-leak-much-worse-than-early-estimate
South Mississippians speak their minds to CMR
Sun Herald
By PAUL HAMPTON — jphampton@sunherald.com
The Commission on Marine Resources asked the people of South Mississippi
for their opinions on the search for a new executive director of the
Department of Marine Resources and it got them Thursday in Biloxi.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/07/4455612/south-mississippians-speak-their.html
Commission hears from public about search for new DMR director (Updated)
By Warren Kulo | GulfLive.com
updated February 07, 2013 at 9:16 PM
BILOXI, Mississippi -- Who should be the next Executive Director of the
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources? What qualities or background
should that person possess?
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/live_updates_commission_seekin.html#incart_river
Madison, county officials disagree on lake repairs
Benefit of work on private land at issue
Clarion Ledger
Faced with the same information, Madison and Madison County have come to
different conclusions on the public benefits of work on private property.
Madison officials in January decided they can spend public money to remove
embedded silt and repair the dam on the lake in Northbay subdivision since
they say the lake is impacting the overall public drainage system. They
asked county officials to share the estimated $375,000 cost of the project.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130208/NEWS01/302080042/Madison-county-officials-disagree-lake-repairs
Harrison County Utility Authority launches search for director
HARRISON COUNTY, MS (WLOX) -
The Harrison County Utility Authority has launched a search for a new
executive director. Just last week, the utility board voted to fire
longtime director Kamran Pahlavan over conflict of interest concerns
involving a car purchase.
http://www.wlox.com/story/21053187/harrison-co-utility-authority-begins-search-for-new-director
Utility Authority opts not to hire interim director
Sun Herald
By MELISSA M. SCALLAN — mmscallan@sunherald.com
GULFPORT -- Members of the Harrison County Utility Authority board voted
Thursday to advertise for a permanent director instead of hiring an interim
person first.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/07/4454198/utility-authority-opts-not-to.html
DeSoto students drop, cover and hold on during earthquake drill
Commercial Appeal
By Ron Maxey
Updated 12:22 a.m., February 8, 2013
One moment, students in Bethany Prince's second-grade class at DeSoto
Central Primary School were doing their usual morning work. The next, they
were ducking in unison beneath desks and covering their heads.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2013/feb/07/desoto-students-drop-cover-and-hold-on-during/?print=1
Mississippi Power shuts down old plant in Pine Belt
by Associated Press
Published: February 7,2013
PETAL — Mississippi Power Co. has shut down a generating plant in Petal.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2013/02/07/mississippi-power-shuts-down-old-plant-in-pine-belt/
Duck study could shape conservation, management programs
by MBJ Staff
Published: February 7,2013
MISSISSIPPI DELTA — Results from a Mississippi State University study of
mallard ducks in the state's South Delta revealed information that could
help shape conservation and habitat management programs.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2013/02/07/duck-study-could-shape-conservation-management-programs/
Finances priority for new USM leader
Bennett has eye on enrollment, faculty salaries as well
Hattiesburg American
HATTIESBURG — In one of several meetings Thursday morning with campus and
community groups, Rodney Bennett repeated Southern Miss' name several
times, met after each with a cacophonous "To the top!" from the mouths of
dozens of students.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130208/NEWS01/302080041/Finances-priority-new-USM-leader
National News
Group says Mississippi gopher frog just an excuse for 'land grab'
By The Associated Press
updated February 07, 2013 at 9:30 PM
NEW ORLEANS -- A property rights nonprofit claims federal wildlife
officials made an illegal land grab by listing 1,500 acres of private land
in Louisiana as critical habitat for an endangered burrowing frog now found
only in Mississippi.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/group_says_mississippi_gopher.html#incart_river
EPA to issue climate change plan Friday
The Hill
By Ben Goad - 02/07/13 12:24 PM ET
The Environmental Protection Agency is set to unveil a plan to counter the
effects of climate change.
