State
MDEQ issues a water warning for another section of the Mississippi Sound
WLOX
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) -The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality issued a water contact advisory Tuesday afternoon for Lakeshore Beach in Hancock County from Silver Slipper Casino east to Pointset Avenue.
Cochran names Brad White chief of staff
Clarion Ledger
U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran has named Brad White his chief of staff, effective Jan. 1, replacing Keith Heard, who has served in the top staff position for Cochran since January 2015.
Oil Spill
15 BP oil spill projects you need to know about
Mississippi Today
The 2010 BP oil spill – one of the largest environmental disasters in history – has led to some 50 federally funded projects pouring $388.4 million into restoration of the Mississippi coastal area alone.
http://mississippitoday.org/2016/11/30/15-bp-oil-spill-projects-you-need-to-know-about/
Gulf Coast residents upset by BP settlement funds
KUAR
A little over six years ago, the BP Deepwater Horizon spill devastated the Gulf Coast, sending more than 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Tourism in many of the cities and towns along Alabama’s shoreline all but crumbled, and many there say without tourism, there is no economy. Over the years, BP issued hundreds of millions of dollars in claims to fishermen, shop owners and city governments to try to make things right.
http://ualrpublicradio.org/post/gulf-coast-residents-upset-bp-settlement-funds#stream/0
National
As Trump moves to undo Obama climate policy, a fight brews
AP
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Donald Trump plans to dismantle President Barack Obama's efforts to reduce planet-warming carbon emissions. But delivering on his campaign pledges to abolish the Environmental Protection Agency and bring back tens of thousands of long-gone coal mining jobs could prove far more difficult.
EPA begins process to regulate toxic, widely used chemicals
AP
The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday released a list of toxic chemicals that will be the first reviewed under a recently enacted law that gives regulators increased authority to ban substances shown to endanger human health.
Texas EPA candidate says Trump 'likes a good deal' on environment
Houston Chronicle
WASHINGTON - Former Texas Commission on Environmental Quality Chairman Kathleen Hartnett White and President-elect Donald Trump this week discussed a vision for a very different U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from President Barack Obama's during a 25-minute meeting in Trump Tower.
EPA plans to withdraw pollution regulations for seven Texas power plants
Houston Chronicle
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it plans to voluntarily withdraw a requirement that seven Texas coal-fired power plants reduce pollution, according to a filing with a federal appeals court.
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2016/11/29/epa-withdraws-pollution-regulations-for-seven-texas-power-plants/
California regulates cow farts
AP
GALT, Calif. (AP) — California is taking its fight against global warming to the farm.
The nation's leading agricultural state is now targeting greenhouse gases produced by dairy cows and other livestock.
http://www.fox5ny.com/news/220448846-story
New regs for Wednesday: Gas leaks, deportations, leopards
The Hill
Oil: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving forward with new greenhouse gas rules.
http://thehill.com/regulation/307835-new-regs-for-wednesday-gas-leaks-deportations-leopards
Opinion
Universities stepping up STEM initiatives
Daily Journal
Mississippi’s four largest universities have beefed up their ability to compete in the tough academic world of STEM teaching and research, the application of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
Press releases
EPA Names First Chemicals for Review Under New TSCA Legislation
Agency answers call to move forward on chemical reform, naming asbestos among first to undergo risk evaluation
WASHINGTON - Today, EPA is announcing the first ten chemicals it will evaluate for potential risks to human health and the environment under TSCA reform.
“Under the new law, we now have the power to require safety reviews of all chemicals in the marketplace.” said Jim Jones, assistant administrator of the of Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. “We can ensure the public that we will deliver on the promise to better protect public health and the environment.”
The first ten chemicals to be evaluated are:
- 1,4-Dioxane
- 1-Bromopropane
- Asbestos
- Carbon Tetrachloride
- Cyclic Aliphatic Bromide Cluster
- Methylene Chloride
- N-methylpyrrolidone
- Pigment Violet 29
- Tetrachloroethylene, also known as perchloroethylene
- Trichloroethylene
Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) as amended by the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, requires EPA to publish this list by December 19, 2016. These chemicals were drawn from EPA’s 2014 TSCA Work Plan, a list of 90 chemicals selected based on their potential for high hazard and exposure as well as other considerations.
