State
School ballot politics dominate budget hearings
Clarion Ledger
As agencies presented spending requests at hearings Monday and
Tuesday, legislative leaders appeared more intent on scoring points
against a school-funding ballot initiative than on budget details.
Department of Environmental Quality
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality Executive Director
Gary Rikard said that agency's request for $723,300 more than it got
last year was primarily an effort to improve recruitment and
retention.
Specifically, MDEQ's engineers, he said, should make more than they
do now, so turnover is less of a problem.
"They should be in the same ballpark as private sector engineers,
but right now we're not even in the parking lot of the ballpark,"
Rikard said.
The problem could soon worsen, he added. Within five years, 25
percent of MDEQ employees will be eligible for retirement, leaving
the agency in a lurch if it can't entice more workers to stay.
The total request for the agency is about $13.8 million. Last year,
it received $13.03 million.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/09/22/school-politics-budget/72634254/
Water Quality Improvement Plans for Diamondhead
WXXV
Since 2012, the Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain and
Mississippi State University's Gulf Coast Community Design Studio have been
working on a plan to improve water quality for Rotten Bayou watershed in
Hancock and Harrison County.
http://www.wxxv25.com/news/local/story/Water-Quality-Improvement-Plans-for-Diamondhead/tEENRphd6E2ghFRWA8kv-w.cspx
Pilot solar power operation flips switch in DeSoto
Commercial Appeal
The weather did its part Tuesday, providing ample sunshine to underscore
what the new solar farm sprouting from a vacant field along U.S. 61 can do.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/suburbs/desoto/pilot-solar-power-operation-flips-switch-in-desoto-200b5c66-adaa-3590-e053-0100007f5d07-328728071.html
Regional
Sierra Club sues EPA over haze from Louisiana coal plants
AP
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Sierra Club is suing the Environmental Protection
Agency to force the regulator to make sure Louisiana's coal-powered plants
cut down on haze-causing pollution, and thereby clear up the skies above
wilderness areas in Louisiana and Arkansas.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/sep/22/sierra-club-sues-epa-over-haze-from-louisiana-coal/
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Records suggest feds ignoring offshore environmental enforcement
WWL
NEW ORLEANS — The federal agency that regulates offshore oil and gas
drilling and production has used budget increases since the BP
disaster to hire dozens of engineers and geologists, but has all but
ignored an environmental enforcement division beset by understaffing
and massive work backlogs.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/09/23/records-suggest-feds-ignoring-offshore-environmental-enforcement/72663860/
National
EPA holding hearings on rules to cut methane emissions
AP
DENVER (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is holding public
hearings on the Obama administration's proposal to slash methane emissions
from oil and gas production to rein in climate change.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_28862917/epa-holding-hearings-rules-cut-methane-emissions
EPA is 'Upping its Game' After Volkswagen Allegations
Top administrator is pleased with auto maker's 'aggressive stance' on
tackling problem
WSJ
WASHINGTON—The top official at the Environmental Protection Agency said the
agency is "upping its game" in the search for possible violations of U.S.
pollution rules following allegations that Volkswagen AG circumvented
emissions standards.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/epa-is-upping-its-game-after-volkswagen-allegations-1442929373
Wyoming Seeks More Funds to Clean Up Abandoned Wells
If approved, rules would boost company bonding fees from $75,000 to
$150,000
WSJ
Wyoming is moving forward with sweeping new rules to double the money oil
and gas companies must put aside before drilling new wells, a measure
prompted by the large number of abandoned wells that litter the state.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/wyoming-seeks-more-funds-to-clean-up-abandoned-wells-1442966988
New regs for Wednesday: Radioactive disposal, efficiency, endangered fish
The Hill
Wednesday's edition of the Federal Register contains new rules for the
disposal of radioactive materials, efficiency rules for air conditioners
and heat pumps, and protections for endangered fish.
http://thehill.com/regulation/254540-new-regs-for-wednesday-radioactive-disposal-efficiency-endangered-fish
