State
PSC to vote next week on Miss. Power rates, approves refunds
AP
JACKSON, MISS. — State utility regulators plan to decide Mississippi Power
Co.'s request for an 18 percent rate increase on Aug. 13.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/08/06/6354371/psc-to-vote-next-week-on-miss.html
Gov. Bryant orders contracting reform
Clarion Ledger
Gov. Phil Bryant on Thursday issued two executive orders on
contracting reform, based on recommendations from a task force he
created last year in the wake of the state prisons bribery-kickback
scandal.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/08/06/bryant-contract-reform/31220033/
Oil Spill
Keeping BP Money on the Coast
WXXV
$150 million in BP money will be making its way to the state Legislature in
January, but how can we be sure that money gets to the Coast where many
feel it should land?
http://www.wxxv25.com/news/local/story/Keeping-BP-Money-on-the-Coast/pVA3EWmF6EKS5DII2As0GQ.cspx
Biloxi Council votes to move forward with negotiations on BP legal fees
BY MARY PEREZ
Sun Herald
BILOXI — The city of Biloxi hasn't yet received its $5.9 million settlement
from BP from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill but city officials are trying
to get attorneys to reduce the 20 percent contingency fee.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/08/06/6354838_biloxi-council-votes-to-continue.html?rh=1
Louisiana fisheries had an awesome 2014. What does that say about their
future?
Times Picayune
Louisiana oyster, shrimp and crab catch in 2014 was valued at $371 million,
higher than almost any other time in the fisheries' history, bringing large
returns at the dock, according to recently-released state numbers.
http://www.nola.com/futureofneworleans/2015/08/louisiana_oyster_shrimp_crab_p.html#incart_most_shared-environment
Regional
Even less hurricane activity predicted for remainder of 2015, NOAA says
The Times-Picayune
August 06, 2015 at 11:35 AM
NOAA forecasters said Thursday (Aug. 6) that the chance of a below-normal
hurricane season for 2015 has jumped to 90 percent, the result of a
well-entrenched El Nino pattern of warm surface water conditions in the
eastern Pacific Ocean and high wind shear and sinking air over much of the
Atlantic where tropical systems form.
http://www.nola.com/hurricane/index.ssf/2015/08/even_less_hurricane_activity_p.html#incart_river
National
Bright Orange Mine Waste Spills Into Animas River Near Durango
KUNC
A huge spill of hazardous mine waste has contaminated the Animas River,
which runs through Durango.
http://www.kunc.org/post/bright-orange-mine-waste-spills-animas-river-near-durango
Efficiency rules target soda vending machines
The Hill
The Obama administration is moving to impose new energy efficiency
regulations on vending machines.
http://thehill.com/regulation/energy-environment/250451-efficiency-rules-target-soda-vending-machines
Opinion
GLENN McCULLOUGH — Teamwork: A winning strategy
MBJ
Economic opportunity can change lives. Promoting Mississippi's advantages
to attract new career opportunities while supporting the expansion of our
existing businesses is our primary mission at the Mississippi Development
Authority.
http://msbusiness.com/2015/08/glenn-mccullough-teamwork-a-winning-strategy/
Press Releases
Governor Bryant Announces Hurricane Katrina 10th Anniversary
First Responders' Event
JACKSON—Gov. Phil Bryant and First Lady Deborah Bryant, along with Katrina
Remembrance Commission chairpersons Haley and Marsha Barbour, today
announced a 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina remembrance event for
first responders. It will be held on Friday, August 28 from 11 a.m. to 2
p.m. in Gulfport, Miss., at Barksdale Pavilion in Jones Park.
"This will be a time when we can honor and thank all first responders from
across the state who gave so much during the weeks and months following
Hurricane Katrina. Many of them were already executing plans and procedures
before it ever came on shore, and even more displayed bravery during and
after the storm made landfall," Gov. Bryant said. "It is my hope that we
can remember the 238 Mississippians who were lost, while also reflecting on
the achievements of the Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina swept through
Mississippi ten years ago."
The event will feature music from the Bluz Boys Band from Jackson, Miss.,
and special entertainment from native Mississippian and five-time Grammy
winning artist Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives.