When the list is published in the Federal Register it will trigger a statutory deadline to complete risk evaluations for these chemicals within three years. This evaluation will determine whether the chemicals present an unreasonable risk to humans and the environment. If it is determined that a chemical presents an unreasonable risk, EPA must mitigate that risk within two years.
Under the newly amended law, EPA must release a scoping document within six months for each chemical. This will include the hazard(s), exposure(s), conditions of use, and the potentially exposed or susceptible subpopulation(s) the agency plans to consider for the evaluation.
Additional chemicals will be designated for evaluation, and all of the remaining Work Plan chemicals will be reviewed for their potential hazard and exposure. For each risk evaluation that EPA completes, TSCA requires that EPA begin another. By the end of 2019, EPA must have at least 20 chemical risk valuations ongoing at any given time.
For more on the chemicals listed and additional information: https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/evaluating-risk-existing-chemicals-under-tsca
| USDA Awards $6.7 Million for Research to Support Healthy Agroecosystems |
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| WASHINGTON, Nov. 29, 2016 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced 18 grants totaling more than $6.7 million for research to discover how components of the agroecosystem from soil, water and sun to plants, animals and people, interact with and affect food production. These awards are made through NIFA's Bioenergy and Natural Resources Program, Agroecosystem priority area of the Agricultural and Food Research Initiative (AFRI). "Population growth, along with environmental factors, including the growing threat of climate change, are putting increasing demand on the land, water and other resources that produce our food," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "These investments will help us understand how we can farm more effectively and sustainably to feed the growing global population." NIFA's AFRI Foundational: Bioenergy, Natural Resources, and Environment Program supports research on healthy agroecosystems and their underlying natural resources essential to the sustained long-term production of agricultural goods and services. Agroecosystems may include crop production systems, animal production systems, and pasture, range and forest lands that are actively managed to provide economic, societal and environmental benefits. Projects funded through this program area contribute to the knowledge needed for sustainable production of agroecosystems while retaining needed ecosystem services-such as drinking water, pollination and climate regulation. Awards for 2016 include:
For more information on these projects, visit the NIFA website. Among this year's projects, the National Academy of Sciences will host a free, livestreamed workshop that will bring together policy makers, foundations and scientists to discuss how soil affects food security, water quality and ecosystem health and identify policy solutions and research decisions to preserve this critical resource. Archbold Expeditions, a nonprofit dedicated to long-term ecological research, will compare different grassland management systems to see which offer the most effective ecosystem benefits, such as greenhouse gas management and water use efficiency. Previous agroecosystem projects include a research and education initiative by North Carolina State University that investigated how farming practices such as tillage, pesticide and fertilizer use can affect beneficial soil organisms like arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Scientists and extension educators from the University of Idaho, Washington State University, Oregon State University and USDA's Agricultural Research Service collaborated on a planning grant to develop sustainable agriculture in the rain-fed cereal production areas of the inland Pacific Northwest. Since 2009, USDA has invested $19 billion in research both intramural and extramural. During that time, research conducted by USDA scientists has resulted in 883 patent applications filed, 405 patents issued and 1,151 new inventions disclosures covering a wide range of topics and discoveries. To learn more about how USDA supports cutting edge science and innovation, visit the USDA Medium chapter, Food and Ag Science Will Shape Our Future. NIFA invests in and advances innovative and transformative research, education and extension to solve societal challenges and ensure the long-term viability of agriculture. NIFA support for the best and brightest scientists and extension personnel have resulted in user-inspired, groundbreaking discoveries that are combating childhood obesity, improving and sustaining rural economic growth, addressing water availability issues, increasing food production, finding new sources of energy, mitigating climate variability and ensuring food safety. To learn more about NIFA's impact on agricultural science, visit www.nifa.usda.gov/impacts, sign up for email updates or follow us on Twitter @usda_NIFA, #NIFAimpacts. # |
