10.15.2014
State
Bryant hires former MDEQ director as consultant
AP
By JEFF AMY
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Gov. Phil Bryant has hired the former director of the
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality as a consultant.
http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268748/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=U9Ka0ijC
State Permit Board reaffirms North Lee project
By Bobby Harrison
Daily Journal Jackson Bureau
JACKSON – The authority for the North Lee County Water Association to
construct six new water wells in spite of opposition from the city of
Tupelo was reaffirmed Tuesday by the state permitting board.
http://djournal.com/news/state-permit-board-reaffirms-north-lee-project/
Stranded turtle numbers along Mississippi coast remain 'alarming'
WLOX
GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) -The number of stranded sea turtles along the
Mississippi Gulf Coast remains alarming. That's the word from the Institute
for Marine Mammal Studies, which responds to reports of dead or injured
turtles.
http://www.wlox.com/story/26783767/researchers-alarmed-by-number-of-turtles-washing-ashore
City, county recycling effort wins state funds
Delta Democrat Times
GREENVILLE — The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has
awarded the City of Greenville a $75,000 grant to fund a joint city/county
recycling program.
http://www.ddtonline.com/news/article_7b90d610-53b5-11e4-bac1-0f9bff7f4280.html
Oil Spill
Treasury clears way for oil spill recovery grants
AP
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The U.S. Treasury Department says it has cleared the way
for Gulf Coast state and local governments to begin applying for recovery
grants through a federal RESTORE Act trust fund fed with civil penalties
arising from the 2010 BP oil spill.
http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268748/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=4aypdKf9
U.S. Treasury clears way for Gulf states, local governments to get first
Restore Act money
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
October 14, 2014 at 3:03 PM
The U.S. Department of the Treasury on Tuesday (Oct. 14) gave final
approval to rules governing the distribution of some Restore Act money to
states and local governments, clearing the way for officials to apply for
and receive BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill recovery grants.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2014/10/us_treasury_clears_way_for_sta.html#incart_river
Scott Walker and associates to Texas attorneys: Pay up
Sun Herald
BY ANITA LEE
Coast businessmen Scott Walker, Kirk Ladner and Steve Seymour, who is also
a Hancock County supervisor, allege in a federal lawsuit two Texas
attorneys owe them almost $7.9 million for bringing aboard thousands of
clients who wanted to resolve BP claims.
http://www.sunherald.com/2014/10/14/5855750/scott-walker-and-associates-to.html?sp=/99/100/&ihp=1
National
Sen. David Vitter: EPA emails show 'cozy relationship' with environmental
group
Bruce Alpert
Times-Picayune
October 14, 2014 at 9:25 PM
WASHINGTON -- Sen. David Vitter, R-La., Tuesday released emails between EPA
Administrator Gina McCarthy and a leading environmental group that he says
shows collusion on a proposal to reduce carbon emissions from power plants.
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/10/sen_david_vitter_epa_emails_sh.html#incart_river
Illinois town has more Asian carp than any place else on earth
Aol
The state of Illinois' response to the Asian carp threat has involved
everything from electric barriers in rivers, to removal by commercial
fishermen, to investments in creating new markets for this invasive
species. And it's all working. But, as WGN's Nancy Loo learned on a recent
fishing trip on the Illinois River, Asian carp are more abundant in Havana,
than any place else on earth.
http://www.aol.com/article/2014/10/14/illinois-town-has-more-asian-carp-than-any-place-else-on-earth/20978157/?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000058
Press releases
Gulf Coast Region Can Now Receive RESTORE Act Funding from U.S. Treasury
10/14/2014
Projects Will Support Environmental and Economic Restoration
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Treasury today announced that
eligible states and local governments can now apply for and receive grants
to support the recovery of communities affected by the Deepwater Horizon
oil spill. Interim Final Rules governing the funding became effective
today, allowing the States of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas,
along with 23 Florida Gulf Coast counties and 20 Louisiana coastal
parishes, to receive funding under the Resources and Ecosystem
Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf
Coast States (RESTORE) Act.
"Treasury is working in support of the states and communities that were
impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill as they select environmental
and economic renewal projects for funding," said David Lebryk, Fiscal
Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. "We look
forward to continuing to work with our state, county and parish partners on
the awarding of these grants."
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill released millions of barrels of crude oil
in the Gulf waters, and caused extensive damage to marine and wildlife
habitats, fishing, and tourism. On July 6, 2012, President Obama signed
the RESTORE Act into law, establishing a trust fund within Treasury with 80
percent of the civil penalties to be paid by parties responsible for the
Deepwater Horizon oil spill under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
To date, civil penalties and interest deposited into the trust fund exceed
$653 million.
Under an Interim Final Rule, published on August 15 and effective today, 35
percent of the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund is divided equally among
the five states for ecological and economic restoration. The States of
Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas each receive a share for
projects and programs they select. In Florida, the state's allocation goes
to 23 coastal counties for projects they choose. A second Interim Final
Rule, also effective today, finalizes an additional allocation for 20
parishes in Louisiana.
On September 15, Treasury posted several funding opportunity announcements
that give the states, counties, and parishes the opportunity to submit
grant applications for Direct Component funds. Treasury is ready to begin
reviewing applications upon receipt.
Treasury will also provide grants for centers of excellence research
programs using 2.5 percent of the trust fund, divided equally among the
five Gulf Coast States. On September 15, Treasury posted the funding
opportunity announcement for these grants as well. The centers of
excellence will focus on science, technology, and monitoring. In addition
to these grant programs, the Interim Final Rule published in August
describes requirements for RESTORE Act programs administered by other
federal agencies.
Treasury is one of several federal entities working to implement the
RESTORE Act. The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, a federal
entity composed of the five Gulf Coast States and six federal agencies,
will use 30 percent of the trust fund for projects selected by the council,
and administer grants to the states pursuant to council-approved state
expenditure plans using an additional 30 percent. The National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration will use the remaining 2.5 percent of the trust
fund for a program focused on advancements in monitoring, observation, and
technology. For more information on the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration
Council, please visit http://www.restorethegulf.gov/.
http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/JL2663.aspx
GOP Govs join AGs in opposing EPA's proposed WOTUS rule
RGA
In case you missed it, last week on Wed, Oct. 8, six Republican governors
joined 11 state attorneys general in a letter opposing the Environmental
Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers' proposal to redefine the
"waters of the Unites States" as an overbroad expansion of federal
authority. The proposed rule attempts to re-extend Clean Water Act
protection to areas within the watersheds of rivers and streams, despite
earlier U.S. Supreme Court decisions that these areas are not covered by
the Act.
In their letter, the governors and attorneys general say that the proposed
rule unlawfully and unconstitutionally asserts federal jurisdiction over
local water and land use management, while making it impossible for
farmers, developers, and homeowners to know whether they can continue
certain activities without obtaining expensive, time-consuming permits.
The letter was signed by the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Georgia,
Kansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South
Dakota and West Virginia, and the governors of Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi,
Nebraska, North Carolina and South Carolina. You can view the letter here
or below:
http://www.rga.org/homepage/gop-govs-join-ags-in-opposing-epas-proposed-wotus-rule/
