9.26.13
Oil Spill
MPD investigates alleged BP oil spill scam
By Brian Livingston
The Meridian Star
MERIDIAN — Wednesday around noon, Meridian Police Department officers
and detectives converged on a home on North Hills Street after receiving
several reports about people at the home soliciting for personal
information and promising the residents they would get monetary
compensation from the nation's worst marine oil spill.
http://meridianstar.com/local/x862167322/MPD-investigates-alleged-BP-oil-spill-scam
State
Jackson: 'Elephant' in State Budget Room
Jackson Free Press
The Jackson Fire Department extinguished a fire in July at the Hinds County
Armory, located at the Mississippi Fairgrounds, property the state owns.
Jackson has also taken out millions of dollars in loans with the
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, and the loan repayments
have injected much-needed cash into the state treasury in the form of
interest.
http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2013/sep/25/jackson-elephant-state-budget-room/
Water advisory lifted in Long Beach
Sun Herald
The water contact advisory for Long Beach from Oak Gardens Avenue to South
Girard Avenue has been lifted by the Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/09/25/4980799/water-advisory-lifted-in-long.html
Scientists will hit Grand Bay Reserve
Sun Herald
In honor of National Estuaries Day, the Mississippi Department of Marine
Resources' Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, in southeast
Jackson County, will host a special Seaside with a Scientist adventure on
Saturday, Sept. 28, from 8 a.m. until noon.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/09/25/4981685/features-briefs.html
KiOR unveils Columbus II that will double production
by Associated Press
Published: September 26,2013
COLUMBUS — Texas-based KiOR Inc. has announced that it will double the
production capacity at its biofuels production facility in Columbus.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2013/09/26/kior-unveils-columbus-ii-double-production/
Ag secretary says MSU research on target
Clarion Ledger
STARKVILLE — Mississippi State University officials gave U.S. Secretary of
Agriculture Tom Vilsack a tour around campus Wednesday in a rare
opportunity to brief a sitting Cabinet member on significant research
projects.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130926/NEWS01/309260019/Ag-secretary-says-MSU-research-target
Regional
Minn. taking lead to reduce size of Gulf 'dead zone'
Baton Rouge Advocate
By AMY WOLD
For more than a decade, organizations and scientists working toward
reducing the size of the annual "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico have
shared a similar complaint: The dead zone remains largely unchanged and
states, left to their own devices, have done little to make significant
improvements.
http://theadvocate.com/home/7155348-125/minnesota-taking-lead-to-reduce
EPA says US falls short in shrinking dead zone
AP
The U.S. is falling short of its goals to cut Mississippi River pollution
and shrink the dead zone it creates in the Gulf of Mexico.
Speaking in Minneapolis on Tuesday, Environmental Protection Agency
officials said states in the river's watershed need to accelerate efforts
to cut pollution from farm field runoff and discharges from sewage
treatment plants.
http://www.duluthnewstribune.com/event/apArticle/id/DA91G6U80/
National
EPA chief hits road to sell climate change rules
The Hill
By Ben Geman - 09/25/13 09:40 AM ET
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy is ramping up
her PR campaign to win backing for carbon emissions limits for power
plants.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/e2-wire/324465-epa-chief-hits-road-for-climate-rule-sales-pitches
Obama Nominee for U.S. FERC in Jeopardy With Scott's 'No'
Bloomberg
By Brian Wingfield - Sep 26, 2013
Senator Tim Scott will vote against President Barack Obama's nominee to
lead the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, virtually erasing the
possibility of a Senate panel approving the nomination.
Scott, a South Carolina Republican, "is now a 'no' vote on the nomination"
of Ron Binz, Greg Blair, the senator's spokesman, said yesterday in an
e-mail.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-25/obama-nominee-for-u-s-ferc-in-jeopardy-with-scott-s-no-.html
Opinion
Settlement loophole in tax law could help BP
Daily Comet
Francisco Enriquez and Phineas Baxandall
Published: Tuesday, September 24, 2013 at 6:26 p.m.
At the top of every Google search for "BP oil spill" is a sponsored link
from BP that trumpets how much it has done for Gulf residents since its
Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in 2010, killing 11 workers and dumping
over 200 million gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.dailycomet.com/article/20130924/ARTICLES/130929716?Title=Settlement-loophole-in-tax-law-could-help-BP
Wireless system: Skip the bickering
Jimmie Gates
Clarion Ledger
Immediately after Katrina struck the Mississippi Gulf Coast eight years
ago, the only way emergency officials could communicate was by writing
notes and having them hand delivered.
