3.26.14
State
Columbus Light & Water to KiOR: No more water
Commercial Dispatch
March 25, 2014 10:19:39 AM
William Browning
KiOR has been told not to release anymore wastewater from its facility into
the Columbus water system because of potential harmful materials that could
be present in the Texas-based alternative fuel company's discharge water.
http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=32114
Keep MS Beautiful plans largest cleanup in state
Bolivar Commercial
by Courtney Warren
03.25.14 - 05:32 pm
Keep Cleveland Beautiful, a group under the Cleveland-Bolivar County
Chamber of Commerce will hold a kickoff with Keep Mississippi Beautiful in
April and volunteers will cleanup and revamp specific areas in the city.
http://www.bolivarcom.com/view/full_story/24807095/article-Keep-MS-Beautiful-plans-largest-cleanup-in-state?instance=latest_articles
Miss. law could cut cost of getting public records
ASSOCIATED PRESS
March 25, 2014
JACKSON -- A new Mississippi law could decrease the amount of money people
pay to obtain public records.
Gov. Phil Bryant signed House Bill 928 on Monday, and it becomes law July
1.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/03/25/5445206/miss-law-could-cut-cost-of-getting.html?sp=/99/100/&ihp=1
National
EPA, Army Corps Propose New Rules Limiting Discharges
Aim to Put More Smaller Streams, Waterways and Wetlands Under Clean Water
Act
Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON—The Obama administration Tuesday proposed new rules aimed at
putting more small bodies of water and wetlands under Clean Water Act
protections, a move criticized by business groups, Republicans and a few
Democrats.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303949704579461333790986144?mg=reno64-wsj
EPA proposes greater protections for streams, wetlands under Clean Water
Act
Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin and Darryl Fears,
The Environmental Protection Agency proposed a rule Tuesday that would give
the federal government regulatory authority over millions of acres of
wetlands and about 2 million miles of streams.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/epa-proposes-greater-protections-for-streams-wetlands-under-clean-water-act/2014/03/25/4811cd36-b42c-11e3-b899-20667de76985_story.html
EPA Clarifies When Federal Water Permit are Required
Bloomberg
By Mark Drajem - Mar 25, 2014
The Obama administration proposed new rules to identify what waterways are
subject to federal regulation, adopting a revision that has been opposed by
farmers and builders.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-03-25/epa-clarifies-when-federal-water-permit-are-required.html
EPA: Oil spill affected half-mile of Lake Michigan
AP
March 25, 2014
WHITING, Ind. (AP) — Crews for oil giant BP worked Tuesday to clean up an
undetermined amount of crude oil that spilled into Lake Michigan and
affected about a half-mile section of shoreline near Chicago following a
malfunction at BP's northwestern Indiana refinery, officials said.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2014-03-25/bp-assesses-refinery-oil-spill-in-lake-michigan
Texas regulators taking over greenhouse gas permits from EPA
Dallas Morning News
Texas regulators are to vote Wednesday on issuing greenhouse gas permits to
new or expanding industries — something they loudly refused to do three
years ago.
http://www.dallasnews.com/news/state/headlines/20140325-texas-regulators-taking-over-greenhouse-gas-permits-from-epa.ece
EPA, Phillips 66 settle Clean Air Act violations
UPI
March 25, 2014 at 9:36 AM
Daniel J. Graeber
March 25 (UPI) -- March 25 (UPI) -- The Environmental Protection Agency
said refining company Phillips 66 agreed to pay $500,000 and take steps to
reduce pollution in gasoline to settle a claim.
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Energy-Resources/2014/03/25/EPA-Phillips-66-settle-Clean-Air-Act-violations/8021395753680/
Press Releases
EPA and Army Corps of Engineers Clarify Protection for Nation's Streams and
Wetlands
Agriculture's Exemptions and Exclusions from Clean Water Act Expanded by
Proposal
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers (Army Corps) today jointly released a proposed rule to
clarify protection under the Clean Water Act for streams and wetlands that
form the foundation of the nation's water resources. The proposed rule will
benefit businesses by increasing efficiency in determining coverage of the
Clean Water Act. The agencies are launching a robust outreach effort over
the next 90 days, holding discussions around the country and gathering
input needed to shape a final rule.
