State
City's daily wastewater fines come to an end
Hattiesburg American
Hattiesburg's latest set of fines for failing to meet deadlines for a new wastewater treatment system, which have cost the city $1,500 per day since May 1, came to an end Aug. 18.
Hattiesburg no longer paying fines for missed wastewater deadline
WDAM
HATTIESBURG, MS (WDAM) -The city of Hattiesburg is no longer paying a hefty daily fine after renegotiating its agreement with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) and Gulf Restoration Network (GRN).
http://www.wdam.com/story/32825341/hattiesburg-no-longer-paying-fines-for-missed-wastewater-deadline
Water issues widespread along beaches in all three counties
Sun Herald
BILOXI
The state has a total of nine water quality warnings in effect along the Mississippi Coast warning swimmers that they are at an increase risk of getting sick from the water.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/article96368327.html
Crosby flood victims won't see any FEMA money
WAPT
CROSBY, Miss. —Federal assistance will not be available for Mississippi flood victims.
State officials said they did not apply for aid from FEMA because the Crosby community did not meet the required federal threshold for financial assistance.
http://www.wapt.com/news/central-mississippi/fema-no-help-for-crosby-flood-victims/41320368
Mississippi Forestry firefighters help with Western U.S. wildfires
WJTV
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) — A total of 25 Mississippi Forestry Firefighters have left the state to help fight wildfires out West.
http://wjtv.com/2016/08/23/mississippi-forestry-firefighters-help-with-western-u-s-wildfires/
Lawmakers grill health directors as they seek savings
Clarion Ledger
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves on Tuesday asked pointed questions of state agency leaders about their spending, and chided a couple for bellyaching about their budgets to the media.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2016/08/23/legislative-health-panels/89196742/
Oil Spill
Biloxi will join lawsuit seeking more oil-spill money
Sun Herald
BILOXI
Like other communities in South Mississippi, Biloxi received millions from BP for damages after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/harrison-county/article97477592.html
Regional
5th Circuit: State's demand that Corps pay 100% of MR-GO restoration 'premature'
Times-Picayune
Louisiana's lawsuit demanding that the Army Corps of Engineers pay 100 percent of the cost of restoring environmental damage to wetlands along the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet is "premature" because the corps has not yet reached a final decision on the restoration plan that can be challenged in court, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday (Aug. 23).
DEQ signs emergency order that should help speed up debris pickup
The Advocate
Debris pickup should move more quickly now that the state Department of Environmental Quality approved allowing mattresses, furniture and carpets to be taken to construction and demolition landfills.
National
EPA Issues Final Formaldehyde Rule
Architectural Record
The bright white trailers started arriving in late 2005, weeks after Hurricane Katrina laid waste to hundreds of thousands of homes along the Gulf Coast. The unadorned FEMA-issued units didn’t look like much—aluminum siding outside, veneer-clad cabinetry inside—but, to their displaced occupants, the trailers were a godsend.
http://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/11840-epa-issues-final-formaldehyde-rule
VW Facing Uphill Battle Outside the U.S. in Emissions Claims
German auto maker losing ground in Germany, Korea in bids to forestall emissions claims
WSJ
Governments, investors and car owners around the world are gaining ground in efforts to pressure Volkswagen AG for settlements over its emissions-cheating scandal, aiming for terms similar to a $15 billion U.S. agreement.
From Australia to South Korea to Ireland, governments and consumers are ratcheting up legal and regulatory demands in part because such moves in the U.S. yielded a speedy shift to contrition from combativeness.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/vw-facing-uphill-battle-outside-the-u-s-in-emissions-claims-1471944601
Opinion
Attaboys & Oh Boys for Aug. 24
Clarion Ledger
Oh boy!
To the tangled web of former environmental government leaders who now, as attorneys, represent the companies involved in a case of the contamination of the Grenada community’s groundwater. Trudy Fisher, former head of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, is an attorney for two of the companies Grenada residents have sued over the contamination. Jimmy Palmer, former head of DEQ, who also was EPA Region 4 administrator, is an attorney for the company that owns the site, Grenada Manufacturing, LLC, which is not a party to the lawsuit. Because of this, residents are questioning who is tasked with protecting them from environmental disasters and exactly who is on which side? We pose the same question. Is there some kind of governmental and private industry back-scratching going on?
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/opinion/editorials/2016/08/23/attaboys-oh-boys-aug-24/89199188/
Press releases
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council Releases Draft Comprehensive Plan Update
~ A series of public meetings will be held across the Gulf Coast ~
NEW ORLEANS, LA - The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (Council) today released a proposed update to its 2013 Comprehensive Plan. The draft provides important additional strategic guidance for the Council to follow as it makes decisions on funding projects and activities aimed at restoring the Gulf of Mexico.
