State
Council makes changes to lagoon management
Hattiesburg American
Although the future of Hattiesburg's wastewater treatment isn't set in stone, Hattiesburg City Council members on Monday announced some recent changes to the city's lagoons that may allow that system to be used extensively.
Hattiesburg plans to improve wastewater lagoon function
WDAM
HATTIESBURG, MS (WDAM) -The Hattiesburg City Council announced several new contracts Monday to improve functions of its wastewater lagoons.
http://www.wdam.com/story/33308555/hattiesburg-plans-to-improve-wastewater-lagoon-function
State awards $15K waste tire grant to Clarke County
Meridian Star
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality awarded a $15,000 two-year waste tire grant to Clarke County to continue the local waste tire collection program for small quantity generators of waste tires.
Oyster prediction: ‘We’re in for a short season’
Sun Herald
PASS CHRISTIAN
Oyster boats were hauling in oysters on the opening day of the season Monday, but reports were not good.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/article105729236.html
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY LAKE AND WATER PARK STILL UP FOR GRABS
WCBI
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI)- The Oktibbeha County Lake and Wet-N-Wild Water Park has been a long talked about issue.
http://www.wcbi.com/video-oktibbeha-county-lake-water-park-still-grabs/
County bans all burning
Daily Corinthian
With the potential for wildfires increasing, Alcorn County is enacting a burn ban.
http://www.dailycorinthian.com/view/full_story/27283220/article-County-bans-all-burning?
Kemper County plant delayed again
Mississippi Today
Another month’s delay, another $33 million in cost overruns for the Kemper County power plant.
http://mississippitoday.org/2016/10/03/kemper-county-plant-start-delayed-again/
5th Circuit removes Entergy case from Judge Wingate
Clarion Ledger
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ordered the long-running federal lawsuit by Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood against Entergy Corp. removed from U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate, citing the judge’s failure to rule on pending motions.
National
A Milestone for Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere
NY Times
Climate science reached an unhappy milestone last week. And then things went a little crazy.
EPA proposes poplar, willow trees for ethanol in U.S. biofuel rule tweak
Retuers
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday proposed tweaks to its Renewable Fuel Standard that would allow biofuels to be processed at more than one location and would allow cellulosic ethanol to be made from poplar and willow trees.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-usa-biofuels-epa-idUKKCN1232GG
New regs for Tuesday: Cyber, hunting, insects
The Hill
Hunting: The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is moving forward with new hunting regulations.
http://thehill.com/regulation/298947-new-regs-for-tuesday-cyber-hunting-insects
Press releases
Environmental Quality Incentive Program Accepting Applications
Jackson, Miss. – The United States Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS) will have financial and technical assistance available
for fiscal year 2017 to assist Mississippi producers with the implementation of
conservation practices through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP).
NRCS accepts applications for EQIP opportunities on a continuous basis, however
there are certain deadline dates set forth to rank applications in designated ranking periods.
The deadline to sign-up to be considered in the first ranking period is November 18, 2016.
NRCS helps producers improve water and air quality, build healthier soils, improve
grazing and forest lands, conserve energy, enhance organic operations and achieve many
environmental benefits. All NRCS programs are completely voluntary and offer
science-based solutions that benefit both the landowner and the environment.
"The Environmental Quality Incentives Program offers producers a variety of
options to conserve natural resources on their properties,” stated Kurt Readus,
State Conservationist for Mississippi.
"This conservation investment helps improve environmental health
and the economy of Mississippi’s communities."
Applicants can sign up at their local NRCS office. Interested producers,
farmers and ranchers can apply for EQIP and obtain more information
at their local USDA/NRCS office. For more information about EQIP,
visit the NRCS website:
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/ms/programs/financial/eqip/?cid=nrcs142p2_017159
To locate your nearest NRCS office, local USDA service center/ .
| USDA Report Shows Growing Biobased Products Industry Contributes $393 Billion and 4.2 Million Jobs to American Economy |
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| WASHINGTON, Oct. 3, 2016 - A new report released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) shows that in 2014, the biobased products industry contributed $393 billion and 4.2 million jobs to America's recovering economy. The report also indicates that the sector grew from 2013 to 2014, creating or supporting an additional 220,000 jobs and $24 billion over that period. Agriculture Secretary Vilsack, who has identified the biobased economy as one of the four pillars that support our country's rural economy, released the report at a luncheon today at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. "When USDA released the first-ever Economic Impact Analysis of the U.S. Biobased Products Industry last year, we were thrilled to see what a positive impact this sector was having on our economy, and this updated analysis shows that the sector is not just holding strong, but growing," Vilsack said. "America has an appetite for everyday products-including plastic bottles, textiles, cleanings supplies and more-made from renewable sources, and that demand is fueling millions of jobs, bringing manufacturing back to our rural communities, and reducing our nation's carbon footprint. As this sector is strengthening, so is the economy in rural America, where this year the unemployment rate dropped below six percent for the first time since 2007. USDA is proud to see such strong returns on our investment into the biobased products industry." This report is the second Economic Impact Analysis of the U.S. Biobased Products Industry released by USDA, and it analyzes revenue and jobs created by the biobased products industry at the national and state level in 2014. USDA released the first report of this kind last year, which analyzed the same information based on 2013 data. The new report shows that the industry directly supported 1.53 million jobs in 2014, with each job in the industry responsible for generating 1.76 jobs in other sectors. In 2013, the industry was found to contribute $369 billion and four million jobs to the U.S. economy. In addition to their contribution to the rural economy, innovative biobased materials also have key environmental benefits including the reduction of the use of fossil fuels and reduced associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The production and use of biobased products replacing petroleum-based products had the potential to reduce GHG emissions up to 10 million metric tons of CO2 equivalents in 2014. These materials are increasingly being used as substitutes for petroleum-based materials, which have been used extensively for many years. An example of this petroleum displacement by a biobased material is the use of natural fibers in packing and insulating materials as an alternative to synthetic foams, such as Styrofoam. The increased use of biobased products currently displaces about 300 million gallons of petroleum per year - the equivalent to taking 200,000 cars off the road. Today, USDA's BioPreferred Program, which was created by the 2002 Farm Bill and reauthorized and expanded as part of the 2014 Farm Bill, has an online catalog of more than 15,000 products, of which 2,700 have been certified to carry the USDA Biobased Product label. The USDA BioPreferred Program's purpose is to spur economic development, create new jobs and provide new markets for farm commodities. Vilsack has also helped lead an effort to promote the domestic production and use of advanced biofuels to create hundreds of thousands of jobs in rural communities. USDA support has helped 21 states build nearly 5,000 pumps at over 1,400 fueling stations to strengthen the rural economy and increase the demand for agricultural commodities used in the production of biofuels, giving American consumers more options at the pump, while at the same time creating jobs and driving down fueling costs. The BioPreferred Program commissioned the Economic Impact Analysis of the U.S. Biobased Products Industry, which is primarily authored by Golden, J.S., Handfield, R.B., Daystar, J., Morrison, B., and McConnell, T.E., and is a joint publication of the Duke Center for Sustainability and Commerce and the Supply Chain Resource Cooperative at North Carolina State University. # |