Determining Clean Water Act protection for streams and wetlands became
confusing and complex following Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006.
For nearly a decade, members of Congress, state and local officials,
industry, agriculture, environmental groups, and the public asked for a
rulemaking to provide clarity.
The proposed rule clarifies protection for streams and wetlands. The
proposed definitions of waters will apply to all Clean Water Act programs.
It does not protect any new types of waters that have not historically been
covered under the Clean Water Act and is consistent with the Supreme
Court's more narrow reading of Clean Water Act jurisdiction.
"We are clarifying protection for the upstream waters that are absolutely
vital to downstream communities," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy.
"Clean water is essential to every single American, from families who rely
on safe places to swim and healthy fish to eat, to farmers who need
abundant and reliable sources of water to grow their crops, to hunters and
fishermen who depend on healthy waters for recreation and their work, and
to businesses that need a steady supply of water for operations."
"America's waters and wetlands are valuable resources that must be
protected today and for future generations," said Assistant Secretary of
the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen Darcy. "Today's rulemaking will better
protect our aquatic resources, by strengthening the consistency,
predictability, and transparency of our jurisdictional determinations. The
rule's clarifications will result in a better public service nationwide."
The health of rivers, lakes, bays, and coastal waters depend on the streams
and wetlands where they begin. Streams and wetlands provide many benefits
to communities – they trap floodwaters, recharge groundwater supplies,
remove pollution, and provide habitat for fish and wildlife. They are also
economic drivers because of their role in fishing, hunting, agriculture,
recreation, energy, and manufacturing.
About 60 percent of stream miles in the U.S only flow seasonally or after
rain, but have a considerable impact on the downstream waters. And
approximately 117 million people – one in three Americans – get drinking
water from public systems that rely in part on these streams. These are
important waterways for which EPA and the Army Corps is clarifying
protection.
Specifically, the proposed rule clarifies that under the Clean Water Act
and based on the science:
· Most seasonal and rain dependent streams are protected.
· Wetlands near rivers and streams are protected.
· Other types of waters may have more uncertain connections with
downstream water and protection will be evaluated through a case
specific analysis of whether the connection is or is not protecting
similarly situated waters in certain geographic areas or adding to
the categories of waters protected without case specific analysis.
The proposed rule preserves the Clean Water Act exemptions and exclusions
for agriculture. Additionally, EPA and the Army Corps have coordinated with
the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop an interpretive rule
to ensure that 53 specific conservation practices that protect or improve
water quality will not be subject to Section 404 dredged or fill permitting
requirements. The agencies will work together to implement these new
exemptions and periodically review, and update USDA's Natural Resources
Conservation Service conservation practice standards and activities that
would qualify under the exemption. Any agriculture activity that does not
result in the discharge of a pollutant to waters of the U.S. still does not
require a permit.
The proposed rule also helps states and tribes – according to a study by
the Environmental Law Institute, 36 states have legal limitations on their
ability to fully protect waters that aren't covered by the Clean Water Act.
The proposed rule is supported by the latest peer-reviewed science,
including a draft scientific assessment by EPA, which presents a review and
synthesis of more than 1,000 pieces of scientific literature. The rule will
not be finalized until the final version of this scientific assessment is
complete.
Forty years ago, two-thirds of America's lakes, rivers and coastal waters
were unsafe for fishing and swimming. Because of the Clean Water Act, that
number has been cut in half. However, one-third of the nation's waters
still do not meet standards.
The proposed rule will be open for public comment for 90 days from
publication in the Federal Register. The interpretive rule for agricultural
activities is effective immediately.
More information: www.epa.gov/uswaters
Watch Administrator McCarthy's overview: http://youtu.be/ow-n8zZuDYc
Watch Deputy Chief of Staff Arvin Ganesan's explanation:
http://youtu.be/fOUESH_JmA0
