State
Hearing set for MDEQ over Costco next Thursday
Madison County Journal
The Costco is set to receive a verdict from Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality officials at a special meeting next Thursday over a
storm water permit.
http://www.onlinemadison.com/Content/Default/News/Article/Hearing-set-for-MDEQ-over-Costco-next-Thursday/-3/592/38129
Hattiesburg resolves suit against Hercules
Hattiesburg American
For the last three years, a lawsuit filed by the City ofHattiesburg against
Hercules/Ashland regarding groundwater contamination has awaited
resolution.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/2016/06/22/hattiesburg-resolves-suit-against-hercules/86242992/
MDEQ Awards Solid Waste Assistance Grant to Forrest, Lamar and Marion
counties
WDAM
FORREST COUNTY, MS (WDAM) -The Mississippi Department of Environmental
Quality (MDEQ) awarded Forrest County, Lamar Count and Marion county solid
waste assistance grants.
http://www.wdam.com/story/32282491/mdeq-awards-solid-waste-assistance-grant-to-forrest-lamar-and-marion-counties
Grant to assist Lowndes County with illegal dump sites cleanup
WTVA
LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WTVA) – Lowndes County has been awarded a grant
totaling $19,524 for county cleanup.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/Grant_to_assist_Lowndes_County_with_illegal_dump_sites_cleanup.html
COUNTY GETS CASH TO FIGHT ILLEGAL DUMPING
WCBI
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
(MDEQ) awarded Lowndes County a solid waste assistance grant of $19,524
that will be used by the county to clean up illegal dump sites and for a
solid waste enforcement officer.
http://www.wcbi.com/county-gets-cash-fight-illegal-dumping/
POSSIBLE WIND ENERGY LINE COMING TO NORTH MISSISSIPPI
WCBI
The largest wind energy power line in the southeast may soon be coming to
North Mississippi, says Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley.
http://www.wcbi.com/possible-wind-energy-line-coming/
Jury smacks MDOT with $6.2 million verdict
Sun Herald
GULFPORT
A Circuit Court jury in Harrison County recently delivered a $6.2 million
verdict against the Mississippi State Department of Transportation's
governing commission, finding the damages are owed to development company
Ward Properties Gulfport LP.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/harrison-county/article85276127.html
Mississippi pension system loses money on investments
Mississippi Watchdog
A report by the Public Employees' Retirement System of Mississippi shows
the state's pension fund lost money in the past year, which could further
damage PERS's already weakened bottom line.
http://watchdog.org/268844/mississippi-pension-system-2/
Oil Spill
Settlement Addresses Punitive Damages From 2010 Oil Spill
AP
Nearly $1.24 billion in punitive damages arising from BP's 2010 Gulf of
Mexico oil spill will become available to property owners and some
fishermen affected by the spill under a pending settlement with two
corporations that also had a role in the disaster.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/settlement-addresses-punitive-damages-2010-oil-spill-40046344
Regional
Environmental justice reviews focused on coal ash storage neighbors
News & Observer
State regulators will ask federal officials to review the impact of coal
ash storage near low-income communities.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/under-the-dome/article85365367.html
National
EPA chief tangles with GOP on regulations
The Hill
The top Republican on the House Science Committee sparred with the head of
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday, criticizing the
EPA's scientific work and accusing it of being "an agency in pursuit of a
purely political agenda."
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/284501-epa-chief-tangles-with-gop-on-regulations
EPA administrator defends agency's review of glyphosate
Delta Farm Press
When is a final report not final? When it's a politically-sensitive
document that hasn't been giving an official vetting by the environmental
activists who seem to be running the Environmental Protection Agency.
http://deltafarmpress.com/soybeans/epa-administrator-defends-agency-s-review-glyphosate
Obama signs pipeline safety bill
The Hill
President Obama signed a bill Wednesday to renew the federal government's
pipeline safety program, giving regulators new emergency authorities.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/284479-obama-signs-pipeline-safety-bill
Obama signs chemical safety overhaul into law
The Hill
President Obama on Wednesday signed into law a sweeping overhaul of the
nation's chemical safety standards.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/284406-obama-signs-chemical-safety-overhaul-into-law
New Mexico sues Colorado over huge 2015 mine waste spill
AP
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — New Mexico is suing the state of Colorado, saying its
neighbor to the north should be held responsible for the contamination
caused by the 2015 Gold King Mine spill as well as decades of toxic
drainage from mines near the headwaters of the Animas River.
https://www.denverpost.com/2016/06/23/new-mexico-sues-colorado-over-huge-2015-mine-waste-spill/
Opinion
Obama's Fracking Comeuppance
A judge he appointed rebukes an anti-drilling regulation as lawless.
