State
DeSoto supervisors treasure trash art, weigh legal fast-track on air
quality
Commercial Appeal
Before tackling issues from ozone nonattainment to bridge inspections and a
bid on a sheriff's parking lot, the DeSoto Board of Supervisors was greeted
by a truly trashy display Monday.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/local-news/desoto/desoto-supervisors-treasure-trash-art-weigh-legal-fasttrack-on-air-quality_53104264
Water quality advisory cautions swimmers along beach
WLOX
You may have noticed orange caution flags along the beach. The Mississippi
Department of Environmental Quality issued a water quality advisory over
the weekend,
http://www.wlox.com/story/28851483/water-quality-advisory-cautions-swimmers-along-beach
State Supreme Court accepts briefs asking for a rehearing on Kemper rates
SUN HERALD
The Mississippi Supreme Court has accepted briefs filed by three
Mississippi business organizations asking the court to rehear a case that
would require Mississippi Power to refund the rate hike for the Kemper
County power plant.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/04/20/6185934/state-supreme-court-accepts-briefs.html
MUW celebrates Earth Day Wednesday
Commercial Dispatch
April 20, 2015 9:58:34 AM
Mississippi University for Women is organizing activities in conjunction
with Earth Day to support the university's sustainability initiatives and
promote green living.
http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=41464
Hattiesburg, Mississippi's 'Stink Fest' features 35 bands, 5 venues;
Festival named for distinct odor
The Hattiesburg Stink Music & Arts Festival returns to Mississippi this
Friday and Saturday for its second year.
http://blog.gulflive.com/news_impact/print.html?entry=/2015/04/hattiesburg_mississippis_stink.html
KiOR, Twin Creeks among innovative no-goes
Clarion Ledger
While Mississippi has had success with home-grown innovations, it
has had less so with such imported efforts.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/money/business/2015/04/18/kior-twin-creeks-among-innovative-goes/26013175/
Oil Spill
FIVE YEARS LATER: MISSISSIPPI'S ENVIRONMENT AFTER THE BP SPILL
Posted by Evelina Burnett
MPB
The explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig five years ago led to the
release of millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. In the
second part of a week-long series, MPB's Evelina Burnett looks at what the
impacts of the spill have been on Mississippi's wildlife and environment.
http://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/2015/04/21/five-years-later-mississippis-environment-after-the-bp-spill/
Millions in BP restoration money coming to the Coast
WLOX
About $1 billion were set aside by BP after the 2010 oil spill in the Gulf
of Mexico. The Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Assessment Fund was set
up to help states affected by the disaster.
http://www.wlox.com/story/28851554/millions-in-bp-restoration-money-coming-to-the-coast
More Gulf recovery projects floated
AP
State and federal officials overseeing $1 billion provided by BP PLC
to spur recovery from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill said Monday
they're proposing another 10 projects totaling $134 million.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/04/20/gulf-bp-oil-spill-recovery/26109761/
Officials propose another 10 projects in early restoration work following
Deepwater Horizon disaster
Baton Rouge Advocate
By AMY WOLD
A list of 10 proposed projects to be funded by $134 million to help restore
the environment as a result of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil disaster has
been released by federal and state trustees as well as BP.
http://theadvocate.com/news/12159869-123/officials-propose-another-10-projects
Four projects in Coastal Alabama included in $134 million early restoration
plan
Al.com
Michael Finch II
April 20, 2015 at 4:06 PM
Federal, state and BP officials identified a group of 10 projects that
could receive funding for early restoration efforts along the Gulf of
Mexico. The tentative plan was released Monday, which was precisely the day
the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, killing 11 people five years ago.
http://www.al.com/news/mobile/index.ssf/2015/04/four_restoration_projects_in_c.html
2010 Gulf oil spill was bad for Coast businesses
WLOX
Kenny Dinero owns Ocean Springs Marine Mart. His dog, Pirate, is always by
his side. Customers joke that black lab Pirate was a white lab before the
spill.
http://www.wlox.com/story/28823567/2010-gulf-oil-spill-was-bad-for-coast-businesses
Gulf Coast Research Laboratory
WXXV
Five years after the BP Oil Spill, there are still a lot of unanswered
questions.
Tonight, scientists from the USM Marine Research Lab gathered to face some
of those questions.
http://www.wxxv25.com/news/local/story/Gulf-Coast-Research-Laboratory/-UDzFCGpekiDBSXTJ5EPng.cspx
7 Ways the BP Oil Spill Will Leave Its Mark on Law
Times-Picayune
http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2015/04/historic_bp_oil_spill_cases.html#0
Five years on, what do we know about BP oil spill damage?
PBS
JUDY WOODRUFF: There are plenty of different opinions and findings about
how well or poorly the Gulf Coast's waters, wildlife, businesses and people
have recovered.
