State
Pascagoula River Audubon Center to participate in National Estuaries Week festivities
Mississippi Press
MOSS POINT, Miss. -- The Pascagoula River Audubon Center will join with Restore America's Estuaries to celebrate National Estuaries Week September 17-24.
HOME IMPROVEMENT STORE HELPS LOCAL CITY FOR ITS ‘CLEAN UP’ DAY
WCBI
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – A building supply store lends a helping hand to one city for its cleanup day this weekend.
http://www.wcbi.com/video-home-improvement-store-helps-local-city-clean-day/
Valve stem repairs are underway on drain at Trace State Park lake
Pontotoc Progress
Officials with the Mississippi Fisheries Bureau said last week that repairs are finally ongoing to repair the gate valve stem at Trace State Park lake in eastern Pontotoc County.
http://djournal.com/pontotoc/2016/09/11/valve-stem-repairs-underway-drain-trace-state-park-lake/
Osyka adopts budget, seeks sewer grant
Enterprise-Journal
OSYKA — Aldermen officially adopted the town’s $246,609 budget of spending and revenues for the 2016-17 fiscal year.
http://www.enterprise-journal.com/news/article_99f0a708-7a95-11e6-9464-2b3820507f57.html
European company begins production in Columbus
WTVA
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WTVA) -- It looks like snow, white and fluffy, but it's an absorbent that can be used for most any liquids and it’s being produced in Columbus by a company named Floatix.
http://www.wtva.com/news/European_company_begins_production_in_Columbus.html
Moisture sensors help end soybean irrigation
Delta Farm Press
Dry September weather has Mississippi soybean producers on opposite ends of the irrigation spectrum: Some are done, while others want to water one more time.
http://deltafarmpress.com/soybeans/moisture-sensors-help-end-soybean-irrigation
Bryant appoints McKee to Mississippi Office of Homeland Security
Clarion Ledger
Gov. Phil Bryant is appointing Mark McKee, a longtime U.S. Secret Service agent, as director of the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2016/09/14/mckee-homeland-security/90331394/
When State Agencies Lose Their People
Jackson Free Press
JACKSON — The Mississippi Department of Health can have a hard time keeping nurses because they can earn more if they go to work for other hospitals, an attrition problem that afflicts many state agencies and, ultimately, Mississippi taxpayers.
http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2016/sep/14/when-state-agencies-lose-their-people/
Oil Spill
Oil spill restoration trustees to meet in New Orleans
AP
NEW ORLEANS
The public gets a chance later this month to hear from a group of trustees assembled to oversee billions of dollars in damage restoration efforts related to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/article101943077.html
‘Just give us a shot,’ Biloxi mayor says at breakfast
Sun Herald
BILOXI
Sixteen months into office, Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich announced Wednesday that “the theme of our administration is keep Biloxi safe, friendly and beautiful.”
…Gilich also told the audience the mayors of South Mississippi just met to see how best to use the millions in economic damages coming to Mississippi due to the BP oil spill.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/harrison-county/article101913662.html
Regional
EPA sends St. James Parish methonal permit back to state DEQ for more work
The Advocate
An air permit approved last year for the Yuhuang Chemical Inc. plant in St. James Parish has been sent back to the state for more work after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency agreed with environmental groups that the permit is not up to par.
Judge won’t halt rule to allow increased toxins in Florida water
Miami Herald
TALLAHASSEE
Opponents hoping to overturn a controversial rule to allow higher concentrations of toxic chemicals into Florida’s water were dealt a setback Tuesday when an administrative law judge dismissed a series of complaints because they missed the deadline for filing the challenge.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article101855997.html
Pipeline leak spilled an estimated 250,000 gallons of gasoline in Shelby County
Al.com
The gasoline pipeline leak that was reported last week near Helena spilled approximately 6,000 barrels -- or 252,000 gallons -- of gasoline in a remote area of Shelby County, the pipeline owner said today.
