State
Hattiesburg appeals breach-of-contract award
Hattiesburg American
The City of Hattiesburg has appealed an arbitrator's award in a
breach of contract complaint to the Mississippi Supreme Court.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/hattiesburg/2015/02/26/hattiesburg-appeals-arbitration-award/24088201/
City OKs recycling pact with towns, county
Tully Taylor
Enterprise-Journal
Thursday, February 26, 2015 2:00 pm
The McComb city board voted Tuesday to continue its recycling efforts and
entered into an interlocal agreement with Pike County, Summit, Osyka and
Magnolia to keep the program going throughout the county.
http://www.enterprise-journal.com/news/article_5ca749fa-bddc-11e4-a1e3-e351f6b9df6f.html
County Deals with Ongoing Garbage Issues
Picayune Item
http://www.picayuneitem.com/2015/02/county-deals-with-ongoing-trash-issue/
Mississippi Power's conversion of Gulfport's Plant Watson nearly complete
SUN HERALD
GULFPORT -- The last load of coal arrived by barge at Plant Watson as
Mississippi Power prepares to convert the plant to using strictly natural
gas.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/02/26/6092462/mississippi-powers-conversion.html
Judge grants request to silence Kemper manager
Clarion Ledger
A state court judge in Alabama has granted Southern Co.'s request to
keep a project manager at the Kemper County coal plant from
disclosing certain information about the facility.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/business/2015/02/26/judge-kemper-coal-silence-manager/24058847/
WANTED: Volunteers for Jackson cleanup
Clarion Ledger
The city of Jackson put out an alert, asking for volunteers.
They're needed for The Great American Cleanup on Saturday, March 7.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/02/26/jackson-great-cleanup/24056377/
Oil Spill
Southern Miss gets approval to buy research ship
AP
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The University of Southern Mississippi is
buying a new research vessel.
The State College Board on Wednesday approved the project Wednesday
on purchase of the "Point Sur" vessel from the San Jose State
University Research Foundation for $1 million. Funding came in a
grant from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/02/26/usm-research-ship/24054677/
Regional
Gulf oysters face less immediate danger from ocean acidification than
northern bi-valves, study says
Press-Register
Dennis Pillion
February 26, 2015 at 1:39 PM
Don't break out the Tabasco sauce to celebrate just yet, but oysters in
Mobile Bay and other estuaries along the Gulf of Mexico are facing less
danger from ocean acidification over the next few decades than bi-valve
molluscs (oysters, clams, mussels, scallops) in colder water, according to
a new study titled "Vulnerability and Adaptation of U.S. Shellfisheries to
Ocean Acidification."
http://www.al.com/news/beaches/index.ssf/2015/02/gulf_oysters_likely_to_face_le.html#incart_river
National
McCarthy Defends Viability of Carbon Capture Technologies Before House
Energy Panels
Bloomberg
Carbon capture and sequestration technologies are available and will
provide a path forward for the construction of new coal-fired power plants
in the U.S., Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy
said Feb. 25.http://www.bna.com/mccarthy-defends-viability-n17179923414/
State attorney general testifies against proposed EPA rules
Arkansas News
WASHINGTON — Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge told a House panel
on Thursday that the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing new
regulations beyond its authority that would do harm to her state.
http://arkansasnews.com/news/arkansas/state-attorney-general-testifies-against-proposed-epa-rules
Manufacturers: Even with costs halved, ozone reg could still be most
expensive
The Hill
Though a new study commissioned by the National Association of
Manufacturers cuts the compliance cost of the Environmental Protection
Agency's new ozone standards by half, the trade group said the proposed
rule could still be the nation's most costly.
