State
DEER ISLAND PIER OPENS TO PUBLIC
MPB
A new pier on Mississippi's Deer Island is complete. MPB's Evelina Burnett
reports, the state recently held a workshop for charter boats and others
interested in taking visitors to the small island near Biloxi.
http://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/2016/05/09/deer-island-pier-opens-to-public/
Tallahatchie County turkeys poisoned
Clarion Ledger
A flock of turkeys was found dead and officials have concluded it
was the victim of poisoning.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/2016/05/09/tallahatchie-county-turkeys-poisoned/84142458/
Oil Spill
Genetic Potential of Oil-Eating Bacteria from the BP Oil Spill Decoded
PORT ARANSAS, Texas — Microbiologists at The University of Texas at Austin
and their colleagues have cracked the genetic code of how bacteria broke
down oil to help clean up the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
http://news.utexas.edu/2016/05/09/potential-seen-in-oil-eating-bacteria-from-the-bp-oil-spill
Regional
FPL kills endangered sea turtles while red tape delays pipe grate
TC Palm
St. Lucie nuclear power plant operations have sucked more than 4,100
protected sea turtles from the ocean — more than one a day, on average — in
the near decade it's taken the federal government to approve a pipe grate
expected to take two years to test and install, a Treasure Coast Newspapers
investigation found.
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/indian-river-lagoon/health/fpl-kills-endangered-sea-turtles-while-red-tape-delays-pipe-grate--2-378266821.html?utm_source=AOL&utm_medium=readMore&utm_campaign=partner
National
Feds: Energy sector carbon emissions dipped in 2015
The Hill
Energy sector carbon dioxide emissions fell in 2015, federal officials
reported on Monday, pushing emissions 12 percent below the critical
benchmark year of 2005.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/279207-feds-energy-sector-carbon-emissions-dipped-in-2015
U.S. Utilities Boost Investments in Wind, Solar Power
Power companies take advantage of government incentives that let them sell
renewable electricity to other utilities at higher prices
WSJ
Large U.S. utilities are taking advantage of government subsidies to buy
and produce more renewable energy in anticipation of tougher new
regulations on carbon emissions.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-utilities-boost-investments-in-wind-solar-power-1462825903
Kansas Suspending Work on Limiting Plants' Carbon Emissions
AP
Kansas is suspending its work on a plan for complying with federal
regulations meant to combat climate change by reducing carbon emissions
from power plants.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/kansas-suspending-work-limiting-plants-carbon-emissions-38994025
Conservative groups target ozone law in push for rule's rollback
The Hill
A coalition of 60 conservative groups is asking lawmakers to overturn the
Obama administration's new ozone pollution rule and change the law under
which it was written.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/279203-conservative-groups-want-ozone-law-rolled-back
Audit rips $25M US-funded climate change program in Guatemala
Fox News
A $25 million U.S.-funded project to help Guatemala combat global warming
is being slammed as another taxpayer-backed boondoggle after a new audit
highlighted a series of problems -- including numerous inaccuracies in the
group's work and a failure to produce a required long-term plan.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/05/09/audit-rips-25m-us-funded-climate-change-program-in-guatemala.html?intcmp=hplnws
Nestle fights feds over water rights
Desert Sun
PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Nestle is objecting to the U.S. Forest
Service's terms for issuing it a new permit to continue piping water
out of a national forest, saying the agency is overstepping its
authority and infringing on the company's water rights.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/nation-now/2016/05/09/nestle-fights-feds-water-rights/84163260/
EPA Order Gives Hope For PCB Removal Behind Old Dams
WMUK
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has wanted to tear down dams
along the Kalamazoo River since the '80s - to create better habitats for
fish and other wildlife. But leftover PCB contamination behind the dams has
kept that from happening. Now, due to an Environmental Protection Agency
order, the Otsego Township Dam can finally be removed. That gives other dam
owners hope that they can get rid of their crumbling dams too.
http://wmuk.org/post/epa-order-gives-hope-pcb-removal-behind-old-dams
Bison declared national mammal
The Hill
The North American bison is the national mammal of the United States
following legislation President Obama signed on Monday, according to the
White House.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/279254-bison-declared-national-mammal
New regs for Tuesday: Migrant students, tortoises, energy
The Hill
Tortoise: The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is considering new
protections for gopher tortoises.
