9.23.2013
State
Cleanup project to reclaim Ridgeland property
Clarion Ledger
The state is working with federal officials to clean up large contaminated
sites in the state with the long-term goal of reclaiming the property for
use, but fear of liability keeps most people away from buying or reclaiming
such property for redevelopment, officials say.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130921/NEWS01/309210009/Cleanup-project-reclaim-Ridgeland-property
Waste company to cut recycling program
Commercial Dispatch
September 20, 2013 9:49:32 AM
William Browning - wbrowning@cdispatch.com
Mississippi Industrial Waste, a commercial solid waste company in Columbus,
will stop its curbside recycling program at the end of this month.
http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=27289&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Hattiesburg denies claims in suit over sewage treatment rates
Hattiesburg American
Two of the remaining defendants have answered the lawsuit Petal filed
against Hattiesburg over sewage treatment rates.
The matter has been removed from Forrest County Chancery Court to U.S.
District Court, while the Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Protection
Agency and USA Yeast have been dismissed as defendants via agreed order.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20130922/NEWS01/309220026/Hattiesburg-denies-claims-suit-over-sewage-treatment-rates
Refuge planned for Jackson area
Wildlife plot set for tract by reservoir
Clarion Ledger
Experiencing the outdoors may soon be much more convenient for those living
in the greater Jackson area. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently
announced a proposal to establish a National Wildlife Refuge in Jackson's
backyard.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130922/SPORTS08/309220046/Refuge-planned-Jackson-area
Mechanical failure may be cause of gas leak at Jackson Co. plant
WLOX
A gas leak at a Jackson County plant Friday morning is being blamed on a
mechanical failure. A pipe at Airgas Specialties started leaking Anhydrous
Ammonia around 8:45 AM. Fortunately, no one was injured. It took county
firefighters and environmental crews about an hour to contain the small
leak.
http://www.wlox.com/story/23484214/mechanical-failure-may-be-cause-of-gas-leak-at-jackson-co-plant
Environmental groups protest Keystone oil pipeline
Clarion Ledger
A small crowd of environmental groups gathered on the south steps of the
state Capitol this weekend to protest the planned Keystone XL oil pipeline.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130923/NEWS01/309230006/Environmental-groups-protest-Keystone-oil-pipeline
Toyota Teams Up with Boy Scouts for Community Wide Cleanup
WCBI
Large manufacturing businesses like Toyota help bring jobs and economic
development to our area. And Toyota workers teamed up with local Boy Scouts
for a community wide cleanup.
http://www.wcbi.com/wordpress/video-toyota-teams-up-with-boy-scouts-for-community-wide-cleanup
Utility Authority swears in officers
By Alexandra Hedrick
The Picayune Item
POPLARVILLE — Steve Lawler was sworn into office at the Pearl River County
Utility Authority Board of Directors meeting on Thursday afternoon.
http://picayuneitem.com/local/x2112876910/Utility-Authority-swears-in-officers
Edwards seen as choice to head Hancock County port commission
Sun Herald
If the vote goes as expected, Gov. Phil Bryant adviser Ashley Edwards, 33,
will land a job as executive director of the Hancock County Port & Harbor
Commission.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/09/21/4970786/edwards-seen-as-choice-to-head.html
Regional
Coastal Wetland Act still vital for combating erosion
Baton Rouge Advocate
By AMY WOLD
The Coastal Wetland Planning, Protection and Restoration Act, passed by
Congress in 1990, created a lot of firsts for Louisiana.
http://theadvocate.com/news/7094257-123/beyond-building-marsh-cwppra-at
National
EPA's rule on greenhouse gases: Big promises, little impact
BY SEAN COCKERHAM
MCCLATCHY WASHINGTON BUREAU
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration on Friday set the first-ever limits
on greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, but their impact could be
minimal because they don't apply to existing plants and there are few
coal-fired power plants being built in the United States.
Just two new coal-fired power plants are expected to open next year,
according to data from the Energy Information Administration, and there are
none set to open in 2015.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/09/20/3639964/epas-rule-on-greenhouse-gases.html
EPA proposes new rules to reduce power plant emissions
LA Times
By Neela Banerjee
September 20, 2013, 8:25 a.m.
