State
Gautier making progress identifying, assessing brownfield properties ready for redevelopment
Mississippi Press
GAUTIER, Mississippi -- The City of Gautier continues to make progress in identifying and assessing brownfield properties, with 10 already deemed to be ready for redevelopment.
First Biloxi Bay oyster harvest of 21st century set to open
Sun Herald
For the first time in at least 40 years, Biloxi Bay will open for oyster harvesting.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/article111208582.html
Two sections of the Mississippi Sound not safe for swimming
WLOX
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) -The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality lifted a water contact advisory in the Mississippi Sound and issued another one Friday afternoon.
http://www.wdam.com/story/33510473/two-sections-of-the-mississippi-sound-not-safe-for-swimming
New subdivision regs for county?
Oxford Eagle
Burning
Current burning regulations for land clearing are confusing, according to Hollowell.
He’s proposing that any development required by MDEQ to use a forced air blowing system be required to get a county permit.
Wastewater
Hollowell would also like to create a county-wide wastewater ordinance.
http://www.oxfordeagle.com/2016/10/30/new-subdivision-regs-for-county/
Quarles named new county EMA Director
Oxford Eagle
Local pastor and insurance adjuster Steven Quarles will take on a new role starting next week as Lafayette County’s new Emergency Management Director.
http://www.oxfordeagle.com/2016/10/27/quarles-named-new-county-ema-director/
Oxford prepares for Woodlawn-Davis Nature Reserve project
Daily Journal
OXFORD – The city of Oxford is preparing for the ribbon cutting that will kick off phase one of the Woodlawn-Davis Nature Reserve. The new park will be at the end of West Oxford Loop where it meets Anderson Road and feature a variety of native plants.
http://djournal.com/news/oxford-prepares-woodlawn-davis-nature-reserve-project/
Biologists: Manage for age, not antlers
Clarion Ledger
More and more Mississippi hunters are managing their herds to produce bigger bucks. Some have a goal of producing better than average bucks while others hope to harvest true giants. But according to biologists, hunters who are judging deer by antlers alone are probably not allowing them to reach their full potential.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/2016/10/28/biologists-manage-age-not-antlers/92878294/
WMA waterfowl draws begin Monday
Clarion Ledger
Duck season isn't here quite yet, but wildlife management areas are being prepared for waterfowl hunting opportunities.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/2016/10/28/wma-waterfowl-draws-begin-monday/92887714/
Oil Spill
Public meeting planned on Turkey Creek restoration
Sun Herald
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality plans a public meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday regarding the restoration of Turkey Creek at the Good Deeds Community Center, 15101 Madison Street in Gulfport.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/harrison-county/article111100977.html
Wisner Trust to receive $30 million over 21 years from BP
Times-Picayune
The Edward Wisner Donation Trust, which owns thousands of acres of land along the Louisiana coastline, agreed to accept a 21-year, $30 million settlement from BP in June for damages resulting from the Deepwater Horizon accident and oil spill, according to documents obtained by NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune on Friday (Oct. 28).
National
States Want ‘Meaningful’ Steps From Water Loan Applicants
Bloomberg
States aren’t content with just being informed that public water utilities are seeking to finance infrastructure projects under a new financing scheme, an official representing state environmental agencies told Bloomberg BNA.
http://www.bna.com/states-meaningful-steps-n57982082005/
Playing Fields and Cancer—An Emerging Mass Tort?
Bloomberg
Amy Griffin was in her second decade of coaching college soccer when, in 2009, she met two goalies who had come down with lymphoma at the same time.
http://www.bna.com/playing-fields-canceran-n57982081984/
EPA asked to step in again, this time on DNR air permitting
Wisconsin State Journal
Wisconsin conservation groups are again asking federal regulators to force the state Department of Natural Resources to get tougher on polluters.
Opinion
Solar power a welcome addition to Coast
Paul Hampton
Sun Herald
Last year, renewable electricity capacity — solar, wind and the like — overtook coal in a worldwide survey by the International Energy Agency.
http://www.sunherald.com/opinion/editorials/article111102002.html
Press Releases
EPA Issues Rule Finalizing Changes to Existing Hazardous Waste Export and Import Regulations
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule to improve the nation’s hazardous waste regulations to protect public health and the environment. The updated Hazardous Waste Import and Export Regulations streamline the hazardous waste export and import process, implement mandatory electronic reporting for international shipments and electronically linking export information.
“EPA is dedicated to continuing to improve the tracking of hazardous waste exports and imports to provide a safe and healthy environment for all. This new rule will provide greater protection to communities from mismanagement of hazardous waste when it is shipped across multiple countries to be disposed or recycled,” said Mathy Stanislaus, Assistant Administrator of EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management. “The rule provides for improved transparency, data sharing and tracking for international shipments.”
The final rule improves and consolidates previous regulations so that one set of requirements – the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD’s) more stringent controlling transboundary movements of hazardous waste requirements – applies to all U.S. hazardous waste exports and imports.
More efficient compliance monitoring will be provided by the rule’s requirement to link the consent to export with the electronic export information submitted to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). These regulations support a broader U.S. government effort led by CBP to convert from a paper-based border-crossing approval process for a wide range of exports and imports, to an electronic border-crossing approval process. This rule covers the hazardous waste export component of this larger International Trade Data System initiative.
