State
Billions over budget. Two years after deadline. What's gone wrong for the
'clean coal' project that's supposed to?
By DARREN SAMUELSOHN
Politico
DE KALB, Miss. – If coal has a future, it lies here, off a state road lined
with churches, crawfish billboards and boarded-up houses. One of the
poorest places in America, this is also home to one of the most expensive
power plants ever built.
http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2015/05/billion-dollar-kemper-clean-coal-energy-project-000015?hp=t3_r
Recycling program gets another grant
By Rhonda Dunawaym
Enterprise-Journal | Posted: Thursday, May 28, 2015 2:00 pm
Waste Management officials praised the efforts of Recycle one program
director Artis Brown at Tuesday's McComb city board meeting and presented
Brown with a $10,000 check to continue the good work.
http://www.enterprise-journal.com/news/article_0084f042-0557-11e5-a145-2b16c22d4ba2.html
Lowndes, Tippah Counties Get MDEQ Grants
WCBI
BY STEVE ROGERS · MAY 28, 2015
JACKSON, Miss. (Press Release) — The Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality (MDEQ) awarded Tippah County a solid waste assistance
grant of $13,760 and Lowndes County a $19,528 that will be used for
enforcement and clean up of illegal
http://www.wcbi.com/local-news/lowndes-tippah-counties-get-mdeq-grants/
Two counties given grants to tackle illegal dumping sites
WTVA
JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) -- Two North Mississippi counties were awarded grants
from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to aid with
tackling illegal dumping sites.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/Two-counties-given-grants-to-tackle-illegal/Nu9dcXkvdUyIB85PutuIOQ.cspx
EPA gives $400k in grants to revitalize West Point
WTVA
WEST POINT, Miss. (WTVA) -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is
giving the City of West Point and Community Counseling Services, also in
West Point, grants to help clean-up and redevelop contaminated properties,
boost the economy and leverage jobs while protecting public health and the
environment.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/EPA-gives-400k-in-grants-to-revitalize-West-Point/Wht0TjCGBE-f3q4rtIVXUw.cspx
South Mississippi Electric plans five solar facilities
Hattiesburg American
On Thursday, Hattiesburg-based South Mississippi Electric announced
plans to add to its renewable energy portfolio with the construction
of five solar power facilities. The project is scheduled to be
operational by early 2016, with plans for a larger-scale facility in
the future.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/2015/05/28/south-mississippi-electric-plans-five-solar-facilities/28086485/
$20 million bond aims to make Ingalls a Shipyard of the Future
$20 million bond aims to make Ingalls into Shipyard of the Future
SUN HERALD
PASCAGOULA -- Gov. Phil Bryant was at Ingalls Shipbuilding on Thursday for
a ceremonial signing of a $20 million bond bill that will help fund the
company's Shipyard of the Future project.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/05/28/6250126/20-million-bond-aims-to-make-ingalls.html
DOR says state tax returns 'on target'
Clarion Ledger
The Department of Revenue reports it is "on target" with state
income tax returns this year, and able to answer more phone calls
from taxpayers after budget and staff increases.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/05/28/dor-says-state-tax-returns-target/28069447/
Oil Spill
BP Drops Fight Over $750 Million Deepwater Horizon Insurance
Bloomberg
BP Plc won't seek to access Transocean Ltd.'s $750 million insurance policy
for the Deepwater Horizon rig, which exploded while drilling a BP well in
2010, sparking the worst offshore spill in U.S. history.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-28/bp-drops-fight-over-750-million-deepwater-horizon-insurance-ia8gyvoe
National
Watchdog hits EPA on state oversight
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has not corrected deficiencies in
how it oversees states' enforcement of federal environmental laws, its
internal watchdog said Thursday.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/243309-watchdog-hits-epa-on-state-oversight-employee-misconduct
Obama: 'Best climate scientists' link hurricanes, climate change
The Hill
President Obama said Thursday the link between more extreme weather and
climate change is undeniable, and that the world's best scientists have
made a conclusive connection.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/243332-obama-best-climate-scientists-link-hurricanes-climate-change
Why trash is no longer cash for recycling biz
CNBC
It's hard to find a U.S. customer who doesn't support recycling, but it's
also tough to make a buck on the business these days, Waste Management CEO
David Steiner said Thursday.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/102713255
Los Angeles-area beaches closed for swimming because of tar globs
The Associated Press
May 28, 2015 at 3:44 PM
MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. -- Popular beaches along nearly 7 miles of Los
Angeles-area coastline were off-limits to surfing and swimming Thursday as
scientists looked for the source of globs of tar that washed ashore.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/05/los_angeles_area_beaches_close.html#incart_river
Obama administration lays out controversial plans to protect sage grouse
Fox News
The Obama administration disclosed plans Thursday to preserve the habitat
of the imperiled greater sage grouse in 10 Western states that would
include placing limits on oil and natural gas drilling.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/05/29/rules-aim-to-protect-imperiled-bird-habitat-in-10-states/?intcmp=latestnews
Inside America's Secretive Biolabs
USA Today
Vials of bioterror bacteria have gone missing. Lab mice infected with
deadly viruses have escaped, and wild rodents have been found making nests
with research waste. Cattle infected in a university's vaccine experiments
were repeatedly sent to slaughter and their meat sold for human
consumption. Gear meant to protect lab workers from lethal viruses such as
Ebola and bird flu has failed, repeatedly.
http://www.usatoday.com/longform/news/2015/05/28/biolabs-pathogens-location-incidents/26587505/
Wisconsin's frac sand industry booms
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Wisconsin was the leading producer of frac sand in 2014, accounting for
nearly half of the nation's production of the white sand coveted by the
hydraulic fracturing industry, new statistics released this week show.
http://www.jsonline.com/business/wisconsins-frac-sand-industry-booms-b99509220z1-305394131.html
Press Releases
EPA Announces $54.3 Million to Assess and Clean Up Contaminated Sites,
Revitalize Communities, Leverage Jobs and Promote Economic Redevelopment
Nationwide
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today
the selection of 243 new grant investments totaling $54.3 million to 147
communities across the U.S. This investment will provide communities with
funding necessary to assess, clean up and redevelop contaminated
properties, boost local economies and leverage jobs while protecting public
health and the environment. Recipients will each receive approximately
$200,000 - $600,000 in funding toward EPA cooperative agreements.
EPA's Brownfields grants provide resources early which is critical for the
success of communities' ability to leverage additional partnerships and
resources. The community leaders - represented by local governments,
states, tribes, quasi-governmental organizations, and non-profit entities
have demonstrated strong partnerships and plan to leverage the EPA grants
with other public-private investments. They use an inclusive process to
help spur the redevelopment of vacant, former manufacturing and commercial
sites for broader revitalization in their downtowns. This results in a
transformed economy and environment while addressing poverty and economic
distress.
"Brownfield sites - because of their locations and associated
infrastructure advantages - are community assets and a key component of the
Obama Administration's efforts to provide tools to sustainably revitalize
communities and foster economic development," said Mathy Stanislaus,
assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Solid Waste and Emergency
Response. "These communities have demonstrated a plan to leverage their
grants and partnerships to achieve economic and environmental
revitalization to meet their needs for jobs. These critical EPA resources
are going into communities with populations ranging from 89 to 1.4 million,
and more than half under 100,000. The grants will help transform brownfield
sites, such as former manufacturing and mill sites, into productive end
uses which directly benefit community residents and create opportunities
including increased housing options, recreational spaces, and jobs."
Among the communities selected for funding, more than thirty percent have
been affected by plant closures, forty percent by significant economic
disruptions, and forty-two percent by adverse natural disasters. The small
City of Palatka, Florida for example, was declared an emergency area
following the devastation of two tropical storms, and has also suffered
economically from the closing of Georgia-Pacific paper towel manufacturing
line and the lay-off of 130 employees from the regional water management
company. Being selected for a $400,000 assessment grant will allow this
town of just over 10,000 residents to support their downtown and riverfront
redevelopment plans and help restore the local economy.
This latest funding advances EPA's broader commitment to making a visible
difference in communities that focuses on better coordinating federal
investments to help environmentally overburdened, underserved, and
economically distressed communities address local priorities. Communities
selected this year demonstrate a high level of preparedness to undertake
specific projects as they have firm commitments of leveraged funds to move
projects forward. An impressive forty-five percent of the recipients have
secured public and private resources which directly align and further the
efforts of proposed projects.
San Antonio, Texas, selected for a $400,000 assessment grant, will focus on
three priority areas to restore urban waterways, attract commercial
development, construct new multifamily housing, and sustainably reuse
existing buildings. By creatively combining available resources, the city
secured more than $470 million to advance community goals which will help
ensure success of revitalizing the priority areas.
EPA continues to help new communities to address Brownfields sites plaguing
their neighborhoods. First-time recipient Columbus, Indiana plans to use a
$400,000 assessment grant award to perform assessments that align with and
promote the city's strategic plan to expand residential and educational
opportunities for its residents, enhance greenspace and boost the economy
with new retail stores and services.
EPA's grant awards support both urban and rural communities in their
efforts to address their brownfields concerns. More than fifty-five percent
of the communities selected are cities and towns with populations of
100,000 or less, of which forty-four percent are very small rural
communities with populations of 10,000 or less. The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe
in South Dakota, population 1,664, will use its $200,000 cleanup grant to
remove contamination from the Former Housing Authority Building located in
the middle of town and directly adjacent to an elementary school.
Addressing contamination of the deteriorating building will enhance the
environmental and public welfare of the resident and provide other direct
community benefits by allowing the tribe to relocate their local Boys &
Girls Club.
Approximately $17 million of the assessment and cleanup funding will go to
applicants who are also Brownfields Area-Wide Planning grant recipients and
HUD-DOT-EPA partnership communities. This funding will help communities
clean up and reuse brownfield sites to produce community assets such as
housing, recreation and open space, health facilities, create employment,
education, social services, transportation options, infrastructure and
commerce opportunities. For example, the Camden Redevelopment Agency in New
Jersey will receive three $200,000 cleanup grant awards, and a $200,000
assess grant which will lead to the redevelopment of a 3.6-acre mercury and
lead contaminated Camden Laboratories site into mixed residential and
commercial use. Clark County in Nevada will receive a $500,000 assessment
coalition grant award to address the Maryland Parkway High Capacity
Corridor in the heart of the Las Vegas' urban core. As the region's first
multi-modal corridor, over the next 20 years, the development will generate
much needed jobs and will spur additional development and investments in
the area.
Since the inception of the EPA's Brownfields Program in 1995, cumulative
brownfield program investments have leveraged more than $22 billion from a
variety of public and private sources for cleanup and redevelopment
activities. This equates to an average of $17.79 leveraged per EPA
brownfield dollar expended. These investments have resulted in
approximately 105,942 jobs nationwide. EPA's Brownfields Program empowers
states, communities, and other stakeholders to work together to prevent,
assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse brownfields sites.
For information on brownfields grants by state:
http://cfpub.epa.gov/bf_factsheets/
More information on EPA's brownfields program:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/
More information on brownfields success stories:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields/success/index.htm
Friday, May 29, 2015
Thursday, May 28, 2015
News Clippings 5.28.15
State
MDEQ: No Requests to Export Drinking Water to Date
Clarksdale Press-Register
Robbie Wilbur, a spokesperson for the Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality, said on Thursday that to date, no California
companies have sought permits for Mississippi drinking water.
http://www.pressregister.com/news/article_e959b6b2-03c8-11e5-9cb6-bf826ba62c35.html
City of Jackson sued over wastewater treatment plant
Clarion Ledger
The West Rankin Utility Authority has filed a lawsuit against the
city of Jackson, asking the city repay charges it says weren't owed.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/05/27/savanna-street-wastewater-plant/28018655/
Tronox's sodium chlorate plant to close Nov. 30
Monroe Journal
by Ray Van Dusen | 10:25 am | May 27, 2015
HAMILTON – According to Bud Grebey, vice president of corporate affairs and
communications for Tronox, the Hamilton plant's sodium chlorate plant will
cease production Nov. 30 due to a steep decline in the global demand of the
product, which is used as an alternative to chlorine as a whitener for
paper and pulp products.
http://monroecountyjournal.com/2015/05/27/tronoxs-sodium-chlorate-plant-to-close-nov-30/
MDEQ awards solid waste grant to Chickasaw County
Chickasaw Journal
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) awarded
Chickasaw County a solid waste assistance grant of $11,717 that will be
used by the county for clean up of illegal dumping sites.
http://chickasawjournal.com/2015/05/27/mdeq-awards-solid-waste-grant-to-chickasaw-county/
Oil Spill
BILOXI'S CRUDE DEAL: OIL SPILL REPARATIONS ARE FUNDING A BASEBALL STADIUM
IN MISSISSIPPI
Vice Sports Blog
Biloxi, Mississippi's complicated relationship with nature is built into
the town's very infrastructure. The exit off I-110 that delivers drivers to
the city's waterfront loops out over the Gulf of Mexico and back onto dry
land. On a hot recent morning, gulf water the color of dirty dishwater
lapped at the exit's concrete support beams and onto an awkward patch of
beach beneath the off-ramp.
https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/biloxis-crude-deal-oil-spill-reparations-are-funding-a-baseball-stadium-in-mississippi
Regional
EPA approves Warrant Ultra Herbicide for cotton, soybeans
Delta Farm Press
Soybean and cotton growers looking for tools to manage weeds will have a
new, first-of-its-kind option in 2016 with Warrant Ultra Herbicide, a
premix of acetochlor and fomesafen approved by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency last month.
http://deltafarmpress.com/epa-approves-warrant-ultra-herbicide-cotton-soybeans
National
EPA Adds Smaller Waterways, Wetlands to Federal Supervision
Agency says rule would protect sources of drinking water for more than 100
million people
Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON—The Obama administration issued a rule on Wednesday putting more
small bodies of water and wetlands under federal protection to ensure clean
drinking supplies, a move that has riled some lawmakers and business and
farming groups.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/obama-administration-adds-waterways-wetlands-to-federal-control-1432740942
New Federal Rules on Stream Protection Hailed, Criticized
WASHINGTON — May 27, 2015, 4:15 PM ET
By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press
New federal rules designed to better protect small streams, tributaries and
wetlands — and the drinking water of 117 million Americans — are being
criticized by Republicans and farm groups as going too far.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/epa-rules-protect-drinking-water-regulate-small-streams-31332848?singlePage=true
EPA strengthens federal protections for small streams
Washington Post
Nearly a decade after the Supreme Court pointed out the confusion over
exactly which waters fall under the Clean Water Act, the Obama
administration responded Wednesday with a new rule that states what is
protected and what is not.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/epa-strengthens-federal-protections-for-small-streams/2015/05/27/73972d10-0477-11e5-a428-c984eb077d4e_story.html
Obama Announces New Rule Limiting Water Pollution
NY Times
WASHINGTON — President Obama on Wednesday announced a
sweeping new clean water regulation meant to restore the
federal government's authority to limit pollution in the
nation's rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/28/us/obama-epa-clean-water-pollution.html?ref=earth&_r=0
EPA unveils comprehensive water regs, critics decry 'power grab'
Fox News
The Obama administration issued controversial new rules Wednesday aimed at
protecting the nation's drinking water but decried by congressional critics
as a regulatory "power grab."
