6.20.14
Oil Spill
Park Service dive team scans Gulf for lingering BP oil
Pensacola News Journal
A specialized National Park Service dive team was in the Gulf on
Thursday morning searching for lingering BP oil.
http://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/environment/2014/06/19/dive-team-search-bp-oil/11005075/
UM study finds oil from BP spill impedes fish's swimming
Miami Herald
By Jenny Staletovich
In a lab on Virginia Key, a group of baby fish are being put through their
paces on a tiny fish treadmill.
http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/06/19/4189064/um-study-finds-oil-from-bp-spill.html
State
Michael Janus Speaks Out About the Truth of the Case
WXXV
Former State Senator and D'Iberville City Manager, Michael Janus, will soon
be heading to prison to serve a 21 month sentence after pleading guilty to
charges of defrauding the government. Janus has been making headlines for
the last 16 months with his involvement in a federal case against him and
the former executives of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.
http://www.wxxv25.com/news/local/story/Michael-Janus-Speaks-Out-About-the-Truth-of-the/5s_fe0-ANEWPFMHi6kmk7A.cspx
Groundworx sues Hattiesburg
WDAM
HATTIESBURG, MS (WDAM) -After months of controversy among the Hattiesburg
City Council regarding the wastewater facility, Groundworx filed suit in
chancery court Thursday for a breach of contract.
http://www.wdam.com/story/25821287/groundworx-sues-hattiesburg
Groundworx files civil suit against Hub City
Hattiesburg American
In January, the City of Hattiesburg seemed to be moving forward on
cleaning up its problematic wastewater system.
Thursday afternoon, however, that situation turned even murkier.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/2014/06/19/groundworx-files-suit-hattiesburg/11030971/
Judge: Mississippi Development Authority study on offshore drilling
`severely lacking'
The Associated Press
June 19, 2014 at 7:25 PM
JACKSON, Mississippi -- A Hinds County judge says the state must write a
better economic impact statement on proposed offshore natural gas and oil
exploration in parts of the Mississippi Sound before it can enact rules to
lease areas that could be drilled.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2014/06/judge_miss_development_authori.html#incart_river
Judge tosses MDA's offshore drilling plans for South Mississippi
Sun Herald
BY ANITA LEE
A chancery judge jettisoned regulations for offshore drilling in state
waters, finding the Mississippi Development Authority failed to complete
any meaningful study of the economic impact.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/06/19/5658910/offshore-drilling-in-state-waters.html?sp=/99/100/&ihp=1
Where Debris Goes After Clean Up
WCBI
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) — Nearly two months after Lowndes County's 5
tornadoes touched down, debris clean up continues at Columbus's landfill.
http://www.wcbi.com/wordpress/video-where-debris-goes-after-clean-up
Study ranks Mississippi last in building 'new economy'
Clarion Ledger
A nonpartisan think tank has again ranked Mississippi last among all
U.S. states in achieving the organization's concept of a "new
economy" built around innovation, globalization and technology.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/money/business/2014/06/19/study-ranks-mississippi-last-building-new-economy/11032065/
Regional
Louisiana waterways among most polluted in nation, report says
Jennifer Larino
The Times-Picayune
June 19, 2014 at 5:44 PM
Louisiana's waterways are among the most polluted in the nation, with
industrial facilities releasing more than 12.6 million pounds of toxic
chemicals into rivers, bayous and other waters in 2012, according to a
report released Thursday (June 19) by the Environment America Research and
Policy Center.