Additionally, the new rule requires mandatory electronic reporting to EPA, which will enable increased sharing of hazardous waste export and import data with state programs, the general public and individual hazardous waste exporters and importers. While some electronic reporting will be required when the rule becomes effective, the full range of electronic reporting will not be mandatory until the respective electronic reporting functions are built and beta tested, at which point a compliance date will be announced in a separate Federal Register announcement.
Read Assistant Administrator Stanislaus’ blog on today’s actions: https://blog.epa.gov/blog/2016/10/keeping-international-communities-safe
For more information about the final Hazardous Waste Export and Import Regulations, visit: https://www.epa.gov/hwgenerators/proposed-rule-hazardous-waste-export-import-revisions
For more information about the Proposed Rule: Internet Posting for Hazardous Waste Exports and Imports Proposed Rule and Confidentiality Determination to Exclude Confidential Business Information (CBI) Claims for Hazardous Waste Export and Import Documents, visit: https://www.epa.gov/hwgenerators/proposed-rule-internet-posting-and-confidentiality-determinations-hazardous-waste
For more on OECD’s rules, visit: http://www.oecd.org/env/waste/theoecdcontrolsystemforwasterecovery.htm
| USDA Invests $1.7 Billion to Protect Sensitive Agricultural Lands through Conservation Reserve Program |
| |
| More than Half a Million Americans Involved with Protecting 24 Million Acres |
| |
| WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2016 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will issue nearly $1.7 billion in payments to more than half of a million Americans who have contracts with the government to protect sensitive agricultural lands. The investment, part of the voluntary USDA Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), will allow producers to protect almost 24 million acres of wetlands, grasslands and wildlife habitat in 2016. CRP provides financial assistance to farmers and ranchers who remove environmentally sensitive land from production to be planted with certain grasses, shrubs and trees that improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, and increase wildlife habitat. In return for enrolling in CRP, USDA, through the Farm Service Agency (FSA), provides participants with rental payments and cost-share assistance. Landowners enter into contracts that last between 10 and 15 years. "We have seen record demand to participate in this important program," said Vilsack. "Despite the current enrollment limit of 24 million acres, USDA is committed to continuing our important partnerships with farmers, ranchers, state and local governments and sportsmen to maintain the environmental benefits provided by the Conservation Reserve Program." More than 1.3 million acres were newly enrolled in CRP in fiscal year 2016 using the continuous enrollment authority, triple the pace of the previous year. In fiscal year 2016, FSA also accepted 411,000 acres through its general enrollment authority, plus 101,000 acres in the new CRP-Grasslands program, which balances conservation with working lands. More than 70 percent of the acres enrolled in CRP-Grasslands are diverse native grasslands under threat of conversion, with more than 97 percent of the acres having a new, veteran or underserved farmer or rancher as a primary producer. During its 30-year history, CRP has reduced nitrogen and phosphorous runoff by 95 and 85 percent, respectively, and restored 2.7 million acres of wetlands. It has also protected more than 170,000 stream miles with riparian buffers, enough to go around the world seven times. The program provides 15 million acres that are beneficial to pollinators, and hundreds of thousands of acres of wildlife habitat that has resurrected waterfowl and gamebird populations, like pheasants, quail and prairie chicken. CRP has sequestered an annual average of 49 million tons of greenhouse gases, equal to taking nine million cars off the road, and prevented nine billion tons of soil from erosion, enough to fill 600 million dump trucks. For more information about CRP, contact your local FSA office or online at www.fsa.usda.gov/crp. Visit www.fsa.usda.gov/crpis30 or follow Twitter at #CRPis30 for program anniversary background and success stories. To locate your local FSA office, visit http://offices.usda.gov. USDA works to strengthen and support American agriculture, an industry that supports one in 11 American jobs, provides American consumers with more than 80 percent of the food we consume, ensures that Americans spend less of their paychecks at the grocery store than most people in other countries, and supports markets for homegrown renewable energy and materials. Since 2009, USDA has provided $5.6 billion in disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; expanded risk management tools with products like Whole Farm Revenue Protection; and helped farm businesses grow with $36 billion in farm credit. The Department has engaged its resources to support a strong next generation of farmers and ranchers by improving access to land and capital; building new markets and market opportunities; and extending new conservation opportunities. USDA has developed new markets for rural-made products, including more than 2,700 biobased products through USDA's BioPreferred program; and invested $64 billion in infrastructure and community facilities to help improve the quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/results. # |
Biloxi Bay opens Nov. 1 for oyster harvesting
BILOXI, Miss. – For the first time in at least 40 years, the Biloxi Bay will open for oyster harvesting.
Officials with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources said reefs in this portion of the Mississippi Sound will open at legal sunrise Tuesday, Nov. 1, for oyster tonging only. No dredging will be allowed.
The state Commission on Marine Resources approved the opening at its October meeting. The sack limit is 15 per day.
“The harvest of oysters for the first time in 40-plus years in Biloxi Bay is nothing less than historic,” said Jamie Miller, executive director of MDMR. “The opening of these oyster reefs confirms water quality has improved in the Bay, and we hope everyone will celebrate by enjoying some Mississippi oysters.”
On Friday, Oct. 28, reefs closed in the western part of the Sound near Pass Christian because fishermen reached the quota of 27,944 sacks. Those reefs opened Oct. 3.
MDMR officials reminded fishermen that artificial reefs will not be open for oyster harvesting and have been marked for easy identification. MDMR will have a check station in the Ocean Springs Harbor for fishermen to check in and out each day.
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.
—END—
