State
County Hires Attorneys For Lawsuit Against EnPro
North Mississippi Herald
By David Howell
WATER VALLEY – County supervisors voted unanimously to hire a group of
attorneys for a potential lawsuit against EnPro Industries following recent
scrutiny from the Mississippi Department of Environ-mental Quality (MDEQ)
of a decades old spill at the former Colt Industries /Holley Carburetor
site.
As a litigation matter, the vote was held in executive session during a
recessed meeting on April 11, but Board Attorney John Crow provided details
to the Herald about the case after the meeting.
"It will take a year to get it together, because of the thousands and
thousands of pages of records involved," Crow explained about the
litigation. Crow also said his firm, Crow Martin LLC has joined multiple
attorneys to jointly represent numerous plaintiffs including Yalobusha
County, Yalo-busha Health Services and a significant number of homeowners
who have property in the area affected by the spill of trichloroethylene
(TCE) at the BorgWarner site in 1988.
TCE is a non-flammable, colorless liquid used as a solvent for cleaning
metal parts. It is a common ground water contaminant, but can also vaporize
and migrate from ground water and through the soil into outside and indoor
air in a process called vapor intrusion. In February MDEQ tested multiple
sites for vapor intrusion in an area defined as a plume where levels of TCE
have been identified as the chemical has migrated north from the original
spill. The contaminated area could impact as many as 28 residences and 11
commercial buildings, including the property that encompasses the hospital,
nursing home and surrounding buildings. The area extends north from
BorgWarner and includes portions of South Main Street, Frostland Drive and
Champion Circle.
Crow identified the attorneys involved in case including Liston and Deas,
Grenada attorney Reid Stanford, Texas environmental law firm Ted B. Lyon
and Associates, Southaven attorney Craig Treadway and Crow Martin LLC.
"The hospital has got the same lawyers," Crow added.
Crow said his firm's involvement came after careful consideration when he
was approached by other attorneys involved in the case.
"I told them I was not going to sue BorgWarner. I am not going to be
involved in a suit like that. They said BorgWarner is not going to be
involved, it's EnPro Industries," Crow told the Herald, explaining that
EnPro assumed the liability for the site following multiple ownership
changes.
"If they file suit here and it is not removed, they want somebody here the
jury is going to know," Crow explained. "I expect to litigate and I want to
litigate because of my feelings about it," the attorney added, explaining
that county and hospital officials were not informed that earlier testing
revealed that TCE in the ground had continued to drift north of the
original spill.
"After they cleaned it up, in 2002 they did some more testing and knew it
was on the move. The county didn't hear anything about it and yet we spent
all of this money down there, especially the hospital," Crow said. "The
hospital is the biggest issue."
Crow said the ultimate goal is "to make the dirt safe." He also explained
initial work will include additional testing to ensure the plume is
properly identified with more testing scheduled this summer from an
independent firm hired by the plaintiff attorneys.
"The board was faced to spend their own money (general fund) and it would
bust the budget, or to go with these plaintiff attorneys," Crow added. He
also explained the group of attorneys have secured funding for the case and
will pay for all of the testing and legal fees in a contingency fee
arrangement with the lawyers receiving a portion of the settlement if they
win the case. In this arrangement, Crow said his firm will not bill the
county for work on the case, instead his firm will also receive
compensation if the lawsuit is successful.
Crow said that the entire process will likely take years.
"There is so much data and the work starts with piecing it all together,"
Crow added.
http://yalnews.com/v2/content.aspx?module=contentitem&ID=412565&MemberID=1175&Title=county-hires-attorneys-for-lawsuit-against-enpro&Postback=1
Oyster fishermen happy to be working the waters
WLOX
PASS CHRISTIAN, MS (WLOX) -It's been a tough season for Mississippi oyster
fishermen. However, they had reason to smile on Wednesday when two reef
areas re-opened.
http://www.wlox.com/story/31833466/oyster-fishermen-happy-to-be-working-the-waters
Millard Lake Project Being Considered
Picayune Item
http://www.picayuneitem.com/2016/04/supers-part-2-2/
Fire at MS Silicon in Tishomingo County
Daily Corinthian
BURNSVILLE -- A large, very active fire has been reported at Mississippi
Silicon in Burnsville.