First responders who are planning to attend are asked to RSVP to
katrina10@gulfport-ms.gov by August 14. Attendees will be asked to present
a badge or first responder credential for entrance.
###
Governor Bryant Orders State Contracting Reforms
JACKSON—Gov. Phil Bryant has issued two executive orders to reform the
public contracting process in Mississippi. The actions are based on
recommendations from the Task Force on Contracting and Procurement that
Gov. Bryant established in November 2014.
Executive Order 1361 requires the Mississippi Department of Corrections to
become a Certified Purchasing Office as determined by the Mississippi
Department of Finance and Administration.
Achieving the certification requires at least 50 percent of the purchasing
agents at MDOC to earn a national purchasing certification from the
Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council or other nationally
recognized purchasing organization. All MDOC purchasing agents must also
hold a certification from Mississippi's Basic or Advanced Purchasing
Certification Program.
"This training will benefit MDOC employees by equipping them with
additional skills and will protect taxpayers by ensuring that the people
who oversee public contracts are certified to high standards," Gov. Bryant
said.
Building on the Mississippi Transparency Act of 2008 and on contracting
reforms passed in the 2015 legislative session, Executive Order 1362
requires agencies posting contracts online to also post an analysis
describing why a personal or professional services contract was awarded,
renewed, or amended.
The order also requires agencies to provide all employees with information
about the fraud and abuse hotline maintained by the Office of the State
Auditor.
"This order brings additional transparency to the contracting process and
provides hardworking taxpayers with additional information about how their
dollars are spent," Gov. Bryant said. "We will continue to reform and
improve Mississippi's contracting processes.
Additional recommendations from the Task Force on Contracting and
Procurement will be considered for legislative action.
###
Final Report from the Task Force on Contracting and Procurement
http://www.governorbryant.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Final-MDOC-Task-Force-Recommendations.pdf
Arch Coal Subsidiaries to Make System-Wide Upgrades to Reduce Pollution
Entering U.S. Waters
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S.
Department of Justice (DOJ) announced today that Arch Coal Inc., one of the
nation's largest coal companies, and 14 of its subsidiaries under the
International Coal Group Inc. (ICG) have agreed to conduct comprehensive
upgrades to their operations to ensure compliance with the Clean Water Act.
The settlement resolves hundreds of Clean Water Act violations related to
illegal discharges of pollutants at the companies' coal mines in Kentucky,
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. The states of West
Virginia, Virginia and Pennsylvania are co-plaintiffs in today's
settlement. The companies will also pay a $2 million civil penalty.
"Businesses have an obligation to ensure that their operations don't
threaten the communities they serve, especially those that are overburdened
by or more vulnerable to pollution," said Assistant Administrator Cynthia
Giles for EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. "This
settlement will prevent future environmental and public health risks by
making sure these companies comply with federal and state clean water
laws."
"This joint enforcement effort, with three states, has resulted in a
settlement that will require changes that will benefit the health and
environment of Appalachian communities for many years to come," said
Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden for the Environment and Natural
Resources Division. "Under the terms of the agreement, Arch Coal and its
subsidiaries will pay a significant penalty, improve their pollution
control systems and provide for independent monitoring and data tracking
that will make it a better company and a better neighbor to these
communities."
In addition to paying the penalty, under the proposed consent decree the
companies must implement measures to ensure compliance and prevent future
Clean Water Act violations, which will help protect communities
overburdened by pollution, including:
* Developing and implementing a compliance management system.
* Periodic internal and third-party environmental compliance audits.
* Maintaining a data management system to track violations, water sampling
data and compliance efforts.
* Providing training for environmental managers and others responsible for
the consent decree.
* Paying escalating stipulated penalties if violations continue to occur.
The government complaint filed concurrently with the settlement alleged
that in the last six years, ICG operations have violated discharge limits
for aluminum, manganese, iron and total suspended solids in their
state-issued National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permits on
more than 1,200 occasions, resulting in over 8,900 days of violations. Of
those violations, 700 have been previously resolved by state enforcement
actions in Kentucky and West Virginia.
