Wednesday, September 14, 2016

News Clippings 9/14/16

State

 

VIBRIO EXPERT SPEAKS IN BAY ST. LOUIS

WXXV

Tonight in Bay St. Louis concerned residents had a chance to sit down with one of the most knowledgeable vibrio experts in the nation.
http://www.wxxv25.com/2016/09/13/vibrio-expert-speaks-bay-st-louis/

 

Laurel mayor urges residents to not litter

WDAM

LAUREL, MS (WDAM) -Laurel Mayor Johnny Magee said he is tired of people trashing the city of Laurel.

http://www.wdam.com/story/33087542/laurel-mayor-urges-residents-to-not-litter

 

Expect great fishing at Lake Tangipahoa opener

Lake dam damaged by Hurricane Isaac in 2012

Clarion Ledger

Lake Tangipahoa at Percy Quin State Park is set to open and according to Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks biologist Jerry Brown, anglers can expect excellent fishing.

http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/2016/09/13/expect-great-fishing-lake-tangipahoa-opener/90301910/

 

Lake Tangipahoa reopens to anglers after massive dam breach

WLBT

PIKE COUNTY, MS (Mississippi News Now) -A popular destination point is about to be open to the public once again in Pike County. After more than four years, Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks is preparing to reopen Lake Tangipahoa  for fishing at Percy Quin State Park.

http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/33088131/lake-tangipahoa-reopens-to-anglers-after-massive-dam-breach

 

Jackson still experiencing elevated lead levels in water

Clarion Ledger

Through periodic testing required by the Environmental Protection Agency after a lead issue was discovered, Jackson has detected more elevated levels of lead in the water at residents' taps.

http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/2016/09/13/jackson-still-experiencing-elevated-lead-levels-water/90302838/

 

Abandoned plant site may get new life, jobs

WTVA

WEST POINT, Miss. (WTVA) -- The Yank…it’s a name that grabs your attention.

And new owners hope it will again.

http://www.wtva.com/news/Abandoned_plant_site_may_get_new_life_jobs.html

 

CMR likely to tighten regulations to protect speckled trout fishery

WLOX

SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) -New regulations are likely on the way for speckled trout fishing in Mississippi. That’s because the most popular game fish in the state is currently being over fished and its numbers are declining. The Mississippi Commission on Marine Resources is considering tougher rules.

http://www.wlox.com/story/33085635/cmr-likely-to-tighten-regulations-to-protect-speckled-trout-fishery

 

City extends solar panels moratorium

Daily Corinthian

Corinth aldermen recently extended the moratorium on solar panels by another two weeks.

http://www.dailycorinthian.com/view/full_story/27268288/article-City-extends-solar-panels-moratorium?

 

Miss. emergency agency gets new deputy administrator

AP

PEARL, MISS. 

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has a new deputy administrator.

MEMA Executive Director Lee Smithson said in a news release Tuesday David Shaw, currently the Lafayette County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Director, will assume the state position on Oct. 1.

http://www.sunherald.com/news/state/mississippi/article101526137.html

 

Watchdog committee on hold, awaits Lt. Gov. appointments

Clarion Ledger

The state’s legislative watchdog committee hasn’t met, launched any new investigations or issued any public reports since late last year because Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves has failed to make his appointments for the new term.

http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2016/09/13/peer-committee-hold/90302002/

 

Oil Spill

$80 million Shell Island restoration nears completion

Times-Picayune

With a mix of laughing gulls, brown pelicans and frigate birds watching from the air, employees of the Great Lakes Dredge & Dock. Co. on Tuesday (Sept. 13) were directing sand from the Mississippi River into place on the new beaches and dunes that are the rebuilt east and west lobes of Shell Island, about 8 miles southwest of Buras in Plaquemines Parish.

http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2016/09/80_million_shell_island_restor.html#incart_river_index

 

State wants coastal restoration work to count towards levee debt

The Advocate

With $100 million a year payments looming over the state to repay the federal government their share of the New Orleans levee system, the state is trying to sell the idea that the billions in restoration work south of the city should count towards that amount.

http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/environment/article_52fc341a-79f1-11e6-852b-b3988f1ec2b8.html?sr_source=lift_amplify

 

Regional

 