The draft EPA Climate Change Adaptation Plan, to be published for public
consideration in Friday's edition of the Federal Register, is meant to
guide the agency's response to global warming, which it says is occurring
at a rapidly increasing rate.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energyenvironment/281721-epa-to-issue-climate-change-plan-friday-
EPA Readies Climate Adaptation Plan as Earth Warms
Bloomberg
By Mark Drajem - Feb 7, 2013
The U.S. government is ramping up efforts to combat global warming with the
Environmental Protection Agency preparing its proposal on how it will react
to a changing climate.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-02-07/epa-readies-climate-adaptation-plan-as-earth-warms.html
U.S. Senate caucus forms to focus on Mississippi River
by Associated Press
Published: February 7,2013
ST. LOUIS, Mo. — A bipartisan Mississippi River Caucus is being launched in
the U.S. Senate in an effort to encourage commerce and address issues such
as flood mitigation and navigation concerns.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2013/02/07/u-s-senate-caucus-forms-to-focus-on-mississippi-river/
States' Group Calls for 45% Cut in Amount of Carbon Emissions Allowed
NY Times
By FELICITY BARRINGER
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the country's first regional system
for capping carbon emissions and creating a market in carbon allowances,
proposed a fundamental change on Thursday to increase electrical utilities'
incentive to cut emissions from fossil-fuel plants by raising the cost of
compliance.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/08/business/energy-environment/states-group-calls-for-45-cut-in-amount-of-carbon-emissions-allowed.html?ref=earth&_r=0
Water-Reuse Ideas Go Forward, Despite 'Toilet to Tap' Concerns
NY Times
By AUDREY WHITE
WICHITA FALLS — The idea of turning treated sewage into drinking water may
give some people pause.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/08/us/potable-water-reuse-ideas-go-forward-in-texas-despite-concerns.html?ref=earth
Interior Department to auction 38 million acres for oil and gas development
in Central Gulf
By Mississippi Press Staff
updated February 07, 2013 at 12:12 PM
WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Bureau of
Ocean Energy Managemen Director Tommy P. Beaudreau today announced that
Central Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 227 will offer 38.6 million acres
offshore Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama for oil and gas exploration and
development, according to a news release.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/02/interior_department_to_auction.html#incart_river
Europe consuming more coal
Washington Post
By Michael Birnbaum,
JAENSCHWALDE, Germany — Green-friendly Europe has a dirty secret: It is
burning a lot more coal.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe-consuming-more-coal/2013/02/07/ec21026a-6bfe-11e2-bd36-c0fe61a205f6_story.html
Press Releases
USDA Climate Change Adaptation Plan Open for Public Comment
Posted by Stephanie Chan, USDA Deputy Press Secretary, on February 7, 2013
at 2:36 PM
USDA is committed to fostering a clean energy economy and to improving the
environment by conducting operations in a sustainable and environmentally
responsible manner, complying with environmental laws and regulations, and
leading by example. In order to fulfill its mission of providing leadership
on food, agriculture, natural resources, rural development, nutrition, and
related issues, USDA focuses on the future. The Department recognizes the
significance of global climate change and how potential impacts such as
more frequent or severe weather events can affect our programs and
operations.
To better coordinate USDA's sustainability efforts and build on past
success, USDA has prepared its 2012 Strategic Sustainability Performance
Plan that underscores strategies and goals to save taxpayer dollars, reduce
carbon emissions, cut waste and save energy. As part of this effort, this
year we have also prepared a Climate Change Adaptation Plan that outlines
how the Department will address the impacts of climate change on its key
mission areas such as agricultural production, food security, rural
development, and forestry and natural resources conservation. The plan is
available and open for a 60-day public comment period.
The USDA Climate Change Adaptation Plan includes input from eleven USDA
agencies and offices. It provides a detailed vulnerability assessment,
reviews the elements of USDA's mission that are at risk from climate
change, and provides specific actions and steps being taken to build
resilience to climate change. The plan advances President Obama's efforts
to prepare the federal government for climate change. We expect to revise
and update the plan in 2013 in response to comments received from the
public.
Specifically, the Plan provides a review of past performance, addresses
challenges to achieving sustainability, discusses lessons learned, and
outlines actions planned beyond 2012. The Plan also highlights the
following achievements within USDA:
· Purchase and generation of enough green power to meet 19.5 percent of
the Department's electricity use, thus improving the Department's
ranking to number seven on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's
list of the largest Federal agency users of green power
· 12.1 percent reduction in indirect greenhouse gas emissions compared
to the 2008 base year.
· 21.8 percent reduction in energy intensity compared to the 2003 base
year.
· Implementation of the National Water Quality Initiative in priority
watersheds to improve water quality and aquatic habitat in impaired
streams.
· 97 percent increase in alternative fuel consumption (for fleet
vehicles) compared to the 2005 base year.
· Acquisition of 75 percent of covered light duty and mid-sized
alternative fuel vehicles.
· 18.9 percent reduction in potable water use compared to the 2007 base
year.
USDA encourages the public to review the document and provide comments by
April 8, 2013. The USDA Climate Change Adaptation Plan can be accessed at
http://www.dm.usda.gov/emd.
All comments are to be directed to William Hohenstein, Director of USDA's
Climate Change Program Office at ccpo@oce.usda.gov.
