6/17/14
State
Bryant, other GOP govs. oppose Obama energy regs
Clarion Ledger
Gov. Phil Bryant is joining other GOP governors in calling for
President Obama to scrap proposed regulations on greenhouse gas
emissions and what types of energy plants can be built and operated
in states.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/politicalledger/2014/06/16/bryant-energy-obama-greenhouse-politics/10630625/
Bill Walker gets maximum prison time in DMR fraud conviction
BY ANITA LEE & JUSTIN MITCHELL
SUN HERALDJune 16, 2014
HATTIESBURG -- Bill Walker walked out of federal court dry-eyed and without
comment after a federal judge sentenced him Monday to five years in prison
for public corruption.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/06/16/5653068/bill-walker-gets-maximum-prison.html?sp=/99/100/&ihp=1
Janus sentenced to 21 months on fraud conviction
Judge: Janus must pay with prison time for violating public trust
BY ANITA LEE AND JUSTIN MITCHELL
SUN HERALDJune 16, 2014
HATTIESBURG -- An attorney for former D'Iberville City Manager Michael
Janus argued in federal court Monday that he should be sentenced to house
arrest, but the judge decided Janus will serve 21 months in prison for
committing fraud against the government.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/06/16/5652893/janus-sentenced-to-21-months-on.html?sp=/99/100/&ihp=1
Janus tells his side of indictment: 'It's like a John Grisham novel. It
really is.'
Sun Herald
BY MARY PEREZ
For months, former state representative and D'Iberville City Manager
Michael Janus has kept quiet about many of the details of the investigation
and the legal battle that he said have taken his life savings, his
retirement and nearly his marriage. Janus said his indictment left him
almost bankrupt and ruined his reputation and career.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/06/16/5653143/janus-tells-his-side-of-indictment.html?sp=/99/100/&ihp=1
Former DMR director Bill Walker sentenced to 5 years in prison, Janus gets
21 months
Mississippi Press
Warren Kulo
June 16, 2014 at 11:43 PM
HATTIESBURG, Mississippi -- Bill Walker, the former head of the Mississippi
Department of Marine Resources, was sentenced to the maximum of 5 years in
prison for his role in a public corruption case Monday afternoon here at
the William M. Colmer Federal Building in Hattiesburg for sentencing.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2014/06/former_dmr_director_bill_walke_1.html#incart_river
Harrison, Hancock counties awarded waste assistance
Sun Herald
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality awarded Harrison and
Hancock counties a solid waste assistance grant of $22,800 and $50,000,
respectively, for household hazardous waste collection programs.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/06/16/5653765/around-south-mississippi.html
Regional
Runoff data empowers farmers to do more, specialist says
Delta Farm Press
Forrest Laws
Mon, 2014-06-16 11:31
Steve Stevens was skeptical when specialists from the University of
Arkansas asked him to participate in a nutrient runoff monitoring program
as one of nine "Discovery Farms" in the state during the winter of
2012-2103
http://deltafarmpress.com/government/runoff-data-empowers-farmers-do-more-specialist-says
National
GOP governors: EPA carbon dioxide rules a job killer
The Associated Press
June 16, 2014 at 10:03 PM
Republican governors from oil-and-gas rich states -- including Gov. Bobby
Jindal -- said Monday that new federal rules designed to cut global warming
pollution from power plants by 30 percent by 2030 will kill jobs and
growth.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry hosted Jindal, Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead and North
Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple in Houston.
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/06/bobby_jindal_joins_other_gop_g.html#incart_river
GOP govs press Obama to drop climate regs
The HIll
By Timothy Cama - 06/16/14 04:44 PM EDT
Nine Republican governors wrote to President Obama on Monday asking him to
withdraw the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposed carbon
pollution limits for power plants, saying the rules would cost millions of
jobs and billions of dollars.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/209520-9-gop-governors-press-obama-to-abandon-climate-regs
Accounting Changes Proposed for State, City Retiree-Benefit Plans
States, Cities Would Have to Add Liabilities to Balance Sheets, Many Plans
Could Look Weaker
Wall Street Journal
States and cities could be forced to report at least half a trillion
dollars of additional costs on their books under proposed rules that would
shine a harsher light on the growing expense of retired workers' health
insurance and other benefits.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/accounting-changes-proposed-for-state-city-retiree-benefit-plans-1402931878
Press Releases
Governor Bryant Pushes Back Against Obama Administration's Energy Policy
JACKSON—Gov. Phil Bryant has joined eight Republican governors in calling
on President Obama to dispose of regulations proposed by his administration
to greenhouse gas emissions by dictating to states what types of energy
generation they can build and operate.
"States are leading efforts in energy innovation and independence, creating
jobs in the process, yet this administration seeks to undo that success and
exercise its will above all else," Gov. Bryant said. "The Obama
Administration's overrreaching policies will cost American families in the
form of dramatically higher utility bills, lost job opportunities and
reduced energy independence."
"I will continue to push back against this president's failed policies, and
as chairman of the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission, I am working
to ensure that states continue to have a voice in the development of
national energy policy."
