MDEQ DIRECTOR: STATE CANNOT MEET NEW CARBON POLLUTION GOALS
MPB
The head of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality believes
the state cannot meet ambitious new federal carbon pollution regulations.
Some are calling on state lawmakers to resist following the new federal
rules.
http://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/2015/02/03/mdeq-director-state-cannot-meet-new-carbon-pollution-goals/
Expert says EPA plan will kill Mississippians
Clarion Ledger
Former Environmental Protection Agency regulator David Schnare urged
Mississippi lawmakers to defy a federal rule requiring states to
implement sweeping greenhouse-gas reduction plans, calling it both
costly and illegal.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/02/02/expert-says-epa-plan-will-kill-mississippians/22779703/
Jackson reallocates $500,000 to fight utility expansion
Clarion Ledger
Tempers flared and a barrage of intense questioning ensued before
the Jackson City Council agreed Monday to reallocate $500,000 of
unused public works capital to fund a battle the city is waging
against a local public utility provider.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/02/02/jackson-reallocates-fight-utility-expansion/22779651/
Delta farmers meet 5 percent irrigation reporting goal
Next up: Reaching 10 percent goal for installing flow meters
Feb 2, 2015Forrest Laws | Delta Farm Press
Farmers participating in an irrigation metering program in the Mississippi
Delta have met their goal of submitting information on their wells to the
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, MDEQ officials announced.
http://deltafarmpress.com/government/delta-farmers-meet-5-percent-irrigation-reporting-goal
Coal Plant Technology Putting Mississippi on the Map
WTOK
Meridian, Miss. The race is on for developing countries to lower their
carbon footprint emissions, and the technology(Embedded image moved to
file: pic15350.jpg) to do that is located right here in East Mississippi.
The Kemper County Coal Plant continues to garner international attention
thanks to it's carbon capture technology and the more the 50 delegates from
the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation who arrived in Meridian, have a keen
interest in the technology that is being used at the coal plant.
http://www.wtok.com/home/headlines/Coal-Plant-Technology-Putting-Mississippi-on-the-Map-290589421.html
Governor Bryant creates Oyster Council to help boost industry
WLOX
GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) - Governor Phil Bryant says it's time Mississippi focus
on the future of its oyster industry.
As WLOX News first reported last week, the governor on Monday signed an
executive order creating the Governor's Oyster Council. And the new group
already has an ambitious goal for growing the industry.
http://www.wlox.com/story/28005856/governor-bryant-creates-oyster-council-to-help-boost-industry
Aquaculture likely to play big role in oyster rebirth
Sun Herald
BY PAUL HAMPTON
GULFPORT -- Last fall the Commission on Marine Resources saw an underwater
video from one of the oyster reefs managed by the agency. It looked more
like a rural gravel road. Not an oyster in site.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/02/02/6051237_aquaculture-likely-to-play-big.html?rh=1
Dirt pit owner in dust-up with county over alleged zoning violation
Sun Herald
BY WESLEY MULLER
Hancock County sheriff's deputies issued an arrest warrant Monday on a dirt
pit owner accused of a zoning violation.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/02/02/6050341/dirt-pit-owner-in-dust-up-with.html
Litter messy issue for county
DeSoto Times
By ROBERT LEE LONG
Published: Tuesday, February 3, 2015 6:16 AM CST
DeSoto County Supervisors and even DeSoto County Sheriff Bill Rasco are
getting an earful from the public about the litter alongside county roads
and highways.
http://www.desototimes.com/articles/2015/02/03/news/doc54d02372b6174923120868.txt
DeSoto Greenways delay not critical
DeSoto Times
By ROBERT LEE LONG
Published: Tuesday, February 3, 2015 6:16 AM CST
The DeSoto County Greenways project, with its bike paths, walking trails
and natural areas is being funded through $800,000 in federal LPA funds
with a 20 percent local match.
http://www.desototimes.com/articles/2015/02/03/news/doc54d022e22f3a8398074189.txt
Oil Spill
BP oil spill trial wraps up nearly 2 years after historic litigation began
Jennifer Larino
The Times-Picayune
February 02, 2015 at 7:34 PM
The final phase of the main BP oil spill litigation ended Monday, nearly
two years since dozens of attorneys for the federal government and BP
converged on a New Orleans courtroom to begin what has become one of the
most complex civil cases in the nation's history.
