State
Environmental Protection Agency checking Eastern Heights
Grenada Star
By REGGIE ROSS
When the Environmental Protection Agency came to Grenada to meet with
residents of the Eastern Heights Subdivision, the folks from Lyons Drive
were waiting with questions.
Officials with the EPA held a meet-and-greet at the City Auditorium to
introduce their environmental study that is currently being conducted. The
study is a search for limited vapor intrusion in homes where the movement
of chemicals in the soil or groundwater becomes a gas and a possible threat
to residents.
At the meeting, Grenada residents wanted answers, and they wanted them
fast.
³We need to know if we need to get the hell out of there,² Eastern
Heights-born Shay Harris said. ³We need to know if we can trust you guys.²
The Eastern Heights Subdivision is located close to the Grenada Stamping
facility, and the study is a part of a precautionary approach to protect
public health and the environment.
According to the EPA¹s Meredith Anderson, a vapor intrusion study is
necessary to evaluate whether site-related contamination, primarily the
solvent trichloroethylene (TCE), may be entering the homes in the form of
contamination below ground.
TCE is a non-flammable, colorless liquid used for cleaning metal parts and
is a common groundwater contaminant. It dissolves in water, but can remain
in groundwater for a long time. In surface water, it quickly evaporates
and
is commonly found as vapors in the air.
Long-term exposure to TCE vapors could pose health risks like nerve, kidney
or liver damage. Some studies have shown TCE to cause cancer to these
organs.
With more than 100 people in attendance, the citizens became outspoken on
what they called contaminants causing problems within the subdivision.
³We¹ve had people dying of cancer out there, and we need to know if this is
the source,² Cammie Harges said.
Residents also expressed their concern over gardening and the safety of
their water consumption and usage.
³If you guys find contaminants, then tell us to get out,² resident Nigel
Johnson said. ³Y¹all are doing soil samples, but you need to be doing
people
samples.²
The EPA is an agency of the U.S. federal government that was created for
the purpose of protecting human health and the environment by writing and
enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress.
Davina Marraccini, EPA¹s public affairs specialist, said field work
including exterior soil gas, sub-slab soil gas, indoor air, ambient air and
groundwater sampling will begin in the coming weeks and continue for about
four weeks, both inside and around the neighborhood.
³Volatile chemicals like TCE can emit vapors that may migrate through soils
and into indoor air spaces of overlying buildings,² Marraccini said. ³EPA
is
working with Grenada Manufacturing, LLC, to expedite an investigation of
the potential vapor intrusion.²
At the state level, Chris Wells, chief of staff with the Mississippi
Department of Environmental Quality, said there was a similar situation in
Hattiesburg a few years back, and the study will continue with the agencies
working to find answers for the people in the area.
³One assumption is that the contamination come from the site of the
building, and another assumption is that it comes from illegal dumping,²
Wells said.
Wells said contamination was also detected on Moose Lodge Road, and they
are currently monitoring groundwater on that site.
Environmental sampling from groundwater and soil vapor collected on the
edge of the Eastern Heights community has revealed a potential concern for
contaminates trapped in groundwater that may possibly be traveling off the
facility¹s property line into the nearby community.
The Grenada Stamping building, which was built in 1961, has been bought
and
sold various times. Currently, Grenada Manufacuting, LLC is the owner of
the
site. Throughout most of the site¹s history, the facility was used to
manufacture automobile wheel covers.
Now the facility provides stamp-formed parts for vehicles and other various
industries.
³I¹ve been in this subdivision for 37 years, and I remember seeing blue and
purple water out there,² Walter Richardson said. ³We need to know what
we¹re living with out here.²
$15 million contract could go to Yarber's political ally
Clarion Ledger
An attorney and a Jackson City Council member have alleged possible
bias in a city Department of Public Works recommendation to award a
$15 million contract to a political ally of Mayor Tony Yarber.