http://thehill.com/regulation/233940-manufacturers-ozone-standard-could-still-be-the-nations-most-expensive-regulation
How 'Orphan' Wells Leave States Holding the Cleanup Bag
Wyoming has to deal with abandoned wells seized from would-be mogul and his
Gazmo device
Wall Street Journal
GILLETTE, Wyo.—After a natural-gas boom in the Powder River Basin here
petered out several years ago, few energy companies were interested in the
leftover wells pockmarking the prairie. Then Ed Presley came along.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-orphan-wells-leave-states-holding-the-cleanup-bag-1424921403?KEYWORDS=wyoming
Opinion
ELIZABETH BARBER — Putting Mississippi to work in a restoration economy
MBJ
Every region in the country has an economy that is tied to specific
sectors, and the Mississippi Coast is no different. A "cluster," in
economics, is a geographic concentration of interconnected industries and
businesses in a specific field. In December 2014, the Mississippi Business
Journal published a study looking at Mississippi's "blue economy": the
cluster formed by maritime industries – including shipbuilding, fishing,
oceanography and marine technology – that employ 35 percent of the
workforce in our three coastal counties.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2015/02/12/elizabeth-barber-putting-mississippi-work-restoration-economy/
Press Releases
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|USDA Opens Public Comment Period for Agricultural Conservation Easement Program Interim|
| Final Rule |
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| |
|WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2015 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the |
|U.S. Department of Agriculture is accepting public comments on its interim final rule |
|for the new Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP), designed to help |
|producers protect working agricultural lands and wetlands. The 2014 Farm Bill |
|consolidated three previous conservation easement programs into ACEP to make it easier |
|for diverse agricultural landowners to fully benefit from conservation initiatives. |
| |
| |
|"Since 2009, USDA has worked with producers and private landowners to enroll a record |
|number of acres in conservation programs. This interim final rule takes into account |
|recommendations from agricultural landowners and conservation stakeholders about how to|
|better streamline and enhance conservation easement processes," Vilsack said. |
| |
| |
|USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) administers ACEP, a voluntary |
|program created in the 2014 Farm bill to protect and restore critical wetlands on |
|private and tribal lands through the wetland reserve easement component. ACEP also |
|encourages farmers, ranchers and non-industrial private forest landowners to keep their|
|private and tribal land in agricultural use through the agricultural land easement |
|component. ACEP also conserves grasslands, including rangeland, pastureland and |
|shrubland. |
| |
| |
|Under ACEP's agricultural land component, tribes, state and local governments and |
|non-governmental organizations that have farmland or grassland protection programs are |
|eligible to partner with USDA to purchase conservation easements. NRCS easement |
|programs have been a critical tool in recent years for advancing landscape-scale |
|private lands conservation. In FY 2014, NRCS used $328 million in ACEP funding to |
|enroll an estimated 143,833 acres of farmland, grassland, and wetlands through 485 new |
|easements. In Florida, NRCS used ACEP funds to enroll an additional 6,700 acres in the |
|Northern Everglades Watershed, supporting the restoration and protection of habitat for|
|a variety of listed species, including the Wood Stork, Crested caracara, and Eastern |
|Indigo Snake. In Georgia, NRCS used these funds to complete the Roundabout Swamp |
|project by enrolling 270 acres of the Carolina Bay to help restore and protect the |
|entire bay ecosystem to historic hydrology and vegetation. |
| |
| |
|ACEP's agricultural land easement component offers many benefits to landowners and |
|citizens. The easements protect the long-term viability of the nation's food supply by |
|preventing conversion of productive working lands to non-agricultural uses. Other |
|benefits include environmental quality, historic preservation, wildlife habitat and |
|protection of open space. |
| |
| |
|Under ACEP's wetland component, NRCS provides technical and financial assistance |
|directly to private and tribal landowners to restore, protect and enhance wetlands |
|through the purchase of wetland reserve easements. NRCS helps restore, protect and |
|enhance enrolled wetlands to provide habitat for fish and wildlife, including |
|threatened and endangered species; improve water quality by filtering sediments and |
|chemicals; reduce damage from flooding; recharge groundwater; protect biological |
|diversity and provide opportunities for educational, scientific and limited |
|recreational activities. Under the wetland reserve easement component, eligible |
|landowners can choose to enroll in a permanent or 30-year easement. Tribal landowners |