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/05/27/epa-issues-final-rules-protecting-drinking-water-streams/
Barack Obama's water war
Industries like agriculture, oil and home-building are lining up to attack
a rule aimed at protecting wetlands and waterways.
Politico
By JENNY HOPKINSON
The Obama administration announced new protections Wednesday for thousands
of waterways and wetlands, pushing ahead despite a fierce counterattack
from powerhouse industries like agriculture, oil and home-building — and
their supporters in Congress.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/epa-waterways-wetlands-rule-118319.html
EPA Plans Temporary Pesticide Restrictions While Bees Feed
WASHINGTON — May 28, 2015, 4:30 AM ET
By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer
If honeybees are busy pollinating large, blooming croplands, farmers
wanting to spray toxic pesticides will soon have to buzz off, the
Environmental Protection Agency is proposing.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/epa-plans-temporary-pesticide-restrictions-bees-feed-31356771
Opinion
EPA's Amphibious Attack
An expansive new rule lets Washington regulate any creek or pothole.
Wall Street Journal
While retrenching abroad, the Obama Administration remains committed to
expanding Washington's footprint at home. Behold the Environmental
Protection Agency's rewrite Wednesday of the Clean Water Act that extends
federal jurisdiction over tens of millions of acres of private land.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/epas-amphibious-attack-1432769456
Press Releases
COCHRAN, WICKER EXPECT CHALLENGES TO FINAL EPA RULE ON CLEAN WATER REGS
Miss. Senators Critical of EPA Push to Expand Regulatory Reach Over
Streams, Ponds, Ditches
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Roger
Wicker (R-Miss.) today said they expect new challenges to final rules
issued Wednesday that would greatly expand the reach of the federal
government to regulate water sources, including tributaries, ponds and
ditches.
The Mississippi Senators have been consistently critical of the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) effort to rewrite regulations in
order to redefine and expand the definition of which waters can be
regulated by the Clean Water Act. The EPA on Wednesday issued its final
rule for the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) regulations. The rule
will become effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.
"The Environmental Protection Agency is disregarding the input of
businesses, agricultural interests, and property owners and asking
Mississippians for their blind trust as it implements these far-reaching
regulations. People are right to be skeptical," Cochran said. �
��I expect
that this rule will continue to be challenged in Congress and in the court
system. It is a vast and unwarranted expansion of the agency's authority,
and has the potential to place expensive regulatory burdens on every
property owner in the country."
"The Obama Administration is once again giving Washington bureaucrats
more control over the lives of Americans, in particular our farmers and
ranchers," Wicker said. "In addition to the burden on private property
owners and small businesses, this regulation would take a significant toll
on economic growth and pose major challenges for local officials – while
failing to provide any clear benefits. This power grab not only challenges
the intent of Congress but also defies the decisions of the Supreme Court,
which has already ruled on the provision twice."
By bringing more waters—including streams, creeks, wetlands, and
ponds—under the WOTUS regulations, the EPA would use an expanded
interpretation of the Clean Water Act of 1972 to gain federal regulatory
control over an unprecedented amount of privately-held land. The final
rule could have far-reaching implications for Mississippi's 10 major river
basins and 86,000 miles of streams.
Since the WOTUS regulations were first proposed by the EPA and Army
Corps of Engineers, Cochran and Wicker have worked to stop the EPA effort
to advance the regulations, which have been widely criticized by
agriculture and small business sectors. Additionally, the EPA's use of
organized grassroots lobbying efforts has come under scrutiny, with the New
York Times reporting on possible legal and ethical violations at the
agency.
The Mississippi Senators have used their committee assignments to
challenge the effort, including passing legislation that forced EPA and the
Corps to withdraw its agriculture Interpretive Rule that outlined just 56
activities out of more than 160 conservation practices that previously
qualified for the normal farming and ranching exemption.
This year, Cochran and Wicker cosponsored the Federal Water Quality
Protection Act (S.1140), which would block the WOTUS rule and require the
EPA to write a new rule by Dec. 31, 2016, that would exempt certain bodies
of water – isolated ponds, ditches, agriculture water, storm water,
groundwater, floodwater, municipal water supply systems, wastewater
management systems, and streams – from Clean Water Act requirements. The
Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and
Wildlife, on which Wicker serves, conducted a hearing on S.1140 on May 19.
###
Clean Water Rule Protects Streams and Wetlands Critical to Public Health,
Communities, and Economy
Does not create any new permitting requirements and maintains all previous
exemptions and exclusions
Washington – In an historic step for the protection of clean water, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army finalized the Clean
Water Rule today to clearly protect from pollution and degredation the
streams and wetlands that form the foundation of the nation's water
resources.
The rule ensures that waters protected under the Clean Water Act are more
precisely defined and predictably determined, making permitting less
costly, easier, and faster for businesses and industry. The rule is
grounded in law and the latest science, and is shaped by public input. The
rule does not create any new permitting requirements for agriculture and
maintains all previous exemptions and exclusions.
"For the water in the rivers and lakes in our communities that flow to our
drinking water to be clean, the streams and wetlands that feed them need to
be clean too," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. "Protecting our water
sources is a critical component of adapting to climate change impacts like
drought, sea level rise, stronger storms, and warmer temperatures – which
is why EPA and the Army have finalized the Clean Water Rule to protect
these important waters, so we can strengthen our economy and provide
certainty to American businesses."
"Today's rule marks the beginning of a new era in the history of the Clean
Water Act," said Assistant Secretary for the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen
Darcy. "This is a generational rule and completes another chapter in
history of the Clean Water Act. This rule responds to the public's demand
for greater clarity, consistency, and predictability when making
jurisdictional determinations. The result will be better public service
nationwide."
People need clean water for their health: About 117 million Americans – one
in three people – get drinking water from streams that lacked clear
protection before the Clean Water Rule. America's cherished way of life
depends on clean water, as healthy ecosystems provide wildlife habitat and
places to fish, paddle, surf, and swim. Clean and reliable water is an
economic driver, including for manufacturing, farming, tourism, recreation,
and energy production. The health of our rivers, lakes, bays, and coastal
waters are impacted by the streams and wetlands where they begin.
Protection for many of the nation's streams and wetlands has been
confusing, complex, and time-consuming as the result of Supreme Court
decisions in 2001 and 2006. EPA and the Army are taking this action today
to provide clarity on protections under the Clean Water Act after receiving
requests for over a decade from members of Congress, state and local
officials, industry, agriculture, environmental groups, scientists, and the
public for a rulemaking.
In developing the rule, the agencies held more than 400 meetings with
stakeholders across the country, reviewed over one million public comments,
and listened carefully to perspectives from all sides. EPA and the Army
also utilized the latest science, including a report summarizing more than
1,200 peer-reviewed, published scientific studies which showed that small
streams and wetlands play an integral role in the health of larger
downstream water bodies.
Climate change makes protection of water resources even more essential.
Streams and wetlands provide many benefits to communities by trapping
floodwaters, recharging groundwater supplies, filtering pollution, and
providing habitat for fish and wildlife. Impacts from climate change like
drought, sea level rise, stronger storms, and warmer temperatures threaten
the quantity and quality of America's water. Protecting streams and
wetlands will improve our nation's resilience to climate change.
Specifically, the Clean Water Rule:
· Clearly defines and protects tributaries that impact the health of
downstream waters. The Clean Water Act protects navigable waterways
and their tributaries. The rule says that a tributary must show
physical features of flowing water – a bed, bank, and ordinary high
water mark – to warrant protection. The rule provides protection for
headwaters that have these features and science shows can have a
significant connection to downstream waters.
· Provides certainty in how far safeguards extend to nearby waters. The
rule protects waters that are next to rivers and lakes and their
tributaries because science shows that they impact downstream waters.
The rule sets boundaries on covering nearby waters for the first time
that are physical and measurable.
· Protects the nation's regional water treasures. Science shows that
specific water features can function like a system and impact the
health of downstream waters. The rule protects prairie potholes,
Carolina and Delmarva bays, pocosins, western vernal pools in
California, and Texas coastal prairie wetlands when they impact
downstream waters.
· Focuses on streams, not ditches. The rule limits protection to
ditches that are constructed out of streams or function like streams
and can carry pollution downstream. So ditches that are not
constructed in streams and that flow only when it rains are not
covered.
· Maintains the status of waters within Municipal Separate Storm Sewer
Systems. The rule does not change how those waters are treated and
encourages the use of green infrastructure.
· Reduces the use of case-specific analysis of waters. Previously,
almost any water could be put through a lengthy case-specific
analysis, even if it would not be subject to the Clean Water Act. The
rule significantly limits the use of case-specific analysis by
creating clarity and certainty on protected waters and limiting the
number of similarly situated water features.
A Clean Water Act permit is only needed if a water is going to be polluted
or destroyed. The Clean Water Rule only protects the types of waters that
have historically been covered under the Clean Water Act. It does not
regulate most ditches and does not regulate groundwater, shallow subsurface
flows, or tile drains. It does not make changes to current policies on
irrigation or water transfers or apply to erosion in a field. The Clean
Water Rule addresses the pollution and destruction of waterways – not land
use or private property rights.
The rule protects clean water necessary for farming, ranching, and forestry
and provides greater clarity and certainty to farmers about coverage of the
Clean Water Act. Farms across America depend on clean and reliable water
for livestock, crops, and irrigation. The final rule specifically
recognizes the vital role that U.S. agriculture serves in providing food,
fuel, and fiber at home and around the world. The rule does not create any
new permitting requirements for America's farmers. Activities like
planting, harvesting, and moving livestock have long been exempt from Clean
Water Act regulation, and the Clean Water Rule preserves those exemptions.
The Clean Water Rule will be effective 60 days after publication in the
Federal Register.
More information: www.epa.gov/cleanwaterrule and http://www.army.mil/asacw
Reasons We Need the Clean Water Rule
By EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and Assistant Secretary of the Army for
Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy
Today, EPA and the Army are finalizing a Clean Water Rule to protect the
streams and wetlands we rely on for our health, our economy, and our way of
life.
As summer kicks off, many of us plan to be outside with our friends and
families fishing, paddling, surfing, and swimming. And for the lakes and
rivers we love to be clean, the streams and wetlands that feed them have to
be clean, too. That's just one of many reasons why this rule is so
important. Here are several more:
Clean water is vital to our health. One in three Americans get drinking
water from streams that lacked clear protection from pollution without the
Clean Water Rule. Finalizing the rule helps protect 117 million Americans'
health.
Our economy depends on clean water. Major economic sectors—from
manufacturing and energy production to agriculture, food service, tourism,
and recreation—depend on clean water to function and flourish. Without
clean water, business grinds to a halt—a reality too many local small
business owners faced in Toledo last year when drinking water became
contaminated for several days.
Clean water helps farms thrive, and the rule preserves commonsense
agriculture exemptions. Farms across America depend on clean and reliable
water for livestock, crops, and irrigation. Activities like planting,
harvesting, and moving livestock across streams have long been exempt from
Clean Water Act regulation; the Clean Water Rule doesn't change that. The
final rule doesn't create any new permitting requirements for agriculture,
maintains all previous exemptions and exclusions, and even adds exclusions
for features like artificial lakes and ponds, water-filled depressions from
construction, and grass swales—all to make clear our goal is to stay out of
agriculture's way. Just like before, a Clean Water Act permit is only
needed if a water is going to be polluted or destroyed—and all exemptions
for agriculture stay in place.
Climate change makes protection of water resources even more essential.
Impacts from climate change like more intense droughts, storms, fires, and
floods—not to mention warmer temperatures and sea level rise�
�threaten our
water supplies.
But healthy streams and wetlands can protect communities by trapping
floodwaters, retaining moisture during droughts, recharging groundwater
supplies, filtering pollution, and providing habitat for fish and wildlife.
With states like California in the midst of historic drought, it's more
important than ever that we protect the clean water we've got.
Clear protections mean cleaner water. The Clean Water Act has protected our
health for more than 40 years—and helped our nation clean up hundreds of
thousands of miles of polluted waterways. But Supreme Court decisions in
2001 and 2006 threw protections into question for 60 percent of our
nation's streams and millions of acres of wetlands. Using the latest
science, this rule clears up the confusion, providing greater certainty for
the first time in more than a decade about which waters are important to
protect.
Science shows us the most important waters to protect. In developing the
Clean Water Rule, the Agencies used the latest science, including a report
summarizing more than 1,200 peer-reviewed, published scientific
studies—which showed small streams and wetlands play an important role in
the health of larger downstream waterways like rivers and lakes.
You asked for greater clarity. Members of Congress, state and local
officials, industry, agriculture, environmental groups, scientists, and the
public called on EPA and the Army to clarify which waters are protected
under the Clean Water Act. With this rule, the agencies are responding to
those requests and addressing the Supreme Court decisions. EPA and the Army
held hundreds of meetings with stakeholders across the country, reviewed
over a million public comments, and listened carefully to perspectives from
all sides. All of this input shaped and improved the final rule we're
announcing today.