WSJ
Another day, another judicial rebuke to President Obama's contempt for the
rule of law. On Wednesday a federal judge struck down an oil and gas
drilling rule imposed with no statutory authority.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/obamas-fracking-comeuppance-1466638580
Sid Salter: Special-fund raids often balance budget
Clarion Ledger
STARKVILLE — Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood has sounded the
political and perhaps judicial alarm over the so-called "Budget
Transparency and Simplification Act" and the special-fund "sweeps" or
"raids" or whatever verb one applies to the fund transfer it purports to
authorize.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/opinion/columnists/2016/06/22/sid-salter-special-fund-raids-often-balance-budget/86205714/
Press releases
Governor Phil Bryant Appoints Laura D. Jackson Executive Director of
Department of Finance and Administration
Jackson, Miss. – Gov. Phil Bryant announced today that he has appointed
deputy state treasurer Laura D. Jackson executive director of the
Department of Finance and Administration.
Jackson replaces Kevin Upchurch, who is retiring. As DFA head, Jackson will
manage more than 400 employees and be responsible for the management of the
state's budget. She will also serve as the state's fiscal officer.
Jackson has more than 27 years of experience in state government. She has
served as deputy state treasurer since January 2012. Before that, Jackson
was DFA's bond advisory director. From 2002-2008, she was the bond and
collateral director in the office of the state treasurer.
Jackson began her career in the state auditor's office, where she
eventually rose to audit supervisor, responsible for the state's
comprehensive annual financial report.
"Laura's decades of experience and wealth of knowledge about the state's
budget make her a perfect fit to lead DFA," Gov. Bryant said. "I know she
will continue to serve Mississippi well in her new post, and I am delighted
she has accepted this appointment."
Jackson received an associate of arts from Hinds Community College, and a
bachelor of science in business administration and an MBA from Mississippi
College.
"I am incredibly thankful to Gov. Bryant for this appointment and the
confidence he has shown in me," Jackson said. "My entire career has been
dedicated to state government and I am honored to serve in this new
capacity. I understand this is a tremendous responsibility and I look
forward to this new challenge with anticipation."
Jackson and her husband live in Clinton. They have three children.
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| New Study Quantifies Benefits of Agricultural Conservation in Upper Mississippi River |
| Basin |
|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| |
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| |
|WASHINGTON, June 22, 2016 - Researchers at the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. |
|Department of Agriculture have published a new study that demonstrates that |
|agricultural conservation practices in the upper Mississippi River watershed can reduce|
|nitrogen inputs to area streams and rivers by as much as 34 percent. |
| |
| |
|The study combined USDA's Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) data with the |
|USGS SPARROW watershed model to measure the potential effects of voluntary conservation|
|practices, which historically have been difficult to do in large river systems, because|
|different nutrient sources can have overlapping influences on downstream water quality.|
| |
| |
|"These results provide new insights on the benefits of conservation practices in |
|reducing nutrient inputs to local streams and rivers and ultimately to the Gulf of |
|Mexico," said Sarah Ryker, Interior's acting assistant deputy for Water and Science. |
|"The incorporation of agricultural conservation practice information into watershed |
|models helps us better understand where water quality conditions are improving and |
|prioritize where additional conservation actions are needed." |
| |
| |
|Until this study, nutrient reductions have been difficult to detect in the streams |
|because changes in multiple sources of nutrients (including non-agricultural sources) |
|and natural processes (e.g., hydrological variability, channel erosion) can have |
|confounding influences that conceal the effects of improved farming practices on |
|downstream water quality. The models used in this study overcame these difficulties to |
|help validate the downstream benefits of farmers' conservation actions on the land. |
| |
| |
|"As the results of this valuable collaboration with the USGS indicate, voluntary |
|conservation on agricultural lands is improving water quality. When multiple farmers, |
|ranchers and working forest land managers in one region come together to apply the |
|conservation science, the per acre conservation benefit is greatly enhanced," said USDA|
|Natural Resources and Environment Deputy Under Secretary Ann Mills. "While there are no|
|short-term solutions to complex water quality issues, USDA is committed to continuing |
|these accelerated voluntary conservation efforts, using collaborative science to target|
|conservation in watersheds where the greatest benefits can be realized." |
| |
| |
|Nutrient reductions attributable to agricultural conservation practices in the region |
|ranged from five to 34 percent for nitrogen and from one to 10 percent for total |
|phosphorus, according to the study published in the journal Environmental Science and |
|Technology. |
| |
| |
|High levels of nutrients containing nitrogen and phosphorus from agricultural and urban|
