10/31/13
Oil Spill
"Operation 111" Aims to Ensure Gulf Restoration Money Will Actually Help
the Gulf
Field and Stream
By Bob Marshall
Honey, as we all know, attracts bears. But it also attracts flies, ants,
roaches and plenty of other things we don't really want around.
http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/conservationist/2013/10/operation-111-aims-ensure-gulf-restoration-money-will-actually-help-gu
Top Interior official on offshore drilling to move posts
The Hill
By Laura Barron-Lopez
A top Interior Department official brought on in the aftermath of the BP
Deepwater Horizon oil spill is leaving his post, The Houston Chronicle
reports.
http://thehill.com/blogs/e2-wire/188693-top-interior-official-on-offshore-drilling-to-move-posts
State
MS buys 2,500 acres of mostly Hancock Co. marshland
WLOX
HANCOCK COUNTY, MS (WLOX) -If you are a Mississippian, congratulations on
being the new owner of nearly 2,500 acres of land in Hancock County.
http://www.wlox.com/story/23830837/ms-buys-2500-acres-of-mostly-hancock-co-marshland
Mississippi acquires nearly 2,500 acres of Hancock County marshland
Mississippi Press
April M. Havens
October 30, 2013 at 2:17 PM
To help guarantee the preservation of Mississippi's natural resources,
Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann announced today the acquisition of
2,483 acres of pristine marshland at the mouth of the Pearl River in
Hancock County.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2013/10/mississippi_acquires_nearly_25.html#incart_river
State acquires marshland in Hancock County
Sun Herald
By ROBIN FITZGERALD — rfitzgerald@sunherald.com
GULFPORT -- Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann has announced the
acquisition of 2,483.5 acres in southwest Hancock County in a purchase that
aims to preserve the culture and environment of the coastal region and
maintain it for public use.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/10/30/5071838/state-acquires-marshland-in-hancock.html
Mississippi's wetlands grows
By Jennifer Lenain
The Picayune Item
HANCOCK COUNTY — The state of Mississippi acquired 2,483 acres of marshland
at the mouth of the Pearl River in Hancock County on Wednesday.
http://picayuneitem.com/local/x134994144/Mississippis-wetlands-grows/?state=taberU
PSC to fight EPA on new rules
DeSoto Times
Published: Thursday, October 31, 2013 1:05 AM CDT
Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley recently won a 2-1 vote on the
Mississippi Public Service Commission to fight the Environmental Protection
Agency's newest rounds of federal regulations aimed at the American coal
industry and traditional coal power generation.
http://www.desototimes.com/articles/2013/10/31/news/doc5271aac2b132c190396861.txt
Then & Now: Hercules' Hattiesburg facility
Hattiesburg American
Before building a Hattiesburg plant in the 1920s, California Powder Works
renamed itself Hercules to emphasize the potency of the explosive black
powder it produced.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/article/20131031/NEWS01/310310009/Then-Now-Hercules-Hattiesburg-facility
Sonar reveals full picture of underwater debris near bridge
WLOX
BILOXI, MS (WLOX) -A 15 foot long piece of concrete is hiding just two feet
below the water's surface near the Biloxi-Ocean Springs Bridge. That's what
a crew from the Department of Marine Resources discovered Wednesday using a
sidescan sonar. There's also a bit of rebar in the water.
http://www.wlox.com/story/23834890/sonar-reveals-full-picture-of-underwater-debris-near-bridge
Judge will rule later in Sun Herald's lawsuit against DMR, state auditor
Sun Herald
By ANITA LEE — calee@sunherald.com
BAY ST. LOUIS -- After a day-long hearing closed to the public for several
hours, Chancery Judge Jennifer Schloegel said Wednesday she will rule later
on a public records lawsuit the Sun Herald filed in January against the
state Department of Marine Resources and State Auditor's Office.
http://www.sunherald.com/2013/10/30/5071695/sun-herald-in-court-asking-judge.html
National
AAA: New fuel regulations could increase gas prices at pump
The Hill
By Julian Hattem
New fuel regulations could drive up gas prices if they require car owners
to use a "potentially damaging" type of gasoline that could hurt cars'
engines, according to AAA.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/pending-regs/188391-aaa-new-fuel-regulations-could-increase-gas-prices-pump
Opinion
Propane industry wants a place in alternative-fuels debate
Clarion Ledger
Jeff Ayres
Use the word "propane" in front of people, and most of them may think of
the tanks containing the fuel long seen on the sides of houses and service
stations in rural areas.
But industry leaders say the fuel has a decidedly 21st century use and
purpose: as an alternative fuel source for companies losing thousands of
dollars each year running their vehicle fleets on gasoline or diesel.
http://blogs.clarionledger.com/theprofitmargin/2013/10/30/propane-industry-wants-a-place-in-alternative-fuels-debate/
Press Releases
State of Mississippi makes Significant Land Acquisition in Hancock County
Hancock Co., Miss.-Further guaranteeing the preservation of Mississippi's
natural resources, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann announced the
acquisition of 2483 acres of pristine marsh land located at the mouth of
the Pearl River in Hancock County.
"For the second time this year, we were able to acquire heritage properties
for the Tidelands Preserve on behalf of the State of Mississippi. The
Baldwin property was acquired with federal funding and private donations-no
State dollars were used to purchase this property," says Secretary of State
Delbert Hosemann. "Our Agency has been trying to purchase this property
for almost fifteen (15) years because of its high conservation value."
Formerly owned by the Baldwin family, the newly acquired land is located in
southwest Hancock County fronting the Pearl River for two (2) miles at the
junction with the Mississippi Sound.
"This property located in southwest Hancock County is a key acquisition for
the state of Mississippi and its residents," said Jamie Miller, Executive
Director of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources. "This pristine
marsh is in the Coastal Preserves and provides critical nursery habitat for
gulf seafood and acts as a buffer from storms. By owning it, we will be
better able to manage and enhance those functions."
The total purchase price of the Baldwin Property is $1,167,868.38. Funding
available for the purchase is as follows:
* Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP federal grant)
$554,758.38
* Nature Conservancy (dedicated to coastal preserve lands)
$613,110.00
The former owners of the Baldwin property also donated an additional
five-acre parcel valued at $310,000 to the acquisition.
The "Baldwin" property fills a gap between properties already owned by the
State and will be managed by the State of Mississippi as part of the
Mississippi Coastal Preserve System.
http://www.sos.ms.gov/news_press_release.aspx?id=544