Just as importantly, there are lots of things the rule doesn't do. The rule
only protects waters historically covered under the Clean Water Act. It
doesn't interfere with private property rights, and it only covers
water—not land use. It also doesn't regulate most ditches, doesn't regulate
groundwater or shallow subsurface flows, and doesn't change policy on
irrigation or water transfers.
These are just a few of the many reasons why clean water and this rule are
important—learn more here http://www2.epa.gov/cleanwaterrule and share
yours with #CleanWaterRules.
Tronox Sodium Chlorate Plant In Hamilton To Close
BY AUNDREA SELF · MAY 27, 2015
(PRESS RELEASE)
Tronox Hamilton, Sodium Chlorate Plant Announcement
The Tronox sodium chlorate plant in Hamilton, Mississippi will cease
production in late November, 2015. This action is the result of a steep
decline in global demand for sodium chlorate, which is used as an
alternative to chlorine as a whitener for paper and pulp products.
Closing the Sodium Chlorate plant is a difficult decision for Tronox; one
that was made after a full consideration of alternatives. In light the low
near- and long-term market demand for the product, and the prohibitive
costs to upgrade the facility, the company concluded that this transition
is the only viable option.
We anticipate that approximately 70 jobs will be eliminated when the plant
closes in late November 2015, and of that number, approximately 30 will be
offered comparable positions at our TiO2 plant in Hamilton.
Colleagues leaving Tronox as a result of this decision will be offered
severance, extended benefits, and outplacement services.
We thank our colleagues at the plant for their dedication and decades of
service to the company and our customers. By making this announcement
several months in advance of the closing of the plant, our goal is to
lessen its impact on affected colleagues and the surrounding community.
Since October 2013, Tronox has supplied almost its entire finished
inventory of sodium chlorate – 130,000 metric tons per annum �
� to ERCO
Worldwide. Under the terms of the 2013 agreement ERCO assumed all of
Tronox's existing customer contracts.
In April, ERCO notified Tronox that it will terminate its agreement with
Tronox after the 2015 production cycle.
Production at the Sodium Chlorate plant will continue into the fourth
quarter of this year. During this period, we will maintain our focus on
safe and sustainable operations and our commitment to manufacturing a
high-quality product.
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| New USDA Portal Enables Farmers, Ranchers to Request Conservation Assistance Online |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|Washington, D.C. May 27, 2015 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that |
|farmers, ranchers and private forest landowners can now do business with U.S. |
|Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) |
|through a new online portal. With today's launch of Conservation Client Gateway, |
|producers will have the ability to work with conservation planners online to access |
|Farm Bill programs, request assistance and track payments for their conservation |
|activities. |
| |
| |
|"What used to require a trip to a USDA service center can now be done from a home |
|computer through Conservation Client Gateway," Vilsack said. "USDA is committed to |
|providing effective, efficient assistance to its clients, and Conservation Client |
|Gateway is one way to improve customer service." |
| |
| |
|Conservation Client Gateway enables farmers, ranchers and private landowners to |
|securely: |
| |
| |
| · Request NRCS technical and financial assistance; |
| |
| |
| · Review and sign conservation plans and practice schedules; |
| |
| |
| · Complete and sign an application for a conservation program; |
| |
| |
| · Review, sign and submit contracts and appendices for conservation programs; |
| |
| |
| · Document completed practices and request certification of completed practices; |
| |
| |
| · Request and track payments for conservation programs; and |
| |
| |
| · Store and retrieve technical and financial files, including documents and |
| photographs. |
| |
| |
|Conservation Client Gateway is entirely voluntary, giving producers a choice between |
|conducting business online or traveling to a USDA service center. |
| |
| |
|"Our goal is to make it easy and convenient for farmers and ranchers to work with |
|USDA," Vilsack said. "Customers can log in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to |
|electronically sign documents, apply for conservation programs, access conservation |
|plans, report practice completion or track the status of conservation payments. Through|
|Conservation Client Gateway, producers have their conservation information at their |
|fingertips and they can save time and gas money by reducing the number of trips to USDA|
|service centers." |
| |
| |
|Conservation Client Gateway is available to individual landowners and will soon be |
|extended to business entities, such as Limited Liability Corporations. It is part of |
|the agency's ongoing Conservation Delivery Streamlining Initiative, which will feature |
|additional capabilities in the future. |
| |
| |
|For more information about Conservation Client Gateway, visit: |
|www.nrcs.usda.gov/clientgateway. |
| |
| |
|Fact Sheet |
| |
| |
|FAQ page |
| |
| |
|# |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|USDA Announces $1.4 Billion in Proactive Savings through Blueprint for Stronger Service|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
MDEQ: No Requests to Export Drinking Water to Date
Clarksdale Press-Register
Robbie Wilbur, a spokesperson for the Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality, said on Thursday that to date, no California
companies have sought permits for Mississippi drinking water.
http://www.pressregister.com/news/article_e959b6b2-03c8-11e5-9cb6-bf826ba62c35.html
City of Jackson sued over wastewater treatment plant
Clarion Ledger
The West Rankin Utility Authority has filed a lawsuit against the
city of Jackson, asking the city repay charges it says weren't owed.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/05/27/savanna-street-wastewater-plant/28018655/
Tronox's sodium chlorate plant to close Nov. 30
Monroe Journal
by Ray Van Dusen | 10:25 am | May 27, 2015
HAMILTON – According to Bud Grebey, vice president of corporate affairs and
communications for Tronox, the Hamilton plant's sodium chlorate plant will
cease production Nov. 30 due to a steep decline in the global demand of the
product, which is used as an alternative to chlorine as a whitener for
paper and pulp products.
http://monroecountyjournal.com/2015/05/27/tronoxs-sodium-chlorate-plant-to-close-nov-30/
MDEQ awards solid waste grant to Chickasaw County
Chickasaw Journal
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) awarded
Chickasaw County a solid waste assistance grant of $11,717 that will be
used by the county for clean up of illegal dumping sites.
http://chickasawjournal.com/2015/05/27/mdeq-awards-solid-waste-grant-to-chickasaw-county/
Oil Spill
BILOXI'S CRUDE DEAL: OIL SPILL REPARATIONS ARE FUNDING A BASEBALL STADIUM
IN MISSISSIPPI
Vice Sports Blog
Biloxi, Mississippi's complicated relationship with nature is built into
the town's very infrastructure. The exit off I-110 that delivers drivers to
the city's waterfront loops out over the Gulf of Mexico and back onto dry
land. On a hot recent morning, gulf water the color of dirty dishwater
lapped at the exit's concrete support beams and onto an awkward patch of
beach beneath the off-ramp.
https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/biloxis-crude-deal-oil-spill-reparations-are-funding-a-baseball-stadium-in-mississippi
Regional
EPA approves Warrant Ultra Herbicide for cotton, soybeans
Delta Farm Press
Soybean and cotton growers looking for tools to manage weeds will have a
new, first-of-its-kind option in 2016 with Warrant Ultra Herbicide, a
premix of acetochlor and fomesafen approved by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency last month.
http://deltafarmpress.com/epa-approves-warrant-ultra-herbicide-cotton-soybeans
National
EPA Adds Smaller Waterways, Wetlands to Federal Supervision
Agency says rule would protect sources of drinking water for more than 100
million people
Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON—The Obama administration issued a rule on Wednesday putting more
small bodies of water and wetlands under federal protection to ensure clean
drinking supplies, a move that has riled some lawmakers and business and
farming groups.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/obama-administration-adds-waterways-wetlands-to-federal-control-1432740942
New Federal Rules on Stream Protection Hailed, Criticized
WASHINGTON — May 27, 2015, 4:15 PM ET
By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press
New federal rules designed to better protect small streams, tributaries and
wetlands — and the drinking water of 117 million Americans — are being
criticized by Republicans and farm groups as going too far.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/epa-rules-protect-drinking-water-regulate-small-streams-31332848?singlePage=true
EPA strengthens federal protections for small streams
Washington Post
Nearly a decade after the Supreme Court pointed out the confusion over
exactly which waters fall under the Clean Water Act, the Obama
administration responded Wednesday with a new rule that states what is
protected and what is not.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/epa-strengthens-federal-protections-for-small-streams/2015/05/27/73972d10-0477-11e5-a428-c984eb077d4e_story.html
Obama Announces New Rule Limiting Water Pollution
NY Times
WASHINGTON — President Obama on Wednesday announced a
sweeping new clean water regulation meant to restore the
federal government's authority to limit pollution in the
nation's rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/28/us/obama-epa-clean-water-pollution.html?ref=earth&_r=0
EPA unveils comprehensive water regs, critics decry 'power grab'
Fox News
The Obama administration issued controversial new rules Wednesday aimed at
protecting the nation's drinking water but decried by congressional critics
as a regulatory "power grab."
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/05/27/epa-issues-final-rules-protecting-drinking-water-streams/
Barack Obama's water war
Industries like agriculture, oil and home-building are lining up to attack
a rule aimed at protecting wetlands and waterways.
Politico
By JENNY HOPKINSON
The Obama administration announced new protections Wednesday for thousands
of waterways and wetlands, pushing ahead despite a fierce counterattack
from powerhouse industries like agriculture, oil and home-building — and
their supporters in Congress.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/epa-waterways-wetlands-rule-118319.html
EPA Plans Temporary Pesticide Restrictions While Bees Feed
WASHINGTON — May 28, 2015, 4:30 AM ET
By SETH BORENSTEIN AP Science Writer
If honeybees are busy pollinating large, blooming croplands, farmers
wanting to spray toxic pesticides will soon have to buzz off, the
Environmental Protection Agency is proposing.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/epa-plans-temporary-pesticide-restrictions-bees-feed-31356771
Opinion
EPA's Amphibious Attack
An expansive new rule lets Washington regulate any creek or pothole.
Wall Street Journal
While retrenching abroad, the Obama Administration remains committed to
expanding Washington's footprint at home. Behold the Environmental
Protection Agency's rewrite Wednesday of the Clean Water Act that extends
federal jurisdiction over tens of millions of acres of private land.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/epas-amphibious-attack-1432769456
Press Releases
COCHRAN, WICKER EXPECT CHALLENGES TO FINAL EPA RULE ON CLEAN WATER REGS
Miss. Senators Critical of EPA Push to Expand Regulatory Reach Over
Streams, Ponds, Ditches
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Roger
Wicker (R-Miss.) today said they expect new challenges to final rules
issued Wednesday that would greatly expand the reach of the federal
government to regulate water sources, including tributaries, ponds and
ditches.
The Mississippi Senators have been consistently critical of the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) effort to rewrite regulations in
order to redefine and expand the definition of which waters can be
regulated by the Clean Water Act. The EPA on Wednesday issued its final
rule for the Waters of the United States (WOTUS) regulations. The rule
will become effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.
"The Environmental Protection Agency is disregarding the input of
businesses, agricultural interests, and property owners and asking
Mississippians for their blind trust as it implements these far-reaching
regulations. People are right to be skeptical," Cochran said. �
��I expect
that this rule will continue to be challenged in Congress and in the court
system. It is a vast and unwarranted expansion of the agency's authority,
and has the potential to place expensive regulatory burdens on every
property owner in the country."
"The Obama Administration is once again giving Washington bureaucrats
more control over the lives of Americans, in particular our farmers and
ranchers," Wicker said. "In addition to the burden on private property
owners and small businesses, this regulation would take a significant toll
on economic growth and pose major challenges for local officials – while
failing to provide any clear benefits. This power grab not only challenges
the intent of Congress but also defies the decisions of the Supreme Court,
which has already ruled on the provision twice."
By bringing more waters—including streams, creeks, wetlands, and
ponds—under the WOTUS regulations, the EPA would use an expanded
interpretation of the Clean Water Act of 1972 to gain federal regulatory
control over an unprecedented amount of privately-held land. The final
rule could have far-reaching implications for Mississippi's 10 major river
basins and 86,000 miles of streams.
Since the WOTUS regulations were first proposed by the EPA and Army
Corps of Engineers, Cochran and Wicker have worked to stop the EPA effort
to advance the regulations, which have been widely criticized by
agriculture and small business sectors. Additionally, the EPA's use of
organized grassroots lobbying efforts has come under scrutiny, with the New
York Times reporting on possible legal and ethical violations at the
agency.
The Mississippi Senators have used their committee assignments to
challenge the effort, including passing legislation that forced EPA and the
Corps to withdraw its agriculture Interpretive Rule that outlined just 56
activities out of more than 160 conservation practices that previously
qualified for the normal farming and ranching exemption.
This year, Cochran and Wicker cosponsored the Federal Water Quality
Protection Act (S.1140), which would block the WOTUS rule and require the
EPA to write a new rule by Dec. 31, 2016, that would exempt certain bodies
of water – isolated ponds, ditches, agriculture water, storm water,
groundwater, floodwater, municipal water supply systems, wastewater
management systems, and streams – from Clean Water Act requirements. The
Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Fisheries, Water, and
Wildlife, on which Wicker serves, conducted a hearing on S.1140 on May 19.
###
Clean Water Rule Protects Streams and Wetlands Critical to Public Health,
Communities, and Economy
Does not create any new permitting requirements and maintains all previous
exemptions and exclusions
Washington – In an historic step for the protection of clean water, the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army finalized the Clean
Water Rule today to clearly protect from pollution and degredation the
streams and wetlands that form the foundation of the nation's water
resources.
The rule ensures that waters protected under the Clean Water Act are more
precisely defined and predictably determined, making permitting less
costly, easier, and faster for businesses and industry. The rule is
grounded in law and the latest science, and is shaped by public input. The
rule does not create any new permitting requirements for agriculture and
maintains all previous exemptions and exclusions.
"For the water in the rivers and lakes in our communities that flow to our
drinking water to be clean, the streams and wetlands that feed them need to
be clean too," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. "Protecting our water
sources is a critical component of adapting to climate change impacts like
drought, sea level rise, stronger storms, and warmer temperatures – which
is why EPA and the Army have finalized the Clean Water Rule to protect
these important waters, so we can strengthen our economy and provide
certainty to American businesses."
"Today's rule marks the beginning of a new era in the history of the Clean
Water Act," said Assistant Secretary for the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen
Darcy. "This is a generational rule and completes another chapter in
history of the Clean Water Act. This rule responds to the public's demand
for greater clarity, consistency, and predictability when making
jurisdictional determinations. The result will be better public service
nationwide."