WASHINGTON -- The Environmental Protection Agencyproposed new rules on
Friday to reduce future carbon dioxide emissions from new power plants, a
major step to address climate change that industry and some
environmentalist say could all but end the construction of coal-fired
plants in the United States.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-epa-power-plant-emissions-20130920,0,4425244.story
EPA Unveils Plan to Curb Emissions From New Coal Plants
Proposal Sets Up Fight With Companies
Wall Street Journal
By TENNILLE TRACY
The Environmental Protection Agency unveiled its proposal to limit
greenhouse gases from new coal-fired power plants, setting up a battle
with companies that say tougher standards require the use of costly and
largely unproven technology.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323308504579086983430436084.html
EPA proposes first-ever carbon controls on new power plants, but effect
'negligible'
By Associated Press,
WASHINGTON — Linking global warming to public health, disease and extreme
weather, the Obama administration pressed ahead Friday with tough
requirements to limit carbon pollution from new power plants, despite
protests from industry and Republicans that it would dim coal's future.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/proposal-to-curb-global-warming-pollution-from-new-power-plants-dims-coals-future/2013/09/19/0be18d20-219b-11e3-ad1a-1a919f2ed890_print.html
Challenges Await Plan to Reduce Emissions
NY Times
By MATTHEW L. WALD and MICHAEL D. SHEAR
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration's potentially pathbreaking proposal
for carbon emission limits on new power plants will face political and
legal challenges from opponents who argue that the technology needed has
not been close to being proven as the law requires.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/21/business/energy-environment/challenges-await-plan-to-reduce-emissions.html?ref=earth&_r=0&pagewanted=print
EPA releases draft rules to cut emissions from power plants
The Hill
By Julian Hattem - 09/20/13 09:25 AM ET
The Environmental Protection Agency on Friday released draft rules that
represent the first limits for carbon emissions from new power plants.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energyenvironment/323597-epa-chief-emissions-limits-wont-kill-coal-industry
Emissions regulations are central battle in Obama climate agenda
The Hill
By Julian Hattem and Ben Goad - 09/23/13 06:00 AM ET
If the Obama administration's proposed limits on greenhouse gas emissions
from new power plants become law, they would represent the first major
victory for the president on his second-term climate plan. But opponents
are not ready to roll over.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energyenvironment/323785-new-emissions-regulations-are-central-battle-in-obama-climate-agenda
EPA used disputed carbon metric to develop power plant rules
The Hill
By Julian Hattem - 09/20/13 10:17 AM ET
The Obama administration used a controversial estimate of the monetary cost
of carbon pollution to develop limits for greenhouse gas emissions from new
power plants.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energyenvironment/323605-epa-used-disputed-carbon-metric-to-develop-power-plant-rules-
Coal-state Democrats distance themselves from EPA
Politico
By: Andrew Restuccia
September 20, 2013 12:14 PM EDT
Coal-state Democrats wasted no time Friday in denouncing EPA's proposed new
greenhouse gas rule for power plants.
http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/coal-state-democrats-epa-97125.html
California law to regulate fracking signed by governor
Reuters
Fri, Sep 20 2013
By Sharon Bernstein
SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - California's first regulations on
fracking and related oil production practices will go into effect next year
in the most populous U.S. state under a bill signed into law on Friday by
Democratic Governor Jerry Brown.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/21/us-usa-california-fracking-idUSBRE98K00C20130921
Opinion
SUN HERALD | Editorial: Mississippi Legislature should slash all state
travel budgets by 50 percent
Published: September 21, 2013
Atipping point in the abuse of Mississippi taxpayers should have been
reached last month when the director of the state Department of
Rehabilitation Services sent himself and 16 of his employees to a
conference in New York City at a cost to taxpayers of about $30,000.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/09/21/4968154/sun-herald-editorial-mississippi.html?sp-tk=412485CC0E5CF1E8AB1DD07125C4C7EBD9E8711DBB489FB2E768D9261FB840A633168BCC6DB120EA035C0E76A149A9935A8D1BEBF081B059CB5BE52DF26DE96B92D8BB30685057C8496DD91108B4A001E4309B352369C2C10B1C45CCE27BC03E7D3AA7504081F3F72349298C1F4F0A23356BC730AB75FA64DF6E63854BFD79EE262DF4A0B69C17DC616F88B35BA75C1300FEE3A3A56A258852CB17DB862B22B1A588A64D
Press Releases
TORNADO DAMAGE REPORTED TO MEMA
PEARL – The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has received reports of
damage related to a cold front that moved through the state Friday and
Saturday.
Two counties have reported damage to MEMA:
* Adams: Damage to two homes.
* Smith: Damage to one home and one business.
The National Weather Service confirmed five tornadoes across the state
related to this event.
* Adams: An EF-2 tornado touched down in the Kingston area, damaging
two homes.
* Adams: An EF-1 tornado touched down in the eastern part of Adams
County.
* Rankin: An EF-1 tornado touched down in the eastern part of Rankin
County.
* Simpson: An EF-0 tornado touched down in the northeastern part of
Simpson County.
