State
Jackson County wins $81,500 grant from MDEQ for illegal dumping project
Mississippi Press
April M. Havens
June 16, 2015 at 10:02 AM
JACKSON, Mississippi -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
has awarded Jackson County a solid waste assistance grant of $81,500
that will be used for enforcement and clean up of illegal dumping.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2015/06/jackson_county_wins_81500_gran.html#incart_river
MDEQ awards $81K grant to help with illegal dumping in Jackson Co.
WLOX
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has awarded an $81,500
grant to Jackson County to help it with enforcement and cleanup of illegal
dumping.
http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/29337522/mdeq-awards-81k-grant-to-help-with-illegal-dumping-in-jackson-co
Gulf of Mexico Alliance looks to the future
WLOX
The future of the Gulf of Mexico is the focus of a conference in Biloxi
this week. The group is called GOMA, which stands for Gulf of Mexico
Alliance. Some 400 scientists, researchers and environmentalists are
meeting at the IP Casino Resort, tackling the many challenges facing the
gulf waters.
http://www.wlox.com/story/29336167/gulf-of-mexico-alliance-looks-to-the-future
DMR closes some waters temporarily to shrimping
Sun Herald
BILOXI -- The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources said it is
temporarily closing some waters to shrimping until the shrimp are bigger.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/06/16/6279293_dmr-closes-some-waters-temporarily.html?rh=1
Bio-made products grow opportunities for MS
Clarion Ledger
Mississippi is the top state in the U.S. for the production of
bio-made products, according to a study the United States Department
of Agriculture released Tuesday.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/money/business/2015/06/17/bio-made-products-grow-opportunities-ms/28836281/
National
House panel approves $30.17B bill cutting EPA funds, blocking rules
The Hill
The House Appropriations committee approved a $30.17 billion Interior and
Environment spending bill on Tuesday that cuts Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) funding by 9 percent and blocks key Obama administration
climate rules.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/245137-house-panel-approves-3017b-bill-to-cut-epa-funds-block-climate
New NASA data show how the world is running out of water
Washington Post
The world's largest underground aquifers – a source of fresh water for
hundreds of millions of people — are being depleted at alarming rates,
according to new NASA satellite data that provides the most detailed
picture yet of vital water reserves hidden under the Earth's surface.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/06/16/new-nasa-studies-show-how-the-world-is-running-out-of-water/
On Global Warming, Pope Francis Is Clear but U.S. Catholics are Divided
Wall Street Journal
Pope Francis is calling global warming—and humans' burning of fossil
fuels—a clear and major threat to life on Earth in his encyclical to be
officially released later this week.
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2015/06/16/on-global-warming-pope-francis-is-clear-but-u-s-catholics-are-divided/
Press Releases
The annual State Employee Day at the Farmer's Market is scheduled for
Tuesday, June 30, 2015 from 10:00am-2:00pm and we are looking forward to
your participation in our upcoming health fair. The goals of the event are
to encourage healthy lives and techniques for healthy living. Last year had
over 300 state employees at the event.
Governor Bryant Appoints Jack Wilson to Mississippi Court of Appeals
JACKSON—Gov. Phil Bryant has appointed Jack Wilson of Madison, Miss., to
the Mississippi Court of Appeals, District 3 Position 1. Wilson's term is
effective July 1, 2015.
Mississippi Court of Appeals District 3 includes Clarke, Clay, Jasper,
Kemper, Lauderdale, Lowndes, Neshoba, Newton, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Rankin,
Scott, Smith and Winston counties as well as portions of Attala, Jones,
Leake, Madison and Wayne counties.
Wilson will replace Court of Appeals Judge Larry Roberts, who is retiring
June 30. Judge Roberts has served as a judge for the Mississippi Court of
Appeals since 2006. He previously served 19 years as a circuit judge in
Mississippi's 10th Circuit District.
"Judge Roberts has dedicated his life to serving Mississippians through the
state's judicial system, and he has done so with integrity," Gov. Bryant
said. "I appreciate his contributions to Mississippi's criminal justice
reform efforts and wish him well in his retirement."
Wilson is currently counsel in the appellate and litigation groups in the
Jackson, Miss. office of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, where he also
practiced from 2009-2012. He served as deputy counsel to Gov. Bryant from
2012-2013 and as the governor's co-chief counsel from 2013-2014. Prior to
joining Bradley Arant in 2009, Wilson practiced in the Washington, D.C.
office of Mayer Brown LLP and served as a law clerk for Judge Gerald Bard
Tjoflat of the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit. He has
also served as an adjunct professor at Mississippi College School of Law.