http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2015/02/bp_oil_spill_trial_penalty_pha.html
Trial ends over how much BP should pay for Gulf oil spill
BY KEVIN MCGILL
Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS — The latest phase of a trial to determine how much BP should
pay in Clean Water Act penalties for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill —
which could reach $13.7 billion — ended Monday, but a decision from the
judge is not expected for months.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/02/02/6050465/anadarko-argues-against-1b-penalty.html
BP partner Anadarko responsible for oil spill fines, federal judge says
Jennifer Larino
The Times-Picayune
February 02, 2015 at 3:09 PM
Anadarko Petroleum Corp., a minority investor in BP's failed Macondo well,
is on the hook for federal pollution fines for the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil
spill, regardless of whether the company was responsible for the disaster,
a federal judge said Monday (Feb. 2).
http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2015/02/federal_judge_says_anadarko_re.html
BP Posts Quarterly Loss Amid Oil Price Rout
Wall Street Journal
LONDON— BP PLC on Tuesday became the first of the world's giant oil
companies to record a quarterly loss in the recent oil-price swoon, largely
the result of accounting losses because of the diminished value of some of
its reserves.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/bp-reports-fourth-quarter-loss-1422948198
Could Exxon buy BP? Oil giant says it's alert to potential opportunities
Houston Business Journal
Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM) remains open to M&A possibilities as
speculation runs rampant that the Irving, Texas-based oil giant could
acquire London-based BP PLC(NYSE: BP).
http://www.bizjournals.com/houston/news/2015/02/02/could-exxon-buy-bp-oil-giant-says-its-alert-to.html?s=print
County hears RESTORE fund ideas
Pensacola News Journal
Getting experts' opinions and other ideas for establishing the
criteria for handing out RESTORE money were tossed around Monday
afternoon.
http://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/escambia-county/2015/02/02/county-hears-restore-fund-ideas/22775401/
Regional
Proposed 2015-16 coastal restoration and protection plan swells to $773
million
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
February 02, 2015 at 6:57 PM
Louisiana coastal officials on Monday (Feb. 2) proposed spending $773
million in coastal restoration and hurricane protection for the 2015-16
fiscal year, including $275 million for restoration projects paid for with
money related to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/02/proposed_20176_coastal_restora.html#incart_river
The Smithsonian wants what? Man's passion for lifetime hobby pays off
Press-Register
John Archibald
February 03, 2015 at 7:31 AM
John Cooke's siblings teased him for four decades, saying he had - well --
rocks in his head.
http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/02/pleasant_grove_mans_lifelong_h.html#incart_river
National
Obama Budget Would Pour Funds Into Climate, Renewable Energy
Proposal Calls for Repeal of Nearly $50 Billion in Oil, Natural-Gas and
Coal Tax Breaks
Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama 's fiscal 2016 budget plan would pour
billions of dollars into climate-change and renewable-energy technologies,
and repeal nearly $50 billion in tax breaks from the oil, natural-gas and
coal industries.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/obama-budget-would-pour-billions-into-climate-renewable-energy-1422903421
White House budget: EPA would get boost to meet greenhouse gas standards
Washington Post
The Environmental Protection Agency would see a jump in spending of nearly
nine percent next year, to $8.6 billion, reflecting new aid to states to
help them meet requirements for slashing greenhouse gas emissions from
power plants. But it's far from clear whether the proposed hike will fly
with Congressional Republicans who oppose the White House's carbon-cutting
plans.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/federal-eye/wp/2015/02/02/white-house-budget-epa-would-get-boost-to-meet-greenhouse-gas-standards/
In climate-change budget, EPA looks to states to cut carbon emissions
BY CHRIS ADAMS
McClatchy Washington BureauFebruary 2, 2015
WASHINGTON — The White House's proposed 2016 budget calls for a new $4
billion fund to reward states that make significant progress in reducing
their carbon pollution.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2015/02/02/255220/in-climate-change-budget-epa-looks.html
EPA urged to tighten ozone standards
LA Times
It is time to strengthen the nation's smog limits to improve the health of
millions of people who suffer the ill effects of air pollution, dozens of
environmentalists, doctors, asthmatic children and religious leaders told a
panel of federal officials Monday at a daylong hearing.
