State
A crappy situation in Gulfport waterways is heading east
Sun Herald
GULFPORT
The danger from contamination has been extended in Gulfport waterways subjected earlier this week to sewage gushers.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/article106529152.html
MDEQ: Contaminated water moving east into Biloxi
WLOX
HARRISON COUNTY, MS (WLOX) -A major sewage spill in Gulfport earlier this week is now causing problems in Biloxi.
http://www.wlox.com/story/33337020/mdeq-contaminated-water-moving-east-into-biloxi
RAW SEWAGE SPILL
WXXV
Industrial Seaway and Bernard Bayou remain under a water advisory after a big raw sewage spill in Gulfport.
http://www.wxxv25.com/2016/10/06/raw-sewage-spill/
One Lake should be OK’d in 2017
Northside Sun
The One Lake project continues to gain momentum, with federal officials expected to sign off on the proposal in the first half of 2017.
http://northsidesun.com/news/one-lake-should-be-ok%E2%80%99d-2017#sthash.sw6VgjkQ.dpbs
Partnership presents plan to showcase nature of South Mississippi
WLOX
BILOXI, MS (WLOX) -The newest tourism initiative on the Mississippi Gulf Coast showcases the beauty that surrounds South Mississippi.
http://www.wlox.com/story/33335130/partnership-presents-plan-to-showcase-nature-of-south-mississippi
Kemper Co. coal plant nearing completion
WTOK
KEMPER CO., Miss. (WTOK)- After years of construction, the Kemper County coal plant is almost completely operational. Mississippi Power's CEO says there's only a few steps left to bring the plant to life.
http://www.wtok.com/content/news/Kemper-Co-coal-plant-nearing-completion-396225991.html
No Testing
Northside Sun
Maps contradict engineers’ claims on Eastover soil type
Despite engineers’ claims there’s little to no Yazoo clay in the path of a major water main project on the Northside, data from a national agency shows otherwise.
http://northsidesun.com/front-page-slideshow-news/no-testing#sthash.YMKgDrmD.dpbs
Flora resident upset at neighbor’s hog haven
Madison County Journal
A Madison County resident says hogs on a neighbor’s land are causing havoc for him and his nose. James Cable of Kearney Park Road told Madison County supervisors on Monday that he needed some help from the county because it’s a nuisance. http://onlinemadison.com/Content/Default/News/Article/Flora-resident-upset-at-neighbor-s-hog-haven/-3/592/38666
Is change in the cards to allow casinos all along beaches?
Sun Herald
The Tivoli and South Beach casino projects in Biloxi — denied by the previous Mississippi Gaming Commission members — could be back on the table under a change in regulations proposed by the new commissioners.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/business/casino-gambling/article106393692.html
Natchez Trace Parkway under fire restrictions
AP
CANTON, MISS.
The Natchez Trace Parkway has placed burn restrictions on all open fires effective immediately.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/state/mississippi/article106631207.html
National
New York and 5 other states sue feds over upwind pollution
AP
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York and five other Northeastern states are suing federal regulators to force them to help ensure that upwind states control their pollution.
Over 190 Countries Adopt Plan to Offset Air Travel Emissions
NY Times
Governments from more than 190 countries on Thursday adopted a measure that for the first time will reduce the climate impact of international jet travel.
Daimler Unit to Pay $14 Million Civil Penalty to Settle U.S. Diesel-Emissions Complaint
Detroit Diesel Corp. will also spend $14.5 million on projects to reduce pollution
WSJ
A Daimler AG unit agreed to pay a $14 million civil penalty to settle allegations it sold heavy-duty diesel engines that weren’t certified by U.S. environmental regulators and failed to meet federal emissions standards, officials said Thursday.
Detroit Diesel to pay $28.5M over Clean Air Act violations
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Diesel Corp. will pay $28.5 million in fines and pollution-reduction projects to resolve violations of the federal Clean Air Act, the U.S. Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency announced Thursday.
Keep it Simple, Chemical Makers Tell EPA on Inventory Update
Bloomberg
The process the Environmental Protection Agency uses to update the inventory of chemicals in the U.S. must be uncomplicated, small and large chemical manufacturers say.
http://www.bna.com/keep-simple-chemical-n57982078152/
New regs for Friday: Respiratory, pollution, campaign
The Hill
Ships: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Defense (DOD) are proposing new pollution standards for military ships.
http://thehill.com/regulation/299580-new-regs-for-friday-respiratory-pollution-campaign
Web-savvy Forest Service ranger turns spotlight on wilderness
Sacramento Bee
Miranda Leconte can’t stand litterers. She’s irked by backpackers who camp in Desolation Wilderness without permits, and she’s got a lot to say to people who build fires there, despite the many warnings that it’s forbidden.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article106582832.html
Opinion
Feds tried to overstep in NC
Federal intrusion into matters that should be decided by states is nothing new, but over the past four years the federal government has taken extraordinary steps that would increase electricity costs in North Carolina, prevent our farmers from working their land, blame us for air pollution in the Northeast, and ignore our historic improvements to air quality.
http://www.goupstate.com/opinion/20161006/feds-tried-to-overstep-in-nc
Press releases
MS Gulf Coast National Heritage Area
launches new website, logo
BILOXI, Miss. – Officials with the Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area on Thursday launched the new website, logo and video for the program at an event held at the Biloxi Visitors Center.
