Oil Spill
Halliburton: Gulf spill settlement talks have 'slowed'
Houston Chronicle
Oil field services firm Halliburton said Monday its settlement talks with
victims of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill have "recently slowed" and it
is unclear if a deal will ultimately be reached, as the company reported a
nearly 8 percent drop in second-quarter profit.
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2013/07/22/halliburton-gulf-spill-settlement-talks-have-slowed/
State News
New mayor, council eye water, sewer project
City already signed on under previous administration
Clarion Ledger
Jackson's $90 million water and sewer project remains in limbo while a new
administration and City Council subject it to another round of scrutiny.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130723/NEWS01/307230018/New-mayor-council-eye-water-sewer-project
Mississippi assistant attorney general's sons benefitted from grant he
applied for at DMR
Sun Herald
By PAUL HAMPTON — jphampton@sunherald.com
BILOXI -- An assistant attorney general assigned to the state Department of
Marine Resources applied for a federal Coastal Impact Assistance Program
grant that resulted in contracts for his two sons.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/07/22/4814396/mississippi-assistant-attorney.html
Moss Point woman angered by illegal dumping in her neighborhood
WLOX
Imagine having garbage pile up in your neighborhood and nothing is done
about it. One Moss Point resident said that's exactly what's been going on
near her home on Second and Elder streets. She wants the city to finally
stop litter bugs from illegally dumping in Moss Point.
http://www.wlox.com/story/22904645/moss-point-fed-up-with-illegal-dumping-in-her-neighboorhood
Cell phone recycle program offers cash on delivery
WTVA
TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) -- You may have noticed a new kiosk at the main
entrance to the Mall at Barnes Crossing food court.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/Cell-phone-recycle-program-offers-cash-on-delivery/cAfXMF7dhkG01SUjR9wBBQ.cspx
Miss. Materials adds natural gas to its fleet mix
Savings, environmental benefits could revolutionize industry, officials say
Clarion Ledger
Mississippi Materials Corp. hopes the 12 new mixing trucks at its Jackson
headquarters mark not only fuel savings and environmental friendliness for
the company but the start of a revolution in its industry.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130723/NEWS01/307230019/Miss-Materials-adds-natural-gas-its-fleet-mix
National News
Plains Southcap to pursue condemnation of MAWSS property to finish
controversial oil pipeline
Press Register
John Sharp
July 22, 2013 at 6:25 PM
(Embedded image moved to file: pic12896.jpg)
MOBILE, Alabama – An attorney representing Plains Southcap says he will
file a condemnation lawsuit against the Mobile Area Water and Sewer Service
this week in order to seize the final property the company needs in order
to complete a controversial oil pipeline.
http://blog.al.com/live/2013/07/plains_southcap_to_pursue_cond.html#incart_river
House bill slashes EPA budget by 34 percent
The Hill
By Erik Wasson and Ben Geman - 07/22/13 11:31 AM ET
House Republicans on Monday unveiled plans to slash the Environmental
Protection Agency's budget by 34 percent in 2014 and block federal rules to
limit carbon emissions from power plants.
http://thehill.com/blogs/on-the-money/appropriations/312537-house-bill-slashes-epa-budget-by-34-percent
New EPA chief exhorts agency staff to 'act now on climate change'
The Hill
By Zack Colman - 07/22/13 12:35 PM ET
The Environmental Protection Agency "has a clear responsibility to act now
on climate change," the agency's new chief said Monday in a video message
to staff.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/312561-new-epa-chief-to-staff-this-is-a-defining-time-for-epa
GOP senators: EPA 'deliberately' inflating rule's benefits
The Hill
By Julian Hattem - 07/22/13 06:43 PM ET
A group of Republican senators suggest the Obama administration may be
purposefully overstating the benefits of new environmental rules by more
than $2.2 billion to make them seem more valuable.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/letterscomments/312701-gop-senators-epa-deliberately-inflating-rules-benefits-by-more-than-22-billion
GOP threatens to subpoena EPA over pollution studies
By Isobel Markham
The Salt Lake Tribune
Jul 22 2013 11:03 pm
Washington • House Republicans say they are tired of waiting for the
Environmental Protection Agency to hand over research data behind the
nation's clean-air regulations and on Monday threatened to issue a subpoena
if they don't receive the information by the end of the month.
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/56626646-90/epa-data-health-agency.html.csp
Press Releases
Mississippi River Commission Schedules Low-Water Inspection Trip
Vicksburg, Miss.......The Mississippi River Commission will conduct its
annual low-water inspection trip of the lower Mississippi River basin
beginning 20 August and ending on 23 August 2013.