EPA Releases State Enforcement Performance Information and Comparative Maps
Agency to host webinar demonstrating new data features
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
announced the release of state dashboards and comparative maps that provide
the public with information about the performance of state and EPA
enforcement and compliance programs across the country.
"Transparency and access to information at all levels helps to drive
improvements in environmental performance," said Cynthia Giles, assistant
administrator for EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.
"Today's release of state enforcement information highlights the important
work going on at the state level to address serious pollution problems and
also underscores areas where states and EPA may need to strengthen
enforcement and compliance efforts."
Most states and tribes in the United States have the authority to implement
and enforce many of the nation's air, water and waste laws. The dashboards
and maps include state level data from the last five years and provide
information including the number of completed inspections, types of
violations found, enforcement actions taken, and penalties assessed by
state. To ensure data quality, EPA made the maps and dashboards available
to the states in advance of this public release, in order to provide an
opportunity to make any necessary data corrections.
Users can customize the dashboards to view state activity, EPA activity, or
combined activity. Where available, the site also allows users to view
national averages and display state enforcement trends over time.
The interactive state performance dashboards are located on EPA's
Enforcement and Compliance History Online (ECHO) website. ECHO is an EPA
transparency tool that allows the user to map federal and state inspection,
violation, and enforcement information for more than 800,000 regulated
facilities. The state dashboards and comparative maps that are available in
ECHO are part of EPA's commitment to increasing transparency and providing
data to the public in a format that is easy to understand and use.
EPA will host two webinars demonstrating how to use the state dashboards
and comparative maps now available in ECHO. The first will be held on
February 12, at 1p.m. EST (for news media only). The second will be held on
Tuesday, February 12, at 3p.m. EST (for the public). The demonstration will
highlight the new features added to the tool, important information about
the data, and how to compare data by state.
Reserve webinar seat: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/315869032
View the state performance dashboards and comparative maps:
http://www.epa-echo.gov/echo/stateperformance/comparative_maps.html
Visit EPA's ECHO website: http://www.epa-echo.gov
EPA Provides Technical Assistance to 43 Communities to Meet their
Sustainability Goals
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced
that 43 communities -- rural, urban and suburban -- will receive technical
assistance to pursue sustainable growth that encourages local economic
development while safeguarding people's health and the environment.
EPA consulted with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
(HUD) and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to select this year's
43 recipients from 121 applicants through a competitive process. EPA staff
and national experts will conduct one to two-day workshops that focus on
the specific sustainability goal each community chose in their initial
application to EPA. The agency offered nine tools this year, including a
Green Building Toolkit, Land Use Strategies to Protect Water Quality, and
Using Smart Growth to Produce Economic and Fiscal Health.
"If we want a healthier environment and a stronger economy, sustainable
practices must be part of community development across the country," said
EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. "The EPA's Building Blocks program helps
communities invest in sustainable growth techniques, so they can plan for a
better future. The short-term, targeted assistance we are providing will
help stimulate local economies, while protecting people's health and
safeguarding the environment."
The assistance is being provided through EPA's Building Blocks for
Sustainable Communities program to communities in 27 states. The selected
communities are Atchison, Kan.; Atlanta, Ga.; Beaverton, Ore.; Bellevue,
Neb.; Boise, Idaho; Bowling Green, Fla.; Brattleboro, Vt.; Bridgeport,
Conn.; Brunswick, Maine; Buffalo, N.Y.; Caddo, La.; Carpinteria, Calif.;
Chattanooga, Tenn.; Cheney, Wash.; Dayton, Ohio; Denver, Colo.; Dubuque,
Iowa; Fargo, N.D.; Fort Collins, Colo.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Gun Lake
Tribe, Mich.; Inyo County, Calif.; Jersey City, N.J.; Lake Worth, Fla.;
Lake Zurich, Ill.; Lawrence, Kan.; Lynchburg, Va.; Maui County, Hawaii;
Murray, Ky.; New Castle, Del.; New Orleans, La.; Omaha, Neb.; Petersburg,
Va.; Pompano Beach, Fla.; Portland, Maine; Seneca Nation, N.Y.; Stamford,
Conn.; Tulsa, Okla.; Vinton, Texas; Washoe Tribe, Nev.; Williamson, N.Y.;
Yurok Tribe, Calif.; and Zolfo Springs, Fla.
To date, EPA's assistance through the Building Blocks program has reached
141 communities. Together, EPA, HUD and DOT form the federal Partnership
for Sustainable Communities, which coordinates investments in housing,
transportation, and environmental protection to get better results for
communities and use taxpayer money more efficiently.
More information on the Building Blocks program:
http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/buildingblocks.htm
More information on the Partnership for Sustainable Communities:
http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/partnership/index.html
