State
Want to learn all about flesh eating bacteria? Forum set for June 19 in
Gulfport
Mississippi Press
April M. Havens
June 10, 2015 at 11:45 AM
GULFPORT, Mississippi -- Want to learn about vibrio, the flesh eating
bacteria that's sometimes found in our Gulf Coast waters?
The Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce Inc. is hosting an
educational on vibrio called "The Truth About Flesh Eating Bacteria" on
June 19 from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. at the Knight Nonprofit Center in Gulfport.
http://www.gulflive.com/news/index.ssf/2015/06/want_to_learn_all_about_flesh.html#incart_river
Health Department issues Code Orange for parts of the Mid-South
WREG
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The Shelby County Health Department, The Arkansas
Department of Environmental Quality, the Arkansas Department of Health and
the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality have issued a Code
Orange Air Quality Advisory.
http://wreg.com/2015/06/10/health-department-issues-code-orange-for-parts-of-the-mid-south/
Conservation/recreation group to host clean up of Chickasawhay this weekend
WDAM
A newly-formed organization which promotes conservation of and recreation
on the Chickasawhay River is hosting a first-ever clean up event in Wayne
County this Saturday.
http://www.wdam.com/story/29289088/dozens-will-gather-to-clean-up-chickasawhay-this-weekend
Omega Protein vessel sunk for artificial reef in secret spot 20 miles south
of Pascagoula
Mississippi Press
April M. Havens
June 10, 2015 at 5:58 PM
MOSS POINT, Mississippi -- Omega Protein's retired fishing vessel Barataria
Bay was sunk approximately 20 miles from the mouth of the Pascagoula River
today for use as an artificial reef.
http://www.gulflive.com/news/index.ssf/2015/06/omega_protein_vessel_sunk_in_g.html#incart_river
Oil Spill
Bryant says he'll bring $15 million to Coast to improve broadband access
Sun Herald
BY PAUL HAMPTON
Gov. Phil Bryant hopes to use the first wave of RESTORE Act money to
enhance broadband coverage on the Coast.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/06/10/6270124/bryant-says-hell-bring-15-million.html
BROADBAND TO GET $15M BOOST ON GULF COAST
MPB
The Mississippi Gulf Coast's broadband future is looking $15 million
sunnier. As MPB's Evelina Burnett reports, state leaders are hoping to
boost private broadband investment to help the coast catch up with its
competition.
http://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/2015/06/10/broadband-to-get-15m-boost-on-gulf-coast/
National
Congress Moving to Block EPA Regulation of Streams, Wetlands
WASHINGTON — Jun 10, 2015, 5:00 PM ET
By MARY CLARE JALONICK Associated Press
Congressional Republicans are pushing to block an Obama administration rule
designed to protect water quality in small streams, tributaries and
wetlands before it goes into effect later this year.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/congress-moving-block-epa-regulation-streams-wetlands-31665302
Lawmakers spar over EPA's water rule
The Hill
Lawmakers sparred Wednesday over Environmental Protection Agency's "waters
of the United States" rule, with Republicans blasting the proposal as
overreach and their Democratic counterparts accusing them of hyperbole.
http://thehill.com/regulation/244540-senate-hearing-on-regulatory-overreach-centers-on-epa-water-rule
EPA Takes Aim at Airline Emissions
Finding concludes aircraft carbon emissions contribute to climate change
Wall Street Journal
WASHINGTON—The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday took its first
step toward regulating carbon emissions from airlines, one of a string of
actions by the Obama administration expected this summer to address climate
change with rules covering swaths of the U.S. economy.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/obama-administration-to-take-aim-at-airline-emissions-1433946834
House panel approves bill cutting EPA funding
The Hill
Appropriators teed up the latest congressional fight over the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday when a House panel approved a bill
with deep spending cuts for the agency and provisions blocking its
rule-making.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/244536-house-panel-approves-bill-cutting-epa-funding
Price Tag for California Oil Spill Cleanup: $69 Million So Far
About 76% of 97 miles of fouled coastline has been cleared of oil
AP
GOLETA, Calif.—The cost of cleaning up the oil spill that fouled beaches
last month on the Southern California coast has reached $69 million so far,
an official of the pipeline company said Wednesday.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/price-tag-for-california-oil-spill-cleanup-69-million-so-far-1433970299
New regs for Thursday: Hunting and fishing, drug-free workplaces,
efficiency
The Hill
Thursday's edition of the Federal Register contains new rules for hunting
and fishing, drug-free workplace requirements, and energy efficiency
standards for buildings.
