4.24.14
Oil Spill
Oil Spill Dissolving Wetlands
WKRG
New Orleans, LA -Four years after deepwater horizon a lot of the damage in
this part of Louisiana comes in what you don't see--and what you don't see
here is a lot of Cat Island. The island was once a vibrant place full of
birds according to members of the National Wildlife Federation. Today much
of it is below the surface. Mangroves are creepy fingers sticking up out
of the murky water.
http://www.wkrg.com/story/25314394/oil-spill-dissolving-wetlands
State
SCUA put on notice by MDA
Stone County Enterprose
By Jody O'Hara
Apr 17, 2014, 10:41
WIGGINS - Time is quickly running out for the Stone County Utility
Authority.
The Mississippi Development Authority, the grant administrator for the
Community Development Block Grants which funded the authority, has sent a
letter demanding completion of projects.
http://www.stonecountyenterprise.com/article_2106.shtml
Moss Point fights back against litter bugs with city cleanup
WLOX
MOSS POINT, MS (WLOX) -Moss Point is fighting back against litter bugs that
are trashing the city. The city is holding a city-wide clean up day
Saturday to help keep Moss Point beautiful.
http://www.wlox.com/story/25324884/moss-point-fights-back-aginst-litter-bugs-with-city-wide-cleanup
Moss Point Citywide Cleanup, Jackson County hazardous waste event set for
Saturday
Mississippi Press
April M. Havens
April 23, 2014 at 3:25 PM
MOSS POINT, Mississippi -- Two cleanup events will be held this weekend in
Jackson County, as Moss Point completes its last day of a citywide cleanup
and the county hosts Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day in Gautier.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2014/04/moss_point_citywide_cleanup_ja.html#incart_river
Ole Miss launches commitment to be 'climate neutral'
by MBJ Staff
Published: April 23,2014
OXFORD — The University of Mississippi has launched a campus-wide
commitment with the goal of making Ole Miss "climate neutral."
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2014/04/23/ole-miss-launches-commitment-climate-neutral/
Laurel Drug Take Back
WHLT
LAUREL, Miss - The Laurel Police Department wants you to drop off all of
your unused prescription drugs this Saturday at the police department for
their drug take back day.
http://www.whlt.com/story/25322527/laurel-drug-take-back
MCSO participates in Drug Take Back Initiative
Monroe Journal
by Ray Van Dusen | 12:00 pm | April 23, 2014
ABERDEEN – The Monroe County Sheriff's Office will take part in the
National Drug Take Back Initiative April 26 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.
http://monroecountyjournal.com/2014/04/23/mcso-participates-drug-take-back-initiative/
Prescription med drop-off returns Saturday
Itawamba County Times
by Adam Armour | 6:58 am | April 23, 2014
Prescription drug abuse is one of the state law enforcement's greatest
threats. That's why the proper disposal of prescription medications is so
important. On Saturday, the Fulton Police Department will be participating
in the National Take Back Initiative, an effort to collect and destroy old
prescription medications from around the county.
http://itawambatimes.com/2014/04/23/prescription-med-drop-returns-saturday/
Workshop guides direction for Livable Communities grant
Monroe Journal
by Ray Van Dusen | 6:30 am | April 24, 2014
ABERDEEN – A two day workshop last week began with a broad range of ideas
and ended with three goals to formulate an action plan for Aberdeen Main
Street's recently awarded Livable Communities federal grant. The grant,
awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Appalachian
Regional Committee and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was previously
awarded to nine different communities throughout Appalachia.
http://monroecountyjournal.com/2014/04/24/workshop-guides-direction-livable-communities-grant/
Gov. Bryant signs bill giving sportsmen annual tax holiday
Neshoba Democrat
JACKSON-Gov. Phil Bryant signed into law Senate Bill 2425, giving
Mississippi sportsmen an annual tax free holiday in September. The
Mississippi Second Amendment Weekend holiday will include sales tax
exemption on individual sales of firearms, ammunition, archery equipment
and certain hunting supplies.
http://neshobademocrat.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=297&ArticleID=32359
National
Tank car fleet inadequate for crude oil, rail industry says
BY CURTIS TATE
McClatchy Washington BureauApril 22, 2014
WASHINGTON — None of the tank cars currently in service carrying Bakken
crude oil is adequate for carrying that product, a rail industry
representative testified Tuesday, but until new federal regulations are
completed, the use of inadequate cars will continue.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2014/04/22/225235/tank-car-fleet-inadequate-for.html?sp=/99/200/260/
Rail safety effort marred by squabbling
BY JOAN LOWY
Associated Press
April 23, 2014
WASHINGTON — Spurred by a series of fiery train crashes, a push by
government and industry to make safer tank cars used for shipping crude oil
and ethanol has bogged down in squabbling and finger-pointing over whether
they're needed and if so, who should pay.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/04/23/5516922/rail-safety-effort-marred-by-squabbling.html?sp=/99/184/208/
Opinion
WLOX Editorial: Don't litter
The Renew our Rivers Program kicked off this week with a big turnout and
lots of good work by the 150 volunteers.
http://www.wlox.com/story/25320276/wlox-editorial-dont-litter
Press Releases
Deadline for Landowners Wanting 2014 Assistance in Planting Longleaf
Jackson, Miss— Landowners in Mississippi wanting to create or restore
Longleaf Pine stands can apply for financial assistance with the U.S.
Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
The Longleaf Pine Initiative is offered under the Environmental Quality
Incentive Program (EQIP) to landowners in central and southern Mississippi.
Applications for the Longleaf Pine program are taken on a continuous basis,
however to be considered for funding in the 2014 fiscal year, the deadline
is May 16, 2014.
The Longleaf Pine tree produces longer needles than other southern pines.
They provide valuable forest products, pine straw production, scenic
beauty, wildlife habitat and harbor many threatened and endangered species.
Longleaf Pines are more resistant than other southern pines to insect,
disease and fire. They can survive a prescribed burn at an earlier age.
Longleaf Pine tree nurseries have improved the quality of Longleaf
seedlings by producing a tree that reduces the amount of time needed for
the tree to grow out of the grass stage. These improvements allow the
Longleaf Pine to compete with the early growth rates of other southern pine
trees.
For additional information about the Longleaf Pine Initiative, visit
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/ms/programs/landscape/?cid=nrcs142p2_017188
To find your local NRCS office, visit
http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?state=MS&agency=NRCS.
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EPA Announces List of Top 100 U.S. Organizations Using Renewable Energy
Tech Sector Leads the Way
WASHINGTON -- Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s Green
Power Partnership released an updated list of the Top 100 organizations
that are choosing to use electricity from clean, renewable sources like
wind and solar power.
"By using green power, these companies and organizations are showing that
business can flourish while taking meaningful steps to reduce carbon
pollution," said Gina McCarthy, EPA Administrator. "Making cleaner choices
to power our communities, institutions and businesses reduces the pollution
that contributes to climate change, protects America's health and
environment, and supports continued growth in the green power sector."
Intel Corporation continues its seven-year run as the nation's largest
voluntary user of green power, meeting 100 percent of its electricity load
with renewable resources. Other technology companies in the top 10 include
Microsoft Corporation, Google Inc., and Apple Inc. Apple increased its
annual green power use by nearly 100 million kilowatt-hours (kWh), moving
from No. 11 to No. 8 on the list. In total, the combined green power usage
of these Top 100 Partners amounts to nearly 24 billion kWh annually, which
represents close to 83 percent of the green power commitments made by all
EPA Green Power Partners. The list is calculated based on annual green
power usage (in kilowatt-hours) by Green Power Partners.
The top 10 partners appearing on the Top 100 list include:
1. Intel Corporation (Santa Clara, Calif.)
2. Kohl's Department Stores (Menomonee Falls, Wis.)
3. Microsoft Corporation (Redmond, Wash.)
4. Whole Foods Market (Austin, Texas)
5. Google Inc. (Mountain View, Calif.)
6. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (Bentonville, Ark.)
7. Staples (Framingham, Mass.)
8. Apple Inc. (Cupertino, Calif.)
9. City of Houston, Texas
10. U.S. Department of Energy (Washington, D.C.)
In addition, for the eighth year in a row, EPA is encouraging increased
green power use among higher education institutions through the College and
University Green Power Challenge. Out of the 33 competing conferences, the
Big 10 is this year's conference champion, collectively using more than 309
million kWh of green power annually and avoiding carbon pollution equal to
that produced by the electricity use of more than 30,000 American homes.
The University of Pennsylvania continues to be the top individual school in
the challenge for the seventh year in a row, purchasing more than 200
million kWh of wind power annually - more green power than any of the 78
other competing schools.
EPA also recently announced that in support of President Obama's Climate
Action Plan, the Green Power Partnership is launching the On-site
Renewables Challenge, with a goal to double the use of on-site green power
by partners by the end of the decade. As part of the Challenge, EPA invites
partners to increase the amount of energy they produce and use from on-site
renewables by the end of the decade.
Green power is a subset of renewable energy and represents the renewable
energy resources and technologies that provide the highest environmental
benefit. EPA defines green power as electricity produced from solar, wind,
geothermal, biogas, eligible biomass, and low-impact small hydroelectric
sources.
As part of the EPA's Green Power Partnership, more than 1,200 organizations
are purchasing more than 28 billion kilowatt-hours of green power annually,
avoiding carbon pollution equal to that created by the electricity use of
more than 2.4 million American homes. The partnership provides quarterly
updated lists of partners using green power in the following categories:
retail, technology and telecommunications, local government, and K-12
schools, among others.
More on the Top 100 list and other Top rankings:
www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists
More on the 2013-14 EPA College & University Green Power Challenge
conference champions: www.epa.gov/greenpower/initiatives/cu_challenge.htm
More on the On-site Renewables Challenge:
www.epa.gov/greenpower/initiatives/onsite_challenge.htm
More on EPA's Green Power Partnership: www.epa.gov/greenpower
