State
Wetlands dying in Flowood from chemical fire
WLBT
Just 7 months after fire destroyed a herbicide chemical storage facility in Flowood, there are signs of environmental damage. Thursday we found evidence of the loss in a pristine wetlands habitat, 42 acres of lush wetland area on Flowood Drive.
http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/32739831/wetlands-dying-in-flowood-from-chemical-fire
City hires attorneys to assist with acquisition
Vicksburg Post
Faced with a deadline to apply for an Environmental Protection Agency grant to help clean the Kuhn Hospital property, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen has hired a Jackson law firm to help the city determine the fastest way to the acquire the property.
http://www.vicksburgpost.com/2016/08/11/city-hires-attorneys-to-assist-with-acquisition/
COSTCO UPDATE
Northside Sun
THU, 08/04/2016
Developers’ efforts to obtain water quality permitting for the Ridgeland Costco aren’t over just yet.
http://northsidesun.com/news/costco-update#sthash.p9jQ4gJE.dpbs
Fuel spill closes portion of Hwy 49 in Rankin County
WAPT
The Mississippi Department of Transportation expects Highway 49 South at Old Highway 49 in Richland to be closed for at least an hour and a half while the fuel spill is cleaned.
Fire Academy adds gas leak training
Mississippi Today
A new facility at the state Fire Academy that will help train those looking for gas leaks was previewed by state and private officials Thursday.
http://mississippitoday.org/2016/08/11/fire-academy-adds-gas-leak-training/
Regional
Rutledge Criticizes the EPA for Proposed Alteration of Regional Haze Rule
KARK
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (News Release) – Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge is leading a coalition of eight attorneys general, calling on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to fully consider the effects and costs of proposed amendments to the regulations governing regional haze.
EPA: "No records" of chemical reporting checks at downtown tank farms in three years
WALA
MOBILE, AL (WALA) -A FOX10 News investigation is uncovering even morelack of oversight in the chemical storage industry along the Mobile River.
National
EPA Proposal to Cut Discharge Permits Backlog Criticized
Bloomberg
An Environmental Protection Agency proposal to treat expired discharge permits that have been administratively continued as “proposed permits” to reduce the backlog of those awaiting renewal is unlawful, three power companies said in comments.
http://www.bna.com/epa-proposal-cut-n73014446217/
EPA’s science advisers challenge agency report on the safety of fracking
Washington Post
Science advisers to the Environmental Protection Agency Thursday challenged an already controversialgovernment report on whether thousands of oil and gas wells that rely on hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” systemically pollute drinking water across the nation.
Science board pushes EPA to change major fracking report
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) scientific review board is criticizing a major agency study into fracking, saying officials need to offer more evidence backing up their claims.
Oklahoma earthquakes decline amid new regulations
The Hill
There have been fewer earthquakes in Oklahoma this year than last, and federal officials are crediting new regulations on oil and gas drilling operations for the decline.
Senators Sparred With EPA Nominee Months After Hearing
Bloomberg
Two senior members of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee continued to spar with Thomas Burke, nominee for the Environmental Protection Agency's top scientific role, almost a year after his nomination hearing, documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act show.
http://www.bna.com/senators-sparred-epa-n73014446216/
Skubick: Snyder defends his choice of DEQ leader
WLNS
LANSING, Mich (WLNS) – Faced with strong criticism for making the decision, Gov. Rick Snyder came to the defense of his new Environmental Quality director Heidi Grether, who worked for BP oil.
http://wlns.com/2016/08/11/skubick-snyder-defends-his-choice-of-deq-leader/
California Island Foxes Recover From Brink of Extinction
Defenders of Endangered Species Act cheer revival of once-endangered critter
WSJ
Three subspecies of island fox that nearly became extinct in California two decades ago have recovered so fully that federal officials today announced their removal from protection under the Endangered Species Act, providing a powerful success story for legislation many detractors call flawed.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/california-island-foxes-recover-from-brink-of-extinction-1470945601
Meet the Greenland Shark. It Could Be the Longest-Living Vertebrate.
NY Times
The Greenland shark is a ludicrously late bloomer.
This lazy-looking, Arctic predator reaches sexual maturity when it’s about 150 years old. Though more than a century of prepubescence might sound bad, there’s a bright side for the sea creature. Once it hits adulthood, it still has another hundred years to live. Maybe even more.
Opinion
Coal Ash: Should We Be Concerned?
Forbes
Since the 1880’s coal has been the fuel source of choice for making electricity here in the United States. That however has changed in recent years as the shale revolution and concerns over greenhouse gas emissions has undercut coal. While coal has recently fallen out of favor here in the U.S., other countries such as Germany have been increasingly turning to coal as a proven power source.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/brighammccown/2016/08/11/coal-ash-should-we-be-concerned/#88f3f12357af
Press Releases
In 2015, USDA launched the answer to President Obama’s Climate Action Plan challenge for food and forestry, with the Building Blocks for Climate Smart Agriculture and Forestry. Ten building blocks span a range of technologies and practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase carbon storage and generate clean renewable energy. Through the Department’s voluntary and incentive-based conservation and energy programs, USDA and its partners are moving forward to reduce net emissions and enhance carbon sequestration by over 120 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent per year, or about 2 percent of economy-wide net greenhouse emissions, by 2025. This reduction is the equivalent of taking 25 million cars off the road or offsetting the emissions produced by powering nearly 11 million homes per year.
In keeping with these efforts, USDA too is working to reduce its own carbon footprint. USDA is proud to be part of the Green Power Partnership, a voluntary program that encourages organizations to use green power as a way to reduce the environmental impacts associated with electricity use. And USDA is even more proud to be recognized as number five on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Top 10 Federal Government list of the largest green power users from the Green Power Partnership. Additionally, USDA is number 43 on the National Top 100 list.
USDA is using more than 169 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power annually, which represents 35 percent of its total power needs. And USDA is generating green power from on-site renewable energy including: solar, wind, biomass, hydro and geothermal systems. Because USDA is using green power to advance the green power market and support clean renewable energy alternatives, USDA becomes more sustainable, while also sending a message to others across the United States that using green power is a sound business decision and an important tool in reducing one’s carbon footprint in the fight against climate change.
According to EPA, USDA’s green power use of more than 169 million kWh is equivalent to avoiding the carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from electricity use of nearly 15,500 average American homes annually. USDA is leading by example for its green power use and for advancing on-site generation.
Green power is zero-emissions electricity that is generated from environmentally preferable renewable resources, such as wind, solar, geothermal, biogas, eligible biomass, and low-impact hydro. Using green power helps build demand for the development of new renewable energy capacity nationwide and helps users reduce their carbon footprints.
In addition to purchasing green power, USDA employs various other sustainable strategies as part of the Department’s operations and practices; including, using alternative fuels in vehicles, designing and constructing high performance green buildings, green purchasing and promoting the use of biobased products. To learn more about USDA’s sustainable operations, please visithttp://greening.usda.gov/.
Currently, this Partnership has more than 1,400 partner organizations that voluntarily use billions of kilowatt-hours of green power annually. Partners include a wide variety of leading organizations such as Fortune 500® companies; small and medium sized businesses; local, state, and federal governments; and colleges and universities. For additional information, please visithttp://www.epa.gov/greenpower.
More information about USDA’s efforts and the results for How Food and Forestry Are Adapting to a Changing Climate is available at https://medium.com/usda-results/how-food-and-forestry-are-adapting-to-a-changing-climate-2f5b84bff9c0#.dn5gf01un.