People need clean water for their health: About 117 million Americans – one
in three people – get drinking water from streams that lacked clear
protection before the Clean Water Rule. America's cherished way of life
depends on clean water, as healthy ecosystems provide wildlife habitat and
places to fish, paddle, surf, and swim. Clean and reliable water is an
economic driver, including for manufacturing, farming, tourism, recreation,
and energy production. The health of our rivers, lakes, bays, and coastal
waters are impacted by the streams and wetlands where they begin.
Protection for many of the nation's streams and wetlands has been
confusing, complex, and time-consuming as the result of Supreme Court
decisions in 2001 and 2006. EPA and the Army are taking this action today
to provide clarity on protections under the Clean Water Act after receiving
requests for over a decade from members of Congress, state and local
officials, industry, agriculture, environmental groups, scientists, and the
public for a rulemaking.
In developing the rule, the agencies held more than 400 meetings with
stakeholders across the country, reviewed over one million public comments,
and listened carefully to perspectives from all sides. EPA and the Army
also utilized the latest science, including a report summarizing more than
1,200 peer-reviewed, published scientific studies which showed that small
streams and wetlands play an integral role in the health of larger
downstream water bodies.
Climate change makes protection of water resources even more essential.
Streams and wetlands provide many benefits to communities by trapping
floodwaters, recharging groundwater supplies, filtering pollution, and
providing habitat for fish and wildlife. Impacts from climate change like
drought, sea level rise, stronger storms, and warmer temperatures threaten
the quantity and quality of America's water. Protecting streams and
wetlands will improve our nation's resilience to climate change.
Specifically, the Clean Water Rule:
· Clearly defines and protects tributaries that impact the health of
downstream waters. The Clean Water Act protects navigable waterways
and their tributaries. The rule says that a tributary must show
physical features of flowing water – a bed, bank, and ordinary high
water mark – to warrant protection. The rule provides protection for
headwaters that have these features and science shows can have a
significant connection to downstream waters.
· Provides certainty in how far safeguards extend to nearby waters. The
rule protects waters that are next to rivers and lakes and their
tributaries because science shows that they impact downstream waters.
The rule sets boundaries on covering nearby waters for the first time
that are physical and measurable.
· Protects the nation's regional water treasures. Science shows that
specific water features can function like a system and impact the
health of downstream waters. The rule protects prairie potholes,
Carolina and Delmarva bays, pocosins, western vernal pools in
California, and Texas coastal prairie wetlands when they impact
downstream waters.
· Focuses on streams, not ditches. The rule limits protection to
ditches that are constructed out of streams or function like streams
and can carry pollution downstream. So ditches that are not
constructed in streams and that flow only when it rains are not
covered.
· Maintains the status of waters within Municipal Separate Storm Sewer
Systems. The rule does not change how those waters are treated and
encourages the use of green infrastructure.
· Reduces the use of case-specific analysis of waters. Previously,
almost any water could be put through a lengthy case-specific
analysis, even if it would not be subject to the Clean Water Act. The
rule significantly limits the use of case-specific analysis by
creating clarity and certainty on protected waters and limiting the
number of similarly situated water features.
A Clean Water Act permit is only needed if a water is going to be polluted
or destroyed. The Clean Water Rule only protects the types of waters that
have historically been covered under the Clean Water Act. It does not
regulate most ditches and does not regulate groundwater, shallow subsurface
flows, or tile drains. It does not make changes to current policies on
irrigation or water transfers or apply to erosion in a field. The Clean
Water Rule addresses the pollution and destruction of waterways – not land
use or private property rights.
The rule protects clean water necessary for farming, ranching, and forestry
and provides greater clarity and certainty to farmers about coverage of the
Clean Water Act. Farms across America depend on clean and reliable water
for livestock, crops, and irrigation. The final rule specifically
recognizes the vital role that U.S. agriculture serves in providing food,
fuel, and fiber at home and around the world. The rule does not create any
new permitting requirements for America's farmers. Activities like
planting, harvesting, and moving livestock have long been exempt from Clean
Water Act regulation, and the Clean Water Rule preserves those exemptions.
The Clean Water Rule will be effective 60 days after publication in the
Federal Register.
More information: www.epa.gov/cleanwaterrule and http://www.army.mil/asacw
Reasons We Need the Clean Water Rule
By EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy and Assistant Secretary of the Army for
Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy
Today, EPA and the Army are finalizing a Clean Water Rule to protect the
streams and wetlands we rely on for our health, our economy, and our way of
life.
As summer kicks off, many of us plan to be outside with our friends and
families fishing, paddling, surfing, and swimming. And for the lakes and
rivers we love to be clean, the streams and wetlands that feed them have to
be clean, too. That's just one of many reasons why this rule is so
important. Here are several more:
Clean water is vital to our health. One in three Americans get drinking
water from streams that lacked clear protection from pollution without the
Clean Water Rule. Finalizing the rule helps protect 117 million Americans'
health.
Our economy depends on clean water. Major economic sectors—from
manufacturing and energy production to agriculture, food service, tourism,
and recreation—depend on clean water to function and flourish. Without
clean water, business grinds to a halt—a reality too many local small
business owners faced in Toledo last year when drinking water became
contaminated for several days.
Clean water helps farms thrive, and the rule preserves commonsense
agriculture exemptions. Farms across America depend on clean and reliable
water for livestock, crops, and irrigation. Activities like planting,
harvesting, and moving livestock across streams have long been exempt from
Clean Water Act regulation; the Clean Water Rule doesn't change that. The
final rule doesn't create any new permitting requirements for agriculture,
maintains all previous exemptions and exclusions, and even adds exclusions
for features like artificial lakes and ponds, water-filled depressions from
construction, and grass swales—all to make clear our goal is to stay out of
agriculture's way. Just like before, a Clean Water Act permit is only
needed if a water is going to be polluted or destroyed—and all exemptions
for agriculture stay in place.
Climate change makes protection of water resources even more essential.
Impacts from climate change like more intense droughts, storms, fires, and
floods—not to mention warmer temperatures and sea level rise�
�threaten our
water supplies.
But healthy streams and wetlands can protect communities by trapping
floodwaters, retaining moisture during droughts, recharging groundwater
supplies, filtering pollution, and providing habitat for fish and wildlife.
With states like California in the midst of historic drought, it's more
important than ever that we protect the clean water we've got.
Clear protections mean cleaner water. The Clean Water Act has protected our
health for more than 40 years—and helped our nation clean up hundreds of
thousands of miles of polluted waterways. But Supreme Court decisions in
2001 and 2006 threw protections into question for 60 percent of our
nation's streams and millions of acres of wetlands. Using the latest
science, this rule clears up the confusion, providing greater certainty for
the first time in more than a decade about which waters are important to
protect.
Science shows us the most important waters to protect. In developing the
Clean Water Rule, the Agencies used the latest science, including a report
summarizing more than 1,200 peer-reviewed, published scientific
studies—which showed small streams and wetlands play an important role in
the health of larger downstream waterways like rivers and lakes.
You asked for greater clarity. Members of Congress, state and local
officials, industry, agriculture, environmental groups, scientists, and the
public called on EPA and the Army to clarify which waters are protected
under the Clean Water Act. With this rule, the agencies are responding to
those requests and addressing the Supreme Court decisions. EPA and the Army
held hundreds of meetings with stakeholders across the country, reviewed
over a million public comments, and listened carefully to perspectives from
all sides. All of this input shaped and improved the final rule we're
announcing today.
Just as importantly, there are lots of things the rule doesn't do. The rule
only protects waters historically covered under the Clean Water Act. It
doesn't interfere with private property rights, and it only covers
water—not land use. It also doesn't regulate most ditches, doesn't regulate
groundwater or shallow subsurface flows, and doesn't change policy on
irrigation or water transfers.
These are just a few of the many reasons why clean water and this rule are
important—learn more here http://www2.epa.gov/cleanwaterrule and share
yours with #CleanWaterRules.
Tronox Sodium Chlorate Plant In Hamilton To Close
BY AUNDREA SELF · MAY 27, 2015
(PRESS RELEASE)
Tronox Hamilton, Sodium Chlorate Plant Announcement
The Tronox sodium chlorate plant in Hamilton, Mississippi will cease
production in late November, 2015. This action is the result of a steep
decline in global demand for sodium chlorate, which is used as an
alternative to chlorine as a whitener for paper and pulp products.
Closing the Sodium Chlorate plant is a difficult decision for Tronox; one
that was made after a full consideration of alternatives. In light the low
near- and long-term market demand for the product, and the prohibitive
costs to upgrade the facility, the company concluded that this transition
is the only viable option.
We anticipate that approximately 70 jobs will be eliminated when the plant
closes in late November 2015, and of that number, approximately 30 will be
offered comparable positions at our TiO2 plant in Hamilton.
Colleagues leaving Tronox as a result of this decision will be offered
severance, extended benefits, and outplacement services.
We thank our colleagues at the plant for their dedication and decades of
service to the company and our customers. By making this announcement
several months in advance of the closing of the plant, our goal is to
lessen its impact on affected colleagues and the surrounding community.
Since October 2013, Tronox has supplied almost its entire finished
inventory of sodium chlorate – 130,000 metric tons per annum �
� to ERCO
Worldwide. Under the terms of the 2013 agreement ERCO assumed all of
Tronox's existing customer contracts.
In April, ERCO notified Tronox that it will terminate its agreement with
Tronox after the 2015 production cycle.
Production at the Sodium Chlorate plant will continue into the fourth
quarter of this year. During this period, we will maintain our focus on
safe and sustainable operations and our commitment to manufacturing a
high-quality product.
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| New USDA Portal Enables Farmers, Ranchers to Request Conservation Assistance Online |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|Washington, D.C. May 27, 2015 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that |
|farmers, ranchers and private forest landowners can now do business with U.S. |
|Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) |
|through a new online portal. With today's launch of Conservation Client Gateway, |
|producers will have the ability to work with conservation planners online to access |
|Farm Bill programs, request assistance and track payments for their conservation |
|activities. |
| |
| |
|"What used to require a trip to a USDA service center can now be done from a home |
|computer through Conservation Client Gateway," Vilsack said. "USDA is committed to |
|providing effective, efficient assistance to its clients, and Conservation Client |
|Gateway is one way to improve customer service." |
| |
| |
|Conservation Client Gateway enables farmers, ranchers and private landowners to |
|securely: |
| |
| |
| · Request NRCS technical and financial assistance; |
| |
| |
| · Review and sign conservation plans and practice schedules; |
| |
| |
| · Complete and sign an application for a conservation program; |
| |
| |
| · Review, sign and submit contracts and appendices for conservation programs; |
| |
| |
| · Document completed practices and request certification of completed practices; |
| |
| |
| · Request and track payments for conservation programs; and |
| |
| |
| · Store and retrieve technical and financial files, including documents and |
| photographs. |
| |
| |
|Conservation Client Gateway is entirely voluntary, giving producers a choice between |
|conducting business online or traveling to a USDA service center. |
| |
| |
|"Our goal is to make it easy and convenient for farmers and ranchers to work with |
|USDA," Vilsack said. "Customers can log in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to |
|electronically sign documents, apply for conservation programs, access conservation |
|plans, report practice completion or track the status of conservation payments. Through|
|Conservation Client Gateway, producers have their conservation information at their |
|fingertips and they can save time and gas money by reducing the number of trips to USDA|
|service centers." |
| |
| |
|Conservation Client Gateway is available to individual landowners and will soon be |
|extended to business entities, such as Limited Liability Corporations. It is part of |
|the agency's ongoing Conservation Delivery Streamlining Initiative, which will feature |
|additional capabilities in the future. |
| |
| |
|For more information about Conservation Client Gateway, visit: |
|www.nrcs.usda.gov/clientgateway. |
| |
| |
|Fact Sheet |
| |
| |
|FAQ page |
| |
| |
|# |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|USDA Announces $1.4 Billion in Proactive Savings through Blueprint for Stronger Service|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
News Clippings 5.27.15
Oil Spill
Fish hatchery plans moving forward
Pensacola News Journal
As development at Community Maritime Park has made frequent
headlines in the past year, plans to construct an $18 million fish
hatchery next door have quietly moved ahead.
http://www.pnj.com/story/news/2015/05/26/fish-hatchery-plans-moving-forward/27961171/
Regional
Corps considers deepening Mississippi River for bigger ships
The Associated Press
May 26, 2015 at 8:07 AM
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is once again weighing the costs and
benefits of a potential $300 million effort to deepen the lower Mississippi
River by as much as 5 feet.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/05/corps_considers_deepening_miss.html#incart_most_shared-environment
National
Climate rule would bring power sector's carbon to historic low
The Hill
The Obama administration's climate rule for the power sector would bring
that industry's carbon dioxide output to its lowest level in decades.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/243136-climate-rule-would-bring-power-sectors-carbon-to-historic-low
Court rejects Kansas appeal in EPA air pollution case
The Hill
A federal court has rejected Kansas' challenge of the Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA) disapproval of an air pollution plan from the
state.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/243137-court-rejects-kansas-appeal-in-epa-air-pollution-case
EPA Grapples With Competing Rationales for Setting Renewable Fuel
Requirements
Bloomberg
The Environmental Protection Agency is grappling with how much ethanol the
market can absorb as petroleum refiners and renewable fuels producers offer
competing rationales for how renewable fuel blending requirements should be
set in an upcoming proposed rule.
http://www.bna.com/epa-grapples-competing-n17179927077/
Bill would ban microbeads from soaps and body washes
The Hill
Senate Democrats have introduced legislation to protect the Great Lakes
from the small plastic microbeads used in body washes, soaps and other
personal care products to exfoliate the skin.
http://thehill.com/regulation/legislation/243113-bill-would-ban-microbeads-from-soaps-and-body-washes
Press Releases
EPA Selects CLIMB Community Development Corporation in Biloxi, Miss. for
Job Training Grant
EPA selects 19 communities for grants to train unemployed individuals to
enter the environmental field, strengthen local economies
Contact: Dawn Harris Young, (404) 562-8421 (Direct), (404) 562-8400 (Main),
harris-young.dawn@epa.gov
ATLANTA - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today
that CLIMB Community Development Corporation in Biloxi, Miss. is one of 19
communities in 17 states and territories selected for approximately $3.6
million in Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT)
grants. Each grantee will receive up to $192,300 to operate environmental
training programs to clean up Brownfields sites in economically distressed
communities.
