Oil Spill
Judge urged to accept Halliburton's guilty plea for destroying evidence
after BP oil spill
The Associated Press
September 13, 2013 at 11:04 AM
Halliburton Energy Services and Justice Department prosecutors have urged a
federal judge to approve a plea deal that calls for the Houston-based
company to pay a $200,000 fine for destroying evidence after BP's 2010 oil
spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2013/09/judge_urged_to_accept_hallibur.html
Judge delays BP rig supervisors' trial until June
AP
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge has agreed to postpone the manslaughter
trial of two BP supervisors who worked on the drilling rig that exploded in
the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.
http://www.fox23.com/business/story/Judge-delays-BP-rig-supervisors-trial-until-June/rET-urBjn0yE3bTwmXtvIA.cspx
Efforts aim to preserve key Ala. shoreline parcel
AP
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Land-preservation groups and the property owner have
joined forces to promote state acquisition of one of the last pieces of
undeveloped Gulf shoreline left in Alabama -- the 112-acre Gulf Highlands
property on the Fort Morgan Peninsula.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Efforts-aim-to-preserve-key-Ala-shoreline-parcel-4815976.php
BP Money pays for Calcasieu Parish park kiosks
AP
LAKE CHARLES, La. (AP) — Part of a $211,000 grant given to Calcasieu Parish
after the 2010 oil spill is paying for kiosks to tell visitors about seven
parks around the parish.
http://www.seattlepi.com/news/science/article/BP-Money-pays-for-Calcasieu-Parish-park-kiosks-4816508.php
State
Meridian Collects Hazardous Waste Items
WTOK
Meridian, Miss. Saturday was the second Household(Embedded image moved to
file: pic11942.jpg) Hazardous Waste Day for Meridian this year.
http://www.wtok.com/home/headlines/Meridian-Collects-Hazardous-Waste-Items--223793881.html
Decision on management of Mississippi DMR's CIAP program expected Tuesday
Sun Herald
By PAUL HAMPTON — jphampton@sunherald.com
BILOXI -- The state Personal Service Contract Review Board will vote
Tuesday on the Department of Marine Resources recommendation for a firm to
manage its Coastal Impact Assistance Program.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/09/13/4950153/decision-on-management-of-mississippi.html
Shrimp have been hard to come by this season
WLOX
The 2013 shrimp season has been a disappointment to those who make a living
off the catch.
http://www.wlox.com/story/23428027/shrimp-have-been-hard-to-come-by-this-season
Group aims to market South Mississippi nature tourism opportunities
Sun Herald
By MARY PEREZ — meperez@sunherald.com
BILOXI -- A seven-member task force appointed Friday will inventory South
Mississippi's natural attractions and consider how to collectively brand
them to increase ecotourism.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/09/13/4950244/group-aims-to-market-south-mississippi.html
Mississippi lawmakers holding budget hearings this week for fiscal year
2015
The Associated Press
September 15, 2013 at 12:37 PM
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Mississippi lawmakers are holding public hearings
this week to start planning how to spend state tax dollars during fiscal
2015, which begins next July 1.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/09/mississippi_lawmakers_holding.html#incart_river
Coast eyes are on Stacey Pickering
Sun Herald
By PAUL HAMPTON — jphampton@sunherald.com
State Auditor Stacey Pickering may be the head of a high-profile
investigation of the Department of Marine Resources on the Coast, but he
said he knows his place when he's back home in Laurel.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/09/14/4952056/south-mississippis-eyes-are-on.html
Report: Miss. port jobs may lag until 2035
By JEFF AMY — Associated Press
JACKSON, MISS. — A legislative watchdog panel warned Friday that
Mississippi's state-owned Port of Gulfport may not meet a goal of creating
1,300 jobs from its Hurricane Katrina recovery program for another 15 years
or longer.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/09/13/4949033/report-miss-port-jobs-may-lag.html
'Scoping deer — Lab looking to boost public awareness
MBJ
by Wally Northway
Published: September 13,2013
For decades now, the Deer Ecology and Management Lab at Mississippi State
University has been conducting cutting-edge research into the understanding
of whitetail deer and what they require to grow and prosper. The work is
well-known among biologists and researchers, but outside of academia the
lab's work is generally unknown.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2013/09/13/scoping-deer-lab-looking-boost-public-awareness/
National
States accuse EPA of exceeding its authority with climate change plan
The Hill
By Ben Goad - 09/13/13 06:33 PM ET
The attorneys general in 17 states contend the Environmental Protection
Agency has overreached in pursuit of President Obama's plan to counter the
effects of climate change via federal regulation.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energyenvironment/322245-state-ags-accuse-epa-of-exceeding-authority-on-obamas-climate-plan
Opinion
WLOX Editorial: Be a part of the 25th Annual Mississippi Coastal Cleanup
When you peer out across into the Mississippi Sound or the waters of Biloxi
Back Bay or walk along our coastal beaches, you realize what treasures we
have for those of us who live here and for those who come here to visit.
It's also sad to see all the trash people leave behind.
http://www.wlox.com/story/23407922/wlox-editorial-be-a-part-of-the-25th-annual-mississippi-coastal-cleanup
PAUL HAMPTON: Mississippi DMR will be fishing for dollars in Jackson
Sun Herald
It wouldn't be hard to be envious of Jamie Miller. Sixth-floor office with
a panoramic view of the Back Bay of Biloxi. A more than adequate salary.
Good health. Adoring family.