Thousands of dead fish floating in Lafayette are attributed to floodwaters

AP

LAFAYETTE, La. — Thousands of dead fish have been found floating in Moncus Park at the Horse Farm's coulee.

http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2016/09/thousands_of_dead_fish_floatin.html#incart_river_index

 

National

 

Climate change poses 'significant risk' to US military, report says

Fox News

U.S. military officers and national security officials reportedly believe climate change pose a very real threat to U.S. military operations and could increase the danger of international conflict.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/09/14/climate-change-poses-significant-risk-to-us-military-report-says.html

 

Will Obama fence off more of the ocean? US fishermen are fearful

Fox News

American fishermen are deeply fearful that the Obama White House could cut them off as early as this week from major fishing areas of the U.S. continental shelf on both coasts, further restricting one of the most highly regulated fishing industries in the world.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/09/13/will-obama-fence-off-more-ocean-us-fishermen-are-fearful.html

 

The Quest for Home Utility Bills of…Zero

New regulations in California have builders scrambling to make houses more energy-efficient

WSJ

SANTA CLARITA, Calif.—The KB Home development here looks like any other middle-class subdivision in Southern California—rows of stucco houses with tiled roofs and two-car garages—except for the sticker on the entryway of one of its showcase units.

The sticker displays the average monthly cost to heat and cool the home and run the appliances: $119, compared with $252 for a standard-built home of similar size. If an owner adds solar panels, the monthly bill would drop to near zero.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-quest-for-home-utility-bills-ofzero-1473818641

 

Energy Efficiency Meets Reality TV

Whole Foods and Hilton face off in video series, critiquing each other’s energy practices

WSJ

Companies usually don’t allow managers from other businesses to poke around their facilities, with television cameras no less, and criticize how they do things.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/energy-efficiency-meets-reality-tv-1473818461

 

Wild horses should be killed or sold, government board decides

Fox News

The U.S. government is coming under fire from animal rights activists amid concerns that almost 45,000 wild horses could be euthanized in an attempt to control their numbers.

http://www.foxnews.com/science/2016/09/14/wild-horses-should-be-killed-or-sold-government-board-decides.html

 

Opinion

Why a Price on Carbon Is Unlikely in the U.S. Anytime Soon

George David Banks cites a number of obstacles, starting with GOP opposition in Congress

WSJ

The chatter among policy makers and market observers is getting louder: A formal price on carbon is imminent.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/why-a-price-on-carbon-is-unlikely-in-the-u-s-anytime-soon-1473820117

 

Press Releases

 

U.S. Forest Service and Coca-Cola Announce the Restoration of One Billion Liters of Water

 

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13, 2016—Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Coca-Cola North America President Sandy Douglas today announced that their partnership to restore and protect damaged watersheds on national forests achieved a milestone of one billion liters of water restored, and that the partnership will commit to double that outcome through 2018. The 13 restoration areas are located on national forest land, which provides drinking water to more than 60 million Americans, and they ensure future generations will have access to fresh water.

"This milestone that Coca-Cola, USDA and our partners have reached is just the latest example of how partnerships between the public and private sectors can reach more people, harness more innovation, and do more good than either government or businesses can achieve alone," said Vilsack. "America's 193 million acres of public forests and grasslands supply the drinking water for 60 million Americans, support approximately 200,000 full and part time jobs and contribute over $13 billion to local communities each year. This partnership is based on shared goals of ensuring healthy watersheds and public engagement that serves those local communities, and will continue to deliver on that commitment for years to come."

"A thriving watershed is critical to every community we serve and to our business," said Douglas. "Coca-Cola is on a journey and plans to continue to replenish 100 percent of the water we use in our beverages and their production and return it to nature and communities. We could not accomplish the milestone we celebrate today without the expertise, guidance and resources of the USDA, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Forest Foundation and many other organizations and community partners. In the coming years, we will continue to work together to build scale and expand these projects and partnerships."

This public-private partnership includes community organizations and taps their collective expertise to address increasing stress on water resources during challenging budget times. Dozens of local communities and hundreds of volunteers and youth worked together on water resource management education and stewardship activities.