We explore that now with two people from the region. Mark Schleifstein,
he's the environment reporter at The Times-Picayune in New Orleans. And
John Young, he's president of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. It's a coastal
district near the epicenter of the 2010 spill.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/five-years-know-bp-oil-spill-damage/
Five Years After BP Spill, Questions Linger in the Gulf
NBC
Five years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster that claimed 11 oil workers
and left the Gulf of Mexico slick with crude, what remains are questions.
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/five-years-after-bp-spill-questions-linger-gulf-n344906
Where is the BP RESTORE Act Money?
WKRG
Five years after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, Alabama is still waiting
for its share of BP Clean Water Act fine money.
http://www.wkrg.com/story/28851658/where-is-the-bp-restore-act-money
Louisiana oysters, shrimp, crab catch slightly down, but earnings up since
BP oil spill: Updated database
Benjamin Alexander-Bloch
The Times-Picayune
April 21, 2015 at 7:03 AM
Louisiana oyster, shrimp and crab catch since the BP oil spill in 2010
generally has been down on average statewide when compared to pre-spill
averages. But earnings for those fishers at the dock generally has been up,
according to an analysis of basin-by-basin catch and value figures from
2002 through 2013
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/04/louisiana_seafood_database_sea_1.html#incart_river
BP oil spill: Environmental groups comment on 5th anniversary of the spill
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
April 20, 2015 at 6:18 PM
A variety of environmental and civic groups have issued statements on the
fifth anniversary of the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster and oil spill,
outlining their continued concerns about the oil cleanup, the effects of
oil on wildlife and plans for restoration of wildlife and habitat affected
by the spill.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/04/bp_oil_spill_environmental_gro.html#incart_river
National
Carbon emissions grew in 2014
The Hill
Carbon emissions grew last year, according to government figures, although
slower than the economy did as a whole.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/239386-carbon-emissions-grow-in-2014
NSA unveils pro-recycling mascot for kids named 'Dunk'
The Hill
Recycling might not be the first thing people think of when they hear about
the National Security Agency, but the spy agency wants to change that.
The Fort Meade, Md., institution has a new pro-recycling mascot named
"Dunk" that it's using as part of an effort to get students in Maryland
schools to cut down on their trash.
http://thehill.com/policy/technology/239414-the-nsa-has-a-blue-recycling-mascot-named-dunk
Press releases
With USDA Assistance, Private Landowners Play Pivotal Role Aiding Gulf
Recovery
Jackson, Miss. – In the five years since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill,
America's farmers, ranchers and forest managers have partnered with the
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to voluntarily help Gulf of Mexico
ecosystems recover. Their proven conservation efforts on private lands have
helped clean and conserve water, restore habitat and strengthen
agricultural operations in the region.
Landowners in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida worked
with USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to make
conservation improvements on more than 22 million acres during fiscal years
2010-2014. An important part of this work was executed through targeted,
landscape-level initiatives, such as the Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative
(MBHI) and Gulf of Mexico Initiative (GoMI).
Just weeks after the spill, NRCS launched MBHI, an effort to aid landowners
in creating alternative habitat for migratory birds. Landowners in an
eight-state area created 470,000 acres of habitat for the millions of
migratory birds, including ducks, geese and shorebirds, that travel the
Mississippi Flyway each year to winter in Gulf of Mexico-area ecosystems,
or in the case of many shorebirds, Central and South America. A recent
study by Mississippi State University has shown the effectiveness of this
effort.
NRCS launched GoMI in 2012 to accelerate conservation to Gulf-area
watersheds most in need. This targeted work helped landowners trap and
reduce runoff of nutrients and sediment, which can impair water quality,
and restore habitat on about 60,000 acres during fiscal 2012-2014.
"When we target voluntary conservation efforts to the places most in need,
we see better results," stated Kurt Readus state conservationist in
Mississippi. "Landscape-scale natural resource concerns are most
effectively addressed across boundaries, and our efforts like the Migratory
Bird Habitat Initiative and Gulf of Mexico Initiative transcend farm,
county, parish and state boundaries."
A number of other landscape-level efforts enabled producers to improve
quality of water and habitat downstream in the Gulf region, including the
Mississippi River Basin Healthy Watersheds Initiative, National Water
Quality Initiative, Everglades Initiative and Longleaf Pine Initiative.
In addition to this on-the-ground work with farmers, ranchers and forest
managers, USDA collaborates with local, state and federal partners to aid
Gulf recovery. USDA serves on both the Natural Resource Damage Assessment
Trustee Council and the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, providing
technical assistance to both councils and working to broaden opportunities
for voluntary private lands conservation. Additionally, NRCS partnered with
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation last year, both committing $20
million for projects to this year, and up to $30 million in the next four
years.
For more on technical and financial assistance available through
conservation programs, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/GetStarted or a local USDA
service center.