http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/09/pipeline_leak_spilled_an_estim.html
National
Companies Might Have to Disclose Their Carbon-Related Risks
New regulations could require firms to disclose risks tied to climate change
WSJ
As more of the world’s biggest economies move toward pricing carbon, pressure is growing to require companies to make public what their carbon footprints could actually cost them—and their investors.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/companies-might-have-to-disclose-their-carbon-related-risks-1473820113
Poll: Americans would pay a little to fight global warming
AP
WASHINGTON — Most Americans are willing to pay a little more each month to fight global warming — but only a tiny bit, according to a new poll. Still, environmental policy experts hail that as a hopeful sign.
Obama to create first US Atlantic marine monument
CNN
Washington (CNN)President Barack Obama plans to designate on Thursday an undersea range of canyons and peaks off the US Eastern seaboard as the country's first Atlantic marine national monument.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/15/politics/obama-atlantic-marine-monument/index.html
Opinion
Sid Salter: Expect fight over BP settlement funds
Clarion Ledger
STARKVILLE – Across the state line to the east, Alabama lawmakers meeting in a special session approved a compromise plan to spend the lion’s share of that state’s $1 billion BP oil spill settlement on Medicaid, retiring state debt and highway infrastructure in two Gulf Coast counties — and Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has said he’ll sign that legislation.
New way to publicly monitor global fishing changes the game
By Jackie Savitz, contributor
The Hill
World leaders in ocean conservation and management are gathering in Washington this week for Secretary John Kerry's Our Ocean conference — a convening of global policymakers aimed a tackling some of the greatest challenges facing our seas and the wildlife that depend on them. I'm especially excited about this year's meeting because it will mark the moment when we can truly begin a new era in fisheries management thanks to a groundbreaking new digital tool that will allow governments and citizens around the world to improve management to bring back fishery abundance and strengthen food security.
Press Releases
Governor Phil Bryant Appoints Mark McKee Director of Mississippi Office of Homeland Security
Jackson, Miss. – Gov. Phil Bryant announced today that he has appointed Mark McKee Director of the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security.
McKee’s appointment is effective Oct. 10. He replaces Rusty Barnes, who recently retired.
As Director of MOHS, McKee will oversee the agency that establishes, trains and equips strategically placed statewide response teams capable of responding to terrorist incidents and natural disasters. The MOHS is also responsible for critical asset identification, standardized incident response and overseeing the state's fusion center, the Mississippi Analysis and Information Center.
Since 2014, McKee has served as Resident Agent in Charge over Mississippi for the U.S. Secret Service. From 2004-2014, he was a Supervisory Special Agent in the Washington, DC, area over numerous investigative and protection assignments for the Secret Service. His law enforcement and military service spans nearly 30 years, starting in 1986 with the U.S. Coast Guard. He left the USCG in 1991 when he was commissioned a Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service. He is a veteran of Operation Desert Storm.
In 2007, McKee was sent on special assignment to Iraq, where he served as Supervisory Special Agent with a CENTCOM task force. There, he identified insurgent financiers and coordinated the actioning of those targets with U.S. Special Forces. He also served as an interrogator of enemy combatants and terrorist suspects.
“Mark’s experience and proven leadership ability make him a perfect fit to take the helm at MOHS,” Gov. Bryant said. “I am confident he will serve the people of Mississippi well as he leads this critical agency, whose mission is to safeguard Mississippians. I am delighted he has accepted this appointment.”
McKee graduated from the University of South Alabama in 1989, with a bachelor of arts in criminal justice administration. He completed advanced degree work in executive development programs at Johns Hopkins University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“I was honored and humbled to be considered for such an important job by Gov. Bryant, and I am looking forward to a new and rewarding career supporting the law enforcement community of Mississippi,” McKee said. “I will be bringing almost 30 years of military and government experience to this new position, which I will apply to provide a safer environment that will benefit all Mississippians.”
McKee and his wife live in Madison. They have three children.
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