But then there's this one bothersome detail. He runs the DMR.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/09/14/4949870/paul-hampton-mississippi-dmr-will.html
Press Releases
EPA Awards 2013 Environmental Justice Small Grant to Caffee, Caffee &
Associates Public Health in Mississippi
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 13, 2013
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
announced Caffee, Caffee & Associates Public Health will receive $30,000 in
grant monies to address environmental justice issues. The grant will enable
the organization to reduce asthma rates attributable to secondhand smoke by
educating communities throughout the Hattiesburg, Mississippi area about
the damaging health effects of secondhand smoke as an in-door pollutant and
encourage residents to eliminate secondhand smoke from their homes and
cars.
"EPA's Environmental Justice Small Grants are making a visible difference
in communities across the country," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy
who announced the grants today. "These grants help build capacity, raise
awareness, and equip communities with the tools to address environmental
challenges – from climate change impacts to brownfields and water
pollution. I'm proud to continue to promote these important grants and
advance EPA's long-term commitment to our community stakeholders."
The 2013 grants support activities that address a range of community
concerns such as reducing exposure to indoor environmental asthma triggers,
restoring and protecting waterways, educating child care professionals on
ways to prevent lead poisoning, and reducing pesticide use in child care
facilities.
Environmental justice is defined as the fair treatment and meaningful
involvement of all people, regardless of race or income, in the
environmental decision-making process. Since 1994, EPA's environmental
justice small grants program has supported projects to address
environmental justice issues in more than 1,400 communities. The grant
awards represent EPA's commitment to promoting community-based actions to
address environmental justice issues.
In the fall of 2013, EPA will issue a Request for Proposals for the FY 2014
Collaborative Problem Solving Grants. A schedule of pre-application
community stakeholder teleconference calls will be announced at that time.
2013 EJ Small Grant recipients and project descriptions:
http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/resources/publications/grants/ej-smgrants-recipients-2013.pdf
More information about EPA's Environmental Justice Small Grants program:
http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/grants/ej-smgrants.html
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| USDA and Coca-Cola Partner to Replenish One Billion Liters of Water to |
| Nature |
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| Initial Projects to Improve Water Resources in Five States |
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|CHICAGO, September 13, 2013 –U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary|
|Tom Vilsack and Coca-Cola Americas President Steve Cahillane today announced|
|a public-private partnership to restore and protect damaged watersheds on |
|national lands. Together these efforts aim to return more than a billion |
|liters of water to the National Forest System – which provides drinking |
|water to more than 60 million Americans. The announcement was made at |
|Midewin Tallgrass Prairie in Illinois. |
| |
| |
|"By working together, we can better protect our nation's watersheds and |
|further enhance restoration efforts, even during challenging budget times," |
|said Secretary Vilsack. "Today's partnership between Federal, private and |
|non-profit partners is just one example of the strong collaboration that |
|allows government to continue providing results for the American people." |
| |
| |
|The new collaboration between government, business and community |
|organizations, including the National Forest Foundation (NFF) and National |
|Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), which have also contributed funding for|
|these projects, will leverage collective expertise to address increasing |
|challenges on water resources. Additionally, federal dollars spent on these |
|projects have been matched two-to-one by Coca-Cola, the National Fish and |
|Wildlife Foundation, and the National Forest Foundation. |
| |
| |
|"Coca-Cola supports more than 100 water projects throughout the Unites |
|States in an effort to balance the water we use and help to ensure clean |
|water supplies for communities," said Steve Cahillane, President, Coca-Cola |
|Americas. "Our experience combined with the knowledge and resources of USDA |
|and other partners will exponentially increase efforts to create healthier, |
|more sustainable communities for all Americans." |
| |
| |
|USDA's Forest Service, Coca-Cola, the NFF, and NFWF began working together |
|in 2012 to restore natural resources and wildfire-damaged watersheds. For |
|example: |
| |
| |
| · Stream channels impacted by severe wildfires are now rehabilitated and|
| help provide clean water for the greater Denver area. |
| |
| |
| · In California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, water is returned to its |
| natural flow through a meadow improving the watershed that supplies |
| the East Bay area. |
| |
| |
|These projects and others like them have already replenished an estimated |
|half billion liters of water. The partnership announced Friday will expand |
|these efforts, improving additional watersheds and returning more water to |
|nature. |
| |
| |
| · Near Chicago, water will be restored to a wetland that had once been |
| drained, replenishing the aquifer. |
| |
| |
| · Invasive weeds on California's Angeles National Forest will be |
| removed, improving water supplies for residents of Los Angeles and |
| forest wildlife. |
| |
| |
| · A New Mexico stream, altered by historic mining activity, will be |
| redirected to its natural flow, improving water quality and |
| groundwater storage. |
| |
| |
| · In the Lake Michigan watershed, a stream will be restored to its |
| natural flow, reducing flooding, enhancing aquatic habitat, and |
| improving water quality. |
| |
| |
|The U.S. Forest Service and Coca-Cola are committed to continuing their work|
|together to sustain our nation's water supply. The organizations signed an |
|agreement formalizing their partnership to continue collaboration through |
|2018. |
| |
| |
|About USDA and the Forest Service |
| |
| |
|The National Forest System of the U.S. Forest Service provides drinking |
|water to more than 60 million Americans. Stewardship of these public lands |
|for forest and watershed health is imperative for ensuring adequate water |
|supply, providing high quality water for needs across the nation, protecting|
|reservoir storage capacity, minimizing sedimentation load, enhancing |
|ecosystem health, maintaining recreational values, and public safety. By |
|maintaining and restoring natural resources and wildfire-damaged habitats |
|while working to reduce wildfire risk, healthy forests help maintain shared |
|value in ecosystem services. Such activities and proactive investment |
|protect our Nation's water supply and provide examples of cooperative |
|projects that can be employed in other critical watersheds around the globe,|
|thereby allowing forested watersheds to continue providing water at a far |
|lower cost than would otherwise be possible. |
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