5.28.14
State
Group concerned with air pollution encourages residents to attend town hall
meeting
Air-quality issues created by industry will be on agenda
BY KAREN NELSON AND TAMMY LEYTHAM
Sun Herald
May 27, 2014
PASCAGOULA -- The newly formed group Concerned Citizens of Cherokee is
urging residents who live in or around Ward 3 in southeast Pascagoula to
attend a town hall meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday at Ingalls Avenue Baptist
Church.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/05/27/5605022/group-concerned-with-air-pollution.html?sp=/99/100/&ihp=1
Abuses to end Lamar County public recycling program
Hattiesburg American
Lamar County's public recycling efforts will be phased out over the
next few weeks because of misuse and abuse of the
less-than-two-year-old program.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/lamar-county/0001/01/01/lamar-county-recycling/9643963/
Memorial Day visitors leave beach trashed in Waveland
WLOX
HANCOCK COUNTY, MS (WLOX) -Crews in Hancock County spent the day cleaning
up the mess left behind by locals and tourists who celebrated their
Memorial Day holiday on the beaches. So far, they've picked up enough
garbage to fill three large dumpsters. County leaders say it's time and
man-power that could have gone elsewhere.
http://www.wlox.com/story/25624782/memorial-day-visitors-leave-beach-trashed-in-waveland
Senators write letter to EPA administrator over regulations
by MBJ Staff
Published: May 27,2014
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Growing concern among farmers, ranchers, rural
communities and agriculture interests has led U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran
(R-Miss.) and Republican members of the Senate Agriculture Committee to
seek answers on a wide assortment of environmental regulations planned by
the Obama administration.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2014/05/27/senators-write-letter-epa-administrator-regulations/
Judge holds Pickering in contempt in DMR records case
Sun Herald
BY PAUL HAMPTON
GULFPORT -- A chancery court judge found Auditor Stacey Pickering and his
office in contempt of court for improperly withholding public records from
the Sun Herald and abusing the grand jury system in the process.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/05/27/5604566/judge-holds-pickering-in-contempt.html?sp=/99/100/&ihp=1
National
Obama will let states decide how to cut greenhouse gas emissions
BY SEAN COCKERHAM
McClatchy Washington Bureau
May 27, 2014
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is about to unveil the centerpiece of
his agenda to fight climate change, a much anticipated rule to slash the
emissions of planet-warming gases from power plants.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/05/27/5604171/obama-will-let-states-decide-how.html?sp=/99/102/
Report: EPA power plant rules may aid health
USA Today
As the Obama administration readies its proposal for limiting carbon
dioxide emissions from existing power plants, new research says
strong rules could offer health benefits by reducing air pollutants.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/05/27/epa-power-plant-rules-could-protect-health/9631491/
Supreme Court won't review EPA haze cases
The Hill
The Supreme Court Tuesday rejected an appeal of the Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA) haze reduction programs for Oklahoma and North
Dakota, leaving intact lower court rulings that found in the EPA's favor.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/207284-supreme-court-wont-review-epa-haze-case
Court Sides With EPA on Not Setting New Standard
WASHINGTON May 27, 2014 (AP)
By PETE YOST Associated Press
A federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that the Environmental Protection
Agency was justified in not establishing a new air quality standard for
acid rain.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/court-sides-epa-setting-standard-23881996
Oil lobby warns ozone rule will hurt businesses
The Hill
Prominent oil lobby American Petroleum Institute warned Tuesday that if the
administration tightens federal standards for smog, roughly 94 percent of
the U.S. would be "closed for business."
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/207293-oil-lobby-warns-ozone-rule-will-hurt-businesses
USDA Seeks Partnerships to Protect Soil, Water
By JOHN FLESHER AP Environmental Writer
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is teaming with businesses, nonprofits
and others on a five-year, $2.4 billion program that will fund locally
designed soil and water conservation projects nationwide, Secretary Tom
Vilsack said Tuesday.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/usda-seeks-partnerships-protect-soil-water-23879819
Angry mothers meet U.S. EPA over concerns with Roundup herbicide
Reuters
Tue, May 27 2014
By Carey Gillam
May 27 (Reuters) - Questions about Roundup, the world's most popular
herbicide, are on the agenda at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Tuesday when regulators meet with a group of mothers, scientists,
environmentalists and others who say they are worried about Roundup
residues found in breast milk.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/27/monsanto-roundup-epa-idUSL1N0OD0KQ20140527
Opinion
SUN HERALD | Editorial: DEQ should share warnings about air quality
May 27, 2014
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality regularly and routinely
issues advisories about water quality, especially along the shoreline of
the Coast. The DEQ should be just as forthcoming about problems with air
quality on the Coast.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/05/27/5604765/sun-herald-editorial-deq-should.html?sp=/99/728/
Press Releases
COCHRAN: FOREST RESTORATION FUNDS BUILT INTO FY2015 AG BILL
Senate Appropriations Committee Moves to Aid Tornado Relief Efforts in
Mississippi
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), a senior member of
the Senate Appropriations Committee, today reported that the Senate has
moved to replenish Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) emergency accounts that will be used to assist
Mississippians in recovering from recent tornado damage.
