1.7.2014
Oil Spill
DEQ gearing up for Coastal restoration
Sun Herald
Trudy Fisher, executive director of the Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality, believes Coast residents will see more environmental
projects started in 2014 with millions coming into the state as a result of
the BP oil catastrophe.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/01/06/5238235/deq-gearing-up-for-coastal-restoration.html
Restore Escambia proposes criteria for spill projects
Restore Escambia: Money should be for the public good
Pensacola News Journal
Restore Escambia made its final presentation to the Escambia County RESTORE
Act Advisory Committee on Monday, laying out criteria it said should be
considered when the county moves forward with environmental and economic
projects to be paid for with BP oil spill penalties.
http://www.pnj.com/article/20140107/NEWS10/301070011/Restore-Escambia-offers-criteria-for-local-BP-oil-spill-RESTORE-Act-projects
State
Groups seek to stop Mississippi offshore drilling rules
BY JEFF AMY
Associated Press
January 6, 2014
JACKSON -- Environmental groups want a judge to stop rules setting a
framework for offshore gas and oil exploration in parts of the Mississippi
Sound.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/01/06/5238225/groups-seek-to-stop-mississippi.html
Coast Residents Opposed to Drilling Near the Barrier Islands
WXXV
The Sierra Club and Gulf Restoration Network are taking on the Mississippi
Development Authority (M.D.A.) in this ongoing legal battle. The Coast
groups have filed an appeal against the M.D.A.'s proposed rules for
offshore drilling, rules they say would open the door for oil companies to
build rigs as close as one mile off the shores of Mississippi's Barrier
Islands.
http://www.wxxv25.com/news/local/story/Coast-Residents-Opposed-to-Drilling-Near-the/OVTXwEfFekenusZshtfCIw.cspx
Jackson Co. gets waste assistance grant
The Associated Press
January 6, 2014
JACKSON, MISS. — The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has
awarded Jackson County a solid waste assistance grant of $29,640.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/01/06/5236285/jackson-co-gets-waste-assistance.html
Lafayette County gets solid waste grant
WTVA
JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) -- Lafayette County was awarded a solid waste
assistance grant totaling $17,880 from the Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/Lafayette-County-gets-solid-waste-grant/5qockDLVqUqHa003eWUnhg.cspx
$55,000 for Yalobusha County waste tire grant
WTVA
JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) -- Yalobusha County's waste tire collection program
will continue this year with an extra monetary boost.
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality awarded the county a
$55,953 grant to continue the program.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/55-000-for-Yalobusha-County-waste-tire-grant/O7XlAtYJSUqUiPw_r1W0GA.cspx
National
Agencies considering major chemical plant safety overhaul
The HIll
By Ben Goad
An interagency panel created to weigh new chemical safety regulations in
response to last April's deadly explosion in Texas is considering a major
overhaul of the way volatile substances are handled and stored, a new
federal document shows.
http://thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/energy-environment/194511-agencies-signal-major-chemical-plant-safety-overhaul
Press Releases
Governor Bryant Releases Statewide Strategic Plan
as Part of Push for Performance-Based Budgeting
JACKSON—A longtime advocate of accountable, performance-based budgeting,
Gov. Phil Bryant today released Opportunity Mississippi, a statewide
strategic plan that outlines the governor's goals for Mississippi and his
administration's progress toward them.
A statewide strategic plan is a critical component of performance-based
budgeting. A performance-based budget system would allocate money to
Mississippi's government agencies and programs based on measurable
performance against clearly defined goals.
"Since my time as state auditor, I have pushed for Mississippi to adopt a
performance-based budget model that allocates tax dollars to agencies and
programs based on results instead of politics, and this strategic plan is
an important step toward implementing such a system," Gov. Phil Bryant
said. "I am encouraged that the Legislature has expressed serious interest
in moving toward a more accountable budget system, and I look forward to
working closely with House and Senate leaders to develop a plan that is
right for Mississippi taxpayers."
The governor's strategic plan outlines four central goals for Mississippi,
which he outlined in his 2012 Inaugural Address. The goals include:
· building a future where every Mississippian has the opportunity to be
gainfully employed right here at home;
· building a future where every Mississippian has the opportunity to
learn from the best educational system we can offer;
· building a future where every Mississippian has the opportunity to be
born into a mature, two-parent home; and
· building a future where every Mississippian has the opportunity to be
sure his or her tax dollars are put to proper use.
Each goal includes specific policy objectives and accomplishments, as well
as benchmarks the governor has implemented to measure progress against his
four central goals. Benchmarks include:
· reducing unemployment to 7.5 percent by 2017;
· training 1,000 new doctors by 2025;
· documenting a 20 percent increase in literacy attainments for third
grade students by 2017;
· increasing the number of National Board Certified teachers 25 percent
by 2018 and enhancing their leadership roles in Mississippi schools;
· expanding the opportunity for merit pay to 70 percent of Mississippi
school districts by 2018;
· reducing the high school dropout rate 10 percent by 2017;
· reducing the number of teen pregnancies, ages 8-19 by 15 percent by
2017;
· adopting and implementing performance-based budget standards; and
· filling the Rainy Day fund to its statutory limit.
"When I took office, I committed to help build a future where all
Mississippians could rise together through increased economic prosperity,
improved public education, strengthened families and improved government
efficiency," Gov. Bryant said. "In just two years, we have already
accomplished so much. From our state's economic gains and recognitions to
the passage of transformational education reform, Mississippi is on the
move. We still have work to do, but our hard work is producing results, and
we are prepared to pursue our next opportunities."
Opportunity Mississippi is available for download at www.governorbryant.com
.
###
