State
MS Court of Appeals denies Mississippi Silicon challenge
WTVA
JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) -- The Mississippi Court of Appeals has rejected a
claim by a competitor of Mississippi Silicon the state was wrong not to
grant a formal hearing on its operating permit.
http://www.wtva.com/news/MS_Court_of_Appeals_denies_Mississippi_Silicon_challenge.html
Valid permit: Appeals court sides with Silicon
Daily Corinthian
The Mississippi Court of Appeals in a decision handed down Tuesday
afternoon upheld a lower court verdict in favor of Mississippi Silicon in
Burnsville regarding the validity of its environmental permit.
http://www.dailycorinthian.com/view/full_story/27185865/article-Valid-permit--Appeals-court-sides-with-Silicon
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Swimming ok again in waters off Waveland's beach
WLOX
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) -You can swim again in waters off of Waveland's
beach. The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality lifted the water
contact advisory for Waveland Beach from Oak Boulevard to Favre Street.
http://www.wlox.com/story/31998583/swimming-ok-again-in-waters-off-wavelands-beach
MDOT, MPD Partner for Litter Control
WTOK
Meridian, Miss. The Meridian Police Department has a new asset to help keep
litter off the streets now.
http://www.wtok.com/home/headlines/MDOT-MPD-Partner-for-Litter-Control-379877561.html
Water project in Laurel near completion
WDAM
LAUREL, MS (WDAM) -A water project in Laurel is nearing completion.
The $1.2 million Queensburg Avenue Area Project is designed to increase
water pressure quality to around 200 homes in the area.
http://www.wdam.com/story/31998916/water-project-in-laurel-near-completion
Can Oil Companies Save the World from Global Warming?
Oil firms might pay to use CO2 emissions from power plants, but low
petroleum prices could doom the effort
Scientific American
RALEIGH, Miss.—Kevin Macumber wanted to be a forester. Today he manages
about 4,000 acres of longleaf pine in Mississippi—not for the timber, but
for what lies far beneath the woods. It's black gold: oil, deep
underground. And the key to getting it out is the same molecule that lets
all those trees grow: carbon dioxide.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-oil-companies-save-the-world-from-global-warming/
Oil Spill
D'Iberville eyes BP money to build downtown conference center
Sun Herald
D'Iberville has outgrown its civic center and wants to build a new
conference center downtown, city planner Jeff Taylor said, and the city has
applied for BP money to do so.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/harrison-county/article78240907.html
National
EPA pesticide bill rebranded for Zika fails to pass the House
The Hill
A bill to loosen environmental regulations in the name of combating the
Zika virus failed to pass the House on Tuesday.
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/280210-epa-pesticide-bill-rebranded-for-zika-fails-to-pass-house
Advocates: Maryland omitted key pollution measure in air-quality report
Washington Post
Maryland officials left a key pollution measure out of a glowing assessment
released this month of the state's compliance with federal air-quality
standards.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/adovcates-maryland-omitted-key-pollution-measure-in-air-quality-report/2016/05/17/95742920-1b77-11e6-b6e0-c53b7ef63b45_story.html
Fighting Back: AGs ask judge to block climate change 'fishing expedition'
Fox News
Two Republican attorneys general have come out fighting against a sweeping
investigation into whether ExxonMobil misled the public on global warming,
asking a judge to block a subpoena that they call an abuse of power -- and
a threat to First Amendment rights.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/05/18/fighting-back-ags-ask-judge-to-block-climate-change-fishing-expedition.html?intcmp=hplnws
Plains All American Pipeline, Employee Face Charges in 2015 Oil Spill
Partnership operated a pipeline that ruptured a year ago, leaking oil onto
beach and into the Pacific Ocean
WSJ
A California grand jury indicted Plains All American Pipeline LP and one of
its workers on criminal charges stemming from a May 2015 oil spill near
Santa Barbara that released nearly 3,000 barrels of crude onto a beach and
into the Pacific Ocean, the company said Tuesday.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/plains-all-american-pipeline-employee-face-charges-in-2015-pipeline-spill-1463500212
Scientists are feeling good about a 'C' grade for Chesapeake Bay
CNN
(CNN)Conditions may be "poor to moderate" in Chesapeake Bay but scientists
still found a reason to celebrate.