The Carson National Forest in northern New Mexico is an example of the public-private partnerships approach. Local partners worked together to help restore an alpine meadow and enhanced a natural wetland habitat. By slowing the flow of Placer Creek, a tributary of the Rio Grande, the local team helped to restore a biodiverse meadow habitat and replenish the groundwater that contributes to the City of Santa Fe, New Mexico's water supply. The meadow restoration project is expected to replenish approximately 49 million liters of water per year.

To date, Coca-Cola has contributed more than $2 million to the National Forest Foundation (NFF), a Congressionally chartered foundation, to support USDA Forest Service water restoration projects. NFF has also contributed funding, expertise and overall project management, including the meadow restoration on the Carson National Forest.

"One of the primary purposes of the 1897 Act that established our National Forests, was to ensure the long-term supply of water for our country" Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell said. "More than 100 years later, the stewardship of these public lands for forest and watershed health continues to be essential in ensuring an adequate water supply and providing high-quality water for needs across the United States."

Project listing by National Forest (some forests have multiple projects on site)

  • Angeles National Forest, California: The Angeles National Forest provides critical resources for the approximately 13 million people who live within an hour's drive of the forest. In 2009, the Station Fire damaged 252 square miles of forest, which allowed numerous invasive weed species to colonize upland in riparian ecosystems affected by the fire. In response to the fire's devastation and associated ecological changes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service staff partnered with the National Forest Foundation (NFF) and local communities to develop a 5-year restoration plan for Big Tujunga Canyon, ultimately expanding this work to the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument.
  • Carson National Forest, New Mexico: Historic and current recreational mining were threatening wetlands, a rare and critical resource in arid New Mexico. In addition, eroding gullies were adding sediment to area waterways. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service partnered with the National Forest Foundation, Coca-Cola, others to design a restoration strategy to prevent further loss of wetland, while also improving water quality in Placer Creek and Comanche Creek. The partnership also focused on enhancing important habitat for native flora and fauna.
  • Eldorado National Forest, California: The Mokelumne River supplies drinking water to 1.3 million people in the East San Francisco Bay and is vulnerable to upstream environmental damage. Ecological restoration projects like the one completed by the Indian Valley partnership improve the function of forest and wetland ecosystems, providing for the species that rely on them. More resilient ecosystems benefit downstream communities—like those in the East San Francisco Bay—by helping provide a consistent and clean supply of water.
  • Huron-Manistee National Forests, Michigan: Since 2008, the Huron-Manistee National Forests and the Oceana County Road Commission have been working to replace deficient road stream crossings in the White River watershed, including along Osborne and Brayton Creeks. Undersized road-stream crossings prevent aquatic organism passage and contribute to frequent flood events that were causing severe erosion and deteriorating the upstream valley. Replacing culverts with bridges helped resolve both environmental impacts.
  • Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, Illinois: The Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie was established in 1996 on the U.S. Army's former Joliet Arsenal. Portions of the prairie—including the South Prairie Creek Outwash Plain—were heavily degraded by previous management actions. Partners focused their efforts on this particular portion of the landscape, replanting native grasses, treating invasive weeds, and removing agricultural drain tile. This prairie restoration improves the capacity to retain water, contributes to the formation of wetlands, and connects this area to Prairie Creek.
  • Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest, Washington: The Methow River basin provides spawning areas for Spring Chinook salmon, as well as spawning steelhead, cutthroat trout, and bull trout. By reestablishing active beaver colonies to area streams, the partnership helped reestablish key watershed processes that support these fish species. Beaver colonies reintegrate dams into the area surface water, establishing wetlands, expanding habitat, and increasing the regularity of flows. In addition, as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service and its partners gain a better understanding of the ecological effects of climate change, this project demonstrates an adaptive practice that offsets snowpack loss by storing water in beaver wetlands.
  • Pike-San Isabel National Forests, Colorado: Burning nearly 140,000 acres, the 2002 Hayman Fire has had significant impacts on the municipal drinking water source area for the city of Denver, CO. The Pike-San Isabel National Forest worked with the National Forest Foundation, Coca-Cola, and other partners to address post-fire restoration needs through NFF's Treasured Landscapes campaign, a multimillion dollar public-private partnership.

For more information and a full list and description of these individual restoration projects, visit the Forest Service partnership webpage at http://www.fs.fed.us/working-with-us/partnerships.

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