|also have the option of enrolling in 30-year contracts that are available only for |
|lands owned by American Indian tribes. |
| |
| |
|The official notice of the proposed ACEP interim final rule can be found in the Federal|
|Register. Electronic comments during the 60-day comment period must be submitted |
|through regulations.gov. Comments also can be hand carried or mailed to Public Comments|
|Processing, Attn: Docket No. NRCS-2014-0011, Regulatory and Agency Policy Team, |
|Strategic Planning and Accountability, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural |
|Resources Conservation Service, 5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Building 1-1112D, Beltsville, MD|
|20705. |
| |
| |
|Please visit the ACEP page or Farm Bill Program Rules page for more information on the |
|ACEP statutory changes. |
| |
| |
|Today's announcement was made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill. The 2014 Farm Bill builds|
|on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, while achieving |
|meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers. Since enactment, |
|USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical |
|legislation, including establishing innovative public-private conservation |
|partnerships. |
| |
| |
|# |
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| USDA to Invest $84 Million to Help Communities in 13 States Recover from Natural |
| Disasters |
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| |
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| |
|WASHINGTON, Feb. 26, 2015 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that |
|USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service will invest an additional $84 million |
|through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP) to help disaster recovery |
|efforts through more than 150 projects in 13 states. |
| |
| |
|"This program helps communities carry out much needed recovery projects to address the |
|damage to watersheds that is caused by floods, hurricanes and other natural disasters,"|
|Vilsack said. "USDA is committed to helping repair and rebuild the rural communities |
|that anchor rural America and are a key part of our nation's economy." |
| |
| |
|EWP provides critical resources to local sponsors to help communities eliminate |
|imminent hazards to life and property caused by floods, fires, wind-storms and other |
|natural occurrences. EWP is an emergency recovery program. |
| |
| |
|The funds support a variety of recovery projects, including clearing debris-clogged |
|waterways, stabilizing stream banks, fixing jeopardized water control structures and |
|stabilizing soils after wildfires. |
| |
| |
|Projects include: |
| |
| |
| · Stabilizing Ground around Florida Homes and Roads: A 2014 storm unleashed more |
| than 20 inches of rain in one day in Florida, causing severe erosion that |
| threatened the safety of homes and roads. Eighteen sites in Escambia, Okaloosa, |
| Calhoun and Jackson counties have been approved for $5.9 million to help the |
| counties recover from the damages and remove the threat to homes and roads. This |
| work will include removal of debris and installation of structures that will |
| stabilize the land and prevent future erosion. |
| |
| |
| · Rebuilding after Heavy Rains and Tornados in Alabama: Torrential rains and a |
| series of tornadoes in 2014 led to millions of dollars in damage to several |
| Alabama communities. These natural disasters eroded stream banks, created gullies|
| and increased runoff of nutrients and sediment into waterways. NRCS is investing |
| $2.9 million in projects for 32 sites, working with six cities and five counties |
| to help restore stream corridors, remove debris, curb erosion problems and |
| prevent future flooding. |
| |
| |
| · Conservation Work Helps Colorado Communities Rebound from Massive Flood: A 2013 |
| flood caused $3 billion in damages in 18 counties in Colorado. NRCS is investing |
| $56.9 million in the second phase of a project to help restore stream corridors, |
| remove debris and prevent future flooding. Work will target about 500 sites in |
| the area. These projects bring together state agencies, 20 local governments, |
| watershed planning coalitions and other groups. This second phase of work builds |
| on a $12.9 million investment in 2013. |
| |
| |
|NRCS will also fund projects in Alaska, Arkansas, Iowa, Mississippi, Missouri, New |
|Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Vermont. For more information about funding |
|amounts and descriptions by state, please visit the 2015 Projects of Emergency |
|Watershed Protection Program website. |
| |
| |
|EWP work must be sponsored by a public agency of the state, tribal, county or city |
|government. NRCS provides 75 percent of the funds for the project; the public |
|organization pays the remaining 25 percent. EWP allows NRCS to put its engineering |
|expertise to work in a variety of places – both rural and urban. |
| |
| |
|For more information on NRCS programs, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted or a local |
|USDA service center. |
| |
| |
|# |
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| |
