5.24.2013
Oil Spill
Gulf's restoration roadmap about to be debated
WLOX
A plan that could become the roadmap to restore the Gulf of Mexico is about
to be debated.
http://www.wlox.com/story/22409848/gulfs-restoration-roadmap-about-to-be-debated
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council releases draft BP recovery plan
Mississippi Press
April M. Havens | ahavens@al.com
May 23, 2013 at 5:11 PM
The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council marked significant progress
today with the public release of its draft initial comprehensive plan, the
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality said.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/05/gulf_coast_ecosystem_restorati_1.html#incart_river
Gulf restoration draft plan lacks required priority list, spending
allocation plan
By Mark Schleifstein, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
May 23, 2013 at 8:10 PM
The federal-state body that will oversee the spending of billions of
dollars in Clean Water Act fines resulting from the BP Deepwater Horizon
oil spill on Thursday released a "draft initial comprehensive plan" for
spending the money on projects that will restore the coast's natural
resources and also benefit the Gulf Coast's economy.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2013/05/draft_gulf_restoration_compreh.html
U.S. academics back BP in oil spill payouts battle
Reuters
Thu, May 23 2013
By Andrew Callus
LONDON, May 23 (Reuters) - A group of U.S. accountancy professors is
backing BP's fight to rein in compensation it has to pay for the 2010 Gulf
of Mexico oil spill, which is threatening to add billions of dollars to its
growing bill for the disaster.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/23/bp-spill-appeal-idUSL6N0E33VO20130523
State News
Lab owner convicted of faking wastewater tests
AP
The owner of an environmental laboratory in Mississippi has been convicted
on federal charges of falsifying records on industrial wastewater samples
that she was hired to test.
http://www.clarionledger.com/viewart/20130524/NEWS01/305240024/Lab-owner-convicted-faking-wastewater-tests
Broken sewer line threatens road
Work underway to save Spillway Road
WAPT
RIDGELAND, Miss. —A broken sewer line is threatening a major road in
Ridgeland on Thursday.
http://www.wapt.com/news/central-mississippi/broken-sewer-line-threatens-road/-/9156946/20284544/-/kxcdd3/-/index.html
Sewer Main Failure in Ridgeland
WJTV
City leaders blame a sewer main failure on an aging system.
About a month ago, crews were repairing a manhole cover along Lake Harbour
Drive when they noticed sewer pipes were degrading. Public Works Director
Mike McCollum says the system hasn't been changed in 25 years and an
upgrade is needed.
http://www.wjtv.com/story/22412338/sewer-main-failure-in-ridgeland
Eco-tourism making a big splash in Jackson County
WLOX
The Coastal Nature Destinations Group of Jackson County hosted a tour of
the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) today.
http://www.wlox.com/story/22407110/eco-tourism-making-a-big-splash-in-jackson-county
Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve is 'hidden jewel' of Jackson
County, tour hosts say (updated)
Mississippi Press
Brittany Bright
May 23, 2013 at 4:22 PM
MOSS POINT, Mississippi -- The "hidden jewel" of Jackson County, the Grand
Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, hosted a media tour organized by
The Coastal Nature Destinations Group on Thursday morning.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/05/post_81.html
National News
Three big federal agencies to close Friday
Washington Post
By Lisa Rein,
Three of the largest federal agencies will close to the public on Friday,
the first time since the government shutdowns of the 1990s that large
corners of the government have ceased operations on a weekday.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/three-big-federal-agencies-to-close-friday/2013/05/23/a4bb127a-c3e3-11e2-8c3b-0b5e9247e8ca_story.html
Chicken fight: Study backs farmer in pollution battle with EPA
By Perry Chiaramonte
Published May 23, 2013
FoxNews.com
West Virginia poultry farmer Lois Alt didn't chicken out when the
Environmental Protection Agency threatened her with fines of $40,000 per
day, and even though the federal regulators eventually backed off, she's
taking them on in a legal case that could benefit thousands of small
farmers.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/05/21/study-backs-farmers-in-pollution-fight-with-epa/?test=latestnews
Senators, green groups spar on fracking
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 05/23/13 02:19 PM ET
The contentious debate on whether hydraulic fracturing, or fracking,
contaminates drinking water bubbled to the surface Thursday during a Senate
panel discussion.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/301637-senators-green-groups-spar-on-fracking
NOAA expects 'above normal' hurricane season
By Erika Bolstad — McClatchy Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — Expect another busy Atlantic hurricane season, government
forecasters said Thursday.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/05/23/4686325/noaa-expects-busy-hurricane-season.html
Opinion
The Question Obama's EPA Pick Gina McCarthy Can't Answer
By Mark Drajem on May 23, 2013
Gina McCarthy has fielded 1,100 questions from Senate Republicans in
Congress since President Obama picked her in March to head the
Environmental Protection Agency—more than any EPA nominee before her.
http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-05-23/the-question-obamas-epa-pick-gina-mccarthy-cant-answer
Press Releases
Trudy Fisher Announces Release of Draft Restoration Plan
Mississippi Public Engagement Meeting June 11 in Biloxi
(JACKSON, Miss.) – Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Executive Director Trudy Fisher announced Thursday that the Gulf Coast
Ecosystem Restoration Council's draft plan has been released and that a
public engagement session to receive comments on the draft will be held at
the Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center in Biloxi on June 11.
The "Draft Initial Comprehensive Plan: Restoring the Gulf Coast's Ecosystem
and Economy" describes the objectives, the selection process, and the
evaluation criteria for the ecosystem restoration projects and programs
that will be funded by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council.
The two funding sources from the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund
established by the RESTORE Act addressed in the plan are the 30 percent
managed by the Council for ecosystem restoration and the 30 percent that is
distributed to the states through an allocation formula to implement state
expenditure plans which require Council approval. The Council was created
by the RESTORE Act and is comprised of the five Gulf states and six federal
agencies.
"I encourage Mississippians to review the draft plan and submit comments
because the implementation of the plan will have a significant impact on
our state and the Gulf region for decades. Fortunately we have laid a
foundation with the substantial work of the GoCoast 2020 teams that
highlighted the priorities to help us recover and move forward. It's
important we don't lose that momentum and continue with the process to
improve our Coast. A vital component of the whole process is public
engagement. We want to know what you think," said MDEQ Executive Director
Trudy Fisher.
Mississippi's public engagement session will be June 11 beginning with
registration at 5:00 p.m. and the meeting at 6:00 p.m. at the Mississippi
Coast Coliseum and Convention Center, 2350 Beach Boulevard, Biloxi.
The Draft Initial Comprehensive Plan can be viewed online at
http://1.usa.gov/10nO2S9 and will be available for public comment from May
23 until June 24. More information is available at www.restorethegulf.gov.
Periodically MDEQ will release information on RESTORE Act activities and
meetings. A text group for the public is available by texting "restore" to
601-863-8082.
