State
MDEQ recognizes 2015 enHance members
Hattiesburg American
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality on Thursday
accepted two new members and seven renewal memberships into its
enHance program for the 2015 class.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/2015/04/16/mdeq-2015-enhance-members/25892175/
Covington County oil spill stretches two miles down creek
WDAM
Cleanup is underway after a producing oil well breached Thursday morning,
spilling an estimated 100 barrels of oil into Oakey Woods Creek in
Covington County.
http://www.wdam.com/story/28821215/covington-county-oil-spill-stretches-two-miles-down-creek
Action Report: Shoreline Park residents say derelict boats are causing
pollution in canal
WLOX
Dwayne Lewis moved into his home in Shoreline Park in 2012. He says he was
hoping to enjoy living on the Coast, taking advantage of the waterways,
fishing and crabbing.
http://www.wlox.com/story/28825412/action-report-shoreline-park-residents-say-derelict-boats-are-causing-pollution-in-canal
Jackson Wants Hearing on Rankin Wastewater Plan
Jackson Free Press
The City of Jackson will ask state regulators for a formal evidentiary
hearing to contest the approval of a wastewater treatment plant in west
Rankin County.
http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2015/apr/16/jackson-wants-hearing-rankin-wastewater-plan/
Source: Bryant has offered Glenn McCullough MDA job
by jack.weatherly
MBJ
Glenn L. McCullough Jr., former mayor of Tupelo and chairman of the
Tennessee Valley Authority board, has been offered the job as the next
executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority, according to a
source familiar with the situation.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2015/04/16/breaking-source-bryant-has-offered-glenn-mccullough-mda-job/
Oil Spill
Help for Fishermen Post BP Oil Spill
WXXV
Fishermen like Tam Hyunh, whose language barriers have made it tougher to
make a comeback after the BP Oil Spill are finding help from the
Mississippi Coalition for Vietnamese Fisher Folk and Families.
http://www.wxxv25.com/news/local/story/Help-for-Fishermen-Post-BP-Oil-Spill/vcLRmkoHbkyEWl9p5h1QMQ.cspx
Regional
Collapsed Gulf oil platform has been leaking since 2004, investigation
finds
The Associated Press
OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO -- A blanket of fog lifts, exposing a band of
rainbow sheen that stretches for miles off the coast of Louisiana. From the
vantage point of an airplane, it's easy to see gas bubbles in the slick
that mark the spot where an oil platform toppled during a 2004 hurricane,
triggering what might be the longest-running commercial oil spill ever to
pollute the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/04/gulf_oil_spill_hidden_2004.html#incart_river
Ocean watchdog group sues federal government over turtle deaths in shrimp
nets
Sun Herald
BY PAUL HAMPTON
An ocean watchdog group sued the federal government Thursday, accusing it
of failing to adequately monitor the shrimp industry, including shrimpers
in the Gulf.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/04/16/6180135_ocean-watchdog-group-sues-federal.html?rh=1
National
Court skeptical of challenge to Obama's climate change plan
AP
WASHINGTON — Two out of three judges on a federal appeals court panel
expressed doubts Thursday about a legal challenge to the Obama
administration's far-reaching plan to address climate change.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/climate-change-plan-faces-high-profile-legal-test/2015/04/16/c7b169f0-e407-11e4-ae0f-f8c46aa8c3a4_story.html
Appeals Court Skeptical of Case Against EPA Climate Rule
Judges indicate a lawsuit is premature because the rule isn't final
Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON—A federal appeals court panel on Thursday suggested that it may
be too early for a court challenge to an Obama administration proposal to
cut carbon emissions from U.S. power plants.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/appeals-court-skeptical-of-case-against-epa-climate-rule-1429201275
Buddy Caldwell other attorneys general seek to block Obama administration
power plant rules
Bruce Alpert
Times-Picayune
April 16, 2015 at 8:43 PM
WASHINGTON -- In a legal fight over one of the nation's most contentious
environmental issues, an appellate court Thursday didn't deal much with the
overriding dispute -- whether carbon emissions linked to climate change
threaten so much environmental damage as to require bold federal
regulation, or whether the proposed Obama administration fix is too
disruptive and expensive.
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/04/buddy_caldwell_other_attorneys.html#incart_river
New regs for Friday: National forests, truck drivers, toxic pesticide
The Hill
Friday's edition of the Federal Register contains new rules for amateur
radio operators, truck drivers suffering from daytime sleepiness, a toxic
pesticide used by farmers, coal disposal landfills and protections for
national forests.
http://thehill.com/regulation/239054-new-regs-for-friday-national-forests-truck-drivers-toxic-pesticide
Opinion
Deepwater Horizon Five Years Later — Restoring the Mississippi coast starts
with a strong foundation
MBJ
Five years ago, on April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded,
killing 11 men and kicking off the worst man-made environmental disaster in
U.S. history. When the well was finally capped 87 days later, the oil had
already done unprecedented damage to Gulf of Mexico waters, wildlife, and
fisheries, as well as the livelihoods and businesses that depend on a
healthy Gulf Coast.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2015/04/16/deepwater-horizon-five-years-later-restoring-the-mississippi-coast-starts-with-a-strong-foundation/
5 years after Deepwater Horizon: How the secrets were spilled
Al.com
Ben Raines
For me, the BP oil spill of 2010 began with the words, "The following is
not public..."