He earned his juris doctor from Harvard Law School where he was an editor
of the Harvard Law Review. He holds a bachelor's degree in accountancy from
the University of Mississippi.
Wilson has represented clients in state and federal courts and before the
United States Supreme Court and is experienced in multiple subject areas,
including appellate litigation, business and commercial disputes,
arbitrations, and class and collective actions. He is admitted to the
Mississippi State Bar, the Mississippi Supreme Court, the District of
Columbia Bar, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th, 7th and 11th Circuits
and the U.S. Supreme Court.
"Jack has a brilliant legal mind and an exceptional knowledge of both
statutory and case law," Gov. Phil Bryant said. "He is a principled
individual and is well qualified for this responsibility. I am very pleased
to appoint him to this position."
"I am blessed to have this opportunity to serve on the Court of Appeals and
honored by Governor Bryant's trust and confidence. It is a privilege to
follow such a respected and accomplished judge as Judge Roberts and to join
this highly regarded court," Wilson said. "This court decides hundreds of
cases a year that profoundly and directly impact the lives of
Mississippians. I am committed to deciding these cases fairly and
according to the law and hope to be able to serve the state for years to
come."
Wilson is a commissioner of the non-partisan Uniform Law Commission and has
served as president of the Mississippi Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist
Society.
He and his wife, Amanda Nail Wilson of Tupelo, have three children, Emily,
Jack Jr. and Henry. The Wilsons are active members of Pear Orchard
Presbyterian Church.
###
Biodiesel Fuel Company Owner Pleads Guilty to Fraud and Clean Air Act
Crimes Connected to Renewable Fuels Scheme
Philip J. Rivkin faces more than 10 years imprisonment and $51 million in
restitution
WASHINGTON – Philip Joseph Rivkin, a.k.a. Felipe Poitan Arriaga, 50, today
pleaded guilty to a Clean Air Act false statement and mail fraud as part of
his role in a scheme to defraud EPA by falsely representing that he was
producing millions of gallons of biodiesel fuel. According to the terms of
the plea agreement, Rivkin faces more than 10 years in prison and will be
responsible for $51 million in restitution to help reimburse victims.
"These crimes are a serious threat to an important program that helps
combat climate change," said Cynthia Giles, Assistant Administrator for
Enforcement and Compliance Assurance at the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency. "For undermining the Renewable Fuels Standard, Mr. Rivkin will pay
substantial fines and restitution, and he also faces significant prison
time. Companies and individual managers should get the message that there
are serious consequences for breaking the rules and undermining the
integrity of this program."
In the plea agreement, Rivkin admitted that from July 2010 to July 2011, he
devised the biodiesel fraud scheme as his business operation falsely
generated renewable fuel credits, known as renewable identification numbers
(RINs), and sold them to oil companies and brokers for more than $29
million.
On April 30, 2012, EPA issued Green Diesel, LLC a Notice of Violation
(NOV). The NOV alleged the company generated more than 60 million invalid
biomass-based diesel RINs without producing any qualifying renewable fuel,
and transferred the majority of these invalid RINs to others. On June 18,
2014, two U.S. Secret Service Agents arrested Rivkin in Houston after he
was expelled from Guatemala, which had expelled him for having fraudulently
secured Guatemalan citizenship.
The next day, a 68-count indictment was returned against Rivkin for charges
including Clean Air Act false statements, wire fraud, mail fraud, and for
engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from unlawful
activity. The indictment included a notice of forfeiture to include: cash
in excess of $29 million; three vehicles including a Lamborghini, Maserati,
and a Bentley; a Canadair LTD airplane; and millions of dollars worth of
artwork that was previously seized from Rivkin in 2012 and was included in
a civil action for forfeiture.
The Clean Air Act requires EPA to set annual volume targets for four
categories of biofuels to ensure that transportation fuel sold in the
United States contains a minimum volume of renewable fuel. By displacing
fossil fuels, biofuels help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help
strengthen energy security.
This case was investigated by U.S. EPA-Criminal Investigation Division,
U.S. Secret Service, IRS-Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the
Houston Area Fraud Task Force, Houston Ship Channel Initiative and Texas
Environmental Crimes Task Force. The case was prosecuted by Leslie Lehnert,
Trial Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice-Environmental Crimes Section,
with assistance from J.T. Morgan, Attorney, U.S. EPA-Legal Counsel
Division.
More information about EPA's criminal enforcement program:
http://epa.gov/enforcement/criminal/index.html
More information about RFS enforcement:
http://www.epa.gov/enforcement/air/renewable-fuels/fuel-novs.html