America's largest estuary got a C (53%) on its health report card for 2015.
That's its highest score in a non-drought year since 1992 and it represents
the third year of consecutive growth, according to researchers at the
University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/17/health/chesapeake-bay-report-card-2015/index.html
Opinion
Expect activists at Gulfport meeting on offshore drilling plan
Sun Herald
COMMENTARY BY QUINN P. FANNING
The oil and natural gas industry is more important to Mississippi than many
people may think. The industry gets more attention in some of our
neighboring states, but according to public and private sources it supports
nearly 100,000 jobs here and contributes $9 billion to the state's economy
every year.
http://www.sunherald.com/opinion/other-voices/article78207187.html
OUR OPINION: Clear the budget picture with a special session
Daily Journal
Gov. Phil Bryant signed the largest tax cut in Mississippi's history
Friday, removing $415 million from the state's revenue stream over the next
12 years.
It remains to be seen if the cut will, as many Republicans say, make
Mississippi more competitive economically with other states, or as many
Democrats say, become less able to meet the state's obligations across a
wide spectrum of programs.
https://djournal.com/opinion/opinion-clear-budget-picture-special-session/
Press Releases
EPA Disparages Farmers, Hinders Progress, Farm Bureau Tells Congress
WASHINGTON, D.C, May 17, 2016 – Three Farm Bureau members today called on
the federal government to use more carrots and fewer sticks with farmers
who care for land that has often been in their families for generations.
Pennsylvania Farm Bureau President Richard Ebert, former Ohio Farm Bureau
President Terry McClure and Florida Farm Bureau member Kate English
testified before the House Agriculture Subcommittee on Conservation and
Forestry.
Ebert told the subcommittee that the Environmental Protection Agency has
failed to explain its expectations in the ongoing Chesapeake Bay cleanup.
"Despite my four-year degree in animal science from a well-known and
respected university and 34 years of farming while implementing modern
technologies, I don't understand EPA's science," Ebert said. "And no
farmer can legitimately comprehend and respond to the reams of academic
analyses that have been produced through these meetings and continue to
perform the tasks needed to run his or her farm business."
Ebert chided EPA for spreading false information about family farms.
"EPA and its cohorts point fingers and paint agriculture – farmers just
like me – as a villain that impairs water quality in the Bay," Ebert
said. "But their accusations are in direct conflict with U.S. Geological
Survey data – which showed pretty positive gains on water quality in
tributaries throughout the Bay Watershed. These gains are not because of
our revised Bay strategy or EPA's model. It merely demonstrates what
agriculture has been doing for decades through increased knowledge,
additional opportunities, technology and time."
McClure noted that Ohio farmers work hard to reduce runoff of excess
phosphorous and nitrogen from their farms.
"Farmers have invested tens of millions of dollars of their own money in
establishing conservation practices on their farms," McClure said.
"Between 2006 and 2012, they have voluntarily reduced phosphorous
applications in the Western Lake Erie Basin by more than 13 million
pounds. As farmers are stepping up to implement conservation practices
now, they are committed to finding additional solutions in the future."
English warned that federal regulations have become unworkably complex.
"A farmer shouldn't have to have a lawyer and an engineer on staff to
grow food," she said.
English singled out the EPA's controversial Waters of the United States
rule as an example of bad science.
"The rule not only expands the regulatory footprint for farming and
increases the uncertainty we battle daily, but it also lacks
peer-reviewed sound science," English said. "These regulations appear
instead to be based on public opinion and social media trends rather than
facts and science. The result is a highly unpredictable regulatory
environment and uncontrolled costs when faced with compliance based on a
moving target rather than a rational, science-based goal."
http://www.fb.org/newsroom/news_article/432/
NRCS Soil Health Initiative in Mississippi
Jackson, Miss. – The United States Department of Agriculture / Natural
Resources Conservation
Service (NRCS), has established a new statewide soil initiative that
focuses on building soil health and productivity.
Mississippi cropland, forestlands and pasturelands are eligible for this
initiative.