The phrase was at the top of a secret U.S. Coast Guard report that a
longtime source had slipped to me a week after the Deepwater Horizon
drilling rig exploded, setting off the spill from the well far below in the
Gulf.
http://www.al.com/news/mobile/index.ssf/2015/04/gulf_oil_spill_5_years_later_s.html
Press Releases
EPA Publishes 20th Annual U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its 20
th Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks today, showing a
two percent increase in greenhouse gas emissions in 2013 from 2012 levels,
but a nine percent drop in emissions since 2005.
Total U.S. greenhouse emissions were 6,673 million metric tons of carbon
dioxide equivalent in 2013. By sector, power plants were the largest source
of emissions, accounting for 31 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas
pollution. The transportation sector was the second largest source, at 27
percent. Industry and manufacturing were the third largest source, at 21
percent. The increase in total national greenhouse gas emissions between
2012 and 2013 was due to increased energy consumption across all sectors in
the U.S. economy and greater use of coal for electricity generation.
This year, EPA is publishing key data in a new, online Greenhouse Gas
Inventory Data Explorer tool, which allows users to view, graph and
download data by sector, year and greenhouse gas. EPA will be holding an
informational webinar on April 22 at 1 p.m. EST to demonstrate the Data
Explorer tool and its features, and provide a tutorial on common searches.
Greenhouse gas emissions are driving climate change, which threatens the
health and well-being of Americans and future generations through decreased
air quality; extremes in heat and other weather events; increased incidence
of food-, water-, and insect-borne diseases; and other impacts.
Comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions data are an essential tool to help
understand the primary sources of emissions and identify cost-effective
opportunities to reduce them.
Under President Obama's Climate Action Plan, EPA is taking steps to address
carbon pollution from the power and transportation sectors, and to improve
energy efficiency in homes, businesses and factories. Current greenhouse
gas and fuel economy standards for cars and light trucks and EPA's proposed
Clean Power Plan will eliminate billions of tons of greenhouse gas
pollution, save lives through air quality benefits and save Americans money
at the pump.
The agency prepares the inventory annually in collaboration with other
federal agencies and submits the report to the Secretariat of the United
National Framework Convention on Climate Change every year on April 15. The
inventory presents historical emissions since 1990 and covers seven key
greenhouse gases: carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide,
hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, sulfur hexafluoride, and nitrogen
trifluoride. In addition to tracking U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, the
inventory also calculates carbon dioxide that is removed from the
atmosphere through the uptake of carbon in forests and other vegetation.
EPA has been publishing the inventory since 1994, but tracks back to 1990.
More on the U.S. Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report:
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/usinventoryreport.html
View and sort the data in EPA's Greenhouse Gas Inventory Data Explorer:
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/inventoryexplorer/
EPA Seeks Public Comments on Draft EJ 2020 Action Agenda Framework
WASHINGTON - Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is asking for
public comment on the draft EJ 2020 Action Agenda (EJ 2020) framework, the
EPA's next overarching strategic plan for environmental justice.
EJ 2020 is a strategy to advance environmental justice through EPA's
programs, policies and activities, and will support the cross-agency
strategy on making a visible difference in environmentally overburdened,
underserved, and economically-distressed communities. Stakeholders and the
general public can review the framework and submit comments, starting today
through June 15, 2015, by visiting www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/ej2020/
.
"EJ 2020 will build on the foundation established by EPA's Plan EJ 2014,
where we were able to improve on EJ in permitting, support community-based
programs and develop science tools to access and facilitate grants," said
Mustafa Santiago Ali, Senior Advisor to Administrator Gina McCarthy on
Environmental Justice. "Although we've made good progress, there's still
more to do. We need to strategically identify opportunities for targeted
collaboration that benefit overburdened communities. Your voices,
experiences and expertise can help shape a strategy that addresses the
needs of your communities."
The goals of EJ 2020 are to:
1. Deepen environmental justice practice within EPA programs to improve
the health and environment of overburdened communities;
2. Collaborate with partners to expand our impact within communities;
and
3. Demonstrate progress on outcomes that matter to communities.
Under Plan EJ 2014, EPA laid a foundation for integrating environmental
justice into all its programs, including rule-writing, permitting,
enforcement, science and law. Plan EJ 2014 helped to build environmental
justice into the agency's regulatory practice, revitalized environmental
justice planning across the federal family, and initiated the development
of a cross-cutting Environmental Justice Research Roadmap. To learn more
about the accomplishments under Plan EJ 2014, visit
http://epa.gov/environmentaljustice/plan-ej/index.html.
During the public comment period for EJ 2020, EPA will conduct
informational and dialogue sessions with partners and stakeholder groups.
Audiences are encouraged to participate in these sessions and request
additional sessions if needed. For more information about EJ 2020, and to
view a schedule of these sessions, visit
www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/ej2020/.
Environmental justice is defined as the fair treatment and meaningful
involvement of all people, regardless of race or income with respect to the
development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws,
regulations, and policies. EPA's goal is to provide an environment where
all people enjoy equal access to the environmental decision-making process
to maintain a healthy environment in which to live, learn, and work. EPA's
environmental justice work is an outgrowth of Executive Order 12898, signed
by President Clinton in 1994, that requires federal agencies to address the
disproportionately high and adverse human health or environmental effects
of their programs on minority and low-income populations.
For more information about EPA's environmental justice work, visit:
http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/.