Cochran said the FY2015 Agriculture Appropriations Bill, which gained
Senate committee approval late last week, allots emergency funding to clear
out application backlogs and provide initial relief from the tornado
disasters. The bill provides $15 million to the FSA for the Emergency
Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) as major disaster funding to help land
owners restore forests and forest resources damaged by natural disasters.
"Early damage assessments show significant tornado damage and losses to
forested areas. The funding allocations in the bill are intended to ensure
that the FSA and NRCS have the resources to help Mississippi and other
areas where disastrous weather causes economic and ecological losses," said
Cochran, who helped craft the bill as a member of the Senate Agriculture
Appropriations Subcommittee.
Mississippi currently has one backlogged project requiring an estimated
$100,000 in EFRP funding. Overall, the FSA has an $8.75 million national
backlog for EFRP. The remaining $6.25 million in funding allotted in the
Senate bill would go toward landowner applications upon the assessment of
recent tornado damage.
In addition to the EFRP funding, the bill also provides $110 million for
the NRCS Emergency Watershed Protection Program and $11.7 million for the
FSA Emergency Conservation Program to help producers rehabilitate farmland
damaged by natural disasters such as tornadoes and hurricanes.
Cochran indicated that there is hope that the Senate will debate FY2015
appropriations bills in June and July.
###
EPA Adds Clothes Dryers to Energy Star Program, Increasing Energy
Efficiency of New Appliances
WASHINGTON –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today
the first-ever Energy Star label for clothes dryers. If all residential
clothes dryers sold in the U.S. meet these new requirements, the utility
cost savings will grow to more than $1.5 billion each year and more than 22
billion pounds of annual greenhouse gas emissions would be prevented.
Informed by extensive input from manufacturers, retailers, the U.S.
Department of Energy and environmental groups, the new specifications will
recognize a selection of highly efficient electric, gas, and compact dryers
that will use approximately 20% less energy than what is required by the
minimum efficiency standards effective in 2015. In 2013 alone, Americans,
with the help of Energy Star, saved $30 billion on their utility bills and
prevented greenhouse gas emissions equal to those of 38 million homes.
"The addition of clothes dryers expands the range of Energy Star products
to include one of the most energy-intensive home appliance not yet covered
by the program," said U.S. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. "Working with
industry on innovative approaches to address our changing climate, we are
helping consumers select more energy efficient appliances, save money and
reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
Over 80% of U.S. homes have a clothes dryer, and these appliances account
for approximately six percent of residential electricity consumption. Dryer
models that meet the new Energy Star requirements are likely to have
improved auto termination sensors, which help reduce energy use by more
effectively ending the drying cycle once clothes are dry. Among the more
efficient gas and electric dryers that will earn the Energy Star, consumers
should expect to encounter a promising new technology. Heat pump dryers
recapture the hot air used by the dryer and pump it back into the drum to
dry more clothes. By re-using most of the heat, it creates a heat pump
dryer that is more efficient and avoids the need for ducts leading heat out
of the laundry room.
This new Energy Star specification also establishes optional "connected"
criteria for residential clothes dryers. Energy Star dryers with connected
functionality will offer consumers convenience and energy-savings features,
such as an alert indicating there is a performance issue or feedback to
consumers on the energy-efficiency of different cycle selections. These
products will also be "smart grid" ready, meaning they will give consumers
the option to connect their dryer with their local utility to save money on
their energy bills, where those services are offered, and also facilitate
broader electric power system efficiency.
To earn the Energy Star label, products must be certified by an
EPA-recognized third party, based on testing in an EPA-recognized
laboratory. In addition, manufacturers of the products must participate in
verification testing programs operated by recognized certification bodies.
Products, homes and buildings that earn the Energy Star label prevent
greenhouse gas emissions by meeting strict energy efficiency requirements
set by the U.S. EPA. From the first Energy Star qualified computer in 1992,
the label can now be found on products in more than 70 different
categories, with more than 4.5 billion sold over the past 20 years. Over
1.5 million new homes and 23,000 office buildings, schools and hospitals
have earned the Energy Star label.
Learn more: http://www.energystar.gov/products/specs/node/117