Gov. Phil Bryant, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker were on hand for the announcement.
“This is a designation that we must be proud of,” Bryant said. “One that we must go tell everyone about. It is remarkable, and it is up to us to make sure we maintain it.”
Pres. George W. Bush established the Mississippi Gulf Coast as a National Heritage Area on Dec. 8, 2004. The area includes Harrison, Hancock, Jackson, Pearl River, Stone and George counties.
The Department of Marine Resources administers the program, which is part of the National Park Service.
The Heritage Area is a partnership of communities, businesses, government agencies, non-profit organizations and individuals working together to promote this region’s cultural and environmental diversity, history, beauty and traditions.
“Our designation as a Heritage Area is a good opportunity for the MDMR to work with our community partners and promote the history and culture of the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” said Jamie Miller, executive director of MDMR. “It also creates an opportunity to foster tourism and economic development.”
Hosemann introduced the Nature-Based Tourism Task Force and its management plan, which he said will enhance the National Heritage Area.
“This is another opportunity, in conjunction with baseball fields, golf and gaming, to get people to spend one more day here,” Hosemann said. “In managing public lands as Secretary of State, one of my key priorities has been to entice visitors and Mississippians residing elsewhere in the state to spend one more day on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.”
Wicker was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives when President Bush named the six counties a National Heritage Area.
“This is all about getting people to Mississippi and particularly the Coast,” Wicker said. “This is something that is going to create jobs in the tourism business, particularly ecotourism. There is no better time for this to happen.”
Bryant said the Nature Tourism Task Force is a public-private partnership that is helping to bring jobs and tourists to Mississippi.
“This is a place of history, and a place that is making history,” he said. “We are just beginning.”
Rhonda Price, coordinator of the Heritage Area for MDMR, said, “Today is the start of our new adventure together. We’ve worked hard to get to this point, and we are filled with the hope of great potential.”
The video for the Heritage Area can be seen at msgulfcoastheritage.ms.gov.
On 10th Anniversary, EPA Honors WaterSense 2016 Partners of the Year
Delta, Kohler, Home Depot, and KB Home Earn Sustained Excellence Awards
WASHINGTON, DC — Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is honoring 20 businesses, municipalities, utilities, and organizations for their commitment to protecting the environment through water efficiency. EPA’s WaterSense partners have helped Americans save more than 1.5 trillion gallons of water and $32.6 billion in water and energy bills since the program began in 2006.
“Over the past decade, EPA’s WaterSense partners have made WaterSense more than just a label. It’s become a way of life,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “Our changing climate impacts water quality and supplies. And we need to ensure that more Americans are saving water now so that we can protect this precious resource for future generations.”
The winners were chosen from nearly 1,700 WaterSense partners, including utilities, local governments, manufacturers, retailers, distributors, builders, and other organizations who have partnered with EPA to produce and promote water-efficient products, programs, and homes.
2016 Sustained Excellence Award Winners
Delta Faucet Company (Indiana), a two-time Sustained Excellence winner, spread the word about the performance of WaterSense labeled showerheads by featuring them at outdoor showering stations that helped clean more than 34,000 muddy runners at Warrior Dash races across the country as part of its HappiMess campaign. The company’s Brizo brand donated WaterSense labeled products to more than 30 homes as part of a charity giveaway supporting pediatric cancer research.
Kohler Co. (Wisconsin) earned its fourth Sustained Excellence Award by, in part, cosponsoring the Change the Course campaign to encourage consumers to pledge to reduce water use. Additionally, Kohler’s mobile showering stations with WaterSense labeled showerheads, toilets, and faucets reached more than 2,000 San Francisco residents in need, while 100,000 Bonnaroo music festival attendees in Tennessee used similar showering stations.
The Home Depot (Georgia) is a two-time Sustained Excellence winner; all the toilets and bathroom faucets sold in its stores are WaterSense labeled. The company worked last year to ensure that all the showerheads it sells in its stores were WaterSense labeled by September 2016. To drive sales of WaterSense labeled products, the company promoted rebates and more than $43.8 million in product incentives in 2015.
KB Home (California), which received its second consecutive Sustained Excellence Award, constructed 233 WaterSense labeled homes in 2015, an increase of 142 percent compared to its labeled homes constructed in 2014. The company introduced four KB Home communities in California in which all homes will be built to meet the WaterSense specification.
2016 Partners of the Year
Promotional Partner of the Year: Athens-Clarke County (Georgia) Public Utilities Department’s Water Conservation Office expanded its Certified Blue restaurant program to include 33 new local businesses and distributed “We’re for Water” activity sheets for kids to complete while waiting for meals. Its Little Lily Pad Hop school outreach project taught students how to conserve water, and its sixth annual Athens Water Festival included a scavenger hunt for the WaterSense logo.