Three public meetings have been scheduled in selected towns along the
river. These public meeting with be held aboard the Motor Vessel
MISSISSIPPI. The meeting places, dates and times are as follows:
August 20 9:00 a.m. Memphis, Tennessee (Beale Street Landing)
August 21 1:00 p.m. Vicksburg, Mississippi (City front)
August 23 9:00 a.m. Morgan City, Louisiana (Port Commission
dock)
All meetings are open to the public. Individuals and/or groups are invited
to present their views and suggestions on matters affecting the water
resources infrastructure of the lower Mississippi valley. This includes
environmental issues, recreational and navigational issues and flood
control projects.
The agenda for each public meeting will be as follows:
1. Summary report by president of the commission on national and regional
issues affecting the programs and projects on the Mississippi River and its
tributaries.
2. District commander's overview for the commission on current project
issues in the respective district area.
3. Presentations to the commission by local organizations and members of
the public giving views or comments on any issue affecting the programs or
projects of the commission and the Corps of Engineers.
The purpose of the public meetings is to maintain a dialogue, an exchange
of viewpoints and ideas flowing between the public and the Corps.
Presentations by the public are made orally, but a copy of the remarks
should be presented to the commission for the official record.
Since 1879, the seven-member Presidentially appointed Mississippi River
Commission has developed and matured plans for the general improvement of
the Mississippi River from the Head of Passes to the Headwaters. The
Mississippi River Commission brings critical engineering representation to
the drainage basin, which impacts 41 percent of the United States and
includes 1.25 million square miles, over 250 tributaries, 31 states, and
two Canadian provinces.
XXX
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|USDA Announces Results for 45th Conservation Reserve Program General Sign-Up|
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| Offers Received for 1.9 Million Acres |
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|AMES, IOWA, July 22, 2013 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today |
|announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will accept 1.7 |
|million acres offered under the 45th Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) |
|general sign-up. The Department received nearly 28,000 offers on more than |
|1.9 million acres of land, demonstrating CRP's continuing appeal as one of |
|our nation's most successful voluntary programs for soil, water, and |
|wildlife conservation. Under Vilsack's leadership, USDA has enrolled nearly |
|12 million acres in new CRP contracts since 2009. Currently, there are more |
|than 26.9 million acres enrolled on 700,000 contracts. |
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|"For 27 years, lands in CRP have helped to conserve our nation's resources |
|and played a part in mitigating climate change," said Vilsack. "American |
|farmers and ranchers continue to recognize the importance of protecting our |
|nation's most environmentally sensitive land by enrolling in CRP. As the |
|commodities produced by our farmers and ranchers continue to perform |
|strongly in the marketplace - supporting one out of every twelve jobs here |
|in the United States - it is no surprise that American producers continue to|
|recognize the importance of protecting our nation's most environmentally |
|sensitive land by enrolling in CRP." |
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|In addition to today's announcement, over the last four years, USDA has set |
|aside significant acreage under CRP's Continuous enrollment programs to |
|target habitat conservation on especially important lands. For example, in |
|March, 2012, President Obama dedicated 1 million acres of CRP to Continuous |
|Enrollment Programs to conserve wetlands, grasslands and wildlife. This |
|year, farmers and ranchers have already offered more than 370,000 acres |
|under Continuous CRP signup, a figure that is impressive given that the lack|
|of a Farm Bill extension last fall meant that CRP enrollment only reopened |
|this spring in May. Lack of a comprehensive Farm Bill this year has resulted|
|in uncertainty for achieving further enrollment objectives under continuous |
|CRP. |
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|CRP is a voluntary program that allows eligible landowners to receive annual|
|rental payments and cost-share assistance to establish long-term, |
|resource-conserving covers on eligible farmland throughout the duration of |
|their 10 to 15 year contracts. |
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|Under CRP, farmers and ranchers plant grasses and trees in fields and along |
|streams or rivers. The plantings prevent soil and nutrients from washing |
|into waterways, reduce soil erosion that may otherwise contribute to poor |
|air and water quality, and provide valuable habitat for wildlife. In 2012, |
|CRP helped to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous losses from farm fields by 605|
|million pounds and 121 million pounds respectively. CRP has restored more |
|than two million acres of wetlands and associated buffers and reduces soil |
|erosion by more than 300 million tons per year. CRP also provides $2.0 |
|billion annually to landowners-dollars that make their way into local |
|economies, supporting small businesses and creating jobs. |
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|In addition, CRP sequesters more carbon dioxide than any other conservation |
|program in the country, and also reduces both fuel and fertilizer use. |
|Yearly, CRP results in carbon sequestration equal to taking almost 10 |
|million cars off the road. |
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|USDA selected offers for enrollment based on an Environmental Benefits Index|
|(EBI) comprised of five environmental factors plus cost. The five |
|environmental factors are: (1) wildlife enhancement, (2) water quality, (3) |
|soil erosion, (4) enduring benefits, and (5) air quality. |
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