9/19/14
State
Grant could help Cherokee neighborhood residents monitor air
Sun Herald
BY TAMMY LEYTHAM
PASCAGOULA -- After years of dealing with thick dust, strong, acrid smells
and health problems, residents of a southeast Pascagoula neighborhood may
soon know what's in their air.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/09/18/5807968_grant-could-help-cherokee-neighborhood.html?sp=/99/100/&rh=1
New bio mass technology on display for Wayne County poultry farmers
WDAM
Wayne County poultry farmers are getting a look at a new alternative energy
technology which uses wood industry waste to heat chicken houses.
http://www.wdam.com/story/26568828/new-bio-mass-technology-on-display-for-wayne-county-poultry-farmers
Building artificial dunes, what works?
WLOX
As Sand Beach crews continue their efforts to battle erosion on the beach,
officials are also looking at some techniques used previously. You may
recall last winter an artificial dune was built on the beach in Gulfport.
http://www.wlox.com/story/26567225/building-artificial-dunes
1 fired after auditor's probe into Jackson County Sheriff's Department,
involves disposal of diesel
Mississippi Press
April M. Havens
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- The state auditor's investigation into the
Jackson County Sheriff's Department involves the improper disposal of
diesel fuel and resulted in one employee being fired, Sheriff Charles Britt
said today.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2014/09/auditors_investigation_into_ja.html#incart_river
Oil Spill
Agency can look at rig owner's role in oil spill
The Associated Press
September 18, 2014 at 6:34 PM
A federal appeals court in New Orleans has upheld a federal safety board's
right to investigate the role of Transocean Deepwater Drilling Corp. in the
2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster.
http://www.nola.com/news/gulf-oil-spill/index.ssf/2014/09/agency_can_look_at_rig_owners.html#incart_river
National
Ag commissioners petition for withdrawal of Waters of the U.S. Rule
by MBJ Staff
Published: September 18,2014
JACKSON — At the annual meeting of the National Association of State
Departments of Agriculture (NASDA), NASDA members, which include
Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Cindy Hyde-Smith,
unanimously called on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers to withdraw the proposed Waters of the U.S. Rule.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2014/09/18/ag-commissioners-petition-withdrawl-waters-u-s-rule/
Beer fight brewing over EPA rule
The Hill
A battle is brewing in the beer industry over a new regulation from the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that spells out the agency's
authority to regulate bodies of water.
http://thehill.com/regulation/energy-environment/218249-beer-fight-brewing-over-epa-rule
Ninety percent of EPA stimulus funding for diesel reduction program
misspent
Fox News
Over 90 percent of funding for a diesel reduction program paid for by the
stimulus law was misspent, according to a report by the Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Inspector General (OIG).
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/09/18/ninety-percent-epa-stimulus-funding-for-diesel-reduction-program-misspent/
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Opinion
SUN HERALD | Editorial: CMR snubs its scientists
Despite evidence from scientists at the Department of Marine Resources that
supported just a one-week oyster harvesting season, one member of the
Commission on Marine Resources talked his colleagues into unanimously
scheduling a harvest that could stretch into winter.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/09/18/5807059/sun-herald-editorial-cmr-snubs.html?sp=/99/728/
Press Releases
Southeast Diesel Collaborative Leadership Award Winners Announced
Contact Information: Jason McDonald, (404) 562-9203 (Direct), (404)
562-8400 (Main) mcdonald.jason@epa.gov
ATLANTA – This week at the Southeast Diesel Collaborative (SEDC) 9th Annual
Partners Meeting in Atlanta, GA, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) Region 4 Regional Administrator Heather McTeer Toney and Office of
the EPA Administrator Acting Senior Advisor on Environmental Justice
Mustafa Ali, on behalf of the SEDC, presented the SEDC Leadership Awards to
the 2013 winners. The SEDC Leadership Awards recognize exemplary
achievements improving air quality where we live, learn, work, and play by
reducing diesel emissions. The awardees are:
Holmes Company of Jackson, Inc., Richland, Mississippi - SEDC Industry
Leadership Award for
· Significantly reducing diesel emission rates for the overall fleet by
13.9% in total,
· Equipping 10 tractor trailer units with battery air conditioner units
during 2013, increasing the use of these units to nearly 25% of their
current fleet,
· Educating their employees and business partners on benefits of
improving the environment for their company.
DeKalb County, Georgia Sanitation Department - SEDC Community Leadership
Award for
· Reducing emissions from vehicles serving DeKalb County communities by
adding 24 compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles to their fleet in
2013, bringing their current total to 72 vehicles, significantly
decreasing overall fuel costs for the fleet,
· Operating a landfill methane gas collection and processing facility
to lower emissions and provide renewable natural gas via pipeline to
supply six CNG fueling stations in DeKalb County,
· Opening its own CNG refueling station at Seminole Road Landfill in
October 2012 to collect waste gas to use in their own vehicles that
collect and handle the garbage, promoting the business case for using
municipal waste as a renewable transportation fuel.
June Blotnick, Clean Air Carolina, Charlotte, NC - SEDC Visionary Champion
Leadership Award for
· Serving as Executive Director of Clean Air Carolina since 2005, where
she has been instrumental in the North Carolina Clean Diesel Program,
assisting school systems across the state in accessing federal and
state funds for school bus retrofits and promoting idle reduction
with the "Turn Off Your Engine" campaign,
· Promoting clean construction practices to over 300 hospitals, 200
colleges and universities, and multiple municipalities in NC,
including developing a toolkit of resources with the Clean Air Task
Force and working with construction companies on diesel pollution
impacts,
· Successfully collaborating with New Belgium Brewery in Asheville,
Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, City of Charlotte, North
Carolina Division of Air Quality, and others on use of cleaner
construction equipment, developing policies, and promoting projects
and opportunities for cleaner air.