http://thehill.com/regulation/244514-new-regs-for-thursday-hunting-and-fishing-drug-free-workplaces-efficiency
Press Releases
Crappie regulations could change on Mississippi lakes
JACKSON – The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks
(MDWFP) Fisheries Bureau announced a proposal to change crappie regulations
on Arkabutla, Enid, Sardis, and Grenada Lakes, also known as the Flood
Control Reservoirs (FCRs), and Eagle Lake. The proposal for the FCRs will
make the regulations uniform across all of the lakes. The proposed rule
consists of making the minimum length crappie that anglers can keep 12
inches, setting the daily creel limit to 15 fish per angler, and limiting
the number of poles an angler can use to three. In addition, boats with 3
or more anglers will be able to keep 40 crappie per boat. Daily creel
limits in the FCRs' spillways, including Sardis Lower Lake, will be reduced
to15 fish per angler.
"The proposed rules for the FCRs are intended to maintain our top-ranked,
nationally recognized crappie fisheries", said Larry Pugh, MDWFP Fisheries
Bureau Director. "Having the same regulations on all of these lakes will
also simplify regulations for the anglers", added Pugh.
On Eagle Lake, the proposed crappie rule will impose an 11-inch minimum
length limit and reduce the daily creel limit to 30 fish per angler. "The
proposed rule will protect smaller fish from harvest and allow more fish to
grow to a larger size", said MDWFP Fisheries Biologist Jerry Brown. The
proposed rule change will be contingent upon Louisiana adopting the same
regulation, and will be effective October 1, 2015.
Anyone wishing to comment on the proposed change may do so in writing to
the Fisheries Bureau, MDWFP, 1505 Eastover Dr., Jackson, MS 39211, no later
than June 21, 2015.
For more information regarding fishing in Mississippi, visit our website at
www.mdwfp.com or call us at (601) 432-2212.
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| USDA Invests $6.7 Million in 544 Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Projects |
| Nationwide |
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| |
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| Grants for renewable energy and conservation will cut energy costs, create jobs, |
| promote energy independence |
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| |
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| |
|WASHINGTON, June 10, 2015 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA|
|is investing more than $6.7 million in 544 renewable energy and energy efficiency |
|projects nationwide. |
| |
| |
|Secretary Vilsack made the announcement during a visit to the Snake River Brewing |
|Company, in Jackson, Wyo. The company received a $13,810 USDA Rural Development Rural |
|Energy for America Program (REAP) grant to install a solar panel to generate energy for|
|the business. |
| |
| |
|"These grants will help farmers, ranchers and small business owners use more renewable |
|energy, which cuts carbon pollution, reduces our dependence on foreign oil, saves |
|businesses money on their energy bills and creates American jobs," Vilsack said. "All |
|of these are crucial components to developing healthier, more economically vibrant |
|rural communities." |
| |
| |
|REAP was created by the 2002 Farm Bill and was reauthorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. REAP|
|funding has helped farmers expand renewable energy use in recent years. The new Census |
|of Agriculture shows the number of farms utilizing renewable energy production has |
|doubled in the last five years. |
| |
| |
|Since 2009, USDA has awarded $545 million to support more than 8,800 REAP projects |
|nationwide. This includes $361 million in grants and loans for almost 2,900 renewable |
|energy systems. For the remaining 5,900 projects, USDA provided $184 million to help |
|rural small businesses and agricultural producers make energy efficiency improvements |
|such as lighting; heating, ventilation and cooling; irrigation; insulation and motor |
|replacements. When fully operational, these projects are estimated to generate and save|
|7.3 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually – enough to power more than 660,000 |
|homes for a year. |
| |
| |
|Eligible agricultural producers and rural small businesses may use REAP funds to make |
|energy efficiency improvements or install renewable energy systems, including solar, |
|wind, renewable biomass (including anaerobic digesters), small hydroelectric, ocean |
|energy, hydrogen and geothermal. |
| |
| |
|The awards list announced today is contingent upon the recipients meeting the terms of |
|the grant agreement. |
| |
| |
|President Obama's historic investments in rural America have made our rural communities|
|stronger. Under his leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, |
|businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way |
|– strengthening America's economy, small towns and rural communities. |
| |
| |
|# |
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EPA Takes First Steps to Address Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Aircraft
Contact: Christie St. Clair (news media only), stclair.christie@epa.gov,
202-564-2880
ATLANTA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to
find under the Clean Air Act that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from
commercial aircraft contribute to the pollution that causes climate change
endangering the health and welfare of Americans. At the same time, the
agency is releasing information about the international process already
underway by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) for
developing carbon dioxide (CO2) standards for aircraft and EPA's
participation in that process. EPA is now seeking public input to inform
future steps by the agency.