The contract is to remove 305 tons of sewer sludge from the Savannah
Street Wastewater Treatment Plant by a Dec. 31, 2017, deadline.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/09/15/million-contract-go-yarbers-political-ally/72343098/
CMR updated on oyster management strategy
WLOX
PASCAGOULA, MS (WLOX) -Looking for better ways to help manage the oyster
industry. The Commission on Marine Resources heard an in-depth report
Tuesday from its scientists.
http://www.wlox.com/story/30038996/cmr-updated-on-oyster-management-strategy
Louisiana firm gets $25M contract to dredge Pascagoula Harbor
The Associated Press
September 15, 2015 at 2:11 PM
COVINGTON, La. — Weeks Marine Inc. of Covington, Louisiana, has a $25
million contract to dredge Pascagoula Harbor in Mississippi.
http://www.gulflive.com/news/index.ssf/2015/09/louisiana_firm_gets_25m_contra.html#incart_river
Oil Spill
An oyster trail, a phantom concert and $2.2 million in BP money
Ben Myers
The Times-Picayune
September 15, 2015 at 4:05 PM
Jefferson Parish officials boasted in 2011 that their plan for spending
$2.2 million from the BP-funded Louisiana Tourism Recovery Program was a
"model for other parishes." And they repeatedly asserted that more than
three quarters of the money would benefit Grand Isle and Jean Lafitte, two
coastal towns that suffered mightily during the 2010 BP oil disaster.
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/09/an_oyster_trail_a_phantom_conc.html
Sens. Vitter, Cassidy pan Gulf of Mexico well safety rules
Jennifer Larino
The Times-Picayune
September 15, 2015 at 4:05 PM
Proposed rules aimed at preventing the type of well blowout that caused the
2010 Gulf of Mexico oil disaster are part of "a regulatory avalanche"
threatening the Louisiana energy industry and the small businesses that
support it, Sen. David Vitter, R-La., said Tuesday (Sept. 15). At a
committee field hearing, Vitter and fellow Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill
Cassidy panned the Obama administration for promoting policies that they
say deter oil and gas activity in the gulf.
http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2015/09/vitter_cassidy_pan_well_safety.html#incart_river
National
In California, Biden aims to build resolve for climate pact
AP
WASHINGTON — Reaching for a successful end to global climate talks, Vice
President Joe Biden will call on other nations to commit to ambitious cuts
in greenhouse gases at a gathering of U.S. and Chinese leaders on Wednesday
in Los Angeles.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/09/16/6416955/in-california-biden-aims-to-build.html
How to Transport Oil More Safely
Each method—pipeline, rail, boat or truck—has its pros and cons. But they
all could use some improvement.
WSJ
In the early days of the petroleum industry, transporting oil meant
horse-drawn wagons carrying leaky wooden barrels over bumpy dirt roads—and
lots of accidents.
Things have changed a lot since then. But the accidents haven't gone away.