"EPA's job training program advances economic development by creating job
opportunities for workers to serve in their own communities," said Mathy
Stanislaus, assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response. "Many graduates—including ex-offenders and veterans--
secure meaningful employment that protects the environment and promotes
economic development in some of our neediest communities."
On Friday, May 22, Assistant Administrator Stanislaus announced one of the
EWDJT grants to St. Louis Community College to highlight the cross
disciplinary environmental training EPA supports under the program. With
the grant funding, St. Louis Community College plans to train 69 unemployed
and underemployed individuals, and place 55 of those in full-time
employment in the environmental field. Each student will receive 240 hours
of core training in hazardous waste remediation; lead and asbestos
abatement worker; mold remediation; lead renovator, repair, and painting;
underground storage tank removal; stormwater management; and other advanced
safety and ecosystem restoration coursework.
Participants who complete the training will earn 19 federal, state, or
university certifications. St. Louis Community College is targeting
underemployed and unemployed residents of the St. Louis metro area,
including St. Louis City and County in Missouri and East St. Louis,
Illinois. Recruitment efforts will focus on individuals living in areas
affected by hazardous waste sites. Key partners include St. Louis
Development Corporation, Eastern Missouri Laborers District Council,
Connections to Success, St. Louis City and County Workforce Investment
Boards, YouthBuild of St. Louis, among other environmental and
community-based organizations.
The EWDJT program provides communities the flexibility to deliver training
that meets the varying local labor market demands of the environmental
sector in their communities. Graduates develop a broader set of skills that
improves their ability to secure, not just short term contractual work, but
full-time, sustainable employment in the environmental field. As a result
of this funding, unemployed and under-employed individuals acquire training
and certifications in a variety of environmental skills, such as: lead and
asbestos abatement, Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response,
environmental health and safety, wastewater treatment, stormwater
management, brownfields assessment and cleanup, electronics recycling,
Superfund site-specific cleanup, Freon removal, emergency response, oil
spill cleanup, native plant re-vegetation, and integrated pest management.
As a result of this training, some graduates of the EWDJT program secured
employment in activities related to the response and cleanup of the World
Trade Centers in New York following the attacks of September 11, Hurricanes
Katrina, Rita, and Sandy, as well as the BP Oil Spill.
Since the program's inception in 1998, EPA has funded 256 job training
grants exceeding $54 million. More than 13,900 individuals have completed
training, and of those, more than 10,000 have secured employment in the
environmental field with an average hourly starting wage of $14.18. This
equates to a cumulative job placement rate of 72 percent.
The EWDJT program was developed in the 1990s, as a result of
recommendations raised by environmental justice leaders suggesting that the
EPA support environmental training to help benefit local residents, and
from an EPA realization that often times local residents were not
benefitting from local remediation and cleanup activities due to the lack
of a locally trained workforce in their communities. Rather than filling
local, environmental jobs with professionals from distant cities, these
grants help to provide an opportunity for local, unemployed residents to
secure careers that make a visible impact cleaning up their communities.
Graduates of the program obtain employment within their communities, areas
which may be affected by blight, economic disinvestment, and solid and
hazardous waste sites.
These grants support training programs that recruit, train, and place
unemployed and under-employed residents of waste-affected communities with
the skills and certifications needed to secure employment in the
environmental field. Projects are funded based on the comprehensiveness of
the training curriculum, the likelihood that graduates will obtain
employment, strong public-private partnerships, and diverse community-based
organization and employer involvement.
EWDJT grants are awarded to a broad range of communities with multiple
indicators of need, including communities affected by the closure of
manufacturing facilities, communities affected by natural disasters,
communities designated as Housing and Urban Development "Promise Zone
Communities," (http://www.hud.gov/promisezones) Economic Development
Administration "Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership"
designated communities (http://www.eda.gov/challenges/imcp), and
HUD/Department of Transportation/EPA "Partnership for Sustainable
Communities" (http://www.sustainablecommunities.gov) designated
communities. The program also serves unemployed, dislocated workers who
have lost their jobs as a result of manufacturing plant closures. By
gaining training through the EWDJT program, these individuals have
re-entered the workforce, and many have secured employment working at other
manufacturing facilities throughout the U.S. Some graduates have also
participated in the cleanup and remediation of former manufacturing and
auto plants, such as the cleanup of the "Chevy in the Hole" site in Flint,
Mich. (http://www.epa.gov/region5/cleanup/chevyinthehole/index.html).
Grantees announced to receive funding today, include:
· Zender Environmental Health and Research Group (Anchorage) Alaska
· Fresno Area Workforce Investment Board, Calif.
· City of Richmond, Calif.
· Denver Indian Center, Inc., Colo.
· West End Neighborhood House (Dover) Del.
· Florida State College at Jacksonville, Fla.
· OAI, Inc. (Chicago) Ill.
· Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board (Lawrence) Mass.
· St. Louis Community College, Mo.
· CLIMB Community Development Corporation (Biloxi) Miss.
· The Fortune Society, Inc. (Long Island City) N.Y.
· Rose State College (Midwest City) Okla.
· Oregon Tradeswomen (Portland) Ore.
· PathStone Corporation, P.R.
· Tarrant County College District, Texas
· Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps (Racine) Wisc.
· Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board, Wisc.
· Coalfield Development Corporation (Wayne County) W.Va.
· Groundwork Providence, R.I.
For more information on brownfields grants, including EWDJT grants, by
state, please visit: http://cfpub.epa.gov/bf_factsheets/index.cfm
For more information on EPA's brownfields program, please visit:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields
Fish hatchery plans moving forward
Pensacola News Journal
As development at Community Maritime Park has made frequent
headlines in the past year, plans to construct an $18 million fish
hatchery next door have quietly moved ahead.
http://www.pnj.com/story/news/2015/05/26/fish-hatchery-plans-moving-forward/27961171/
Regional
Corps considers deepening Mississippi River for bigger ships
The Associated Press
May 26, 2015 at 8:07 AM
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is once again weighing the costs and
benefits of a potential $300 million effort to deepen the lower Mississippi
River by as much as 5 feet.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/05/corps_considers_deepening_miss.html#incart_most_shared-environment
National
Climate rule would bring power sector's carbon to historic low
The Hill
The Obama administration's climate rule for the power sector would bring
that industry's carbon dioxide output to its lowest level in decades.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/243136-climate-rule-would-bring-power-sectors-carbon-to-historic-low
Court rejects Kansas appeal in EPA air pollution case
The Hill
A federal court has rejected Kansas' challenge of the Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA) disapproval of an air pollution plan from the
state.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/243137-court-rejects-kansas-appeal-in-epa-air-pollution-case
EPA Grapples With Competing Rationales for Setting Renewable Fuel
Requirements
Bloomberg
The Environmental Protection Agency is grappling with how much ethanol the
market can absorb as petroleum refiners and renewable fuels producers offer
competing rationales for how renewable fuel blending requirements should be
set in an upcoming proposed rule.
http://www.bna.com/epa-grapples-competing-n17179927077/
Bill would ban microbeads from soaps and body washes
The Hill
Senate Democrats have introduced legislation to protect the Great Lakes
from the small plastic microbeads used in body washes, soaps and other
personal care products to exfoliate the skin.
http://thehill.com/regulation/legislation/243113-bill-would-ban-microbeads-from-soaps-and-body-washes
Press Releases
EPA Selects CLIMB Community Development Corporation in Biloxi, Miss. for
Job Training Grant
EPA selects 19 communities for grants to train unemployed individuals to
enter the environmental field, strengthen local economies
Contact: Dawn Harris Young, (404) 562-8421 (Direct), (404) 562-8400 (Main),
harris-young.dawn@epa.gov
ATLANTA - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today
that CLIMB Community Development Corporation in Biloxi, Miss. is one of 19
communities in 17 states and territories selected for approximately $3.6
million in Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT)
grants. Each grantee will receive up to $192,300 to operate environmental
training programs to clean up Brownfields sites in economically distressed
communities.
"EPA's job training program advances economic development by creating job
opportunities for workers to serve in their own communities," said Mathy
Stanislaus, assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response. "Many graduates—including ex-offenders and veterans--
secure meaningful employment that protects the environment and promotes
economic development in some of our neediest communities."
On Friday, May 22, Assistant Administrator Stanislaus announced one of the
EWDJT grants to St. Louis Community College to highlight the cross
disciplinary environmental training EPA supports under the program. With
the grant funding, St. Louis Community College plans to train 69 unemployed
and underemployed individuals, and place 55 of those in full-time
employment in the environmental field. Each student will receive 240 hours
of core training in hazardous waste remediation; lead and asbestos
abatement worker; mold remediation; lead renovator, repair, and painting;
underground storage tank removal; stormwater management; and other advanced
safety and ecosystem restoration coursework.
Participants who complete the training will earn 19 federal, state, or
university certifications. St. Louis Community College is targeting
underemployed and unemployed residents of the St. Louis metro area,
including St. Louis City and County in Missouri and East St. Louis,
Illinois. Recruitment efforts will focus on individuals living in areas
affected by hazardous waste sites. Key partners include St. Louis
Development Corporation, Eastern Missouri Laborers District Council,
Connections to Success, St. Louis City and County Workforce Investment
Boards, YouthBuild of St. Louis, among other environmental and
community-based organizations.
The EWDJT program provides communities the flexibility to deliver training
that meets the varying local labor market demands of the environmental
sector in their communities. Graduates develop a broader set of skills that
improves their ability to secure, not just short term contractual work, but
full-time, sustainable employment in the environmental field. As a result
of this funding, unemployed and under-employed individuals acquire training
and certifications in a variety of environmental skills, such as: lead and
asbestos abatement, Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response,
environmental health and safety, wastewater treatment, stormwater
management, brownfields assessment and cleanup, electronics recycling,
Superfund site-specific cleanup, Freon removal, emergency response, oil
spill cleanup, native plant re-vegetation, and integrated pest management.
As a result of this training, some graduates of the EWDJT program secured
employment in activities related to the response and cleanup of the World
Trade Centers in New York following the attacks of September 11, Hurricanes
Katrina, Rita, and Sandy, as well as the BP Oil Spill.
Since the program's inception in 1998, EPA has funded 256 job training
grants exceeding $54 million. More than 13,900 individuals have completed
training, and of those, more than 10,000 have secured employment in the
environmental field with an average hourly starting wage of $14.18. This
equates to a cumulative job placement rate of 72 percent.
The EWDJT program was developed in the 1990s, as a result of
recommendations raised by environmental justice leaders suggesting that the
EPA support environmental training to help benefit local residents, and
from an EPA realization that often times local residents were not
benefitting from local remediation and cleanup activities due to the lack
of a locally trained workforce in their communities. Rather than filling
local, environmental jobs with professionals from distant cities, these
grants help to provide an opportunity for local, unemployed residents to
secure careers that make a visible impact cleaning up their communities.
Graduates of the program obtain employment within their communities, areas
which may be affected by blight, economic disinvestment, and solid and
hazardous waste sites.
These grants support training programs that recruit, train, and place
unemployed and under-employed residents of waste-affected communities with
the skills and certifications needed to secure employment in the
environmental field. Projects are funded based on the comprehensiveness of
the training curriculum, the likelihood that graduates will obtain
employment, strong public-private partnerships, and diverse community-based
organization and employer involvement.
EWDJT grants are awarded to a broad range of communities with multiple
indicators of need, including communities affected by the closure of
manufacturing facilities, communities affected by natural disasters,
communities designated as Housing and Urban Development "Promise Zone
Communities," (http://www.hud.gov/promisezones) Economic Development
Administration "Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership"
designated communities (http://www.eda.gov/challenges/imcp), and
HUD/Department of Transportation/EPA "Partnership for Sustainable
Communities" (http://www.sustainablecommunities.gov) designated
communities. The program also serves unemployed, dislocated workers who
have lost their jobs as a result of manufacturing plant closures. By
gaining training through the EWDJT program, these individuals have
re-entered the workforce, and many have secured employment working at other
manufacturing facilities throughout the U.S. Some graduates have also
participated in the cleanup and remediation of former manufacturing and
auto plants, such as the cleanup of the "Chevy in the Hole" site in Flint,
Mich. (http://www.epa.gov/region5/cleanup/chevyinthehole/index.html).
Grantees announced to receive funding today, include:
· Zender Environmental Health and Research Group (Anchorage) Alaska
· Fresno Area Workforce Investment Board, Calif.
· City of Richmond, Calif.
· Denver Indian Center, Inc., Colo.
· West End Neighborhood House (Dover) Del.
· Florida State College at Jacksonville, Fla.
· OAI, Inc. (Chicago) Ill.
· Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board (Lawrence) Mass.
· St. Louis Community College, Mo.
· CLIMB Community Development Corporation (Biloxi) Miss.
· The Fortune Society, Inc. (Long Island City) N.Y.
· Rose State College (Midwest City) Okla.
· Oregon Tradeswomen (Portland) Ore.
· PathStone Corporation, P.R.
· Tarrant County College District, Texas
· Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps (Racine) Wisc.
· Milwaukee Area Workforce Investment Board, Wisc.
· Coalfield Development Corporation (Wayne County) W.Va.
· Groundwork Providence, R.I.
For more information on brownfields grants, including EWDJT grants, by
state, please visit: http://cfpub.epa.gov/bf_factsheets/index.cfm
For more information on EPA's brownfields program, please visit:
http://www.epa.gov/brownfields
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
News Clippings 5.26.15
State
Miss. lifts water contact advisory in Harrison County
The Associated Press
JACKSON, MISS. — Mississippi environmental officials have lifted a water
contact advisory for coastal Harrison County.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/05/23/6242030/miss-lifts-water-contact-advisory.html
Last water advisory lifted in Gulfport
Sun Herald
HARRISON COUNTY -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality on
Saturday lifted the final water contact advisory across the Coast.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/05/23/6242554/around-south-mississippi.html
Mississippi lifts water contact advisory in Harrison County
Mississippi Press
May 23, 2015 at 3:56 PM
Mississippi environmental officials have lifted a water contact advisory
for coastal Harrison County.
http://www.gulflive.com/news/index.ssf/2015/05/mississippi_lifts_water_contac.html#incart_river
Ellisville State School honors 'Employee of Year'
Hattiesburg American
It took a few moments for Bassfield resident Cheryl Davis to stand
to her feet after hearing her name called as Ellisville State
School's "2014 Direct Support Employee of the Year." Davis, who
joined the ESS staff nine years ago, said she was in total shock.