The FWS proposed a conservation strategy Monday that would allow the
Defense Department to earn conservation credits in order to offset the
negative impact military operations have on gopher tortoises.
The public has 30 days to comment.
http://thehill.com/regulation/279196-new-regs-for-tuesday-migrant-students-tortoises-energy
Press Releases
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| USDA, DOE Partner to Invest $10 Million in Green Energy Research |
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|WASHINGTON, May 9, 2016 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s National |
|Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) today |
|announced the joint investment of $10 million towards research that will drive more |
|efficient biofuels production and agricultural feedstock improvements. |
| |
| |
|These awards were made through the Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI), |
|authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, and are part of the Obama Administration's |
|All-of-the-Above Energy Strategy to enhance U.S. energy security, reduce America's |
|reliance on imported oil and leverage our domestic energy supply, while also supporting|
|rural economies. This strategy has helped to transform the United States economy into a|
|global leader in renewable energy and an aggressive champion of greenhouse gas (GHG) |
|reductions through practical, science-based solutions. |
| |
| |
|"Advancements in bioenergy research will help protect our national energy security, |
|reduce pollution, and bolster our energy supply," said Cathie Woteki, Under Secretary |
|for USDA's Research, Education & Economics mission area. "Producing more renewable and |
|biobased energy can also revitalize rural communities with a new economic market and |
|provide farmers a profitable and sustainable investment through on-farm energy |
|resources." |
| |
| |
|The Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) is a joint program run by NIFA |
|and DOE to develop economically and environmentally sustainable sources of biomass and |
|increase the availability of renewable fuels and biobased products, helping to replace |
|the need for gasoline and diesel in vehicles, and diversify our nation's energy |
|choices. |
| |
| |
|Recipients of USDA funding include: |
| |
| |
| · University of California-Riverside, Riverside, Calif., $1,297,725 |
| |
| |
| · University of Montana, Missoula, Mont., $1,403,868 |
| |
| |
| · Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., $1,849,940 |
| |
| |
| · State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, |
| Syracuse, N.Y., $906,722 |
| |
| |
| · North Carolina Biotechnology Center, Durham, N.C., $1,873,987 |
| |
| |
|The Department of Energy funded projects by Ohio State University and the Massachusetts|
|Institute of Technology. |
| |
| |
|Grants awards and national program leadership for the BRDI program will be administered|
|by NIFA and DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. A complete list of |
|this year's project descriptions can be found on the NIFA website. |
| |
| |
|The Energy Department's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) |
|accelerates development and facilitates deployment of energy efficiency and renewable |
|energy technologies and market-based solutions that strengthen U.S. energy security, |
|environmental quality, and economic vitality. Learn more about EERE's work with |
|industry, academia and national laboratory partners on a balanced portfolio of research|
|in biomass feedstocks and conversion technologies. |
| |
| |
|Over the course of this Administration, USDA has invested $332 million to accelerate |
|research on renewable energy ranging from genomic research on bioenergy feedstock |
|crops, to development of biofuel conversion processes and costs/benefit estimates of |
|renewable energy production. Through the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP), USDA |
|is incentivizing more than 850 growers and landowners farming nearly 48,000 acres to |
|establish and produce dedicated, nonfood energy crops for delivery to energy conversion|
|facilities. USDA has also expanded insurance coverage and other safety net options to |
|support farmers producing biomass for renewable energy. |
| |
| |
|This month, USDA is examining what a changing climate means to agriculture and how USDA|
|is working to reduce greenhouse gases. For more information, visit the latest chapter |
|of USDA's Medium page, How Food and Forestry Are Adapting to a Changing Climate. |
| |
| |
|Since 2009, NIFA has invested in and advanced innovative and transformative initiatives|
|to solve societal challenges and ensure the long-term viability of agriculture. NIFA's |
|integrated research, education, and extension programs, supporting the best and |
|brightest scientists and extension personnel, have resulted in user-inspired, |
|groundbreaking discoveries that are combating childhood obesity, improving and |
|sustaining rural economic growth, addressing water availability issues, increasing food|
|production, finding new sources of energy, mitigating climate variability, and ensuring|
|food safety. To learn more about NIFA's impact on agricultural science, visit |
|www.nifa.usda.gov/impacts, sign up for email updates, or follow us on Twitter@usda_NIFA|
|, #NIFAimpacts. |
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