For the past five years, ICAO — a specialized body of the United Nations
with 191 member states — has been working with the aviation industry and
other stakeholders to develop coordinated, international CO2 emissions
standards for aircraft. EPA and the Federal Aviation Administration,
representing the United States, are participating in ICAO's process to
ensure that any standards achieve meaningful CO2 emissions reductions
through policies that are equitable across national boundaries.
The ICAO standards are expected to be adopted in early 2016. The items
issued today by EPA lay the necessary foundation for the development and
implementation of a domestic aircraft standard, in accordance with U.S. law
and the ICAO process.
U.S. aircraft emit roughly 11 percent of GHG emissions from the U.S.
transportation sector and 29 percent of GHG emissions from all aircraft
globally. In 2009, EPA determined that GHG pollution from cars and light
trucks threatens Americans' health and welfare by leading to long-lasting
changes in our climate that can have a range of negative effects. Since
then, the body of science on human-induced climate change has strengthened,
supporting today's proposed finding — under a different section of the
Clean Air Act — that GHGs emitted from aircraft engines contribute to
pollution that causes climate change endangering public health and welfare.
Today's action supports the goals of the President's Climate Action Plan to
reduce emissions from large sources of carbon pollution.
Today's actions do not apply to small piston-engine planes (the type of
plane often used for recreational purposes), or to military aircraft.
Once this action is published in the Federal Register, it will be open for
a 60-day public comment period. Any future domestic actions toward aircraft
engine standards would also be open to public comment and review before
they could take effect.
For more information on the proposed contribution finding and the advance
notice of proposed rulemaking, visit http://epa.gov/otaq/aviation.htm.
EPA Recognizes Partners for Creating and Using Safer Choice Products
June 22 is the first annual awards ceremony for 2015 Safer Choice Partner
of the Year Award Winners
WASHINGTON –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing 21
Safer Choice Partner of the Year winners across 15 states for outstanding
achievement in the design, manufacture, promotion, and use of Safer Choice
products for the nation.
"These winners demonstrate that Safer Choice-labeled products, which are
safer for homes, schools, and workplaces and perform well, can also be good
for business," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. "The name says it
all: Safer Choice products are safer for you, your kids, pets, co-workers,
communities and the environment. Our scientists employ a stringent set of
human health and environmental safety standards when reviewing products for
the Safer Choice program, so a product with the label is backed by EPA
science."
To qualify for the Safer Choice (formerly "Design for the Environment")
label, a product must meet EPA's Safer Choice Standard, a stringent human
and environmental health criteria. Currently, the Safer Choice Program has
nearly 500 formulator-manufacturer partners who make more than 2,000
products for retail and institutional customers.
Partner of the Year award winners represent a wide variety of leadership
organizations. Participants include Fortune 500 companies, small- and
medium-sized businesses, state governments, and non-governmental
organizations. The 2015 Safer Choice Partner of the Year Awards will be
presented at 2:00 p.m. on June 22, 2015, at the Ronald Reagan Building and
International Trade Center in Washington, DC. The winners fall under the
following categories:
Safer Formulator-Manufacturer: Case Medical, Inc. (South Hackensack,
N.J.); Earth Friendly Products (Garden Grove, Calif.); Jelmar, LLC (Skokie,
Ill.); Osprey Biotechnics, Inc. (Sarasota, Fla.); The Sun Products
Corporation (Wilton, CT); and Wexford Labs, Inc. (Kirkwood, Mo.)