http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-0203-ozone-hearing-20150203-story.html
EPA, Army Corps officially withdraw Waters of the U.S. Interpretive Rule
Farm Futures
The EPA and Army Corps of Engineers late Friday issued a memorandum of
understanding towithdraw the Waters of the U.S. Interpretive Rule, which
outlines which conservation activities provide farmers an exemption from
Clean Water Act permitting.
http://farmfutures.com/story-epa-army-corps-officially-withdraw-waters-interpretive-rule-0-123481
Oversight chairman takes aim at EPA
The Hill
The new chairman of the House Oversight Committee has big plans to root out
what he sees as pervasive and growing problems in management and
overregulation at the Environmental Protection Agency.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/231536-oversight-chairman-takes-aim-at-epa
McConnell touts new post on EPA appropriations panel
The Hill
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced on Monday that he
will be joining a Senate subcommittee that oversees funding for what is
arguably one of his least favorite agencies.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/231454-mcconnell-touts-new-post-on-epa-oversight-panel
Federal fracking rules due out soon
The Hill
Rules for hydraulic fracturing on federal land will be made final within
weeks, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said.
Jewell told reporters Monday that the rules from Interior's Bureau of Land
Management are "very close" and can be expected "in the coming weeks."
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/231498-federal-fracking-rules-due-out-soon
Obama wants weather agency moved to Interior
The Hill
President Obama wants to move the agency that studies the atmosphere and
oceans to the Interior Department.
Under Obama's budget request released Monday for the 2016 fiscal year, the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), whose
responsibilities include weather forecasting and studying the climate,
would move out of the Commerce Department, where it has been housed since
it was created in 1970.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/231461-obama-wants-weather-agency-moved-to-interior
Inside the Senate's big climate change vote
The Hill
Just minutes before an explosive vote on whether climate change is real,
Republicans received a surprising message from Sen. James Inhofe.
"Vote yes."
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/231540-inhofes-gambit-inside-the-senates-big-climate-vote
Opinion
The Alarming Thing About Climate Alarmism
Exaggerated, worst-case claims result in bad policy and they ignore a
wealth of encouraging data.
Wall Street Journal
By BJORN LOMBORG
Feb. 1, 2015 6:14 p.m. ET
It is an indisputable fact that carbon emissions are rising—and faster than
most scientists predicted. But many climate-change alarmists seem to claim
that all climate change is worse than expected. This ignores that much of
the data are actually encouraging.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/bjorn-lomborg-the-alarming-thing-about-climate-alarmism-1422832462
Press Releases
EPA's FY 2016 Budget Proposal Increases Support for Communities to Deliver
Core Environmental and Health Protections
WASHINGTON – The Obama Administration Fiscal Year 2016 budget announced
today for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lays out a
strategy to ensure that all Americans benefit from the economic recovery we
are seeing today. The proposed EPA FY 2016 budget of $8.6 billion provides
resources vital to that overarching vision and the request is $452 million
above the agency's enacted level for FY 2015.
"This budget sends a strong signal that the President is fully committed to
making the investments needed to meet our mission to protect public health
and the environment. The funding allows us to further our important work
to combat the impacts of climate change and deliver on the President's
Climate Action Plan while improving air quality, protecting our water,
executing rigorous scientific research and ensuring the public safety from
toxic chemicals," said Stan Meiburg, EPA Acting Deputy Administrator. "At
the center of our work is collaborating with our state, local, and tribal
partners and working with business, industry, and stakeholders to find
commonsense solutions to complex environmental issues and work toward a
sustainable future for all Americans through effective use of the public
resources entrusted to us."
Fiscal Year 2016 budget highlights include:
Making a Visible Difference in Communities Across the Country
A key element of EPA's FY 2016 efforts will be coordination with other
federal agencies, states, tribes, and stakeholders. This coordination will
help to focus the work of diverse programs across the agency at the
community level. In response to feedback from across the country, this
budget proposes a multifaceted effort to enable communities of all sizes,
rural and urban, to find needed assistance and support for capacity
building, planning, and implementation of environmental protection
programs.
