State
Jackson crunching to meet EPA wastewater deadlines
Clarion Ledger
In the months that Jackson officials have deliberated on a lucrative wastewater contract, important work mandated by the Environmental Protection Agency continues to stall.
Fishermen worried about contamination in Coast waterways
WLOX
GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) -A water contact advisory for several contaminated Coast waterways is now entering its fifth day, and probably won't be lifted through the weekend. Fishermen say they have noticed fewer people casting their lines, especially in the affected waterways.
Continental Tire donates $5M to Wildlife Mississippi
AP
JACKSON, Miss. - A $5 million donation from the state’s newest major industry will help preserve an environmentally stressed waterway in southwest Mississippi.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2016/10/07/tire-company-makes-donation/91762250/
Mississippi’s bat population an important part of its ecosystem
Oxford Eagle
With Halloween fast approaching, we’re suddenly surrounded by the season’s spooky imagery of witches, skeletons, vampires, and of course, bats.
The Kemper Plant is ‘99 percent’ complete. Now what?
Mississippi Today
In rural Kemper County, about 20 miles north of Meridian, stands a tangled network of chrome and multi-colored pipeline intertwined into structures as tall as high-rise buildings.
http://mississippitoday.org/2016/10/10/the-kemper-plant-is-99-percent-complete-what-happens-next/
Companies hope to have KiOR site cleared by end of year
Commercial Dispatch
October 8, 2016
Slim Smith
A year after Georgia Renewable Power and Renewable Energy Group purchased the equipment that belonged to KiOR on The Island, much of the equipment remains on the 22-acre parcel.
http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=53394
Ole Miss alum returns to Oxford to open Lapels, a new eco-friendly dry cleaning service
Oxford Eagle
John Max Edwards left Oxford for more than seven years to pursue a career in the oil and gas industry after earning degrees from Ole Miss and Delta State, living in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Louisiana during his time away.
Oil Spill
Houston command center worked to stop BP oil spill
Deepwater Horizon accident cost 11 lives and an estimated $61 billion for BP
Houston Chronicle
The morning that news broke of an oil well's fiery explosion in the Gulf of Mexico, petroleum engineer Paul Bommerdidn't know much more than what he could gather from a single photo.
Panhandle faces tough fight for BP funds
Pensacola News Journal
Escambia County could face a tough fight to secure its fair share of oil spill restitution funds based on the ongoing battle among Florida leaders over hundreds of millions of dollars intended for land conservation.
Regional
Oyster safety rules are easy to beat
Sun Sentinel
THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE
If you dine on raw oysters, you’re trusting your health to people like Apalachicola seafood dealer Sammy Crum, oysterman Jonathan Pace and the state of Florida.
http://www.sunherald.com/latest-news/article106690052.html
Microbrewery has marine life at heart
Sun Herald
Beverages and the beach go together like peanut butter and jelly, but conscientious beachgoers worry about the environmental impact of those plastic rings that hold six-packs together.
http://www.sunherald.com/living/food-drink/article106702412.html
National
The best views in the country have gotten better, thanks to air pollution laws
Washington Post
SHENANDOAH NATIONAL PARK, Va. — On a clear, cool morning this week atop Hawksbill Summit, the highest peak in this 80-year-old national park, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell gazed at the scenery unfolding to the west.
Monsanto Cancer Roundup Suits Not Derailed by EPA Finding
Bloomberg
Personal injury suits against Monsanto over its herbicide Roundup may take a blow, but not a fatal one, from a recent EPA finding in the company's favor, sources tell Bloomberg BNA.
http://www.bna.com/monsanto-cancer-roundup-n57982078274/
Opinion
WLOX Editorial: D'Iberville is promoting an environment of pride
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) - I don't know who first said, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression," but it's a good point, not just for people, but also for places, cities, and regions. When we take pride in the cleanliness of streets and highways, we make a good impression whether it's the first impression or ongoing impressions.
http://m.wlox.com/wlox/pm_/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=od%3Ao2RvV1ON
Too bad MDOT believes trees are expendable
Sun Herald
We welcome the expansion of Interstate 10 in Jackson County.
Drivers who frequent the road certainly will appreciate the extra lanes being added to seven miles of interstate in a $39.5 million project.
http://www.sunherald.com/opinion/editorials/article106783752.html
PERS affordable, beneficial to state
Pat Robertson
Clarion Ledger
Our business is about the future. Every investment transacted, contribution received, benefit paid, law changed, regulation amended, decision acted on, and thought given is about meeting the promises we have made to the hundreds of thousands of people depending on us for their retirement.
Press releases
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Offers Assistance to Rural Communities
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today invited rural communities to apply for planning assistance to develop strategies that help grow the economy and revitalize downtown neighborhoods. EPA is offering this assistance as part of Rural Advantage, a suite of federal economic development planning assistance programs for rural communities.
“Rural Advantage is helping communities reinvent themselves in ways that are good for the economy and the environment,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “We are excited to partner with communities that want to use their unique rural assets to create a brighter, healthier future.
Communities may apply for assistance through the following programs:
- Local Foods, Local Places (LFLP), which helps communities leverage local food enterprise to diversify their economy and renew their downtowns.
- Cool & Connected, which helps communities use broadband service to create walkable, connected, economically successful neighborhoods.
- Healthy Places for Healthy People, a new program that will help communities partner with health care facilities to catalyze downtown revitalization and to improve options for healthy living and economic opportunity.
Rural Advantage is part of the Obama Administration's commitment to place-based strategies to help communities develop competitive advantages. In these places, federal experts are working side by side with residents and local leaders to create customized solutions, bolstering coordination across agencies and improving how we interact with and serve community partners.
Under the Obama Administration, EPA and federal partners have provided rural advantage assistance to 83 communities, to date. Sixty-eight communities have been selected for assistance through Local Foods, Local Places, and 15 communities have received assistance through Cool & Connected, ten of which are in Appalachia.
In 2012, Williamson, W Va., was selected to participate in the Livable Communities in Appalachia program, the predecessor to LFLP. Through that effort, a team of small-town development experts worked with Sustainable Williamson to create an action plan tailored to achieving the town’s goals, including improving access to food to realize better health outcomes.
Upon implementing the plan, Sustainable Williamson received an $80,000 planning grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration. That grant helped create a Federally Qualified Health Center that later received an additional $650,000 to support clinic operations. Sustainable Williamson also established a downtown farmers’ market and community garden that increased access to healthy foods for Williamson residents. The Williamson Health and Wellness Center also received LFLP assistance, in 2015, to provide support to new entrepreneurs starting up their businesses in the local food and health care sectors, and to expand the community’s innovative approaches to creating a culture of health.
In Montrose, Co., the Cool & Connected action plan helped advance Proximity Space, an award-winning coworking project, and link it to the community’s efforts to build a walkable and investment-ready downtown. Coworking space allows people to access high-speed internet, conference rooms, and office equipment, and is one of many ways that small towns can leverage broadband to boost main street development.
Communities selected for this latest round of assistance will work with an EPA-supported team of experts, including through a two-day workshop, to develop strategies and action plans that enable them to realize their local revitalization goals. The team will include people with expertise in community development, and representatives of the federal agencies that sponsor the three programs so communities can build connections and take better advantage of federal programs and resources.
Working with federal partners, EPA will select thirty or more communities for assistance through a competitive process.
EPA’s Rural Advantage federal partners are the United States Departments of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation, the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Delta Regional Authority and the Economic Development Administration.
Communities may apply by submitting letters of interest by November 6. For more information and to submit an application, see: https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth
