State
FCSD leases land to city for spray fields
Hattiesburg American
The Forrest County School District has approved for lease about 600 of the
5,000 acres of the Forrest County land earmarked for spray fields in the
City ofHattiesburg's proposed land application wastewater system.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/2016/05/13/fcsd-leases-land-city-spray-fields/84351978/
Clarifier replacement to cost estimated $1.9M
Vicksburg Post
The estimated cost of replacing the damaged clarifier at the city's
Wastewater Treatment Plant on Rifle Range Road is $1.95 million.
http://www.vicksburgpost.com/2016/05/13/clarifier-replacement-to-cost-estimated-1-9m/
Coast vibrio survivor offers life-saving advice
Sun Herald
John Duffy grew up on the water, but he hasn't dipped a toe into the
Mississippi Sound since he almost lost his leg after he went wade fishing
last summer.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/health/article77749382.html
2 additional swimming warnings issued for the Mississippi Sound
WLOX
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) -There are two more sections of the Mississippi
Sound you don't want to swim in this weekend. Friday the Mississippi
Department of Environmental Quality issued water contact advisories for
Biloxi West Central Beach from Travia Street east to Iberville Drive and
Pascagoula Beach West from Oliver Street to Westwood Street.
http://www.wdam.com/story/31970171/two-more-swimming-warnings-for-the-mississippi-sound
Contest winners promote environment
DeSoto Times-Tribune
Students from DeSoto County middle and high schools, along with a pair of
students from Sacred Heart School in Southaven, took a moment out of one of
their last days of classes to be recognized for their concern for the
environment.
http://www.desototimes.com/news/desoto_county/contest-winners-promote-environment/article_946cc596-195b-11e6-84f5-ebbbd7e4e82e.html
Southern's Clean-Coal Woes Mount
Kemper facility in Mississippi now faces SEC investigation on top of
skyrocketing costs
WSJ
A Mississippi power plant intended as a showcase for clean-coal technology
has turned into a costly mess for utility Southern Co., which is now facing
an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, a lawsuit from
unhappy customers and a price tag that has more than doubled to $6.6
billion.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/southerns-clean-coal-woes-mount-1463218206
Mississippi getting hydropower
Mississippi Today
Mississippi is getting closer to producing hydropower for the first time.
Four dams located in Mississippi's Yazoo River Basin – on Arkabutla,
Sardis, Enid and Grenada Lakes – will be retrofitted in the next two to
three years to produce enough power for more than 15,000 homes annually.
http://mississippitoday.org/2016/05/13/mississippi-getting-hydropower/
Lake Lamar Bruce going strong a year later
By William Moore
Daily Journal
SALTILLO – Since reopening one year ago, Lake Lamar Bruce has remained a
popular destination for anglers.
http://djournal.com/news/lake-lamar-bruce-going-strong-year-later/
Mississippi 2016 budget still looks grim
AP
JACKSON - The shortfall in Mississippi's state budget for the year starting
July 1 is almost certainly more than the $57 million announced last week.
And then there's another question: Can the state can limp through June 30
without another round of cuts to close out the current 2016 budget?
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2016/05/15/mississippi-budget-still-looks-grim/84427746/
Confusion continues to rule day in state budget
By Bobby Harrison
Daily Journal Jackson Bureau
JACKSON – While Gov. Phil Bryant is in the process of signing into law the
more than 100 bills that will fund the various agencies of state
government, questions still remain about the impact of the decisions made
by legislators during the recently completed session.
http://djournal.com/news/confusion-continues-rule-day-state-budget/
Oil Spill
Grant given to finalize some plans for oil spill money
AP
JACKSON, MISS.
Mississippi has been awarded $1.4 million to finalize part of its Gulf
restoration plans after the 2010 Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/state/mississippi/article77429612.html
BP feuding intensifies: It's North vs. South as settlement deal languishes
Al.com
Mention a battle between the North and South in Alabama, and it's likely to
conjure images from the 1860s. These days, a new North-South conflict is
stirring within the state itself, and it's likely to play out in the halls
of power in Montgomery.
http://www.al.com/news/mobile/index.ssf/2016/05/bp_feuding_intensifies_its_nor.html
Regional
Shell oil spill cleanup continues, no impact yet to coast, wildlife, U.S.
Coast Guard says
AP
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Vessels continued to skim oil off the Gulf of Mexico on
Saturday after about 88,200 gallons of oil were released from a Shell flow
line about 90 miles off the coast of Louisiana.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2016/05/shell_oil_spill_cleanup_contin_1.html#incart_most_shared-environment
Public blasts DEP over new water toxics limits
Tallahassee Democrat
The state of Florida wants to weaken its restrictions on roughly two dozen
cancer-causing chemicals that can be discharged into its rivers, lakes,
streams and coastal waters.
http://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2016/05/14/public-blasts-dep-over-new-water-toxin-standards/84382154/
National
GOP: EPA is violating court hold on climate rule
The Hill
Top Republican lawmakers are accusing the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) of violating a Supreme Court order to stop enforcing its climate
change rule for power plants.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/279894-gop-epa-is-violating-court-hold-on-climate-rule
EPA official links environmental, public health
Philadelphia Inquirer
When Gina McCarthy started her professional life, she was a public health
worker in community health centers.
She still considers herself a public health worker, although her job today
- administrator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - is vastly
different.
http://www.philly.com/philly/health/20160515_EPA_official_links_environmental__public_health.html
Press Releases
Mississippi Receives First Planning Grant from RESTORE Council
(JACKSON, Miss.) – Gary Rikard, Executive Director of the Mississippi
Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), announced Friday that the State
of Mississippi will receive a planning grant to develop projects and
programs in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The Gulf
Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (RESTORE Council) has awarded a RESTORE
Act Oil Spill Component Planning grant of $1.4 million to MDEQ on behalf of
the state.
"I am very happy to report that the RESTORE Council has formally awarded
our planning grant for Bucket 3 today. This grant to Mississippi marks the
first grant that the RESTORE Council has awarded to any state. The grant
will allow us to fully vet and consider Bucket 3 projects that will make a
real difference," said Gary Rikard.
The grant funds will be used to develop and implement the Mississippi
Planning State Expenditure Plan (MSEP) which will consist of projects and
programs for funding in the three coastal counties in accordance with the
Oil Spill Impact Component, or Bucket 3, of the RESTORE Act. A wide
variety of projects are eligible under Bucket 3, and MDEQ will actively
engage the public for suggestions and the final plan will also have a
public comment period.
# # #
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| USDA Awards Funds to Expand, Accelerate Wood Energy and Wood Products Markets in 19 |
| States |
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| Projects Support Innovation and Forest Health |
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| |
|WASHINGTON, May 13, 2016 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service Chief |
|Tom Tidwell today announced over $8.5 million to expand and accelerate technologies and|
|strategies that promote the use of wood in commercial construction, heat and power |
|generation, and other wood product innovations that also benefit forest health. Federal|
|funds will leverage more than $18 million in investments from 42 business, university, |
|nonprofit and Tribal partners in 19 states, for a total investment of $27 million. |
| |
| |
|"We are looking for opportunities to reduce forest restoration costs and create more |
|jobs through strong forest products markets," said Chief Tidwell. "This funding |
|supports improving forest health on the National Forest System lands and other forested|
|lands and promotes the economic and environmental wellbeing of rural communities." |
| |
| |
|The awarded funds will stimulate the use of hazardous fuels from National Forest System|
|lands and other forested lands to promote forest health while simultaneously generating|
|rural jobs. This year, 77 proposals were received for the Forest Service's Wood |
|Innovations grant program, highlighting the expanding interest and use of wood as a |
|renewable energy source and as an innovative building material. |
| |
| |
|Healthy markets for forest products help the nation's forests mitigate some of the |
|impacts of climate change. Research has demonstrated that wood products from |
|responsibly managed forests outperform other building materials in measures of |
|greenhouse gas intensity, air and water pollution and other environmental impacts. |
|Responsibly-sourced forest products also provide income for private landowners that |
|keep their land forested and supports needed investments in forest management to |
|provide clean water, wildlife habitat, and other resources millions of Americans depend|
|upon. |
| |
| |
|Today's announcement supports USDA's Building Blocks for Climate Smart Agriculture and |
|Forestry-a comprehensive effort to provide America's farmers, ranchers and forest |
|landowners with the tools and resources they need to combat climate change. Through |
|this work, USDA expects to reduce net emissions and enhance carbon sequestration in |
|soils and forests by over 120 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year by |
|2025-the equivalent of taking 25 million cars off the road or offsetting the emissions |
|produced by powering nearly 11 million homes each year. |
| |
| |
|Over the course of this Administration, USDA has invested nearly $1 billion through |
|grants, loans, and loan guarantees to support over 230 wood energy projects across the |
|country to reduce reliance on costly fossil fuels, support rural economic growth and |
|advance forest restoration. In September 2015, in partnership with the Softwood Lumber |
|Board and the Binational Softwood Lumber Council, USDA announced the winners of the |
|U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Competition. The competition was held to support a |
|resilient rural wood products industry, promote forest restoration and retention, and |
|foster sustainability in the built environment. USDA is leading the way in |
|demonstrating the innovative uses of wood and other bio-based products that reduce |
|emissions and increase carbon storage. |
| |
| |
|More information about USDA's work to mitigate climate change can be found in the |
|Department's most recent entry on Medium, How Food and Forestry Are Adapting to a |
|Changing Climate. |
| |
| |
|Of the 42 projects funded, 24 are focused expanding wood products markets and 18 |
|increase wood energy markets. Projects address a wide range of issues from |
|incorporating cross laminated timber into commercial building construction, replacing |
|coal with torrefied wood at power plants, establishing biomass district energy systems,|
|and identifying market opportunities for beetle-killed trees. |
| |
| |
|Two more Statewide Wood Energy teams will be established, in Maine and Nebraska, and |
|one more Statewide Wood Utilization Team in Michigan. These multi-agency teams include |
|federal, state, business, nonprofit and other partners working within each state. |
| |
| |
|Recipients of the 2016 Wood Innovation grants are from Alaska, Ark., Calif., Colo., |
|Idaho, Mass., Maine, Mich., Minn., Miss., Mont., Neb., Oregon, S.C., Utah, Va., Vt., |
|Wash., and Wis. A complete list of the awards and more information on the grant and |
|cooperative agreement program is available online at the Forest Service Wood Education |
|and Resource Center. |
| |
| |
|Since 2005, more than 200 grants have been awarded to small businesses, non-profits, |
|Tribes, States, and local governments to improve forest health while creating jobs, |
|renewable energy and healthy communities. Since 2013, this funding has also helped |
|establish 20 Statewide Wood Energy Teams and five Statewide Wood Utilization Teams that|
|collectively expand and support wood energy and wood products markets. |
| |
| |
|The mission of the U.S. Forest Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is |
|to sustain the health, diversity and productivity of the nation's forests and |
|grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. The agency manages 193 |
|million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and |
|maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands managed|
|by the Forest Service contribute more than $13 billion to the economy each year through|
|visitor spending alone. Those same lands provide 20 percent of the nation's clean water|
|supply, a value estimated at $7.2 billion per year. The agency has either a direct or |
|indirect role in stewardship of about 80 percent of the 850 million forested acres |
|within the U.S., of which 100 million acres are urban forests where most Americans |
|live. |
| |
| |
|# |
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