Excerpts from the letter:
In an unprecedented move, your GHG emissions plan would largely dictate to
the States the type of electricity generation they could build and operate.
In addition, you seek to essentially ban coal from the U.S. energy mix.
Your pursuit of this objective will heavily impact those of our states that
rely primarily on coal for electricity generation—such a decision should
not be made by unaccountable bureaucrats.
Although we are still examining the impacts of the GHG proposal released on
June 2 and the proposed expansion of WOTUS, we can confidently say that,
according to the best available data, millions of jobs will be lost and
billions of dollars will be spent over the coming decades in an effort to
comply with these and other federal regulations. And those numbers stand to
increase with every tightening of those standards – hitting particularly
hard working families, poor, and elderly.
Perhaps most disturbing is the fact that your Administration is content to
force Americans to bear these substantial costs where there are highly
questionable associated environmental benefits. In fact, your EPA
Administrator admitted during testimony to the U.S. Senate that there would
be no climate mitigation benefits to America pursuing unilateral action.
Moreover, in 2008, you personally guaranteed that under your energy plan,
"electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket." You admitted that your
energy plan would have the following impact: "[Energy industries] would
have to retrofit their operations—that will cost money. They will pass that
money onto consumers."
Mississippi Water Conservation Management Project Announced
The Mississippi Delta Sustainable Water Resources Task Force is proud to
announce a sign-up for the Mississippi Water Conservation Management
Project (MWCMP) through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
of the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).
The MWCMP was established as a result of a collaborative effort between the
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality and the Mississippi Delta Sustainable Water Resources
Task Force to incentivize the adoption of irrigation water management
practices. Practices eligible through MWCMP include Phaucet, pump timers,
Surge Valves, pump automation, soil moisture sensors, side inlet
irrigation, rice markers, water level sensors, Polyacrylamide (PAM) water
flocculent treatment systems, pumping plants, flowmeters, and other
practices.
"This is an excellent opportunity to help Mississippi producers voluntarily
conserve critical water supplies in the Mississippi Delta", stated Kurt
Readus, Mississippi NRCS State Conservationist.
The MWCMP is available in Bolivar, Carroll, Coahoma, Desoto, Grenada,
Holmes, Humphreys, Issaquena, Leflore, Panola, Quitman, Sharkey, Sunflower,
Tallahatchie, Tate, Tunica, Warren, Washington, and Yazoo. Owners and
operators of irrigated agricultural lands are eligible to apply for program
benefits offered through MWCMP. In order for a producer to be considered
for financial assistance, the land associated with a program application
must be located above the Mississippi River Valley Alluvial Aquifer. Only
producers who meet the Agriculture Act of 2014 eligibility requirements may
receive financial assistance through this program.
Producers can apply for financial assistance by contacting the NRCS office
in their local USDA Service Center. EQIP offers a continuous sign-up.
However, if requests for funding assistance exceed available funds,
applications will be funded based on NRCS ranking criteria. Therefore,
producers are urged to apply for MWCMP before June 30th to be considered
during the first ranking period. The Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality (MDEQ) will be documenting water savings provided by
MWCMP as well as associated water quality benefits.
"This is an excellent example of how the efforts of the Mississippi Delta
Sustainable Water Resources Task Force are yielding positive results to
address irrigation supplies in the Delta," stated Trudy Fisher, MDEQ
Executive Director.
The Mississippi Delta Sustainable Water Resources Task Force serves to
facilitate and foster the development and implementation of water resource
management strategies in the Yazoo-Mississippi Delta. The MDEQ-led Task
Force includes Delta Council, Delta F.A.R.M., Mississippi Farm Bureau
Federation, Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission, U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the
Yazoo-Mississippi Delta Joint Water Management District.
Mississippi Upper Black Creek Watershed Signup Announced
Jackson, Miss—The United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications for the Upper Black
Creek Watershed Initiative through the Environmental Quality Incentives
Program (EQIP). The NRCS and the United States Forest Service (USFS) are
partnering to improve the health and resiliency of the forest ecosystems
where public and private lands meet.
The project is part of the Joint Landscape Restoration Partnership which
will invest $1.3 million in Mississippi to help mitigate wildfire threats
to communities and landowners, protect water quality, water supply and
improve wildlife habitat for at-risk species. The eligible counties
include all or parts of the following: Jefferson Davis, Marion, Lamar,
Forrest, Perry, Pearl River, Stone, George and Jackson.
"NRCS is proud to partner with the USFS to provide financial assistance to
eligible landowners and operators to address the resource concerns in the
Upper Black Creek Watershed," stated Kurt Readus, State Conservationist for
NRCS in Mississippi.
Landowners and producers interested in participating in the Upper Black
Creek Watershed Initiative may apply at any time at their local United
States Department of Agriculture Service Center / NRCS office. The
application process is continuous; however, applications received by July
18, 2014 will be considered in the first ranking pool for financial
assistance.
For additional information on the 2014 Upper Black Creek Watershed
Initiative program, contact the NRCS Office in the eligible counties. To
locate your nearest NRCS office, visit;
http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app
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