http://www.dailycorinthian.com/view/full_story/27169513/article-BREAKING--Fire-at-MS-Silicon-in-Tishomingo-County
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Ground broken for solar energy facility in Hattiesburg
Hattiesburg American
Local and state officials were on hand Wednesday for a ceremonial
groundbreaking of a new solar energy facility in Hattiesburg.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/hattiesburg/2016/04/27/ground-broken-solar-energy-facility-hattiesburg/83559574/
Area law enforcement hosting prescription drug dropoff event
Madison County Journal
The Madison Police Department, Ridgeland Police Department, Madison County
Sheriff's Department, and the Madison/Rankin County District Attorney's
Office, in conjunction with Leadership Madison County's D4 Team, announce
"Take Back Your Meds" day on Saturday, April 30.
http://www.onlinemadison.com/Content/Default/News/Article/Area-law-enforcement-hosting-prescription-drug-dropoff-event/-3/592/37895
Oil Spill
Special BP session would be bad for Coast, Reeves said
Sun Herald
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves said a special session to discuss spending $110
million in BP settlement money is a bad idea for the Coast.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/politics-government/article74289337.html
Six years after gulf oil spill, BP has gushed an average $25.5 million a
day to cover disaster
Tampa Bay Times
Remember the disastrous BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? BP sure hasn't
forgotten, given that by this month's six-year anniversary, the giant
oil-exploration company has paid out $56 billion in costs related to the
spill.
http://web.tampabay.com/news/business/six-years-after-gulf-oil-spill-bp-has-gushed-an-average-of-255-million-a/2274896
Alabama Committee Passes BP Settlement Proposal
AP
The Alabama House budget committee has approved a compromise bill dividing
state settlement money from the BP oil spill, using the money to pay off
state debts and pay for road projects in coastal counties.
http://www.wtok.com/home/headlines/Alabama-Committee-Passes-BP-Settlement-Proposal-377321161.html
National
EPA advances state incentives despite hold on climate rule
The Hill
The Obama administration is moving forward with a state incentive program
related to its contentious climate change rule, even though the regulation
itself is on hold.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/277819-epa-moves-forward-with-climate-rule-state-incentives
EPA offers no timetable for methane rule at current drilling sites
The Hill
A top Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official said regulations on
methane leaks from new oil and gas well is coming "soon" but sidestepped
questions on when a similar rule for existing wells will come out.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/277830-epa-offers-no-timetable-for-methane-rule-at-current-drilling-sites
VW to spend up to $8.8 billion on diesel buybacks, fixes
AP
RANKFURT, GERMANY
Volkswagen said Thursday it had set aside 7.8 billion euros ($8.8 billion)
to buy back or fix diesel-powered cars that had been rigged to cheat in
emissions tests.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/business/article74376912.html
Press Releases
USDA Seeks Partner Proposals to Protect and
Restore Critical Wetlands in Mississippi
Jackson, Miss. – The United States Department of Agriculture /
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), has funding
available to help eligible conservation partners leverage local
investments to provide technical and financial resources for
wetland protection and improvements on private and Tribal
agricultural lands. These wetland reserve easements allow
landowners to enhance and protect habitat for wildlife on
their lands, reduce impacts from flooding, recharge groundwater
and provide outdoor recreational and educational opportunities.
The Wetland Reserve Enhancement Partnership (WREP) is
one way Mississippi, county and city governments,
non-governmental organizations and Tribal governments
collaborate to increase the number of conservation projects
for high priority wetland protection, restoration and enhancement.
NRCS easement programs are completely voluntary and allows
effective integration of wetland restoration on working landscapes,
providing benefits to farmers and producers who enroll in the
program, as well as benefits to their communities.
"USDA is committed to protecting and enhancing wetlands in
Mississippi and our nation," Kurt Readus, state conservationist
for Mississippi stated. "Wetlands are critical to water quality,
water quantity, our wildlife and our landscapes."