|USDA Expands Investments in Next-Generation Bioenergy Development |
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| |
| |
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| |
|Phoenix, Ariz., Feb. 26, 2015 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the |
|availability of up to $8.7 million in funding for bioenergy research and education |
|efforts as well as publishing the final rule for a program that provides incentives for|
|farmers and forest landowners interested in growing and harvesting biomass for |
|renewable energy. Both programs are made available through the 2014 Farm Bill. The |
|Secretary made the announcements during remarks to the Growth Energy Executive |
|Leadership Conference in Phoenix, Ariz. |
| |
| |
|"USDA's support for innovative bioenergy research and education supports rural economic|
|development, reduces carbon pollution and helps decrease our dependence on foreign |
|energy," said Vilsack. "These investments will keep America moving toward a clean |
|energy economy and offer new jobs and opportunities in rural communities." |
| |
| |
|USDA will publish the final rule on the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) in |
|tomorrow's Federal Register. BCAP provides up to $25 million each year in financial |
|assistance to owners and operators of agricultural and non-industrial private forest |
|land who wish to establish, produce, and deliver biomass feedstocks to a qualifying |
|energy facility. The rule includes modifications to cost sharing, eligible types of |
|biomass and other definitions. Stakeholders are encouraged to visit www.regulations.gov|
|to review program details and provide comments during a 60-day public comment period. |
|Comments are due by April 28, 2015. The full program will resume in 90 days on May 28, |
|2015. Additional information on application dates will be announced this spring. For |
|more information on the program, visit the web at www.fsa.usda.gov/bcap and to learn |
|more about the Farm Service Agency, visit www.fsa.usda.gov. |
| |
| |
|USDA is also taking applications for research and education grants through the USDA's |
|National Institute of Food and Agriculture's Biomass Research and Development |
|Initiative (BRDI). BRDI is a joint program through NIFA and the U.S. Energy Department |
|(DOE) to develop economically and environmentally sustainable sources of renewable |
|biomass, increase the availability of renewable fuels and biobased products to help |
|replace the need for gasoline and diesel in vehicles, and diversify our energy |
|portfolio. |
| |
| |
|Applicants seeking BRDI funding must propose projects that integrate science and |
|engineering research in the following three areas: feedstock development; biofuels and |
|biobased products development; and biofuels development analysis. Past projects include|
|a grant to the Quad County Corn Cooperative in Galva, Iowa that is retrofitting an |
|existing corn starch ethanol plant to add value to its byproducts, which will be |
|marketed to the feed markets and to the biodiesel industry. Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. in|
|Findlay, Ohio, is seeking to use remaining plant residue from the guayule shrub, which |
|is used for rubber production, for use in biopower and for conversion to jet fuel |
|precursors. The University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisconsin, is developing |
|closed-loop energy systems using dairy manure as source of fiber and fertilizer. |
| |
| |
|A description of the solicitation, eligibility requirements, and application |
|instructions for the BRDI program can be found at http://www.grants.gov/ under |
|Reference Number USDA-NIFA-9008-004957. Concept papers are due by March 27, 2015 and |
|full applications are by July 27, 2015. |
| |
| |
|Both BCAP and BRDI were made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill, which builds on historic |
|economic gains in rural America over the past six years, while achieving meaningful |
|reform and billions of dollars in savings for the taxpayer. Since enactment, USDA has |
|made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, |
|including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk |
|management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; |
|establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new |
|markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community|
|facilities to help improve quality of life in rural America. For more information, |
|visit www.usda.gov/farmbill. |
| |
| |
|Through federal funding and leadership for research, education and extension programs, |
|USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) focuses on investing in |
|science and solving critical issues impacting people's daily lives and the nation's |
|future. More information is available at: www.nifa.usda.gov. |
| |
| |
|DOE's Biomass Program works with industry, academia, and national laboratory partners |
|on a balanced portfolio of research in biomass feedstock and conversion technologies. |
|For more information on DOE's Biomass Program, please visit www.energy.gov/biomass. |
| |
| |
|# |
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