Promotional Partner of the Year: Citrus County (Florida) Utilities’ We’re for Water Classroom Challenge taught 400 third through fifth grade students how to find and fix leaks and save water at home. The utility also celebrated Fix a Leak Week with three adult activities: Schedule a Specialist, Facilities Checkup, and a Water Conservation Expo.
Promotional Partner of the Year: The City of Charlottesville (Virginia) promoted WaterSense labeled products during its Love Your Landscape contest during Sprinkler Spruce-Up 2015. For Fix a Leak Week, the city provided off-campus University of Virginia students with leak-detection tablets and held its annual five-kilometer race. A Blue Team of middle and high school students distributed 600 water conservation kits to utility customers.
Promotional Partner of the Year: Cobb County (Georgia) Water System, a five-time Partner of the Year Award winner, and its new mascot Tappy the Turtle promoted all WaterSense campaigns in 2015. For Fix a Leak Week, the utility supported the Water Drop Dash 5k and Water Festival, and for Sprinkler Spruce-Up it sponsored an “Ask an Expert” traveling display.
Promotional Partner of the Year: Metropolitan North Georgia Water Planning District launched the Great Plumbing Fixture Giveaway, where a local nonprofit selected through social media earned $1,000 in free WaterSense labeled fixtures. The district sponsored its annual Water Drop Dash 5k and Water Festival for Fix a Leak Week 2015 with more than 500 runners and provided WaterSense activity sheets for kids.
Licensed Certification Provider Partner of the Year: Energy Inspectors Corporation (Nevada) certified 233 homes for KB Home to meet the WaterSense labeled homes specification, more than double the number of homes it certified in 2014. As of the end of 2015, the company has trained a dozen inspectors to perform WaterSense specification inspections.
Professional Certifying Organization Partner of the Year: The Sonoma-Marin (California) Saving Water Partnership continued to expand the reach of its WaterSense labeled Qualified Water Efficient Landscape (QWEL) certification program. In 2015, the partnership worked with six new organizations to adopt the QWEL program and helped more than 65 irrigation professionals earn certification.
Nine additional WaterSense partners received Excellence Awards to recognize their support for a specific aspect of the program in 2015:
- Cascade Water Alliance (Washington) and High Sierra Showerheads (California) for Excellence in Strategic Collaboration
- City of Durham (North Carolina) Water Management and Sonoma-Marin (California) Saving Water Partnership for Excellence in Promoting WaterSense Labeled Products.
- City of Carmel (Indiana) Utilities, City of Fort Worth (Texas), Regional Water Authority (Sacramento, California), and the Toro Company (Minnesota) for Excellence in Education and Outreach.
- American Standard (New Jersey) for Excellence in Innovation and Research.
Since 2006, EPA’s WaterSense program has worked to protect the future of the nation's water supply by offering Americans a simple way to use less water with water-efficient products, new homes, and services. WaterSense labeled products, which are independently certified to use at least 20 percent less water and perform as well or better than standard models, have been on the market since 2007, when toilets first earned the label. Since then, the number of labeled models has grown to more than 16,000, including products used in residential and commercial bathrooms, commercial kitchens, and outdoor irrigation. EPA’s WaterSense program certifies homes with WaterSense labeled fixtures and features. To date more than 700 homes have earned the WaterSense label.
Learn more about the 2016 WaterSense Award winners at www.epa.gov/watersense
New EPA Web Portal Helps Communities Prepare for Climate Change
WASHINGTON– The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today launched a new online portal that will provide local leaders in the nation’s 40,000 communities with information and tools to increase resilience to climate change. Using a self-guided format, the Adaptation Resource Center (ARC-X) provides users with information tailored specifically to their needs, based on where they live and the particular issues of concern to them.
Recent statistics from the Office of Management and Budget show the federal government has incurred more than $357 billion in direct costs due to extreme weather and fire alone over the last 10 years. Climate change is also expected to pose significant financial and infrastructural challenges to communities in coming decades. EPA designed ARC-X to help all local government official address these challenges – from those with extensive experience and expertise dealing with the impacts of climate change, to those working in underserved communities who are just beginning to meet those challenges.
“From floods and droughts to dangerous heat islands and other public health effects, communities are facing the very real impacts of climate change,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “ARC-X is a powerful new tool that can help local governments continue to deliver reliable, cost-effective services even as the climate changes.”
Building on climate adaptation training for local governments EPA launched last year, ARC-X provides another important resource for building climate resiliency. The system guides users through all steps of an adaptation process, providing information on the implications of climate change for particular regions and issues of concern; adaptation strategies that can be implemented to address the risks posed by climate change; case studies that illustrate how other communities with similar concerns have already successfully adapted, along with instructions on how to replicate their efforts; potential EPA tools to help implement the adaptation strategies; and sources of funding and technical assistance from EPA and other federal agencies.
To access ARC-X: www.epa.gov/ARC-X
For climate adaptation training: www.epa.gov/communityhealth/local-government-climate-adaptation-training