…The guest speaker was Terri Torrence, chief administrative officer
for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.
Torrence encouraged the employees to continue to strive to be the
best that they can be.
"Never stop learning," she said. "Learn all you can about your job
and learn others' jobs. ... Look for opportunities to do more than
what you were hired to do.
"The success of ESS and the Department of Mental Health depends
largely on your success. I commend each and every one of you for
your dedication and hard work to and for those you serve."
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/jones-county/2015/05/23/ellisville-state-school-employee-year/27867389/
Weather Service says Monroe County windstorm was tornado
BY JEFF AMY
Associated Press
JACKSON, MISS. — A little more than four years after a powerful tornado
destroyed most of Smithville, Monroe County residents are cleaning up from
another twister.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/05/25/6244498/possible-tornado-hits-amory-no.html
Kemper woes mean likely credit downgrade for Miss. Power
AP
The decision by a group of electrical cooperatives to pull out of
the planned purchase of 15 percent of a Kemper County power plant is
likely to mean a credit downgrade for Mississippi Power Co.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/money/2015/05/22/kemper-woes-mean-likely-credit-downgrade-miss-power/27821765/
Coal-Fired Power Plant Loses Steam
Mississippi utility withdraws as backer of electricity project as costs
soar
Wall Street Journal
The future of the most expensive fossil-fuel power plant built in the U.S.
is facing new pressures after a Mississippi utility backed out of its
commitment to the clean-coal project.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/coal-fired-power-plant-loses-steam-1432330865
Sampling History: A conservationist looks back at her historical roots
Mississippi Press
Joanne Anderson
May 22, 2015 at 7:18 AM
"I'm an eighth generation Mississippian. I'm also a history buff and I feel
that without understanding the history of the land, you can never
understand how to conserve and restore it."
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2015/05/sampling_history_a_conservatio.html
Farming couple plows into conservation, reaps joy
Commercial Appeal
The sign leading to the H&H Farms' "home office" — about 8 miles east of
Hernando just inside Tate County in North Mississippi — sums up Tim
Hudson's philosophy: "We are the stewards of God's land."
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/local-news/desoto/farming-couple-plows-into-conservation-reaps-joy_58619634
Oil Spill
Memorial Day 2015: BP now getting credit for gulf tourism boom
The Associated Press
May 25, 2015 at 9:13 AM
With the Memorial Day holiday here, fallout from the oil spill that left
Gulf Coast beaches smeared with gooey tar balls and scared away visitors in
2010 is being credited, oddly, with something no one imagined back then: An
increase in tourism in the region.
http://www.gulflive.com/news/index.ssf/2015/05/memorial_day_2015_bp_now_getti.html#incart_river
Regional
Louisiana congressional delegation uneasy with EPA regulatory efforts
Baton Rouge Advocate
by gregory roberts
Washington — If not nearly as reviled as the Islamic State or al-Qaida, the
Environmental Protection Agency doesn't get a lot of love from the
Louisiana delegation to Congress.
http://theadvocate.com/home/12444333-125/louisiana-congressional-delegation-uneasy-with
Oil sheen 'dissipating' in Breton Sound, no shoreline impact, Coast Guard
says
Benjamin Alexander-Bloch
The Times-Picayune
May 23, 2015 at 11:47 AM
The oil sheen from the now-extinguished fire on an oil production platform
at Breton Sound Block 21 in Plaquemines Parish "is dissipating and moving
away from the Breton Island Wildlife Refuge," the Coast Guard reported
Saturday (May 23).
http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2015/05/oil_sheen_dissipating_in_breto.html#incart_river
Louisiana crab catch rose in 2014, preliminary state numbers show
Benjamin Alexander-Bloch
The Times-Picayune
May 22, 2015 at 4:27 PM
Louisiana blue crab landings and price rose in 2014 compared to the 2013
catch, according to preliminary state numbers. Catch rose about 8 percent
and fishers garnered about 20 percent more money for that catch.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/05/louisiana_crab_catch_rose_in_2.html#incart_river
National
EPA reg rolls backs air pollution exemptions for industry
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is telling states to crack down
on air pollution from plants during startup, shutdown and malfunction
periods.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/242961-epa-closes-loophole-in-industrial-air-pollution-rules
Proposed EPA Carbon Rules Will Mean Higher Bills and Fewer Coal Plants, New
Report Says
Wall Street Journal
A new report released Friday by the U.S. Energy Information Administration
is reinvigorating a common debate in Washington over how to calculate
projected economic impacts of regulations.
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2015/05/22/proposed-epa-carbon-rules-will-mean-higher-bills-and-fewer-coal-plants-says-new-report/
Coal plant shutdowns predicted to double under EPA climate rule
The Hill
Shutdowns of coal-fired power plants would more than double under the Obama
administration's landmark climate rule, a federal analysis found.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/242931-study-coal-plant-shutdowns-would-more-than-double-under-epa-climate
Obama Plans New Rule to Limit Water Pollution
NY Times
The Obama administration is expected in the coming days to
announce a major clean water regulation that would restore
the federal government's authority to limit pollution in
the nation's rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/23/us/politics/obama-set-to-strengthen-federal-role-in-clean-water-regulation.html?_r=0
With new EPA water rule, Obama again takes executive action on environment
LA Times
April 1989, a Michigan developer named John Rapanos dumped fill on 54
acres of wetlands he owned to make way for a shopping center. He did not
have a permit, and when the state told him to stop, he refused. Courts
found him in violation of the federal Clean Water Act. Prosecutors wanted
to send him to prison.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-sej-water-rules-20150525-story.html#page=1
EPA poised to issue landmark water regulations
The Hill
The Obama administration is about to unveil an ambitious — and hotly
disputed — plan to strengthen its authority over minor water bodies like
wetlands, streams and ponds.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/243004-epa-poised-to-issue-landmark-water-regulations
Obama to issue flurry of energy regulations this summer
The Hill
This summer will be busy for the Obama administration's energy and
environmental regulators, with numerous high-profile rule releases planned.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/242926-obama-planning-flurry-environmental-energy-this-summer
Agencies delay rules in regulatory agenda
The Hill
It's been less than 24 hours since the White House released its semiannual
regulatory roadmap, and groups are combing through the rule-making agenda
for the federal agencies.
http://thehill.com/regulation/242937-agencies-delay-rules-in-regulatory-agenda
Feds resist push for new pipelines
The Hill
The Obama administration is resisting a congressional push to establish new
natural gas pipelines on federal lands in the eastern United States.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/242997-feds-resist-push-for-pipelines
Press Releases
Storm Damage from Possible Tornado in Monroe County
PEARL – The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has received
preliminary damage assessments from severe weather that moved through the
city of Amory in Monroe County around 9:30 a.m. Monday. There are no
injuries reported.
Monroe County Emergency Management Director Robert Goza reports:
· Two homes destroyed, 11 with major damage and 52 minor.
· Minor damage to the West Amory Elementary School and Early Learning
Center.
· Two businesses with minor damage.
· Debris covering roadways and flash flooding.
· Power outages to 500 residents.
MEMA Director Robert Latham has briefed Gov. Phil Bryant of the damage.
"State and local officials are working together to respond to this
situation, and I have been in close coordination with MEMA, Mayor of Amory
Brad Blalock and Rep. Chris Brown," said Gov. Bryant. "I urge residents to
continue to monitor weather conditions and always have a preparedness plan
in place."
Director Latham will travel to Amory Tuesday morning to meet with city
officials. MEMA has an area coordinator working in Amory to assist with
state resources if necessary.
Residents that sustained damage from the storm should report it to the
Monroe County Emergency Management Agency at 662-369-3683.
The National Weather Service will make an official determination as to
whether the damage caused was by a tornado and what strength it may have
been.
For detailed preparedness information, contact your county emergency
management agency or go to MEMA's website at www.msema.org. The best way to
get up-to-date information is to "Like" MEMA on Facebook, or "Follow" us on
twitter.
###
GOV. BRYANT DECLARES HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS WEEK IN MISSISSIPPI
PEARL – Gov. Phil Bryant has declared May 25-29 as Hurricane Preparedness
Week in Mississippi to ensure residents are prepared for the upcoming
tropical weather season. This year also marks the 10 year anniversary of
Hurricane Katrina that devastated the entire Mississippi Coast on August
29, 2005.
"Ten years after Hurricane Katrina, we have vivid memories of the storm and
its aftermath. As our state has seen too many times, hurricanes can cause
unparalleled destruction," Gov. Bryant said. "As a result, we are more
prepared than ever for the threat of tropical weather."
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency will provide valuable
preparedness information throughout the week for citizens and businesses on
its website and social media platforms of Facebook and Twitter. Personal
and community planning are the foundation for preparedness.
"I tell our citizens, for every disaster we face, that positive outcomes
are produced by what people do to prepare themselves, their families and
their neighborhoods," said MEMA Executive Director Robert Latham. "When it
comes to hurricanes and tropical systems, there is no reason we should have
loss of life because there is plenty of time to prepare and put together
your personal plans."
The Atlantic Hurricane Season officially starts June 1 and runs through
November 30, although there has already been one named storm, Tropical
Storm Ana during early May.
One of the first steps you should take is to create or restock an emergency
supply kit before tropical weather threatens:
· Flashlight and battery-powered radio with extra batteries.
· Non-perishable food for at least three days.
· One gallon of water, per person, per day for at least three days.
· Toiletry items.
· Pet food and pet supplies.
· Medicine and prescription medication.
· Copies of important family papers and documents.
· Cash and travelers checks, enough to fill up your vehicle with fuel.
For more information about how to prepare for hurricane season, go to
MEMA's website at www.msema.org or download the MEMA mobile app on your iOS
or Android device. The best way to get up-to-date information is to "Like"
MEMA on Facebook, or "Follow" us on twitter.
###
EPA Advises Facility Operators to Minimize Releases during Hazardous
Weather Events
Contact: Dawn Harris Young, (404) 562-8421 (Direct), (404) 562-8400 (Main),
harris-young.dawn@epa.gov
ATLANTA – As hurricane season approaches, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is issuing a Hazardous Weather Release Prevention and
Reporting alert to remind facility operators of certain regulations that
require minimization of chemical releases during process shutdown
operations. This alert is designed to increase awareness among facility
operators about their obligation to operate facilities safely and report
chemical releases in a timely manner.
The alert specifies operational release minimization requirements and
clarifies reporting requirements, including exemptions. Unlike some
natural disasters, the onset of a hurricane is predictable and allows for
early preparations to lessen its effect on a facility. Before hurricane
force winds and associated storm surge flooding damage industrial
processes, the alert recommends that operators take preventive action by
safely shutting down processes, or otherwise operate safely under emergency
procedures.
The alert and requirements are available at
http://www.epa.gov/region4/r4_hurricanereleases.html.
In the event of a hazardous weather incident, please visit
http://www.epa.gov/naturalevents/ for updated emergency information.
Miss. lifts water contact advisory in Harrison County
The Associated Press
JACKSON, MISS. — Mississippi environmental officials have lifted a water
contact advisory for coastal Harrison County.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/05/23/6242030/miss-lifts-water-contact-advisory.html
Last water advisory lifted in Gulfport
Sun Herald
HARRISON COUNTY -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality on
Saturday lifted the final water contact advisory across the Coast.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/05/23/6242554/around-south-mississippi.html
Mississippi lifts water contact advisory in Harrison County
Mississippi Press
May 23, 2015 at 3:56 PM
Mississippi environmental officials have lifted a water contact advisory
for coastal Harrison County.
http://www.gulflive.com/news/index.ssf/2015/05/mississippi_lifts_water_contac.html#incart_river
Ellisville State School honors 'Employee of Year'
Hattiesburg American
It took a few moments for Bassfield resident Cheryl Davis to stand
to her feet after hearing her name called as Ellisville State
School's "2014 Direct Support Employee of the Year." Davis, who
joined the ESS staff nine years ago, said she was in total shock.
…The guest speaker was Terri Torrence, chief administrative officer
for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.
Torrence encouraged the employees to continue to strive to be the
best that they can be.
"Never stop learning," she said. "Learn all you can about your job
and learn others' jobs. ... Look for opportunities to do more than
what you were hired to do.
"The success of ESS and the Department of Mental Health depends
largely on your success. I commend each and every one of you for
your dedication and hard work to and for those you serve."
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/jones-county/2015/05/23/ellisville-state-school-employee-year/27867389/
Weather Service says Monroe County windstorm was tornado
BY JEFF AMY
Associated Press
JACKSON, MISS. — A little more than four years after a powerful tornado
destroyed most of Smithville, Monroe County residents are cleaning up from
another twister.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/05/25/6244498/possible-tornado-hits-amory-no.html
Kemper woes mean likely credit downgrade for Miss. Power
AP
The decision by a group of electrical cooperatives to pull out of
the planned purchase of 15 percent of a Kemper County power plant is
likely to mean a credit downgrade for Mississippi Power Co.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/money/2015/05/22/kemper-woes-mean-likely-credit-downgrade-miss-power/27821765/
Coal-Fired Power Plant Loses Steam
Mississippi utility withdraws as backer of electricity project as costs
soar
Wall Street Journal
The future of the most expensive fossil-fuel power plant built in the U.S.
is facing new pressures after a Mississippi utility backed out of its
commitment to the clean-coal project.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/coal-fired-power-plant-loses-steam-1432330865
Sampling History: A conservationist looks back at her historical roots
Mississippi Press
Joanne Anderson
May 22, 2015 at 7:18 AM
"I'm an eighth generation Mississippian. I'm also a history buff and I feel
that without understanding the history of the land, you can never
understand how to conserve and restore it."
