State
MDEQ awards Solid Waste grant to Jackson County
Sun Herald
JACKSON COUNTY -- The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
awarded Jackson County a solid waste assistance grant of $81,500 for
enforcement and clean up of illegal dumping.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/06/17/6282186_around-south-mississippi.html?rh=1
DeSoto seeks to boost flood control through partnership
Commercial Appeal
DeSoto is seeking $500,000 from the Corps of Engineers for feasibility
studies of flood prevention projects for fiscal 2016.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/local-news/desoto/desoto-seeks-to-boost-flood-control-through-partnership_06773830
Sewer line collapse to cost Greenwood $380K to replace
The Associated Press
GREENWOOD, MISS. — The city of Greenwood is spending $380,000 to replace a
300foot section of sewer line that collapsed earlier this month.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/06/17/6281693/sewer-line-collapse-to-cost-greenwood.html
SCUA considers purchase of Big Level Utility Association
Stone County Enterprise
By Jody O'Hara
The Stone County Utility Authority discussed purchasing the Big Level
Utility Association at its Monday meeting.
http://www.stonecountyenterprise.com/article_2662.shtml
Low prices, temporary closure frustrating shrimpers
Clarion Ledger
Mississippi shrimp fishermen have been struggling with small shrimp
and low prices. Wednesday's closure of shrimping in Mississippi
waters north of the Intracoastal Waterway is expected to make life
even tougher for some.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/06/17/low-prices-temporary-closure-frustrating-shrimpers/28890379/
Tanglefoot designated national recreational trail
New Albany Gazette
On June 4, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and National Park
Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis designated the Tanglefoot Trail and
nine other local and state trails as national recreation trails, adding
more than 150 miles to the National Trails System.
http://newalbanygazette.com/2015/06/10/tanglefoot-designated-national-recreational-trail/
Group studying possibility of Hernando DeSoto historic trail
New Albany Gazette
Now that the Tanglefoot Trail is fully, and successfully, in use and has
been designated a part ofthe National Recreational Trails system, area
history and tourism officials are moving to their next project: more
recognition for Hernando DeSoto.
http://newalbanygazette.com/2015/06/12/group-studying-possibility-of-hernando-desoto-historic-trail/
Regional
'Average' dead zone predicted for Gulf in 2015, scientists say
Mark Schleifstein
The Times-Picayune
June 17, 2015 at 5:54 PM
This year's low oxygen "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico along the
Louisiana and Texas coast lines is likely to be "average" in size, but
still as large as the state of Connecticut, according to a study by
university and federal scientists, including researchers at Louisiana State
University.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2015/06/average_dead_zone_predicted_fo.html#incart_river
Minor earthquake reported in western Alabama
AP
EUTAW, Al. The U.S. Geological Survey has detected a small earthquake in
western Alabama.
http://wkrg.com/2015/06/17/minor-earthquake-reported-in-western-alabama/
National
GOP senators wary of EPA coal ash rule
The Hill
Republican senators on Wednesday aired concerns with the Environmental
Protection Agency's (EPA) rule on coal ash disposal, saying they might try
to revise it.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/245267-gop-senators-wary-of-epa-coal-ash-rule
After biofuel quotas furor, EPA grilled by Senate
Reuters
U.S. lawmakers will grill the nation's environmental regulator over its
handling of a controversial renewable fuels program at a hearing on
Thursday, the first since new biofuels targets provoked a furor among corn
farmers and oil refiners.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/18/us-usa-epa-biofuels-idUSKBN0OY0HN20150618
Press Releases
Mississippi State University Awarded 2015 EPA Region 4 Rain Catcher Award
Contact Information: Davina Marraccini, 404-562-8293 (direct), 404-562-8400
(main), marraccini.davina@epa.gov
ATLANTA – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized Mississippi
State University with the regional 2015 EPA Rain Catcher Award in the
Neighborhood/Community Category for the Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum's
rain garden program in Starkville, Miss. The award was given at a ceremony
during the EPA Region 4/International Erosion Control Association Municipal
Wet Weather Stormwater Conference, in Atlanta, Ga.
The Oktibbeha County Heritage Museum's rain garden program was a 5-year
project designed and constructed by Mississippi State University students,
faculty and community volunteers. Project elements include a rain garden,
public use pavilion with a green roof, conversion of unused parking space
to grassed area, installation of a dry swale, cistern and sand filter, and
educational signage for all elements of the project. The museum project
provided hands-on experience for over 200 students in six disciplines, and
now serves as a green infrastructure demonstration site for North
Mississippi.
The EPA Region 4 Rain Catcher Award recognizes excellence in the
implementation of stormwater green infrastructure practices. Green
infrastructure uses natural systems and/or engineered systems designed to
mimic natural processes to more effectively manage stormwater and reduce
receiving water impacts. EPA and its partner organizations have promoted
the use of green infrastructure for many years as part of a comprehensive
approach to achieving healthier waters. Green infrastructure reduces the
volume of stormwater discharges by managing rainwater close to where it
falls and removes many of the pollutants present in runoff, making it an
effective strategy for addressing wet weather pollution and improving water
quality.
Additional information on Mississippi State University's stormwater project
can be found at: http://oktibbehaheritagemuseum.com/wordpress/
Southern Miss, EPA to sign memorandum of understanding
Ocean Springs, MS (WDAM) -This is a news release from The University of
Southern Mississippi.
