State
Judge denies tugboat owner's effort to sue government
AP
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A federal judge ruled Friday that a tugboat company can't countersue the government for payment for cleaning up a 2013 oil spill on the Mississippi River.
http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268748/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=bUkxbDMb
Three more sections of the Mississippi Sound not safe for swimming
WLOX
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) -The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality issued water contact advisories Friday afternoon for three more sections of the Mississippi Sound. They are for Buccaneer State Park Beach in Waveland near State Park Road from 100 yards west of sign eastward to 100 yards east of sign, Waveland Beach from Oak Boulevard east to Favre Street, and Biloxi West Central Beach from Travia Street east to Iberville Drive.
Henderson Point residents react to oyster farming announcement
WLOX
PASS CHRISTIAN, MS (WLOX) -The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources announced Friday it is considering several sites in the Mississippi Sound for off-bottom oyster farming.
http://www.wlox.com/story/32696928/henderson-point-residents-react-to-oyster-farming-announcement
Pearl River in need of help
Picayune Item
It’s a point of contention for anyone who has grown up along the Pearl River, the uneven amount of water Mississippi currently receives once water gets to the weir, locally known as Wilson Slough. The slough is a great place for emergency personnel to conduct swift water training, but the weir is also the reason why Pearl River County boaters can’t enjoy the river when it’s at low flow stage during the height of summer.
http://www.picayuneitem.com/2016/08/pearl-river-in-need-of-help/
Southern Co. chief calls Kemper plant ‘dual fuel investment’
MBJ
By JACK WEATHERLY
Tom Fanning, chief executive and chairman of the Southern Co., described in a teleconference with analysts last week Mississippi Power Co.’s Kemper County clean-coal power plant as “a dual fuel investment,” relying also on natural gas as needed.
http://msbusiness.com/2016/08/southern-co-chief-calls-kemper-plant-dual-fuel-investment/
McCoy, Fitch to lead board
MBJ
Dr. Randy D. McCoy has transitioned from vice chairman to chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Public Employees’ Retirement System of Mississippi (PERS) for fiscal year 2017, which began July 1.
http://msbusiness.com/2016/08/mccoy-fitch-lead-board/
Oil Spill
Fight over BP money, not lottery, could dominate special session
Al.com
Betting on Alabama lawmakers ending their special session with a lottery plan could be a chase after fool's gold.
http://www.al.com/news/mobile/index.ssf/2016/08/fight_over_bp_money_not_lotter.html
Regional
Louisiana pols go to court blaming Big Oil for coastal ruin
AP
ALLIANCE, La. (AP) — The oil industry has left a big footprint along the Gulf Coast, where a Delaware-sized stretch of Louisiana has disappeared.
But few politicians would blame Big Oil for ecosystem abuse in a state where the industry employs up to 300,000 people and injects $73 billion into the economy.
Report: Half of Florida lakes' surface have 'elevated' algae levels
WTSP
Florida waters are growing greener, saltier and more toxic in some parts, according to a new report on the state’s waters.
National
State AGs sought to keep climate probe details secret
The Hill
A group of liberal state attorneys general signed a pact earlier this year to keep secret their attempts to punish fossil fuel companies for climate change, according to a copy of the agreement obtained by a conservative-leaning group.
EPA to pay $1.2M more in costs from Colorado mine spill
AP
DENVER (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Friday it will pay another $1.2 million to tribes, states and local governments affected by a massive mine waste spill in southwestern Colorado.
http://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2016/08/06/epa-pay-12m-more-costs-colorado-mine-spill/88334384/
Brown Gears Up for Fight Over California Climate Effort
Governor wants to preserve state’s cap-and-trade program; critics oppose auctioning carbon permits
WSJ
SAN FRANCISCO—Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown has launched a political-action committee to preserve California’s cap-and-trade program—setting up a potential battle over the state’s environmental policy.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/brown-gears-up-for-fight-over-california-climate-effort-1470618980
A New Climate Danger: Carbon Released by Burning Bogs
NY Times
RED EARTH CREEK, Alberta — Kristyn Housman grabbed the end of a sampling auger, a steel tube that two colleagues had just drilled into a moss-covered hummock in a peat bog, and poked through a damp, fibrous plug of partly decomposed peat.
EPA Order to protect homes in Washington, Mo., from chemical vapors
KSDK
WASHINGTON, MO. - WASHINGTON, MO - The EPA is warning people who live in central Washington, MO of the possibility of contaminated soil and shallow groundwater.
San Antonio one step closer to being listed in violation of clean air laws
San Antonio Business Journal
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has moved San Antonio one step closer to being labeled as a city in violation of federal clean air laws — putting local leaders and businesses on notice.
New regs for Monday: Air pollution, tobacco, trucks
The Hill
Air pollution: The Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with air pollution rules for the coal industry.
The EPA on Friday denied two requests to reconsider the emissions standards published in November 2014.
The denials go into effect immediately.
http://thehill.com/regulation/290519-new-regs-for-monday-air-pollution-tobacco-trucks
Press Releases
MDMR considering multiple sites for oyster aquaculture
BILOXI, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is considering multiple sites for off-bottom oyster aquaculture in order to reach the goal of producing 1 million sacks a year by 2025, which was set by Governor's Oyster Council.