The efforts by Holmes Company of Jackson, the DeKalb County, Georgia
Sanitation Department, and June Blotnick of Clean Air Carolina demonstrated
exemplary leadership in the use of latest clean diesel technologies, and
serve as a role model for others to follow in effective collaboration and
partnership to reduce diesel emissions.
This is the sixth year the SEDC Leadership Council has presented the
Leadership Awards to recognize exemplary projects in emissions reductions
in EPA Region 4. Nominated parties are judged on their effectiveness in
meeting the SEDC's goal to reduce emissions from existing diesel engines
and the work done in several sectors to reduce these emissions. Previous
years' winners include United Parcel Service, Coca Cola Enterprises, Ingram
Barge Company, Staples, Saddle Creek Logistics Services, North Carolina
Solar Center, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Miami-Dade
County, Florida Government, Alabama Department of Transportation, Georgia
Ports Authority, Kentucky Clean Fuels Coalition, and Mecklenburg County,
North Carolina GRADE Program.
Organized in early 2006 by EPA Region 4, the Southeast Diesel Collaborative
has enjoyed unprecedented success in bringing together over 900 partners
from federal, state and local governments, organizations, industry and
academia to reduce diesel engine emissions across the eight southeastern
states. Focused on promoting energy independence, a cleaner environment and
growing, sustainable economies, this partnership offers wide ranging health
and economic benefits to the public fleet, freight and non-road sectors.
The Southeast Diesel Collaborative is part of EPA's National Clean Diesel
Campaign, a program combining regulatory measures with voluntary
initiatives to reduce the pollution emitted from diesel engines across the
country. Visit the Southeast Diesel Collaborative website at:
www.southeastdiesel.org.
###
USDA Invests $68 Million in 540 Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
Projects Nationwide
Funding includes loan guarantees and grants for solar energy to create
jobs, promote energy independence and advance the use of renewable fuels
BUNN, N.C., Sept. 18, 2014 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today
announced that USDA is investing in 540 renewable energy and energy
efficiency projects nationwide.
"These loan guarantees and grants will have far-reaching impacts
nationwide, particularly in the rural communities where these projects are
located," Vilsack said. "Investing in renewable energy and energy
efficiency will continue the unprecedented increase in home-grown energy
sources and American energy independence we've seen in recent years. This
is creating jobs, providing new economic opportunities and leading the way
to a more secure energy future."
Secretary Vilsack made the announcement while in North Carolina to
highlight USDA's investments in rural renewable energy projects, as part of
the Obama Administration's 'all-of-the-above' energy strategy. It is the
most recent of a series of USDA actions to strengthen the country's energy
sector. Two weeks ago, Vilsack announced a $105 million loan guarantee to a
company that will produce jet fuel from municipal solid waste.
Today's funding is being provided through USDA Rural Development's Rural
Energy for America Program (REAP). REAP was created by the 2008 Farm Bill
and was reauthorized by the recently passed 2014 Farm Bill.
The announcement comes on a day when President Obama is announcing new
executive actions to further advance the development of solar technologies
across the country. These new investments in solar will reduce America's
energy consumption, cut carbon pollution by nearly 300 million metric tons
– equivalent to taking more than 60 million cars off the road for a year –
and save businesses nearly $45 billion on their energy bills. The renewed
effort to invest in solar energy also includes commitments from a broad
coalition of 50 public and private sector partners, including leading
industry, community development organizations and housing providers in 28
states. To learn more about this new Obama Administration initiative to
increase the use of solar power, visit the White House website.
"USDA is proud to play a key role in Obama Administration's efforts to
promote the use of solar technologies," Vilsack said. "Of the REAP projects
funded today, 240 projects are for solar investments of $5.2 million in
grants and $55.3 million in loans."
During Secretary Vilsack's trip to North Carolina, he visited Progress
Solar in Bunn, N.C., which received a $3.4 million REAP loan guarantee in
2012 for installation of a solar array. Progress Solar now produces enough
solar energy to power 540 average-sized homes each year. The 4.5 megawatt
array was developed by North Carolina-based O2 Energies, Inc. The Progress
Solar site is a dual-use solar power plant and a working farm where a 10th
generation farming family raises free range sheep and lambs. The project
serves as a test site for herd management best practices on a solar farm,
and the goal is to model future collaborative efforts that marry
solar-energy production with agriculture production. This is the seventh
solar farm venture that O2 Energies has developed in North Carolina.
In North Carolina alone, Vilsack announced $55.3 million in new REAP
program loan guarantees and grants for 22 solar energy projects. For
example, USDA is awarding a $3 million loan guarantee to Broadway Solar
Center, LLC to help finance a 5 megawatt solar array in Columbus County, a
$4.9 million loan guarantee for a similar project in Hertford County and a
$2.1 million guarantee for a project in Warren County.
In total, Vilsack announced $68 million in REAP loan guarantees and grants
today. Funding is contingent upon the recipients meeting the terms of the
loan or grant agreement.
Eligible agricultural producers and rural small businesses may use REAP
funds to make energy efficiency improvements or install renewable energy
systems including solar, wind, renewable biomass (including anaerobic
digesters), small hydroelectric, ocean energy, hydrogen, and geothermal.
Since the start of the Obama Administration, REAP has supported more than
8,800 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects nationwide. During
this period, USDA has provided more than $276 million in grants and $268
million in loan guarantees to agricultural producers and rural small
business owners.
President Obama's historic investments in rural America have made our rural
communities stronger. Under his leadership, these investments in housing,
community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural
America to continue leading the way – strengthening America's economy,
small towns and rural communities.
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