In addition to new cross-program efforts, including 20 full time
equivalents for Community Resource Coordinators, $2 million for Circuit
Riders, and $5 million to coordinate efforts at the local level in
overburdened and vulnerable communities, the budget provides for targeted
community efforts in each of the program areas. These efforts, highlighted
in more detail in the subsequent sections, will include helping communities
adopt green infrastructure, providing technical assistance for building
resilience and adapting to climate change, and helping communities to
reduce environmental impacts through advanced monitoring technology and
decision making tools.
Addressing Climate Change and Improving Air Quality
The FY 2016 budget prioritizes actions to reduce the impacts of climate
change, one of the most significant challenges for this and future
generations, and supports the President's Climate Action Plan. EPA's FY
2016 Budget includes $239 million for efforts to cut carbon pollution and
other greenhouse gases through commonsense standards, guidelines, and
voluntary programs. The EPA's Clean Power Plan, which establishes carbon
pollution reduction standards for existing power plants, is a top priority
for the EPA and will help spur innovation and economic growth while
creating a clean energy economy. Finalizing and implementing these
regulations will involve innovative approaches and flexibility for
achieving solutions, as well as extensive and unprecedented work with
states, tribes, and territories, which is why this budget includes
additional funding for states. In addition to EPA's discretionary budget,
the President also proposes a $4 billion Clean Power State Incentive Fund,
a mandatory account to be administered by the EPA that supports state
efforts to go above and beyond their carbon pollution reduction goals in
the power sector.
Working with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, the
EPA will also develop Phase 2 greenhouse gas and fuel efficiency standards
for heavy-duty vehicles. These standards will represent significant savings
at the pump, reduce carbon pollution, and reduce fuel costs for businesses,
which is anticipated to lower prices for consumers.
Protecting the Nation's Waters
Protecting America's water resources is critical to EPA's mission, so the
agency will continue to build upon decades of efforts to ensure our
waterways are clean and our drinking water is safe because there are far
reaching effects when rivers, lakes, and oceans becomes polluted. They can
endanger wildlife, make our drinking water unsafe and threaten the waters
where we swim and fish. Building on the strong funding level of $2.3
billion provided through the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving
Funds, $50 million is included for technical assistance, training, and
other efforts to enhance the capacity of communities and states to plan and
finance drinking water and wastewater infrastructure improvements. In
January 2015, the agency launched a key component of this expanded effort,
the Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center. It will help
communities across the country focus on financial planning for future
public infrastructure investments, expanding work with states to identify
financing opportunities for rural communities, and enhancing partnership
and collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture on training,
technical assistance, and funding opportunities in rural areas. The Water
Infrastructure and Resilience Finance center is part of the Build America
investment initiative, a government-wide effort to increase infrastructure
investment and promote economic growth by creating opportunities for state
and local governments and the private sector to collaborate on
infrastructure development.
Taking Steps to Improve Chemical Facility Safety
In support of the White House Executive Order to Improve Chemical Facility
Safety and Security, the EPA is requesting $27.8 million for the State and
Local Prevention and Preparedness program, an increase of $12 million above
the FY 2015 enacted level. This increase will allow EPA to continue to
improve the safety and security of chemical facilities and reduce the risks
of hazardous chemicals to facility workers and operators, communities, and
responders. These efforts represent a shared commitment among those with a
stake in chemical facility safety and security: facility owners and
operators; federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial governments;
regional entities; nonprofit organizations; facility workers; first
responders; environmental justice and local environmental organizations;
and communities. In FY 2016, we are implementing actions to strengthen
community planning and preparedness, enhance federal operational
coordination, improve data management, modernize policies and regulation,
and incorporate stakeholder feedback and best practices.