Executive Director Jamie Miller said one site was in Harrison County in the Bay of St. Louis. However, after listening to residents’ concerns he decided to look at other places in the Mississippi Sound.
“We have identified several places where we believe oyster aquaculture will work, and one of those was ‘between the bridges’ in the Bay of St. Louis,” Miller said. “However, after having a public hearing and meeting with some residents, we have decided not to pursue this site.”
Off-bottom oyster farming is the culture of oysters in a mesh container, such as a basket, bag or cage. These containers are placed above the sea floor to grow oysters.
Oyster aquaculture can only be done in certain areas, Miller said. Agency officials have to consider such factors as water quality, salinity and accessibility.
Gov. Phil Bryant formed the Governor’s Oyster Council on Restoration and Resiliency in February 2015. The council met until June of that year and made recommendations for increasing oyster production to revive an industry that was decimated by Hurricane Katrina, the BP Oil Spill and the opening of the Bonnet Carre Spillway.
“Most coastal states have aquaculture programs, including our neighbors in the Gulf - Alabama, Louisiana and Florida,” Miller said. “We believe it can be successful in Mississippi also.”
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is dedicated to enhancing, protecting and conserving marine interests of the state by managing all marine life, public trust wetlands, adjacent uplands and waterfront areas to provide for the optimal commercial, recreational, educational and economic uses of these resources consistent with environmental concerns and social changes. Visit the DMR online at dmr.ms.gov.
Regional Conservation Partnership Program Available in North Mississippi
Jackson, Miss. – The United States Department of Agriculture/ Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications for the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). The funding is available through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and is a stewardship partnership between NRCS, North Central Mississippi Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) Council and the Mississippi Soil and Water Conservation Commission.
The RCPP program will assist landowners with private-owned forest lands in North Mississippi by eradicating kudzu. Kudzu is an invasive weed that has invaded more than 546,000 acres of private-owned forest lands in Mississippi and costs forest landowners $54 million dollars annually from loss of timber sales. Herbaceous weed control will be planned for three consecutive years in this program.
This financial assistance program is targeted for forestland acreage in 12 counties in North Mississippi. The project area includes Benton, DeSoto, Grenada, Lafayette, Marshall, Panola, Pontotoc, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tippah, Union, and Yalobusha Counties.
“NRCS is proud to partner with the North MS RC&D Council to provide financial assistance to eligible landowners and producers in North Mississippi to address the forestry resource concerns as a result of kudzu,” stated Kurt Readus, state conservationist for Mississippi.
Landowners and producers interested in participating in the RCPP may apply at their local USDA Service Center / NRCS office. NRCS financial-assistance programs offer a continuous sign-up, however applications received by September 16, 2016 will be considered for funding. Specific sign-up deadlines are established for ranking, contracting and funding with additional ranking deadlines established if additional funding is available.
To locate your local service center, visit http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app. For more information, visit our website at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/ms/home/.
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Southern Miss and EPA Revise Collaborative Partnership to Include Gulf Park Campus
ARTICLE | FRI, 08/05/2016 - 10:05AM | BY ARLICIA JORDAN
The University of Southern Mississippi and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Gulf of Mexico Program (EPA GMP) recently amended a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to include cooperation with the University’s Gulf Park campus in Long Beach.
First signed in June 2015 by USM President Rodney D. Bennett and Diane Altsman, EPA GMP chief of staff, the original MOU formalized a partnership between both entities and provided environmental education opportunities for students at the University’s Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs.
Indicating a need to extend its reach to the University’s Gulf Park campus in Long Beach, the MOU was revised to establish terms and conditions for sharing, basing and maintaining EPA laboratory equipment at the University’s Science Building. The MOU amendment specifies Southern Miss and EPA GMP will collaborate on studies and analyses in a shared research space to be known as the Gulf Community Environmental Laboratory (Lab).
“The expansion of this MOU to the Gulf Park campus will not only be beneficial to both USM and the EPA’s Gulf of Mexico Program, it will also be valuable to our Gulf Coast communities, allowing our entities to collaborate on issues affecting our local ecosystems,” said Dr. Steve Miller, vice president for the Gulf Park campus.
According to the MOU, the Lab is expected to benefit all parties by providing Southern Miss and EPA GMP the opportunity to partner and conduct research and studies on issues of concern affecting coastal communities. Both parties will be able to complete valuable work that improves quality of life and environmental health in watersheds and communities; solve local issues by using state-of-the-art equipment; conduct studies and co-author papers; and partake in collaborative efforts to solve environmental issues impacting communities served by USM and EPA GMP.
It is also anticipated that primary and secondary schools will benefit from laboratory teaching days where students will be exposed to environmental science, falling under Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) related programs. Activities under the MOU will include guest lectures, a student-shadowing program, research opportunities, and outreach and engagement programs for the Gulf Park campus.
For more information on the Southern Miss Gulf Park campus, visit usm.edu/gulfcoast.