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2015/05/sampling_history_a_conservatio.html
Farming couple plows into conservation, reaps joy
Commercial Appeal
The sign leading to the H&H Farms' "home office" — about 8 miles east of
Hernando just inside Tate County in North Mississippi — sums up Tim
Hudson's philosophy: "We are the stewards of God's land."
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/local-news/desoto/farming-couple-plows-into-conservation-reaps-joy_58619634
Oil Spill
Memorial Day 2015: BP now getting credit for gulf tourism boom
The Associated Press
May 25, 2015 at 9:13 AM
With the Memorial Day holiday here, fallout from the oil spill that left
Gulf Coast beaches smeared with gooey tar balls and scared away visitors in
2010 is being credited, oddly, with something no one imagined back then: An
increase in tourism in the region.
http://www.gulflive.com/news/index.ssf/2015/05/memorial_day_2015_bp_now_getti.html#incart_river
Regional
Louisiana congressional delegation uneasy with EPA regulatory efforts
Baton Rouge Advocate
by gregory roberts
Washington — If not nearly as reviled as the Islamic State or al-Qaida, the
Environmental Protection Agency doesn't get a lot of love from the
Louisiana delegation to Congress.
http://theadvocate.com/home/12444333-125/louisiana-congressional-delegation-uneasy-with
Oil sheen 'dissipating' in Breton Sound, no shoreline impact, Coast Guard
says
Benjamin Alexander-Bloch
The Times-Picayune
May 23, 2015 at 11:47 AM
The oil sheen from the now-extinguished fire on an oil production platform
at Breton Sound Block 21 in Plaquemines Parish "is dissipating and moving
away from the Breton Island Wildlife Refuge," the Coast Guard reported
Saturday (May 23).
http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2015/05/oil_sheen_dissipating_in_breto.html#incart_river
Louisiana crab catch rose in 2014, preliminary state numbers show
Benjamin Alexander-Bloch
The Times-Picayune
May 22, 2015 at 4:27 PM
Louisiana blue crab landings and price rose in 2014 compared to the 2013
catch, according to preliminary state numbers. Catch rose about 8 percent
and fishers garnered about 20 percent more money for that catch.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/05/louisiana_crab_catch_rose_in_2.html#incart_river
National
EPA reg rolls backs air pollution exemptions for industry
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is telling states to crack down
on air pollution from plants during startup, shutdown and malfunction
periods.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/242961-epa-closes-loophole-in-industrial-air-pollution-rules
Proposed EPA Carbon Rules Will Mean Higher Bills and Fewer Coal Plants, New
Report Says
Wall Street Journal
A new report released Friday by the U.S. Energy Information Administration
is reinvigorating a common debate in Washington over how to calculate
projected economic impacts of regulations.
http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2015/05/22/proposed-epa-carbon-rules-will-mean-higher-bills-and-fewer-coal-plants-says-new-report/
Coal plant shutdowns predicted to double under EPA climate rule
The Hill
Shutdowns of coal-fired power plants would more than double under the Obama
administration's landmark climate rule, a federal analysis found.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/242931-study-coal-plant-shutdowns-would-more-than-double-under-epa-climate
Obama Plans New Rule to Limit Water Pollution
NY Times
The Obama administration is expected in the coming days to
announce a major clean water regulation that would restore
the federal government's authority to limit pollution in
the nation's rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/23/us/politics/obama-set-to-strengthen-federal-role-in-clean-water-regulation.html?_r=0
With new EPA water rule, Obama again takes executive action on environment
LA Times
April 1989, a Michigan developer named John Rapanos dumped fill on 54
acres of wetlands he owned to make way for a shopping center. He did not
have a permit, and when the state told him to stop, he refused. Courts
found him in violation of the federal Clean Water Act. Prosecutors wanted
to send him to prison.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-sej-water-rules-20150525-story.html#page=1
EPA poised to issue landmark water regulations
The Hill
The Obama administration is about to unveil an ambitious — and hotly
disputed — plan to strengthen its authority over minor water bodies like
wetlands, streams and ponds.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/243004-epa-poised-to-issue-landmark-water-regulations
Obama to issue flurry of energy regulations this summer
The Hill
This summer will be busy for the Obama administration's energy and
environmental regulators, with numerous high-profile rule releases planned.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/242926-obama-planning-flurry-environmental-energy-this-summer
Agencies delay rules in regulatory agenda
The Hill
It's been less than 24 hours since the White House released its semiannual
regulatory roadmap, and groups are combing through the rule-making agenda
for the federal agencies.
http://thehill.com/regulation/242937-agencies-delay-rules-in-regulatory-agenda
Feds resist push for new pipelines
The Hill
The Obama administration is resisting a congressional push to establish new
natural gas pipelines on federal lands in the eastern United States.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/242997-feds-resist-push-for-pipelines
Press Releases
Storm Damage from Possible Tornado in Monroe County
PEARL – The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has received
preliminary damage assessments from severe weather that moved through the
city of Amory in Monroe County around 9:30 a.m. Monday. There are no
injuries reported.
Monroe County Emergency Management Director Robert Goza reports:
· Two homes destroyed, 11 with major damage and 52 minor.
· Minor damage to the West Amory Elementary School and Early Learning
Center.
· Two businesses with minor damage.
· Debris covering roadways and flash flooding.
· Power outages to 500 residents.
MEMA Director Robert Latham has briefed Gov. Phil Bryant of the damage.
"State and local officials are working together to respond to this
situation, and I have been in close coordination with MEMA, Mayor of Amory
Brad Blalock and Rep. Chris Brown," said Gov. Bryant. "I urge residents to
continue to monitor weather conditions and always have a preparedness plan
in place."
Director Latham will travel to Amory Tuesday morning to meet with city
officials. MEMA has an area coordinator working in Amory to assist with
state resources if necessary.
Residents that sustained damage from the storm should report it to the
Monroe County Emergency Management Agency at 662-369-3683.
The National Weather Service will make an official determination as to
whether the damage caused was by a tornado and what strength it may have
been.
For detailed preparedness information, contact your county emergency
management agency or go to MEMA's website at www.msema.org. The best way to
get up-to-date information is to "Like" MEMA on Facebook, or "Follow" us on
twitter.
###
GOV. BRYANT DECLARES HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS WEEK IN MISSISSIPPI
PEARL – Gov. Phil Bryant has declared May 25-29 as Hurricane Preparedness
Week in Mississippi to ensure residents are prepared for the upcoming
tropical weather season. This year also marks the 10 year anniversary of
Hurricane Katrina that devastated the entire Mississippi Coast on August
29, 2005.
"Ten years after Hurricane Katrina, we have vivid memories of the storm and
its aftermath. As our state has seen too many times, hurricanes can cause
unparalleled destruction," Gov. Bryant said. "As a result, we are more
prepared than ever for the threat of tropical weather."
The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency will provide valuable
preparedness information throughout the week for citizens and businesses on
its website and social media platforms of Facebook and Twitter. Personal
and community planning are the foundation for preparedness.
"I tell our citizens, for every disaster we face, that positive outcomes
are produced by what people do to prepare themselves, their families and
their neighborhoods," said MEMA Executive Director Robert Latham. "When it
comes to hurricanes and tropical systems, there is no reason we should have
loss of life because there is plenty of time to prepare and put together
your personal plans."
The Atlantic Hurricane Season officially starts June 1 and runs through
November 30, although there has already been one named storm, Tropical
Storm Ana during early May.
One of the first steps you should take is to create or restock an emergency
supply kit before tropical weather threatens:
· Flashlight and battery-powered radio with extra batteries.
· Non-perishable food for at least three days.
· One gallon of water, per person, per day for at least three days.
· Toiletry items.
· Pet food and pet supplies.
· Medicine and prescription medication.
· Copies of important family papers and documents.
· Cash and travelers checks, enough to fill up your vehicle with fuel.
For more information about how to prepare for hurricane season, go to
MEMA's website at www.msema.org or download the MEMA mobile app on your iOS
or Android device. The best way to get up-to-date information is to "Like"
MEMA on Facebook, or "Follow" us on twitter.
###
EPA Advises Facility Operators to Minimize Releases during Hazardous
Weather Events
Contact: Dawn Harris Young, (404) 562-8421 (Direct), (404) 562-8400 (Main),
harris-young.dawn@epa.gov
ATLANTA – As hurricane season approaches, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is issuing a Hazardous Weather Release Prevention and
Reporting alert to remind facility operators of certain regulations that
require minimization of chemical releases during process shutdown
operations. This alert is designed to increase awareness among facility
operators about their obligation to operate facilities safely and report
chemical releases in a timely manner.
The alert specifies operational release minimization requirements and
clarifies reporting requirements, including exemptions. Unlike some
natural disasters, the onset of a hurricane is predictable and allows for
early preparations to lessen its effect on a facility. Before hurricane
force winds and associated storm surge flooding damage industrial
processes, the alert recommends that operators take preventive action by
safely shutting down processes, or otherwise operate safely under emergency
procedures.
The alert and requirements are available at
http://www.epa.gov/region4/r4_hurricanereleases.html.
In the event of a hazardous weather incident, please visit
http://www.epa.gov/naturalevents/ for updated emergency information.
Friday, May 22, 2015
News Clippings 5.22.15
State
Agreement Between Two Boards Will Give Authority Ownership, When Signed
Picayune Item
http://www.picayuneitem.com/2015/05/agreement-between-two-boards-will-give-authority-ownership-when-signed/
Beach Rental Business Down Due to Beach Closures
WXXV
While we routinely see beach advisories here in South Mississippi, two
weeks ago, a broken waste pipe shut down many popular beaches for several
days and beach rental companies are seeing a hit in business.
http://www.wxxv25.com/news/local/story/Beach-Rental-Business-Down-Due-to-Beach-Closures/gc0u-9yDo02k0faZLjXZSw.cspx
Water advisory issued for part of beach in Gulfport
Sun Herald
BY JAMES SKRMETTA
GULFPORT -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality issued a
water contact advisory Thursday for a stretch of beach in Gulfport.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/05/21/6238453/water-advisory-issued-for-part.html
MDEQ: Petroleum cleanup complete on I-20 near mile marker 8
WJTV
WARREN COUNTY, Miss. - The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
said the petroleum cleanup near mile marker 8 on Interstate 20 is complete.
http://www.wjtv.com/story/29124891/mdeq-petroleum-cleanup-complete-on-i-20-near-mile-marker-8
Mississippi Power says it must give back association's $275 million deposit
on Kemper
Action could affect rate proposed rate increase
BY MARY PEREZ AND PAUL HAMPTON
Sun Herald
Mississippi Power said in a report filed late Wednesday a $275 million
deposit the company received from South Mississippi Electric Power
Association must be returned now that SMEPA has decided not to buy into the
power plant being built in Kemper County by Mississippi Power.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/05/21/6238188_mississippi-power-says-it-must.html?rh=1
Pascagoula has $4 million in infrastructure work under contract
Mississippi Press
April M. Havens
May 21, 2015 at 1:39 PM
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Pascagoula has more than $4 million in
infrastructure projects under contract, all work that's being funded
through a $15 million general obligation bond.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2015/05/pascagoula_has_4_million_in_in.html#incart_river
DMR sets hearing on basket dredging
The state Department of Marine Resources will hold a public hearing from 6
to 8 p.m. May 28 concerning the prohibition of basket dredges for oyster
harvesting.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/05/21/6239228/around-south-mississippi.html
Oil Spill
Meeting will seek comments on Gulf restoration projects
Sun Herald
A public meeting from 6 to 9 p.m. June 4 will hear comments on 10 proposed
early gulf restoration projects, including two in Mississippi.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/05/21/6239228/around-south-mississippi.html
National
Republicans seek to ease EPA permitting
The Hill
A new Republican bill aims to ease the burden of obtaining air pollution
permits from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for manufacturing
facilities.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/242877-republicans-seek-to-ease-epa-permitting
Obama Set to Strengthen Federal Role in Clean Water Regulation
NY Times
The Obama administration is expected in the coming days to
announce a major clean water regulation that would restore
the federal government's authority to limit pollution in
the nation's rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/23/us/politics/obama-set-to-strengthen-federal-role-in-clean-water-regulation.html?ref=earth
Senate panel advances $35.4B bill funding energy, water programs
The Hill
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday advanced a $35.5 billion
bill funding energy and water programs for fiscal 2016, which begins Oct.
1.
http://thehill.com/policy/finance/242830-senate-panel-advances-354b-bill-funding-energy-water-programs
With Compost Program, Keeping Waste From Going to Waste
NY Times
Dashing out the door on Monday afternoon, Wendy Toribio
stopped short when she saw women from the city's
Sanitation Department walking up to her home on 58th
Avenue in Maspeth, Queens. They came bearing gifts: a
brown bin and a smaller bucket, both for organic garbage,
like food scraps.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/22/nyregion/with-compost-program-keeping-waste-from-going-to-waste.html?ref=earth&_r=0
Opinion
The EPA's Pebble Blame Game
The agency digs deep for excuses—and not very good ones—to explain its veto
of an Alaskan mine project.
Wall Street Journal
By KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL
May 21, 2015 7:24 p.m. ET
Government agencies have a certain descending order of excuses they employ
as a scandal grows. When they reach the point of quibbling over semantics
and blaming low-level employees, it's clear they know they've got a
problem.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-epas-pebble-blame-game-1432250642
Press Releases
Steel Dynamics Expanding Operations in Columbus, Miss.
COLUMBUS, Miss.—Gov. Phil Bryant and officials from Steel Dynamics, Inc.
announced today the company is expanding through the addition of painting
and Galvalune® capabilities at its Columbus, Miss., steel mill. The project
represents a corporate investment of approximately $100 million and will
create 40 new, full-time jobs.
SDI's Columbus location, the Flat Roll Group Columbus Division, was
acquired from Severstal North America in 2014. The acquisition increased
SDI's steel operations shipping capacity to 11 million tons per year. The
facility produces sheet steel products consisting of hot roll, cold roll,
and coated steel products. The addition of a paint line and Galvalume®
capability will allow SDI to produce additional value-added steel products
at the Columbus location.
"The Steel Dynamics team could have selected one of its other U.S.
locations as the site of its new paint facility, and the company's decision
to further invest in its Columbus operations and create new jobs for the
area's workforce speaks volumes about Mississippi's supportive business
climate," Gov. Bryant said. "I thank SDI for its commitment to the Columbus
community and the state of Mississippi, and I look forward to watching the
company's continued growth and success in Lowndes County."