http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2014/06/louisiana_waterways_among_most.html#incart_river
National
Coal state lawmakers concerned about new carbon rules
BY JOHN MORITZ
McClatchy Washington BureauJune 19, 2014
WASHINGTON — Republican lawmakers from states reliant on coal production
and coal-powered energy challenged a top administration official Thursday,
questioning the legality and effects of new standards to reduce carbon
pollution through the nation's power plants.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/06/19/5659288/coal-state-lawmakers-concerned.html?sp=/99/102/
House GOP grills EPA official in first hearing on new carbon rule
The Hill
House Republicans on Thursday grilled a top Environmental Protection Agency
official in the first hearing on the administration's new standards for
reducing carbon pollution from existing power plants.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/209952-gop-starts-climate-war-in-first-hearing-on-carbon-rules
30 GOP senators sponsor bill to stop EPA's water rule
The Hill
Thirty Republican senators signed onto legislation Thursday to stop the
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) attempt to redefine its
jurisdiction over land and water under the Clean Water Act.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/209997-30-gop-senators-sponsor-bill-to-stop-epas-water-rule
Texas Tries Last-Ditch Attack on Super Weed
State Seeks EPA Permission to Use Controversial Herbicide to Battle Pigweed
Wall Street Journal
The Environmental Protection Agency is weighing an emergency request by
Texas regulators to allow cotton farmers to deploy a controversial
herbicide, marking a new front in the war on "super weeds" that has divided
agricultural groups and environmentalists.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/texas-tries-last-ditch-attack-on-super-weed-1403221544
Press Releases
COCHRAN, WICKER BACK BILL TO STOP EPA "WATERS OF THE U.S." REGS
Miss. Senators Cosponsor Bill to Stop EPA-Army Corps Regulatory Scheme
WASHINGTON –U.S. Senators Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.)
today cosponsored legislation to stop a far-reaching regulatory scheme that
would expand the federal government's regulation of water sources.
Cochran and Wicker are supporting legislation to prohibit the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers from finalizing its
"Waters of the United States" (WOTUS) regulatory proposal. The rule,
unveiled in February, is intended to clarify the definition of waters
subject to government oversight under the Clean Water Act.
"The Waters of the United States rule fits the model set by federal
agencies during the Obama administration. In this case, it amounts to a
brazen attempt by the federal government to extend its power over virtually
all water sources. The public, the agriculture sector, homebuilders and
other industries are right to be alarmed by this proposal. This rule needs
to be stopped," Cochran said.
"A Washington takeover of our state's streams, ditches, ponds, and wetlands
could have harmful consequences for our economy and pose major challenges
for Mississippians," Wicker said. "This federal intrusion could even force
the more than 15,000 beef producers in Mississippi to seek federal
permission to graze their cattle near a mud hole or pond. Like many of our
state's landowners, small businesses, and municipalities, I am opposed to
this extreme example of the Obama Administration's regulatory overreach."
The legislation cosponsored by the Mississippi Senators would stop a joint
EPA-Army Corps regulatory proposal, which was intended to clarify a
so-called guidance document issued by the two agencies to expand the scope
of the Clean Water Act. Since its rollout, however, it is clear that the
WOTUS plan would effectively eliminate the "navigable waters" provisions of
the Clean Water Act that limits federal authority. Instead, the new
proposal would greatly expand government regulatory and permitting control
to streams, creeks, wetlands, ponds and ditches.
In addition to stopping the EPA and Army Corps from finalizing the WOTUS
rule, the legislation would also prevent the agencies from using the
proposed rule or any substantially similar rule or guidance document in any
other rulemaking or regulatory decision.
The bill was authored by Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). In addition to
Cochran and Wicker, it is cosponsored by Senators Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.),
David Vitter (R-La.) John Cornyn (R-Texas), John Thune (R-S.D.), Jim Risch
(R-Idaho), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Jim Inhofe
(R-Okla.), Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), Pat Toomey
(R-Pa.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Deb Fischer
(R-Neb.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.),
Dean Heller (R-Nev.), Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Mike
Lee (R-Utah), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Roy Blunt
(R-Mo), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Mike Johanns (R-Neb.), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas).
For years, Wicker and Cochran have been critical of the EPA's initial
guidance document as an attempt to get around the more rigorous rule making
process that requires public input and stricter scrutiny. The Mississippi
Senators cosponsored the Preserve the Waters of the U.S. Act (S.1006) to
prevent the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers from using the guidance
document, finalized in February 2012, to change legal responsibilities
under the Clean Water Act.
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