State
USM, research leaders introduced to Point Sur in Panama
WDAM
Three months of preparation and one day of traveling later, leaders with
the University of Southern Mississippi and other research groups officially
toured the newest marine research vessel to make its way to the Gulf of
Mexico.
http://www.wdam.com/story/28583081/usm-research-leaders-introduced-to-point-sur-in-panama
FedEx driver dies in I-20 wreck
Meridian Star
Michael Stewart
Saturday, March 21, 2015 12:26 pm
The driver of a FedEx truck died in an early Saturday morning wreck on
Interstate 20 when the truck he was driving went over a railroad bridge
after striking a disabled car.
http://www.meridianstar.com/news/local_news/fedex-driver-dies-in-i--wreck/article_65656fc0-cfef-11e4-9be7-c3c8472f39f3.html
Water contact advisory lifted in Gulfport
Sun Herald
GULFPORT -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality lifted a
water contact advisory Saturday that was issued March 19.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/03/21/6135848/water-contact-advisory-lifted.html
Citizens Start Anti-litter Initiative
Brookhaven Daily Leader
http://www.dailyleader.com/2015/03/20/citizens-start-anti-litter-initiative/
Many activities set for Earth Day
Bolivar Commercial
Earth Day will be celebrated to the fullest degree on April 11 as Keep
Cleveland Beautiful, the City of Cleveland, and Delta State University
Student Government Association join together.
http://www.bolivarcommercial.com/newsx/item/1610-many-activities-set-for-earth-day
Clean Audit Present to PRCUA
Picayune Item
http://www.picayuneitem.com/2015/03/clean-audit-presented-to-prcua-bid-accepted-for-contract-services/
Entergy offers energy efficiency rebates
Vicksburg Post
It is one thing to be aware of strategies that can help lower electric
bills, but it becomes a game changer when rebates and financial incentives
are offered to implement the plans. Wednesday, Wayne Ammons spoke to the
members of the Vicksburg Warren County Chamber of Commerce about incentives
being offered by Entergy Solutions, an Entergy Mississippi program.
http://www.vicksburgpost.com/2015/03/21/entergy-offers-energy-efficiency-rebates/
Analysis: Impact of Pat Harrison court ruling watched
BY JACK ELLIOTT JR.
Associated Press
JACKSON, MISS. — Mike Davis understands the angst felt by the Pat Harrison
Waterway District when member counties leave and take their money with
them.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/03/22/6133607/analysis-impact-of-pat-harrison.html
Oil Spill
Citizens mobilize to hold BP accountable for lingering oil
Pensacola News Journal
While snowbirds sunned on the beach, Joey Whibbs waded along the edge of
the Gulf of Mexico on Fort Pickens Beach on a recent Sunday, stopping every
few feet and scooping a net into the shifting white sand below the surface.
http://www.pnj.com/story/news/local/environment/2015/03/21/oil-spill-response/25156713/
Regional
DEQ looks to shift focus to take on water bodies in most need of attention
Agency would concentrate on high-priority water bodies
Baton Rouge Advocate
By AMY WOLD
A proposed policy shift that would allow the state Department of
Environmental Quality to concentrate more efforts on improving water
quality in the highest-priority water bodies in the state is out for public
comment.http://theadvocate.com/news/11873399-123/deq-looks-to-shift-focus
Gulf ecosystem reorganized in 1990s climate cycle, website reports
Benjamin Alexander-Bloch
The Times-Picayune
March 20, 2015 at 10:22 AM
The Gulf of Mexico went through a major ecosystem reorganization apparently
tied to a climate shift around 1995, according to an article on Phys.org, a
science, research and technology news website. The naturally occurring
climate cycles, known as the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, occur in
the north Atlantic Ocean and switch between cool and warm phases. Each
cycle typically lasts 20 to 40 years, according to the article.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/03/gulf_of_mexico_marine_food_web.html#incart_river
National
Litigation Awaits New EPA Emissions Rules
Power plants and their backers allege agency didn't consider the cost
Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON—The Obama administration's initiatives to reduce air pollution
have fared well in several hard-fought legal battles, but a new round of
court challenges could determine whether the White House's most ambitious
efforts will survive.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/litigation-awaits-new-epa-emissions-rules-1427052313
EPA rule on power plant emissions faces formidable hurdle in Supreme Court
LA Times
Twenty-five years in the making, a new nationwide rule is set to take
effect this spring that will sharply restrict coal and oil-fired power
plants from releasing mercury, arsenic and other hazardous pollutants into
the air and, eventually, into rivers and lakes.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-court-toxic-air-20150323-story.html
New Federal Rules Are Set for Fracking
NY Times
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration on Friday unveiled
the nation's first major federal regulations on hydraulic
fracturing, a technique for oil and gas drilling that has
led to a significant increase in American energy
production but has also raised concerns about health and
safety risks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/21/us/politics/obama-administration-unveils-federal-fracking-regulations.html?ref=earth&_r=0
Obama administration tightens federal rules on oil and gas fracking
Washington Post
The Obama administration imposed tougher restrictions Friday on oil and gas
"fracking" operations on public lands, seeking to lower the risk of water
contamination from a controversial practice that is chiefly behind the
recent boom in U.S. energy production.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/03/20/obama-administration-tightens-rules-on-oil-and-gas-fracking/
Fracking Rules Unveiled by Obama Administration
New standards for oil and gas wells will address chemical disclosures and
wastewater disposal
Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON—The Obama administration issued comprehensive rules on hydraulic
fracturing, trying to set a national standard for controversial drilling
practices that have helped fuel the U.S. oil and natural-gas boom.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/fracking-rules-unveiled-by-obama-administration-1426865795?KEYWORDS=fracking
Week ahead: Supreme Court to hear challenge to EPA power plant regs
The Hill
The Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday in a case that challenges
one of the Obama administration's most significant environmental
regulations.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/236466-week-ahead-supreme-court-to-hear-challenge-to-epa-power-plant-regs
New regs for Monday: Childcare, turtles, air pollution
The Hill
Monday's edition of the Federal Register contains new rules for the food
provided at child care facilities, protections for green sea turtles, and
state air pollution standards.
http://thehill.com/regulation/236406-new-regs-for-monday-childcare-turtles-air-pollution
Opinion
Denbury denying Mississippi jobs, tax revenue: Shows
Ronnie Shows
Clarion Ledger
The Feb. 18 article in The Clarion-Ledger, "Investor: Legislation
would free up millions of barrels of Miss. oil," spotlights an
important issue for all Mississippians: the use of the state's
natural resources.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/opinion/2015/03/20/denbury-denying-mississippi-jobs-tax-revenue-shows/25086083/
Mississippi energy policy spurs investment: Sullivan
Patrick Sullivan
Clarion Ledger
Mississippi's CO2-based enhanced oil recovery policy is the envy of
the energy nation. Energy policy and business professionals from all
over the world have traveled to Mississippi to see a remarkable
transformation. Energy production from old oil fields is on the rise
here — something few states can claim.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/opinion/2015/03/20/mississippi-energy-policy-spurs-investment-sullivan/25086683/
Clean Air Act and Dirty Coal at the Supreme Court
NY Times
The name of the law at issue before the Supreme Court on
Wednesday is the Clean Air Act. It is not the Coal
Industry Protection Act, despite what that industry's
advocates seem to want the justices to believe.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/23/opinion/clean-air-act-and-dirty-coal-at-the-supreme-court.html