* Smith: An EF-1 tornado touched down in the Pineville area, damaging
one chicken house, one barn and one mobile home.
MEMA urges the public to report damages to your local Emergency Management
Agency. For a list of contact numbers for your county, visit
www.msema.org/local-ema<http://www.msema.org/local-ema>.
The public is encouraged to follow MEMA on Twitter and Facebook for
updates. For up-to-date information in real time, download the free MEMA
app on your iPhone or Android device. Just search for MEMA in the app
store.
###
EPA Proposes Carbon Pollution Standards for New Power Plants
Agency takes important step to reduce carbon pollution from power plants as
part of President Obama's Climate Action Plan
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today proposed
Clean Air Act standards to cut carbon pollution from new power plants in
order to combat climate change and improve public health. In addition, EPA
has initiated broad-based outreach and direct engagement with state,
tribal, and local governments, industry and labor leaders, non-profits, and
others to establish carbon pollution standards for existing power plants
and build on state efforts to move toward a cleaner power sector.
Today's proposal achieves the first milestone outlined in President Obama's
June 25 Memorandum to EPA on "Power Sector Carbon Pollution Standards," a
major part of the President's Climate Action Plan.
"Climate change is one of the most significant public health challenges of
our time. By taking commonsense action to limit carbon pollution from new
power plants, we can slow the effects of climate change and fulfill our
obligation to ensure a safe and healthy environment for our children," EPA
Administrator Gina McCarthy said. "These standards will also spark the
innovation we need to build the next generation of power plants, helping
grow a more sustainable clean energy economy."
Under today's proposal, new large natural gas-fired turbines would need to
meet a limit of 1,000 pounds of CO2 per megawatt-hour, while new small
natural gas-fired turbines would need to meet a limit of 1,100 pounds of
CO2 per megawatt-hour. New coal-fired units would need to meet a limit of
1,100 pounds of CO2 per megawatt-hour, and would have the option to meet a
somewhat tighter limit if they choose to average emissions over multiple
years, giving those units additional operational flexibility.
These proposed standards will ensure that new power plants are built with
available clean technology to limit carbon pollution, a requirement that is
in line with investments in clean energy technologies that are already
being made in the power industry. Additionally, these standards provide
flexibility by allowing sources to phase in the use of some of these
technologies, and they ensure that the power plants of the future use
cleaner energy technologies -- such as efficient natural gas, advanced coal
technology, nuclear power, and renewable energy like wind and solar.
In response to recent information and developments in the power sector and
more than 2.5 million public comments, including those from the power
sector and environmental groups, today's proposal sets separate standards
for new gas-fired and coal-fired power plants.
Power plants are the largest concentrated source of emissions in the United
States, together accounting for roughly one-third of all domestic
greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, nearly a dozen states have already
implemented or are implementing their own market-based programs to reduce
carbon pollution. In addition, more than 25 states have set energy
efficiency targets, and more than 35 have set renewable energy targets.
While the United States has limits in place for arsenic, mercury and lead
pollution that power plants can emit, currently, there are no national
limits on the amount of carbon pollution new power plants can emit.
In 2009, EPA determined that greenhouse gas pollution threatens Americans'
health and welfare by leading to long lasting changes in our climate that
can have a range of negative effects on human health and the environment.
Taking steady, responsible steps to cut carbon pollution from new and
existing power plants will protect children's health and will move us
toward a cleaner, more stable environment for future generations, while
supplying the reliable, affordable power needed for economic growth.
The agency is seeking comment and information on today's proposal,
including holding a public hearing, and will take that input fully into
account as it completes the rulemaking process. EPA's comment period will
be open for 60 days following publication in the Federal Register. In a
separate action, EPA is rescinding the April 2012 proposal.
Separately, EPA has initiated outreach to a wide variety of stakeholders
that will help inform the development of emission guidelines for existing
power plants. EPA intends to work closely with the states to ensure
strategies for reducing carbon pollution from existing sources are
flexible, account for regional diversity, and embrace common sense
solutions, allowing the United States to continue utilizing every fuel
source available. In accordance with the June 25 Presidential Memorandum,
EPA will issue proposed standards for existing power plants by June 1,
2014.
President Obama's Climate Action Plan, announced at Georgetown University
on June 25, 2013, takes steady, sensible, and pragmatic steps to cut the
harmful carbon pollution that fuels a changing climate, prepares our
communities for its impacts, while continuing to provide affordable,
reliable energy for Americans.
More information:
http://www2.epa.gov/carbon-pollution-standards
More information on President Obama's Climate Action Plan:
www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/image/president27sclimateactionplan.pdf
To hear an audio message on today's announcement from EPA Administrator
Gina McCarthy: http://go.usa.gov/DUSG