|areas contribute to hypoxic regions (low oxygen "dead zones") in offshore marine |
|waters. |
| |
| |
|The study underscored evidence that slowing the water and routing it into the ground |
|can significantly reduce the nitrogen that is eventually transported to streams. |
|Structural and erosion control practices, such as conservation tillage, in the Upper |
|Mississippi River Basin have been shown to reduce runoff and peak flows, thereby |
|increasing water infiltration into the soils and the subsurface geology. An added |
|benefit of these conservation actions is that, in some areas, hydrological and |
|biogeochemical conditions in the subsurface can promote the removal of nitrogen by |
|natural biological processes. |
| |
| |
|Phosphorus reductions were lower than was seen for nitrogen, possibly because of long |
|time lags between conservation actions and the time it may take for sediment-bound |
|phosphorus to move downstream. In addition, some erosion control practices, such as |
|no-till and reduced tillage, have been shown to increase soluble phosphorus levels in |
|farm runoff, which can potentially offset some benefits from erosion control practices.|
| |
| |
|The innovative approach combined information from process-based models from USDA's |
|Agricultural Research Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) |
|with a USGS hybrid statistical and process-based model to quantify the environmental |
|benefits of agricultural conservation practices at a regional scale. |
| |
| |
|The USGS watershed model was calibrated with data from over 700 water-quality |
|monitoring stations operated by numerous local, state, and federal agencies throughout |
|the Upper Mississippi River basin. The investigation used the most recently available |
|farmer survey data from CEAP (2003-2006), together with stream water-quality data that |
|are approximately coincident with the time period (1980s to 2004, with the average |
|centered on 2002) over which farmer conservation practices, as measured in the survey, |
|were adopted. |
| |
| |
|Additional information on the USGS SPARROW modeling approach and a nutrient mapper and |
|an online decision support tool for the Mississippi River basin is available online. |
| |
| |
|USDA established CEAP to provide more quantitative science-based guidance on the |
|benefits of conservation practices and identify further treatment needs. CEAP data have|
|been useful in providing information and guidance on the best use of funding for |
|conservation and to facilitate the alignment of conservation programs with national |
|environmental protection priorities such as the restoration of the Gulf of Mexico. |
| |
| |
|Since 2009, USDA has invested more than $29 billion to help producers make conservation|
|improvements, working with a record 500,000 farmers, ranchers and landowners to protect|
|land and water on over 400 million acres nationwide. For an interactive look at USDA's |
|work in conservation and forestry over the course of this Administration, visit USDA |
|Results: Caring for our Air, Land and Water. |
| |
| |
|# |
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NRCS Mississippi Celebrates National Pollinator Week
Jackson, Miss. –The United States Department of Agriculture/Natural
Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS) is celebrating National Pollinator Week. Officially, National
Pollinator Week is June 20-26, but NRCS
encourages Mississippi farmers and forest land owners to always strive to
ensure pollinators have sustainable habitats.
The world we know is shaped by pollinators that fill Mississippi with color
and variety. Pollinators also make
our lives more palatable by pollinating some of the foods we eat.
Three-fourths of the world's flowering plants
and more than one-third of our food depends on pollinators. More than 3,500
species of native bees help increase
crop yields. Some scientists estimate that one out of every three bites of
food we eat exists because of animal
pollinators like bees, butterflies and moths, birds and bats, and beetles
and other insects.
Unfortunately, many pollinator species are in trouble and face many
challenges in the modern world, including
habitat loss, disease, parasites and environmental contaminants.
Conservation on any scale, can benefit the
pollinators of our world.
NRCS is working to increase pollinator habitats throughout Mississippi by
partnering with conservation
organizations to work with farmers and forest land owners to integrate
pollinator-friendly conservation
practices on their lands.
"Pollinators play an important role in our natural ecosystem. As stewards
of the land, we uphold a
responsibility to implement sustainable conservation practices that will
benefit our pollinators,"
stated Kurt Readus, NRCS Mississippi state conservationist.
Each of us depends on pollinators in a practical way to provide us with the
wide range of foods we eat,
fuel and medicine. More than 30 percent of our food production relies on
pollination by insects, such as
honey bees and native bees. Pollinators are part of the intricate web that
supports the biological diversity
in natural ecosystems that helps sustain our quality of life. Wildflowers,
trees, shrubs and grasses are an
integral part of the conservation practices landowners and farmers install
as part of their conservation plan.
To learn how to attract pollinators to your farm or land, visit the NRCS
website:
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/plantsanimals/pollinate/
or your local USDA service center:
http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app.
#