The draft Comprehensive Plan Update is intended to improve Council decisions by:
· Reinforcing the Council's goals and objectives;
· Setting forth an initial Ten-Year Funding Strategy;
· Establishing the Council's vision for Gulf restoration;
· Increasing collaboration among Council members and partner restoration programs;
· Providing for advancement of large-scale projects and programs;
· Refining the process for ensuring that the Council's decisions are informed by the best available science; and
· Improving the efficiency, effectiveness and transparency of Council actions.
The Council is updating its Initial Comprehensive Plan now in order to take into account recent developments in Gulf restoration such as the resolution of civil claims against BP for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a source of future funding for the Council’s projects. The update also captures important public input and lessons learned from the process of developing and approving its initial Funded Priorities List (FPL), its first slate of restoration activities to be funded through the RESTORE Act, and positions the Council to make the most effective use of future funds as they become available beginning in 2017.
"The Council is pleased to present this draft Comprehensive Plan Update to the public and we look forward to your comments," said Justin R. Ehrenwerth, Executive Director of the Council. "We want to hear your thoughts on how the Council can best move forward with comprehensive restoration across the coast."
Public comments on the draft Comprehensive Plan Update will be accepted from August 23, 2016 to October 7, 2016.
The schedule of upcoming public meetings to discuss the draft Comprehensive Plan Update and seek public input is as follows:
Sept. 8, 2016 | Webinar | 5:00 p.m. CST |
Sept. 12, 2016 | Gulf Coast State College | Open house: 5:00 p.m. |
| Sept. 19, 2016 | University of New Orleans Homer L. Hitt Alumni Center 2000 Lakeshore Drive New Orleans, LA, 70148 | Open house: 5:00 p.m. Meeting: 6:00 p.m.,CST |
| Sept. 20, 2016 | 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center 30945 Five Rivers Boulevard Spanish Fort, AL, 36527 | Open house: 5:00 p.m. Meeting: 6:00 p.m., CST |
| Sept. 22, 2016 | Morgan City Municipal Auditorium 728 Myrtle Street Morgan City, LA, 70381 | Open house: 5:00 p.m. Meeting: 6:00 p.m., CST |
| Sept. 26, 2016 | University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Fleming Education Center Auditorium 730 East Beach Boulevard Long Beach, MS, 39560 | Open house: 5:00 p.m. Meeting: 6:00 p.m., CST |
| Sept. 29, 2016 | Sea Scout Base 7509 Broadway Galveston, TX, 77554 | Open house: 5:00 p.m. Meeting: 6:00 p.m., CST |
Oct. 4, 2016 | Webinar Register to attend the webinar here | 2:00 p.m. CST |
The draft Comprehensive Plan Update can be found at www.RestoreTheGulf.gov. In additional to providing comments in person at the public meeting or via webinar, there are three other options available to Gulf stakeholders:
· Online here
· By mail to: Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, Attention: Draft Comprehensive Plan Update Comments, Hale Boggs Federal Building, 500 Poydras Street, Suite 1117, New Orleans, LA 70130; and
· By e-mail to frcomments@restorethegulf.gov.
EPA Announces 2nd International Environmental Youth Symposium for High School Juniors and Seniors and College and University Students and Professors
Contact Information: Dawn Harris-Young (404) 562-8421, Main (404) 562-8400, harris-young.dawn@epa.gov
Shinitra Russell, (404) 562-8227, Main (404) 562-8400, russell.shinitra@epa.gov
ATLANTA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4 will host the 2nd International Environmental Youth Symposium for High School Juniors and Seniors, and College & University students and professors on September 8-9, 2016. The event will be held at the Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center in Atlanta.
Recognizing that climate change is no longer a distant threat and that it has no boundaries, the theme for the symposium is “One World, One Environment.” The symposium is a two-day event, with an audience of approximately 300 attendees. The focus of the symposium is to bring together bright minds to discuss global climate change foster learning, inspiration and provoke conversations that matter.
The symposium is a forum for sharing research results, practical experiences, and opportunities associated with advances in greenhouse gas reduction and the incorporation of green practices to sustain the environment. It also feature a Sustainable Research and Poster competition for Graduate, Undergraduate and High School students, as well as an essay competition for High School students on topics relating to Climate Change, Adaptation Resiliency, and Mitigation.
What: 2nd International Environmental Youth Symposium
When: Sept. 8-9, 2016
Where: Sam Nunn Atlanta Federal Center 2nd Floor Conference Center
61 Forsyth St. SW
Atlanta, Ga. 30303-8960
Register today at: http://epawebconferencing.acms.com/envyouthsymposium/event/event_info.html