Safer Chemical Innovator: AkzoNobel (Chicago); Chemlink Laboratories
(Kennesaw, Ga.); and Stepan Company (Northfield, Ill.)
Purchaser/Distributor: District of Columbia Office of Contracting and
Procurement (Washington); GreenStar Hub (Forest Hills, N.Y.); PRIDE
Industries (Roseville, Calif.); and Solutex, Inc. (Sterling, Va.)
Retailer: Staples, Inc. (Framingham, Mass.); and Wegmans Food Markets
(Rochester, N.Y.)
Program Supporter: The Ashkin Group (Los Angeles); Consumer Specialty
Products Association (Washington, D.C.); GreenBlue (Charlottesville, Va.);
ISSA, the Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association (Northbrook, Ill.);
Loyola University Chicago, Institute of Environmental Sustainability
(Chicago); and Washington State Department of Ecology/Northwest Green
Chemistry (Olympia, Wash.)
More on the 2015 Safer Choice Partner of the Year award winners, and
registration for the Awards Ceremony, can be found at
http://www2.epa.gov/saferchoice/safer-choice-partner-year-awards.
Remember to look for the Safer Choice label, appearing on products and
store shelves nationwide starting this summer and fall.
EPA Releases EJSCREEN, An Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping Tool
Washington — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
released EJSCREEN, an environmental justice screening and mapping tool that
uses high resolution maps combined with demographic and environmental data
to identify places with potentially elevated environmental burdens and
vulnerable populations. EJSCREEN's simple to understand color-coded maps,
bar charts, and reports enable users to better understand areas in need of
increased environmental protection, health care access, housing,
infrastructure improvement, community revitalization, and climate
resilience.
"EJSCREEN provides essential information to anyone seeking greater
visibility and awareness about the impacts of pollution in American
communities," said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. "EJSCREEN has been a
valuable resource for EPA to advance our commitment to protect Americans
most vulnerable to pollution. I'm excited to share this tool with the
public to broaden its impact, build transparency, and foster collaboration
with partners working to achieve environmental justice.
"State environmental agencies appreciate EPA's collaborative work on the
use and release of this important tool," said Dick Pedersen, Director of
Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality and past President of the
Environmental Council of States. "Citizens having access to environmental
and demographic data is extremely important in helping states implement
environmental programs and ensure public health and environmental
protection for all. To that end, EJSCREEN facilitates vital citizen
engagement."
EJSCREEN can help governments, academic institutions, local communities,
and other stakeholders to highlight communities with greater risk of
exposure to pollution based on 8 pollution and environmental indicators,
including traffic proximity, particulate matter, and proximity to superfund
sites. These indicators are combined with demographic data from the U.S.
Census Bureau American Community 5-year Summary Survey enabling users to
identify areas with minority or low-income populations who also face
potential pollution issues.
EJSCREEN's capabilities could provide support for educational programs,
grant writing, and community awareness efforts so that users can
participate meaningfully in decision-making processes that impact their
health and environment. While EJSCREEN is being shared publicly to improve
work on environmental justice, EPA is not mandating state governments or
other entities use the tool or its underlying data.
EJSCREEN does not direct EPA decisions; it does not provide a basis for
identifying areas as EJ communities, and it is not an appropriate
standalone tool for making a risk assessment. As a screening tool, its data
may have levels of uncertainty, and is therefore incomplete in capturing
the total number of pollution problems people face.
Today's release of EJSCREEN initiates a stakeholder engagement period over
the next six months. EPA will collect feedback on the datasets and design
of the tool – as well as how it could be further enhanced – and will
release a revised version in 2016.
Environmental justice is defined as the fair treatment and meaningful
involvement of all people, regardless of race or income with respect to the
development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws,
regulations, and policies. EPA's goal is to provide all people with equal
access to the environmental decision-making process to maintain a healthy
environment in which to live, learn, and work.
To access the tool, visit: http://www2.epa.gov/ejscreen.