This initiative will assist to improve the visibility, accessibility and
participation in NRCS soil
health programs and technical services. These programs help to reduce the
carbon footprint,
increase water infiltration and improve wildlife habitat, all while helping
farmers realize better crop yields.
"As the world population grows, so does the demand for food production,"
stated Kurt Readus,
NRCS State Conservationist in Mississippi. "A growing number of farmers
are using soil
health management systems to improve the health and functions of their
soil."
More farmers are increasing their soil's organic matter and improving
microbial activity by
practicing good soil health principles. The top resource concerns in
Mississippi are sediment,
nutrients, soil quality, water quality, water supply, soil erosion and soil
compaction.
Farmers are addressing these concerns by practicing diverse crop rotation,
planting
diverse species and reducing tillage.
"We recognize the growing interest in soil health management," stated
Readus.
"For this new initiative, we hope to see more implementation of
conservation practices that support soil health."
Landowners interested in participating in the Soil Health Initiative may
apply at their
local USDA Service Center / NRCS office. NRCS financial-assistance programs
offer
a continuous sign-up; however, applications received by June 17, 2016, will
be
considered for funding in the first ranking period.
To locate the nearest NRCS office:
http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app.
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| USDA Announces $10.7 Million Available For Critical Water Research |
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|WASHINGTON, May 17, 2016 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today announced |
|the availability of $10.7 million in funding for research that could solve critical |
|water problems in rural and agricultural watersheds across the United States. This |
|funding is available through the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), |
|authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill and administered by USDA's National Institute of Food |
|and Agriculture (NIFA). |
| |
| |
|"Finding solutions for dealing water scarcity as well as maintaining water quality is |
|critical for communities across the country and for the men and women who raise the |
|food we eat," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "Better water management |
|practices, tools and technologies will make a difference for farmers, ranchers, and |
|foresters who are constantly adapting to less predictable and more severe weather |
|patterns." |
| |
| |
|Established by the 2008 Farm Bill and re-authorized in the 2014 Farm Bill, AFRI is the |
|nation's premier competitive, peer-reviewed grants program for fundamental and applied |
|agricultural sciences. In the seven years since AFRI was established, the program has |
|led to true innovations and ground-breaking discoveries in agriculture to combat |
|childhood obesity, improve and sustain rural economic growth, address water |
|availability issues, increase food production, find new sources of energy, mitigate the|
|impacts of climate variability and enhance resiliency of our food systems, and ensure |
|food safety. |
| |
| |
|This round of funding is offered through the AFRI Water for Agriculture Challenge Area,|
|which funds projects that tackle critical water issues by developing both regional |
|systems for the sustainable use and reuse, flow and management of water, and that |
|address water issues focused on production and environmental sustainability efforts at |
|the watershed and farm scale. There is also a focus on solutions for conserving higher |
|quality water and understanding human behavior and its influence on decision making for|
|agricultural water use in the Fiscal Year 2016 projects. |
| |
| |
|To date, more than $20.5 million in research, education and extension grants have been |
|awarded through AFRI's Water for Agriculture Challenge Area. Examples of previously |
|funded projects include a grant for the University of Nevada-Reno's Coordinated |
|Agricultural Project to assess the impacts of climate change on future water supplies |
|and enhance the climate resiliency of tribal agriculture. Also, Clemson University is |
|integrating remote sensing products and weather forecast information for farmers and |
|growers to address the best products, increase agricultural drought indices, and |
|develop an agricultural drought forecasting model to provide near real-time feedback. |
| |
| |
|Applications are due August 4. See the request for applications for more information. |
| |
| |
|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. |
| |
| |
|Science funded by AFRI is vital to meeting food, fiber, and fuel demands as the world's|
|population is projected to exceed nine billion by 2050 and natural resources are |
|stressed under a changing climate. In addition, AFRI programs help develop new |
|technologies and a workforce that will advance our national security, our energy |
|self-sufficiency, and the health of Americans. The President's 2017 budget request |
|proposes to fully fund AFRI for $700 million; this amount is the full funding level |
|authorized by Congress when it established AFRI in the 2008 Farm Bill. |
| |
| |
|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. 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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