EPA discovered the violations through inspections of ICG facilities and
projects, reviewing various information provided by the companies and
coordinating with the affected state governments.
The proposed consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the
Southern District of West Virginia, is subject to a 30-day public comment
period and approval by the federal court.
For more information on this settlement and to read the consent decree, go
to:
www2.epa.gov/enforcement/arch-coal-inc-and-international-coal-group-subsidiaries-settlement
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|USDA Invests $63 Million to Support 264 Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Projects|
| Nationwide |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Funding supports solar and other renewable energy projects to create jobs and promote |
| energy independence |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|WASHINGTON, August 7, 2015 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced $63 |
|million in loans and grants for 264 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects |
|nationwide that USDA is supporting through its Rural Energy for America Program (REAP).|
| |
| |
|"This funding will have far-reaching economic and environmental impacts nationwide, |
|particularly in rural communities," Vilsack said. "Investing in renewable energy and |
|energy efficiency projects supports home-grown energy sources, creates jobs, reduces |
|greenhouse gas pollution and helps usher in a more secure energy future for the |
|nation." |
| |
| |
|These REAP projects are expected to generate and/or save 207.8 million kilowatt hours |
|(KWh) of energy – enough to power more than 13,600 homes for a year. |
| |
| |
|For example, Bradley Phillips, owner of A.B. Phillips & Sons Fruit Farm, is receiving |
|an $18,000 grant to install a photovoltaic solar system on his farm in the village of |
|Berlin Heights, Ohio. The system will generate nearly 13,000 kilowatt hours of |
|electricity annually. Phillips grows apples, peaches, pears, plums, raspberries, |
|cherries and grapes on a farm that has been in his family for more than a century. |
| |
| |
|Blue Sky Poultry, Inc., of Bainbridge, Ga., has been selected for a $16,094 grant to |
|install a solar array on the roof of the poultry houses. The array is expected to |
|generate 36,300 kWh of electricity per year. |
| |
| |
|Stokes Farms, LLP, of Chatfield, Minn., is receiving a $19,750 grant to install a 10 kW|
|wind turbine. When operational, the project is expected to generate 30,000 kWh of |
|electricity per year. |
| |
| |
|Lakeview Biodiesel, LLC will use a $3.3 million loan guarantee to help acquire a |
|Missouri biodiesel plant and make improvements to bring it online to produce enough |
|biodiesel to run approximately 16,500 vehicles annually. |
| |
| |
|In North Carolina, South Winston Farm, LLC is receiving a $4 million loan guarantee to |
|finance a 7 megawatt solar array system that is expected to generate enough energy to |
|power 994 households per year. |
| |
| |
|Funding for the projects announced today is contingent upon the recipients meeting the |
|terms of the grant or loan agreement. |
| |
| |
|Here are two examples of how REAP has helped rural businesses: |
| |
| |
| · In 2014, Mt. Abram, a ski area in western Maine, finished installing an 803-panel|
| solar photovoltaic system that was financed with a $235,000 REAP grant. Mt. Abram|
| is the first solar-powered ski area in the state and the second-largest |
| solar-powered ski area in the country. The solar array will generate 280,000 kWh |
| in energy each year and meet about 70 percent of the resort's power needs. |
| |
| |
| · Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited Progress Solar in North Carolina in |
| September 2014 to highlight a $3.4 million REAP loan guarantee the company |
| received to install a solar array. Today, the 46-acre farm produces enough solar |
| energy to power 540 average-sized homes each 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 next application deadline for REAP grants is November 2, 2015. USDA will issue a |
|notice of available funding with more details on how to apply in the coming weeks. REAP|
|was created by the 2008 Farm Bill and was reauthorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. |
| |
| |
|Since the start of the Obama Administration, USDA has supported more than 9,600 |
|renewable energy and energy efficiency projects nationwide through REAP. During this |
|period, the Department has provided more than $291 million in grants and $327 million |
|in loan guarantees to agricultural producers and rural small business owners. |
| |
| |
|President Obama's plan for rural America has brought about historic investment and |
|resulted in stronger rural communities. Under the President's 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. |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
