State
Hernando taps into state program to redevelop contaminated properties
Commercial Appeal
Hernando, already noted across the state for earth-friendly programs and
priorities, is the first jurisdiction in North Mississippi to sign up for a
state "brownfields" program to entice private-sector developers to clean up
and reuse contaminated sites.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/local-news/desoto/hernando-taps-into-state-program-to-redevelop-contaminated-properties_38387585
One water quality advisory lifted, one still in effect in Gulfport
Sun Herald
One water-contact advisory has been lifted in Gulfport but one remains,
officials with the state Department of Environmental Quality said Tuesday.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/06/09/6268591/one-water-quality-advisory-lifted.html
Oil Spill
Gov. Bryant announces broadband investment of $15 million
WLOX
It's an investment in technology and economic development. Tuesday morning,
Gov. Phil Bryant announced that $15 million in Restore Act money will go
toward developing a broadband corridor along the Gulf Coast.
http://www.wlox.com/story/29279218/gov-bryant-announces-broadband-investment-of-15-million
Mississippi to put up $15 million for broadband connectivity incentives,
governor says
Mississippi Press
April M. Havens
June 09, 2015 at 3:31 PM
GULFPORT, Mississippi -- Mississippi will invest $15 million to help build
a broadband corridor along the coast that will help drive education,
healthcare, innovation and the overall economy, Gov. Phil Bryant said
today.
http://www.gulflive.com/news/index.ssf/2015/06/mississippi_to_put_up_15_milli.html#incart_river
Louisiana reopens state waters closed after 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil
spill
AP
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana — Louisiana wildlife and fisheries regulators have
reopened state waters in the Gulf of Mexico that were previously closed
because of oiling from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
http://www.dailyjournal.net/view/story/380a2908fa5247d29789555d87bf1dc7/LA--BP-Oil-Spill-State-Waters
National
Obama Administration Readies Big Push on Climate Change
Proposals to curb emissions from trucks, airplanes, oil and natural-gas
operations, and power plants
Wall Street Journal
The Obama administration is planning a series of actions this summer to
rein in greenhouse-gas emissions from wide swaths of the economy, including
trucks, airplanes and power plants, kicking into high gear an ambitious
climate agenda that the president sees as key to his legacy.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/obama-administration-readies-big-push-on-climate-change-1433873269
Appeals Court Dismisses Challenge to EPA's Climate Rule
Judges say lawsuit brought by coal-dependent states, mining companies was
premature
Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON—A federal appeals court on Tuesday dismissed a challenge to an
Obama administration proposal to cut carbon emissions from U.S. power
plants, ruling the lawsuit was premature.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/appeals-court-dismisses-challenge-to-epas-climate-rule-1433861126
Appeals Court Tosses Suits Challenging Climate Change Plan
WASHINGTON — Jun 9, 2015, 12:23 PM ET
By SAM HANANEL Associated Press
A federal appeals court on Tuesday threw out a pair of high-profile
lawsuits challenging the Obama administration's sweeping plan to address
climate change, saying it's too early to challenge a proposed rule that
isn't yet final.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/appeals-court-tosses-suits-challenging-climate-change-plan-31636065
House Republicans would cut EPA spending 9 percent
AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans proposed a spending bill Tuesday that
cuts the budget at the Environmental Protection Agency by 9 percent and
tries to prevent the Obama administration from enacting several
regulations.
http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation-politics/house-republicans-would-cut-epa-spending-9-percent/
GOP appropriators look to block EPA rules
The Hill
House appropriators want to use a funding bill to block several
controversial Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules, Republicans on
the committee announced Tuesday.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/244395-gop-appropriators-look-to-block-epa-rules
GOP readies assault on Obama's climate agenda
The Hill
Senate Republicans are poised to launch a series of attacks aimed squarely
at President Obama's climate change initiative, as the Environmental
Protection Agency moves forward this summer with a host of new regulations.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/244481-gop-readies-assault-on-obamas-climate-agenda
EPA to formally propose ethanol standard
The Hill
The public comment period for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s
proposed ethanol blending standard three years will formally begin
Wednesday.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/244413-epa-to-formally-propose-ethanol-standard
Press Releases
Research group heads back to Gulf for further assessment of oil spill
effects
HATTIESBURG, MS (WDAM) -
This is a news release from The University of Southern Mississippi.
A team comprised of University of Georgia researchers and colleagues in the
ECOGIG -- Ecosystem Impacts of Oil and Gas Inputs to the Gulf -- Research
Consortium has neared the midway point in a three-and-half-week-long
research cruise on board the R/V Endeavor, a vessel owned by the National
Science Foundation and operated by the University of Rhode Island.
The team took a short break on Monday to host a media and education day
Gulfport, Miss. Following that interlude the research cruise will resume in
the Gulf of Mexico as the team continues to assess the ecological impacts
of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident. Over a period of 84 days, the
Macondo well site discharged 210 million gallons of oil and more than
175,000 metric tons of methane gas into the Gulf.
The cruise will allow the scientists to collect water column and sediment
samples at Macondo impacted sites, other anthropogenically impacted sites,
natural hydrocarbon seeps and control sites to track Macondo impacts and
compare the processes observed in Macondo-influenced areas to natural seeps
and control sites.
The media and education day, which coincides with World Oceans Day, took
place dockside at the R/V Endeavor in the Port of Gulfport. The R/V Point
Sur (owned by The University of Southern Mississippi) was also in port for
the event.
The ceremony included a press briefing, ship tour, opportunities to
interview the scientists and a World Oceans Day activity with children from
the local Boys and Girls Clubs, who toured the ships, learned about marine
science and participated in a hands-on activity with model remotely
operated vehicles used in deep sea research.
The ECOGIG consortium is led by project director Samantha Joye, professor
of marine sciences at the University of Georgia and leading scientist in
Gulf of Mexico ecosystem research. The chief scientist on this research
cruise is Joe Montoya of the Georgia Institute of Technology.
ECOGIG is a research consortium investigating the impacts of the 2010
Deepwater Horizon oil spill on deepwater ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico.
ECOGIG is one of 12 research consortia funded under the Gulf of Mexico
Research Initiative. GoMRI is a 20-member independent research board
created to allocate funds committed by BP for independent research programs
following the April 20, 2010, Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and
subsequent Macondo well blowout.
For more information about the research vessels, see
http://techserv.gso.uri.edu/ andhttps://www.usm.edu/marine/rv-point-sur.
http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/29269868/research-group-heads-back-to-gulf-for-further-assessment-of-oil-spill-effects
