9/8/14
State
Neighbors: Report shows threat Pascagoula residents face from nearby
industry
Sun Herald
BY KAREN NELSON
PASCAGOULA -- An EPA inspector, during a tour of Mississippi Phosphates in
2009, walked through a puddle so acidic it ate leather off the inspector's
steel-toed boots.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/09/06/5785119_neighbors-report-shows-threat.html?rh=1
City to let water level up at Long Creek Reservoir
Meridian Star
By Terri Ferguson Smith
Sunday, September 7, 2014
A project to widen the dam at Long Creek Reservoir has been completed. A
concrete spillway was dug out of the dam and the spillway widened to more
than 77 feet at the bottom.
http://www.meridianstar.com/news/article_6d2b903c-3638-11e4-ae19-001a4bcf887a.html
MDEQ lifts Biloxi beach closure
WLOX
Officials with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
announced Friday that the beach closure in Biloxi between St. Peter Street
east to Dukate Street has been lifted.
http://www.wlox.com/story/26460251/mdeq-lifts-biloxi-beach-closure
What's going on in the suburbs?
Clarion Ledger
$32K grant to fund hazmat cleanup
A grant from the state will help Rankin County fund its next Spring
Cleanup Week. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
recently announced it awarded the county a $32,640 grant. The annual
event allows citizens to dispose of hazardous materials at 10
drop-off sites across the county, and it aims to curb illegal
dumping. The grant will assist Rankin County's efforts in improving
management of solid waste.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2014/09/06/going-suburbs/15223835/
Hooked Sea Turtles Heading Back to the Gulf
AP
Ten young sea turtles nursed back to health after swallowing anglers' hooks
are headed back into the Gulf of Mexico.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/hooked-sea-turtles-heading-back-gulf-25314917
26th Mississippi Coastal Cleanup is just around the corner
WLOX
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) -It's getting to be that time of year again.
Volunteers across the Mississippi Gulf Coast are gearing up to once again
participate in the state's largest cleanup effort.
http://www.wlox.com/story/26461238/26th-mississippi-coastal-cleanup-is-just-around-the-corner
Analysis: Questions give clues of budget narrative
AP
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Published: Yesterday
JACKSON, Miss (AP) - Writing a state budget is not only about numbers. It's
also about narrative.
http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268748/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=u7y60aT9
Oil Spill
Judge's Ruling May Encourage BP to Settle
Higher Potential Damages Could Pressure BP Executives to Consider Settling
Wall Street Journal
While BP PLC has pledged to fight a federal judge's ruling that it acted
recklessly in the fatal 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and spill,
Thursday's decision may ratchet up pressure for it to pursue a different
tack: settle.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/judges-ruling-may-encourage-bp-to-settle-1409944423
New fines may prompt BP to cut back in Russia, elsewhere
Reuters
Fri, Sep 5 2014
By Dmitry Zhdannikov and Ron Bousso
LONDON (Reuters) - The prospect of up to $18 billion in new fines for the
2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill could pressure BP to sell assets from the
Americas to Asia and Russia, where its interests risk being dragged into a
political standoff between Moscow and the West.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/05/us-bp-gulfmexico-analysts-idUSKBN0H00L720140905
National
EPA puts climate target on airlines
The Hill
The Obama administration has launched a new front in its fight against
greenhouse gas emissions, choosing as its next target the $200 billion per
year commercial aviation industry.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/216844-epa-puts-climate-target-on-airlines
Press releases
The University of Mississippi Receives Over $250,000 to Promote Resilient
Communities
Contact Information: Danielle Jackson, (404) 562-9182 (Direct), (404)
562-8400 (Main), Jackson.Danielle@epa.gov
Stennis Space Center, MS – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA's) Gulf of Mexico Program recently announced that the University of
Mississippi will receive over $250,000 cooperative agreement for the
project "Saving Money and Enhancing Resilience: Assisting Communities
through the 2013 Community Rating System (CRS)." Niki Pace, Senior Research
Counsel and Adjunct Professor of the University of Mississippi, will
provide the leadership for the project.
Ben Scaggs, Director of the U.S. EPA Gulf of Mexico Program said "The Gulf
of Mexico Program is committed to supporting our partners in addressing
mutual goals of improving, protecting and restoring the health and
productivity of the Gulf of Mexico. We look forward to the sustainable
environmental results that will be accomplished through this cooperative
agreement with the University of Mississippi."
"Enhancing Coastal Community Resilience and Saving Money is a valuable
opportunity for The University of Mississippi to further coastal resilience
by working with communities in the National Flood Insurance Program.
"Through this funding opportunity, the University of Mississippi, along
with the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium and other key partners
will assist Mississippi and Louisiana communities in implementing a Program
of Public Information (PPI). The PPI will save those communities money on
flood insurance premiums and serve as a model for other Gulf of Mexico
communities. As a component of the PPI, floodplain management officials
will work with local stakeholders to develop a tailored outreach campaign,
which will enhance coastal community resilience by raising awareness of
coastal hazards and flooding concerns for local residents and community
leaders," said Pace.
The project will assist local coastal communities participating in the
National Flood Insurance Program in the transition to the 2013 CRS
Coordinator's Manual. The recipient and its partners will strategically
develop materials that best address the needs of communities participating
in the CRS.
This cooperative agreement will further the strategic goals and objectives
of EPA's Gulf of Mexico Program and lead to a healthy and prosperous
ecosystem for generations to come.
Information on the Gulf of Mexico Program: http://www.epa.gov/gmpo.
Connect with EPA Region 4 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/eparegion4
And on Twitter: @EPASoutheast