WREP partners match federal funding and technical assistance
to increase the support they can provide to eligible private
landowners interested in enrolling their eligible lands into
wetland easements. WREP is a special enrollment option
under the United States Department of Agriculture's
Agricultural Conservation Easement Program (ACEP).
"NRCS is looking to our partners for innovative project
proposals that will utilize our Farm Bill conservation funding.
This will allow us to expand our work on critical wetlands
and gain results that will make all participants proud,"
stated Readus.
Mississippi has approximately 178,300 acres of farmlands and
wetlands enrolled in NRCS easement programs. These programs
are structured to assist land owners to continue protecting
critical wetlands that are important to water supplies and
habitat to diverse wildlife and plant species.
Proposals must be submitted to the NRCS state office in
Jackson by May 16, 2016, more information is available on the
NRCS Agricultural Conservation Easement Program webpage.
#
Mississippi Power, Silicon Ranch break ground on new solar energy facility
HATTIESBURG, MS (WDAM) -
This is a news release from Mississippi Power.
Mississippi Power and Silicon Ranch Corporation, along with local officials
from the city of Hattiesburg, Forrest County and the Area Development
Partnership, held a groundbreaking ceremony for the state's largest solar
farm today in Hattiesburg.
When operational, the $100-million facility will generate 50 MW, enough
electricity to supply power to approximately 6,500 homes.
Members of the Mississippi Public Service Commission were also on hand for
the ceremony, held at the Lake Terrace Convention Center in Hattiesburg.
"This is the second of three major solar projects that have been approved
by the Public Service Commission, demonstrating Mississippi Power's
continuing commitment to cost-effective solar development," said
Mississippi Power President and CEO Anthony L. Wilson. "The Pine Belt
region is one of the hubs of economic development in the state and our
investments in renewable energy here will contribute to future growth."
"We are committed to having a well-balanced energy portfolio, and are proud
to work with Silicon Ranch, Forrest County, the city of Hattiesburg and the
Area Development Partnership to make that happen," Wilson added.
In May, Mississippi Power and Origis Energy will break ground on a 52-MW
utility-scale solar project in Sumrall. In March, Mississippi Power, the
U.S. Navy andHannah Solar broke ground on a 3-4 MW solar project at the
Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, Miss.
The Hattiesburg solar farm will be on 450 acres and will feature more than
600,000 solar panels. The project will create approximately 400 jobs during
construction.
"Silicon Ranch is proud to work with Mississippi Power, the city of
Hattiesburg, Forrest County, and the Area Development Partnership to bring
this important renewable energy project to south Mississippi," said Silicon
Ranch President and CEO Matt Kisber. "As long-term owners of this solar
project, as well as several others across Mississippi, we are excited about
the economic and environmental benefits it will bring to the community, the
surrounding region, and the state."
Silicon Ranch will fund, own, and operate the project and has selected
Strata Solar to build it. Mississippi Power will receive all the energy
produced at cost-competitive rates over the next 25 years. Mississippi
Power will also receive all associated renewable energy credits, which it
may use to either serve its customers with renewable energy, use for future
renewable energy programs, or sell at wholesale to third parties. The
solar project is slated to be complete by early 2017 and once operational,
the power will be placed on the Mississippi Power grid.
"The city of Hattiesburg is excited to partner with Silicon Ranch and
Mississippi Power to bring abundant, clean energy to the local grid," said
HattiesburgMayor Johnny DuPree. "This project diversifies our potential
energy fuel offerings and further enhances our reputation as a high-tech
community with a pro-business approach. We look forward to a long-standing
partnership on this solar energy facility."
Forrest County Board of Supervisors President David Hogan said, "Forrest
County has a long track record of aggressively attracting new investment
into our community. We are excited to welcome Silicon Ranch as our newest
corporate citizen and look forward to the solar farm generating 50 MW of
clean solar energy for our region."
The Hattiesburg facility will not replace other Mississippi Power
generating plants, but will have the capability to provide energy that will
help diversify the company's generation portfolio.