"We are excited about this important strategic step toward further
diversifying our high quality steel product offering at Columbus to include
higher-margin steel products for our customers," said Mark D. Millett, CEO
of Steel Dynamics, Inc. "The most significant portion of our expansion
plans is the addition of a state-of-the-art continuous coil coating paint
line, capable of producing 250,000 tons annually. We expect operations to
begin early in 2017.
"We are grateful to Governor Bryant and his staff, and the numerous
Mississippi state agencies for their support of Steel Dynamics. We are
excited about this opportunity to expand our capabilities by making this
investment in our Columbus operation and creating new jobs for the area's
workforce."
The Mississippi Development Authority provided assistance in support of the
project for infrastructure improvements, rail construction and workforce
training. Tennessee Valley Authority, Appalachian Regional Commission and
the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors assisted with the project, as well.
"While Steel Dynamics is one of the newer members of Mississippi's business
community, the company's Columbus facility has been a cornerstone of the
Golden Triangle region's industrial landscape for years," said MDA Interim
Executive Director Manning McPhillips. "Economic development requires the
collaboration of leaders at the regional, local and state levels, and this
expansion is a testament to that. This project would not have happened
without the Golden Triangle Development LINK, Lowndes County, TVA, and the
Lowndes County Industrial Development Authority. The team was quick to
meet Steel Dynamics' needs and timeline to ensure this project was a
success."
Situated on a 1,400-acre site, SDI's Columbus facility is a groundbreaking,
high-tech electric arc furnace mini-mill capable of producing 3.4 million
tons of steel annually. The plant covers more than two million square feet
and features state-of-the-art steel manufacturing capabilities, including
two electric arc furnaces, two ladle metallurgy furnaces, two vacuum
degassers, two thin slab casters, a hot strip mill, pickle lines, an
annealing line, a temper mill, two hot-dipped galvanizing lines, and a
rewind/inspection line. The Columbus Division is currently the most
technologically advanced EAF facility in North America.
For more information, visit www.steeldynamics.com.
###
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| USDA Reminds Farmers to Certify Conservation Compliance by June 1 Deadline |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|Producers May Need to Take Action to Remain Eligible for Crop Insurance Premium Support|
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|WASHINGTON, May 21, 2015 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds farmers to|
|file a Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification form |
|(AD-1026) with their local USDA Service Center by June 1, 2015. The 2014 Farm Bill |
|requires producers to have the form on file in order to remain eligible, or to become |
|eligible for crop insurance premium support. |
| |
| |
|Many farmers already have a certification form on file since it's required for |
|participation in most USDA programs including marketing assistance loans, farm storage |
|facility loans and disaster assistance. However, farmers who only participate in the |
|federal crop insurance program must now file a certification form to receive crop |
|insurance premium support. These producers might include specialty crop farmers who may|
|not participate in other USDA programs. |
| |
| |
|"USDA is making every effort possible to get the word out about this new Farm Bill |
|provision," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "We've deployed a variety of |
|informational documents and online resources including fact sheets, frequently asked |
|questions and brochures to help farmers understand what they need to do. We've also |
|conducted informational meetings and training sessions for nearly 6,000 stakeholders |
|across the country. We want to make sure that those who are required to act do so by |
|the June 1 deadline. We want all eligible producers to be able to maintain their |
|ability to protect their operations with affordable crop insurance." |
| |
| |
|USDA has conducted extensive outreach over the past year, especially to producers who |
|only participate in the federal crop insurance program and may be subject to |
|conservation compliance for the first time. Along with the outreach done by crop |
|insurance agents and companies, USDA efforts have included letters, postcards, phone |
|calls, producer meetings and interaction with stakeholder groups to help them reach |
|their members. While there are procedures in place to correct good faith errors and |
|omissions on certification forms, the deadline cannot be waived or extended and a form |
|must be filed by June 1. |
| |
| |
|The Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification form |
|AD-1026 is available at local USDA Service Centers or online at |
|www.fsa.usda.gov/AD1026form.When a farmer completes this form, USDA's Farm Service |
|Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service staff will identify any additional |
|actions that may be required for compliance with highly erodible land and wetland |
|provisions. USDA's Risk Management Agency, through the Federal Crop Insurance |
|Corporation, manages the federal crop insurance program. |
| |
| |
|Today's announcement was 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 |
|implemented many provisions of this critical legislation, 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. |
| |
| |
|# |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
Agreement Between Two Boards Will Give Authority Ownership, When Signed
Picayune Item
http://www.picayuneitem.com/2015/05/agreement-between-two-boards-will-give-authority-ownership-when-signed/
Beach Rental Business Down Due to Beach Closures
WXXV
While we routinely see beach advisories here in South Mississippi, two
weeks ago, a broken waste pipe shut down many popular beaches for several
days and beach rental companies are seeing a hit in business.
http://www.wxxv25.com/news/local/story/Beach-Rental-Business-Down-Due-to-Beach-Closures/gc0u-9yDo02k0faZLjXZSw.cspx
Water advisory issued for part of beach in Gulfport
Sun Herald
BY JAMES SKRMETTA
GULFPORT -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality issued a
water contact advisory Thursday for a stretch of beach in Gulfport.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/05/21/6238453/water-advisory-issued-for-part.html
MDEQ: Petroleum cleanup complete on I-20 near mile marker 8
WJTV
WARREN COUNTY, Miss. - The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
said the petroleum cleanup near mile marker 8 on Interstate 20 is complete.
http://www.wjtv.com/story/29124891/mdeq-petroleum-cleanup-complete-on-i-20-near-mile-marker-8
Mississippi Power says it must give back association's $275 million deposit
on Kemper
Action could affect rate proposed rate increase
BY MARY PEREZ AND PAUL HAMPTON
Sun Herald
Mississippi Power said in a report filed late Wednesday a $275 million
deposit the company received from South Mississippi Electric Power
Association must be returned now that SMEPA has decided not to buy into the
power plant being built in Kemper County by Mississippi Power.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/05/21/6238188_mississippi-power-says-it-must.html?rh=1
Pascagoula has $4 million in infrastructure work under contract
Mississippi Press
April M. Havens
May 21, 2015 at 1:39 PM
PASCAGOULA, Mississippi -- Pascagoula has more than $4 million in
infrastructure projects under contract, all work that's being funded
through a $15 million general obligation bond.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2015/05/pascagoula_has_4_million_in_in.html#incart_river
DMR sets hearing on basket dredging
The state Department of Marine Resources will hold a public hearing from 6
to 8 p.m. May 28 concerning the prohibition of basket dredges for oyster
harvesting.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/05/21/6239228/around-south-mississippi.html
Oil Spill
Meeting will seek comments on Gulf restoration projects
Sun Herald
A public meeting from 6 to 9 p.m. June 4 will hear comments on 10 proposed
early gulf restoration projects, including two in Mississippi.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/05/21/6239228/around-south-mississippi.html
National
Republicans seek to ease EPA permitting
The Hill
A new Republican bill aims to ease the burden of obtaining air pollution
permits from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for manufacturing
facilities.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/242877-republicans-seek-to-ease-epa-permitting
Obama Set to Strengthen Federal Role in Clean Water Regulation
NY Times
The Obama administration is expected in the coming days to
announce a major clean water regulation that would restore
the federal government's authority to limit pollution in
the nation's rivers, lakes, streams and wetlands.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/23/us/politics/obama-set-to-strengthen-federal-role-in-clean-water-regulation.html?ref=earth
Senate panel advances $35.4B bill funding energy, water programs
The Hill
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday advanced a $35.5 billion
bill funding energy and water programs for fiscal 2016, which begins Oct.
1.
http://thehill.com/policy/finance/242830-senate-panel-advances-354b-bill-funding-energy-water-programs
With Compost Program, Keeping Waste From Going to Waste
NY Times
Dashing out the door on Monday afternoon, Wendy Toribio
stopped short when she saw women from the city's
Sanitation Department walking up to her home on 58th
Avenue in Maspeth, Queens. They came bearing gifts: a
brown bin and a smaller bucket, both for organic garbage,
like food scraps.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/22/nyregion/with-compost-program-keeping-waste-from-going-to-waste.html?ref=earth&_r=0
Opinion
The EPA's Pebble Blame Game
The agency digs deep for excuses—and not very good ones—to explain its veto
of an Alaskan mine project.
Wall Street Journal
By KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL
May 21, 2015 7:24 p.m. ET
Government agencies have a certain descending order of excuses they employ
as a scandal grows. When they reach the point of quibbling over semantics
and blaming low-level employees, it's clear they know they've got a
problem.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-epas-pebble-blame-game-1432250642
Press Releases
Steel Dynamics Expanding Operations in Columbus, Miss.
COLUMBUS, Miss.—Gov. Phil Bryant and officials from Steel Dynamics, Inc.
announced today the company is expanding through the addition of painting
and Galvalune® capabilities at its Columbus, Miss., steel mill. The project
represents a corporate investment of approximately $100 million and will
create 40 new, full-time jobs.
SDI's Columbus location, the Flat Roll Group Columbus Division, was
acquired from Severstal North America in 2014. The acquisition increased
SDI's steel operations shipping capacity to 11 million tons per year. The
facility produces sheet steel products consisting of hot roll, cold roll,
and coated steel products. The addition of a paint line and Galvalume®
capability will allow SDI to produce additional value-added steel products
at the Columbus location.
"The Steel Dynamics team could have selected one of its other U.S.
locations as the site of its new paint facility, and the company's decision
to further invest in its Columbus operations and create new jobs for the
area's workforce speaks volumes about Mississippi's supportive business
climate," Gov. Bryant said. "I thank SDI for its commitment to the Columbus
community and the state of Mississippi, and I look forward to watching the
company's continued growth and success in Lowndes County."
"We are excited about this important strategic step toward further
diversifying our high quality steel product offering at Columbus to include
higher-margin steel products for our customers," said Mark D. Millett, CEO
of Steel Dynamics, Inc. "The most significant portion of our expansion
plans is the addition of a state-of-the-art continuous coil coating paint
line, capable of producing 250,000 tons annually. We expect operations to
begin early in 2017.
"We are grateful to Governor Bryant and his staff, and the numerous
Mississippi state agencies for their support of Steel Dynamics. We are
excited about this opportunity to expand our capabilities by making this
investment in our Columbus operation and creating new jobs for the area's
workforce."
The Mississippi Development Authority provided assistance in support of the
project for infrastructure improvements, rail construction and workforce
training. Tennessee Valley Authority, Appalachian Regional Commission and
the Lowndes County Board of Supervisors assisted with the project, as well.
"While Steel Dynamics is one of the newer members of Mississippi's business
community, the company's Columbus facility has been a cornerstone of the
Golden Triangle region's industrial landscape for years," said MDA Interim
Executive Director Manning McPhillips. "Economic development requires the
collaboration of leaders at the regional, local and state levels, and this
expansion is a testament to that. This project would not have happened
without the Golden Triangle Development LINK, Lowndes County, TVA, and the
Lowndes County Industrial Development Authority. The team was quick to
meet Steel Dynamics' needs and timeline to ensure this project was a
success."
Situated on a 1,400-acre site, SDI's Columbus facility is a groundbreaking,
high-tech electric arc furnace mini-mill capable of producing 3.4 million
tons of steel annually. The plant covers more than two million square feet
and features state-of-the-art steel manufacturing capabilities, including
two electric arc furnaces, two ladle metallurgy furnaces, two vacuum
degassers, two thin slab casters, a hot strip mill, pickle lines, an
annealing line, a temper mill, two hot-dipped galvanizing lines, and a
rewind/inspection line. The Columbus Division is currently the most
technologically advanced EAF facility in North America.
For more information, visit www.steeldynamics.com.
###
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| USDA Reminds Farmers to Certify Conservation Compliance by June 1 Deadline |
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|Producers May Need to Take Action to Remain Eligible for Crop Insurance Premium Support|
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| |
|WASHINGTON, May 21, 2015 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds farmers to|
|file a Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification form |
|(AD-1026) with their local USDA Service Center by June 1, 2015. The 2014 Farm Bill |
|requires producers to have the form on file in order to remain eligible, or to become |
|eligible for crop insurance premium support. |
| |
| |
|Many farmers already have a certification form on file since it's required for |
|participation in most USDA programs including marketing assistance loans, farm storage |
|facility loans and disaster assistance. However, farmers who only participate in the |
|federal crop insurance program must now file a certification form to receive crop |
|insurance premium support. These producers might include specialty crop farmers who may|
|not participate in other USDA programs. |
| |
| |
|"USDA is making every effort possible to get the word out about this new Farm Bill |
|provision," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "We've deployed a variety of |
|informational documents and online resources including fact sheets, frequently asked |
|questions and brochures to help farmers understand what they need to do. We've also |
|conducted informational meetings and training sessions for nearly 6,000 stakeholders |
|across the country. We want to make sure that those who are required to act do so by |
|the June 1 deadline. We want all eligible producers to be able to maintain their |
|ability to protect their operations with affordable crop insurance." |
| |
| |
|USDA has conducted extensive outreach over the past year, especially to producers who |
|only participate in the federal crop insurance program and may be subject to |
|conservation compliance for the first time. Along with the outreach done by crop |
|insurance agents and companies, USDA efforts have included letters, postcards, phone |
|calls, producer meetings and interaction with stakeholder groups to help them reach |
|their members. While there are procedures in place to correct good faith errors and |
|omissions on certification forms, the deadline cannot be waived or extended and a form |
|must be filed by June 1. |
| |
| |
|The Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation Certification form |
|AD-1026 is available at local USDA Service Centers or online at |
|www.fsa.usda.gov/AD1026form.When a farmer completes this form, USDA's Farm Service |
|Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service staff will identify any additional |
|actions that may be required for compliance with highly erodible land and wetland |
|provisions. USDA's Risk Management Agency, through the Federal Crop Insurance |
|Corporation, manages the federal crop insurance program. |
| |
| |
|Today's announcement was 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 |
|implemented many provisions of this critical legislation, 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. |
| |
| |
|# |
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