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130926/COL0603/309260022/Wireless-system-Skip-bickering?odyssey=mod|
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Press Releases
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|Secretary Vilsack Announces Projects in 22 States to Improve Farm, Ranch and|
| Rural Business Energy Efficiency and Generation |
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|WASHINGTON, Sept. 25, 2013 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today |
|announced funding for projects in 22 states that will help agricultural |
|producers and rural small businesses reduce their energy consumption and |
|costs. Funding will also allow producers to use renewable energy |
|technologies in their operations and conduct feasibility studies for |
|renewable energy projects. Grant and loan funding is made available through |
|the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Energy for America Program|
|(REAP), which is authorized by the 2008 Farm Bill. Acting Under Secretary |
|for Rural Development Doug O' Brien made the announcement on behalf of the |
|Secretary. |
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|"REAP continues to help farmers and rural businesses reduce their energy |
|consumption and by doing so, improve the bottom line of their operations," |
|O'Brien said. "This important Farm Bill program and others like it would not|
|be available without a comprehensive Food, Farm and Jobs Bill." |
| |
| |
|REAP helps producers reduce energy costs and increase efficiency. For |
|example: |
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| · Weber Land LLC in Halstead, Kan., will use a $26,000 REAP grant to |
| help purchase three energy-efficient electric irrigation systems that |
| will replace an out-of-date and inefficient diesel system. The new |
| systems will better irrigate 490 acres and is projected to reduce |
| current energy usage by 74 percent annually. |
| |
| |
| · Casa de San Pedro B&B, LLC in Hereford, Ariz., will use a $41,000 |
| grant to assist with the installation of ground-mounted solar panels. |
| Once operational, the bed and breakfast is expected to eliminate 83 |
| percent of its current electricity costs. |
| |
| |
| · In New York, 18 maple syrup producers will use more than $132,000 in |
| REAP funds to purchase reverse osmosis systems, evaporators and |
| preheaters to improve the energy efficiency of their operations. By |
| utilizing these new technologies and practices, producers will reduce |
| the amount of energy consumed by approximately 75 percent during the |
| production process. |
| |
| |
|Under the terms of REAP, up to 25 percent of eligible project costs can be |
|funded through a grant, and additional support can be provided in the form |
|of a loan guarantee. Since the start of the Obama Administration, REAP has |
|helped fund nearly 8,000 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects |
|nationwide. |
| |
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|REAP offers financial assistance to farmers, ranchers and rural small |
|businesses to purchase and install renewable energy systems and make energy |
|efficiency improvements. These federal funds leverage other private funding |
|sources. REAP also helps the conservation of natural resources and the |
|development of new forms of energy that reduce America's dependence on |
|fossil fuels and creates a stronger rural economy. Follow this link to view |
|the complete list of recipients announced today under the REAP program. |
| |
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|Today's REAP announcement helps support the June 2013 announcement of |
|President Obama's Climate Action Plan, which outlines a comprehensive |
|approach to reduce carbon pollution and better prepare the United States for|
|the impacts of climate change. USDA continues helping rural America innovate|
|to lead the world against modern climate challenges, and a summary of the |
|USDA's efforts are available at www.usda.gov/climatesolutions. |
| |
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|More information about USDA's role and accomplishments in renewable energy |
|can be found here: www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=ENERGY |
|featuring access to agricultural, forestry, economic, and socio data on |
|energy through several web-based tools: the USDA Renewable Energy Investment|
|Map, the Renewable Energy Tool and Energy Matrix. These tools focus on |
|USDA's investments and projects for energy, energy efficiency, and |
|conservation programs; provides information and data to a broad spectrum of |
|stakeholders, including: farmers, ranchers, forest landowners, managers, |
|lenders, community developers, related companies, small businesses, |
|researchers, developers, and federal, state and local government agencies. |
| |
| |
|President Obama's plan for rural America has brought about historic |
|investment and resulted in stronger rural communities. Under the President's|
|leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses |
|and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way |
|- strengthening America's economy, small towns and rural communities. |
| |
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|USDA, through its Rural Development mission area, has a portfolio of |
|programs designed to improve the economic stability of rural communities, |
|businesses, residents, farmers and ranchers and improve the quality of life |
|in rural America. USDA has made a concerted effort to deliver results for |
|the American people, even as the Department implements sequestration - the |
|across-the-board budget reductions mandated under terms of the Budget |
|Control Act. |
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|USDA has already undertaken historic efforts since 2009 to save more than |
|$828 million in taxpayer funds through targeted, common-sense budget |
|reductions. These reductions have put USDA in a better position to carry out|
|its mission, while implementing sequester budget reductions in a fair manner|
|that causes as little disruption as possible. |
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