In some ways, they've gotten worse.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/how-to-transport-oil-more-safely-1442197722
Water demand from fracking less than 1 percent of U.S. total: study
Reuters
Fracking by the U.S. oil and gas industry has increased the burden on the
nation's water resources, but still accounts for less than 1 percent of
America's total industrial water use, according to a paper by researchers
at Duke University published on Tuesday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/15/us-usa-fracking-water-idUSKCN0RF2FW20150915
Expect U.S. oil output to slump? Better not overlook vertical wells
Reuters
Easy money, super-sized frack jobs, and desperate drillers offering deep
discounts to oil producers - all three have been credited for sustaining
U.S. crude output during the worst price slump in six years.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/16/us-oil-usa-fracking-idUSKCN0RG0UR20150916
Opinion
SUN HERALD | Editorial: Some answers needed about twin lakes
Officials in Jackson County should thoroughly investigate plans to dam
tributaries of the Pascagoula River to create a pair of connected lakes in
neighboring George County.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/09/15/6416310/sun-herald-editorial-some-answers.html
Press Releases
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| USDA Awards $20.5 Million to Advance the Next Generation of Natural Resources |
| Conservation |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
|WASHINGTON, Sept. 15, 2015 - U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today|
|announced the award of $20.5 million through its Conservation Innovation Grants (CIG) |
|program for 45 projects that will develop and advance the conservation of natural |
|resources. This year's projects include efforts to increase habitat for pollinators, |
|develop new ways to attract private investment in natural resource conservation, give |
|agricultural producers greater access to greenhouse gas markets, and help farmers and |
|ranchers make their operations more resilient to climate change. |
| |
| |
|"This year's slate of projects represent the next generation of natural resources |
|conservation, headed by partners who are progressive and forward-thinking in their |
|solutions to natural resource problems," Vilsack said. "Many of them are also engaging |
|with beginning or underserved farmers and ranchers, and carrying their projects into |
|parts of the country where Conservation Innovation Grants have not been utilized in |
|years past." |
| |
| |
|Seven of the approved grants support conservation technologies and approaches to help |
|beginning, historically underserved or socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. |
|Approximately half of this year's funding supports environmental markets projects in |
|three categories: water quality trading, greenhouse gas markets, and—for the first |
|time--impact investments in working lands conservation. |
| |
| |
|Below is a small sample of this year's awardees and their projects: |
| |
| |
| · Iowa State University received $760,897 to develop and accelerate the adoption of|
| innovative approaches to monarch butterfly conservation, with focus on developing|
| methods appropriate for use in the agriculturally-intensive Midwestern U.S. corn |
| and soybean production regions. |
| |
| |
| · Nuestras Raices received $811,148 to provide guidance on environmentally sound |
| growing practices and develop a language and culturally appropriate training |
| program to support the production of Caribbean Latino specialty crops in the |
| Northeast. |
| |
| |
| · Environmental Defense Fund received $960,000 to create the first large scale |
| pilot project generating greenhouse gas credits from nutrient management |
| practices on corn and almond farms. |
| |
| |
| · The Farm Foundation received $685,990 to collect, analyze and disseminate |
| site-specific soil health and economic information related to cover crops and |
| no-till to producers interested in adopting these soil health improving |
| practices. |
| |
| |
| · Indian Land Tenure received $295,000 to adapt greenhouse gas protocols and |
| increase engagement and participation of Indian Tribes in greenhouse gas markets.|
| |
| |
| · The Nature Conservancy received $498,000 to demonstrate the potential of carbon |
| markets as a viable financial instrument, enrolling 50,000 acres of rangeland in |
| North and South Dakota in a carbon offset program. |
| |
| |
| · Partners for Western Conservation, including the Colorado Cattlemen's Association|
| and the States of Nevada and Utah, received $279,400 to develop a pay-for-success|
| investment instrument for wildlife habitat and water quality conservation. The |
| State of Nevada will pilot the instrument as part of its efforts to conserve |
| Greater sage-grouse habitat. |
| |
| |
|A full list of recipients is available here: |
|http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/financial/cig/. |
| |
| |
|Administered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service, CIG stimulates the |
|development of innovative approaches and technologies for conservation on farms, |
|ranches and forest lands. Funding for CIG comes from the Environmental Quality |
|Incentives Program, part of the 2014 Farm Bill. At least 50 percent of the total cost |
|of CIG projects must come from non-federal matching funds. |
| |
| |
|NRCS has offered Conservation Innovation Grants since 2004, investing in ways to |
|demonstrate and transfer efficient and environmentally friendly farming and ranching. |
|Grants have helped develop trading markets for water quality and have shown how farmers|
|and ranchers may use fertilizer, water and energy more efficiently. Since 2009 through |
|this year's funding, 368 projects have been awarded for a total $146 million investment|
|in novel conservation. Click here for a summary fact sheet of the first 10 years of |
|CIG. |
| |
| |
|For more on this grant program, visit USDA's Conservation Innovation Grants webpage. |
| |
| |
|# |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