Protecting Our Land
EPA strives to protect and restore land to create a safer environment for
all Americans by cleaning up hazardous and non-hazardous wastes that can
migrate to air, groundwater and surface water, contaminating drinking water
supplies, causing acute illnesses and chronic diseases, and threatening
healthy ecosystems. We preserve, restore, and protect our land, for both
current and future generations by cleaning up contaminated sites and
returning them to communities for reuse. Our funds will assist communities
in using existing infrastructure and planning for more efficient and
livable communities, and encouraging the minimization of environmental
impacts throughout the full life cycle of materials. In FY 2016, we will
increase the Superfund Remedial program by $34 million to accelerate the
pace of cleanups, supporting states, local communities, and tribes in their
efforts to assess and cleanup sites and return them to productive reuse,
and encourage renewable energy development on formerly hazardous sites when
appropriate. We will expand the successful Brownfields program, providing
grants, and supporting area-wide planning and technical assistance to
maximize the benefits to the communities. In FY 2016, the EPA is investing
$110 million in funding for Brownfields Project grants to local
communities, an additional $30 million over the FY 2015 Enacted Budget,
increasing the number of grants for assessment and cleanup of contaminated
sites. This investment builds on the program's successful community-driven
approach to revitalizing contaminated land and further supports the
Agency's efforts to make a visible difference in communities.
Ensuring the Safety of Chemicals and Preventing Pollution
EPA's chemical safety programs are at the forefront of its efforts to
advance a sustainable future. In FY 2016, we are requesting $667.9 million,
an increase of $47.4 million over the FY 2015 Enacted Budget, to develop
new computational tools, and expand and enhance the quality, accessibility,
and usefulness of information about commercial chemicals and pesticides,
thereby strengthening the capability of the EPA, other regulators, and the
public to assess chemical hazards and potential exposures, identify
potential risks to human health and the environment and take appropriate
risk management action. The EPA will work aggressively to ensure sound
science, complete additional risk assessments from the TSCA Work Plan list
of existing chemicals and meet its requirement to review all current
pesticide registrations by 2022. In FY 2016, the EPA's Office of Pesticide
Programs will continue the important work initiated by the Presidential
Memorandum to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators to
reverse pollinator losses and help restore populations to healthy levels.
The EPA is committing $2 million towards this effort: $1.5 million to
further the study of acute toxicity amongst honey bee populations and
explore additional risk management options, and $500,000 to augment the
work of States and Tribes to develop pollinator protection plans.
Continuing EPA's Commitment to Innovative Research & Development
Environmental issues in the 21st century are complex because of the
interplay between air quality, climate change, water quality, healthy
communities, and chemical safety. They require different thinking and
solutions than those used in the past. The EPA's Office of Research and
Development is strengthening the Agency's ability to develop solutions by
providing $528 million to evaluate and predict potential environmental and
human health impacts for decision makers at all levels of government.
Activities in the FY 2016 Budget include providing support tools for
community health, investigating the unique properties of emerging
materials, such as nanomaterials, and research to support the nation's
range of growing water-use and ecological requirements.
Supporting State and Tribal Partners
Effective environmental protection is a joint effort of EPA, states and our
tribal partners. In FY 2016, we are requesting an increase of $108 million
in funding for State and Tribal Assistance categorical grants and setting a
high bar for continuing our partnership efforts with states and tribes. We
are also including opportunities for closer collaboration and targeted
joint planning and governance processes. One example is the commitment to
work collaboratively to streamline, reform, and integrate our shared
business processes and related systems through the E-Enterprise approach.
State-EPA-Tribal joint governance serves to organize the E-Enterprise
partnership to elevate its visibility, boost coordination capacity, and
ensure the inclusiveness and effectiveness of shared process and management
improvements. This will yield the benefits of increased transparency,
efficiency, and burden reduction for communities, businesses, and
government agencies when implemented.
Maintaining a Forward Looking and Adaptive EPA
The EPA has strategically evaluated its workforce and facility needs and
will continue the comprehensive effort to optimize and update its physical
footprint. In 2016, we will fast-track our efforts to save taxpayer dollars
through space optimization and essential renovations, including the
important laboratory buildings across the country, without sacrificing high
quality of research. The agency will continue to improve our processes and
the business enterprise of environmental protection for regulated companies
and the public through the joint E-Enterprise effort with states to
leverage technology and streamline workflow, data quality, data sharing and
transparency.
Reducing and Eliminating Programs
The EPA continues to examine its programs to find those that have served
their purpose and accomplished their mission. The FY 2016 President's
Budget also eliminates a number of programs totaling $44 million. Details
are found in the EPA FY 2016 Congressional Justification.
http://www2.epa.gov/planandbudget/fy2016).
For more information on the EPA's FY 2016 proposed budget, please visit
http://www2.epa.gov/planandbudget/fy2016.