WHEN: 2 p.m., Friday, June 19, 2015
WHERE: Field Studies Building, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, 703 East
Beach Drive, Ocean Springs
SPECIFICS: The University of Southern Mississippi and the Environmental
Protection Agency's Gulf of Mexico Program office will sign a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) that will serve to increase cooperation between the
entities in areas of mutual interest. Southern Miss and the EPA's Gulf
Office will be collaborating in an effort to offer environmental education
opportunities to students at the University's Gulf Coast Research
Laboratory.
NOTE: University President Rodney D. Bennett and EPA Gulf of Mexico Chief
of Staff Diane T. Altsman will be on hand for the signing.
CONTACT: Martha Brown, GCRL Public Information Officer, 228.669.8612
MEMA Director Announces New Deputy Administrator
Pearl – Mississippi Emergency Management Agency Executive Director Robert
Latham announces Richard Wilson as the new MEMA Deputy Administrator.
Wilson will oversee the day-to-day operations of the MEMA offices of
Response, Preparedness, Field Services and Logistics.
Wilson has a long career in emergency management. He served as the Rankin
County Emergency Management Director for 18 years from March 1990 to
January 2008. Among the numerous disaster responses he led was the
November 1992 F-4 Tornado that left 10 dead, 98 injured, destroyed 60 homes
and damaged 500 more in Rankin County.
In August 2005, when Hurricane Katrina plowed through Mississippi, Wilson
and his staff initially provided assistance and commodities to the citizens
of Rankin and 12 other counties in the central part of the state. Wilson
then deployed to the gulf coast where he assisted in response and recovery
operations at the Harrison County Emergency Operations Center in Gulfport.
"Richard's experience as a local EMA director makes him uniquely qualified
for this position," said Director Latham. "His disaster experience at the
local level and understanding of the importance of building and sustaining
capability will ensure that MEMA continues to make preparedness our number
one priority."
Wilson began his career as a first responder with the Florence Volunteer
Fire Department, where he worked from 1972 to 1992 and also served as fire
chief. His department provided support to the cities of Jackson and Flowood
during the Historic Easter Flood of the Pearl River in 1979.
Wilson officially assumed the position on June 1.
EPA Report Shows Progress on E-Recycling and Identifies Opportunity to
Advance G7's Recognition of Circular Economy
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released
the Advancing Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Facts and Figures
report showing progress in consumer electronics recycling in the United
States. Consumer electronics recycling went up from 30.6 percent in 2012 to
40.4 percent in 2013, the same year EPA launched the SMM Electronics
Challenge to promote responsible donation and recycling of used
electronics.
Through EPA's Sustainable Materials Management program, the agency seeks
the most productive and sustainable use of materials across their life
cycle, minimizing the amounts of materials involved and all associated
environmental impacts. Earlier this month, the G7 committed to ambitious
action to advance the efficient use of natural resources throughout their
life cycle.
"For the first time, the leaders of the G7 have officially recognized the
importance of the link between materials recovery and the global economy,
and established the G7 Alliance on Resource Efficiency," said Mathy
Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response. "Building on the progress on sustainable materials
management, EPA is engaging the business, government and NGO sectors to
leverage this new report and G7 Declaration to identify and act on
opportunities for resource efficiency.
Sustainable materials management is a systemic approach to using and
reusing materials more productively over their entire lifecycles in order
to identify opportunities to reduce environmental impacts, conserve
resources, and reduce costs. EPA is advancing sustainable materials
management by convening dialogues with key SMM stakeholders, providing
sound science and information to the public, and establishing challenges to
specific sectors to achieve shared goals.
In the Annex to the G7 Leaders' Declaration, it's noted that establishing a
G7 Alliance on Resource Efficiency will provide a forum to exchange,
promote best practices and foster innovation together with business and
other stakeholders, including from the public sector, research
institutions, academia, consumers and civil society, on a voluntary basis.
Unsustainable consumption of natural resources and environmental
degradation translates into increasing business risks through higher
material costs, as well as supply uncertainties and disruptions. Resource
efficiency offers opportunities to reduce the burden on the environment
while strengthening the sustainability, competitiveness and growth of the
economy. The G7 Alliance on Resource Efficiency aims to promote an exchange
of concepts on how to address the challenges of resource efficiency, to
share best practices and experience, and to create information networks.
For every million cell phones we recycle, 35 thousand pounds of copper, 772
pounds of silver, 75 pounds of gold and 33 pounds of palladium can be
recovered. Through EPA's Sustainable Materials Management Electronics
Challenge, equipment manufacturers and retailers are promoting responsible
electronics recycling. Challenge participants send 100 percent of their
used electronics to a recognized third-party certified recycler by the
third year of their participation, and publicly report this information.
Consumers can find a location to donate or recycle their electronics by
visiting: http://www2.epa.gov/recycle/electronics-donation-and-recycling
Also in 2012, EPA launched the Food Recovery Challenge to address the
largest waste stream going to landfills. More than 700 participants have
joined and committed to preventing wasted food and feeding people.
EPA's Advancing SMM Facts and Figures report was formerly known as the MSW
Characterization Report.
The full report and a summary factsheet can be found at:
http://www.epa.gov/waste/nonhaz/municipal/index.htm
More information on EPA's SMM efforts can be found at:
http://www.epa.gov/smm/
For more information on the G7 Alliance on Resource Efficiency visit:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/06/08/annex-g-7-leaders-declaration
