State
GOV. BRYANT APPOINTS NEW MEMBER TO COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY
WCBI
GOLDEN TRIANGLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Brenda Lathan, CEcD, has recently been
appointed by Governor Phil Bryant to the Commission on Environmental
Quality for the State of Mississippi.
http://www.wcbi.com/state-news/gov-bryant-appoints-new-member-commission-environmental-quality/
Mississippi senators ask for action on Transform Section 18 request
May 11, 2016Forrest Laws | Delta Farm Press
Mississippi's senators have written EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy asking
the agency to move swiftly on making a determination for emergency use
requests of Transform, an insecticide they say is critical to the success
of cotton production in Mississippi.
http://deltafarmpress.com/cotton/mississippi-senators-ask-action-transform-section-18-request
'Better mousetrap' can help prevent pesticide spills
May 6, 2016
Delta Farm Press
How many times has this happened on your farm? You're pouring chemical from
a 2.5-gallon jug into a spray tank, and either it comes out too fast and
spills or you dump more than you meant to in the tank.
http://deltafarmpress.com/cotton/better-mousetrap-can-help-prevent-pesticide-spills#slide-0-field_images-135521
Keep Monroe County Beautiful wins big at state awards
Monroe Journal
BERDEEN – Members of Keep Monroe County Beautiful went to Jackson for the
Keep Mississippi Beautiful Awards with a list of local accomplishments and
came back with a crystal vase trophy signifying the Circle of Excellence
Award for 2014 and 2015.
http://monroecountyjournal.com/2016/05/09/keep-monroe-county-beautiful-wins-big-state-awards/
Oil Spill
Coast conference focuses on quality of Mississippi water
WLOX
BILOXI, MS (WLOX) -Residents live near it, play on it, and eat the seafood
harvested from it. Water is a way of life in South Mississippi.
http://www.wlox.com/story/31951269/living-with-water-the-focus-of-coast-conference
BP money put to use to clean Coast
Sun Herald
Restoration and conservation projects that will use $34 million from the BP
settlement money have begun on the Coast or will soon start, state
officials said Wednesday.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/article77089562.html
Regional
Georgia to consider own rules for handling toxic coal ash
AJC
Out-of-state utilities want to send millions of pounds of toxic coal ash to
Georgia landfills. Georgia Power is shuttering 29 ash ponds and five
landfills, many in metro Atlanta, over the next 15 years. And,
increasingly, homes and roads may be built partly with ash.
http://www.myajc.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/georgia-to-consider-own-rules-for-handling-toxic-c/nrLP3/
National
EPA Ready to Issue Methane Limits for New Oil and Gas Wells
Regulations, to be released Thursday, aim to cut emissions for first time
WSJ
WASHINGTON—The Environmental Protection Agency is set to issue on Thursday
the first federal standards aimed at curbing methane emissions from the oil
and natural gas industry, according to multiple people familiar with the
plan.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/epa-ready-to-issue-methane-limits-for-new-oil-and-gas-wells-1463006241
Europe Trails U.S. in Cutting Air Pollution, W.H.O. Says
NY Times
European countries, which rely heavily on diesel-fueled vehicles,
remain far behind the United States in their efforts to reduce
harmful air pollution, according to a report to be issued Thursday
by the World Health Organization.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/12/science/who-says-europe-trails-us-in-reducing-air-pollution.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth&action=click&contentCollection=earth®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0
This mystery was solved: Scientists say chemicals from fracking wastewater
can taint fresh water nearby
Washington Post
The boom in unconventional drilling for natural gas known as fracking hit
so fast that scientists have had to scramble to determine whether it's safe
for humans and the environment. Mostly they're still trying to catch up.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/05/11/this-mystery-was-solved-scientists-say-chemicals-from-fracking-wastewater-can-taint-fresh-water-nearby/
Opinion
Editorial: State bleeding money through office leases
Clarion Ledger
For a state with financial problems and alreadydown $56.8 million in
its upcoming, as-yet-to-start fiscal budget, one might think
Mississippi would be more adept at pinching its pennies.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/opinion/editorials/2016/05/11/editorial-state-bleeding-money-through-office-leases/84243284/
Press Releases
COCHRAN, WICKER: EPA STALLS DECISION-MAKING, ENDANGERS COTTON CROPS
Miss. Senators Urge Agency to Move Forward in Approval of Cotton
Insecticide
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Thad Cochran, R-Miss., and Roger Wicker,
R-Miss., sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Administrator Gina McCarthy asking the agency to move swiftly on making a
determination for emergency use requests of an insecticide critical to the
success of cotton production in Mississippi.
An emergency use request from Mississippi for the insecticide Transform has
been pending with EPA since March 10. Cotton farmers, particularly in
Mississippi, will be susceptible to significant cotton crop losses unless
EPA processes the request in a more timely manner.
"Farmers in Mississippi face economic hardship because of bureaucratic
delays. The Environmental Protection Agency has already exceeded its normal
schedule to approve insecticide use. It should act soon to allow our cotton
farmers to carry out their growing season," Cochran said.
"EPA has heard from farmers and stakeholders on this important issue, yet
it continues to put off making a decision," Wicker said. "The planting
season is almost here, and our farmers need to be able to treat their
crops. The agency should provide farmers with the certainty they deserve
regarding this urgent request."
The letter reads, in part: "Cotton growers in the Mid-South are getting
dangerously close to when applications must be made to treat for the
tarnished plant bug. Without Transform in their toolbox soon, growers of
these crops are destined for significant crop losses that are otherwise
avoidable. ... Time is of the essence for farmers to have access to this
critical tool."
Earlier this year, Texas farmers were confronted with a similar emergency
situation in which EPA took 129 days to approve Transform for the state's
sorghum crop. These requests have typically been approved within 50 days of
the initial submission in previous years. The current Mississippi request
for cotton is standing at 60 days with a comment period that started on May
5.
In addition to Cochran and Wicker, the letter was signed by Senator James
M. Inhofe, R-Okla.
The full text of the letter follows:
May 10, 2016
Dear Administrator McCarthy,
We write to request that your agency move forward swiftly in the decision
making process for emergency use requests authorized in (Section 18) of the
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) for sulfoxaflor
(Transform) for cotton. We have been told that a number of state requests
for cotton are pending before EPA. We are particularly concerned about the
status of the cotton Section 18 request from Mississippi, which was
submitted to EPA on March 10th. Time is of the essence for farmers to have
access to this critical tool.
In previous years, Transform requests have been approved in a timely
fashion, which we consider to be within 50 days of the initial submission,
as is indicated on EPA's Pesticide Emergency Exemption webpage.[1] However,
as of this letter the Mississippi request for cotton stands at 60 days and
requires a comment period, which just opened on May 5th. The recent Texas
sorghum emergency use request for Transform provides a worrying example
because it took 129 days to approve[2] – a full 75 days after its comment
period opened. We strongly encourage EPA to shorten the comment period and
move forward with a decision on the cotton requests as soon as possible.
Cotton growers in the Mid-South are getting dangerously close to when
applications must be made to treat for the tarnished plant bug (Lygus
lineolaris). Without Transform in their toolbox soon, growers of these
crops are destined for significant crop losses that are otherwise
avoidable.
We appreciate your attention to this important issue and would like an
update on the status of the aforementioned requests by May 17, 2016.
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