State
Work on Seventh Avenue ditch progressing
Commercial Dispatch
November 23, 2016
Work on the Seventh Avenue ditch environmental remediation project is moving at a quicker pace than expected.
http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=54501
New USM research center will boost ‘Blue Economy’
Hattiesburg American
Research and development connected to the ever-growing “Blue Economy“ just got a major boost at the University of Southern Mississippi with this month’s groundbreaking on the university’s new Marine Research Center at the Port of Gulfport.
MDEQ lifts water warning for a section of the Mississippi Sound
WLOX
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) -The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality lifted a water contact advisory Thursday afternoon for Ocean Springs Front Beach from the Yacht Club east to Jackson Avenue.
http://www.wdam.com/story/33785008/mdeq-lifts-water-warning-for-a-section-of-the-mississippi-sound
Nkrumah Frazier: Follow your passions
Hattiesburg American
Hattiesburg resident Nkrumah Frazier is a perfect example of what one can accomplish while following a passion.
Storm drain no place for hazardous waste
Clarion Ledger
Jackson has produced a new public service announcement to remind the public that cooking oil and other hazardous waste should not be poured down storm drains.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/2016/11/26/storm-drain-place-hazardous-waste/94479574/
ACKERMAN WATER PLANT
WCBI
ACKERMAN, Miss.(WCBI)—A new water treatment plant in Ackerman has been flowing for the last six months.
http://www.wcbi.com/ackerman-water-plant/
Moon Lake paddlefish makes 725-mile journey
Clarion Ledger
A paddlefish that was tagged in Moon Lake was recently recaptured after traveling hundreds of miles to the Ohio River.
Kemper County plant another step closer to being operational
AP
DE KALB, Mississippi -- Electricity is now being generated in the second gasifier at Mississippi Power's Kemper County plant.
Oil Spill
Mississippi’s $10 Million Investment in Sea Turtle and Dolphin Recovery
Ocean Conservancy Blog
Last week, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation approved nearly $370 million in new projects to help the Gulf of Mexico recover from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. Among these new projects is Mississippi’s Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Conservation Recovery and Monitoring Program, a nearly $10 million, five-year project.
Offshore reefs lure divers, fishermen
Panama City News Herald
PANAMA CITY BEACH — The state waters off Panama City Beach and Mexico City Beach are expected to become a fishing and diving mecca in the coming years, with more than 1,000 new artificial reefs being submerged, officials said.
http://www.newsherald.com/news/20161125/offshore-reefs-lure-divers-fishermen
Regional
States, including Arkansas, miss goal; Gulf's 'dead zone' unchecked
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Fifteen years after Arkansas and 11 other states set a goal of shrinking an oxygen-starved area of the Gulf Coast to 1,900 square miles, the area is still a few times larger.
http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2016/nov/27/states-miss-goal-gulf-s-dead-zone-unche/
Air of Uncertainty: EPA lays out plan to reduce 'likely carcinogen' emissions
WVUE
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH, LA (WVUE) -Tuesday, the federal government announced a timetable to get a Louisiana plant to reduce its chemical emissions that are classified as a likely carcinogen.
National
Trump Has Options for Undoing Obama’s Climate Legacy
NY Times
President-elect Donald J. Trump has vowed to dismantle many of the signature policies put in place by the Obama administration to fight the effects of climate change.
EPA sets new biofuel targets. Troubled program could end up on Trump’s chopping block
Washington Post
The Environmental Protection Agency set new 2017 targets for biofuels, part of a troubled and complex program to promote non-corn-based ethanol and biodiesel that has fallen far short of the goals Congress adopted in 2007. Moreover, the byzantine enforcement program, strongly criticized by many oil refiners, could end up on President-elect Donald Trump’s chopping block.
EPA Completes Rule Requiring More Ethanol Blended Into 2017 Gasoline Supply
Rules draws praise from ethanol producers, ire from oil industry
WSJ
WASHINGTON—Federal regulators finalized a rule Wednesday that raises the amount of ethanol refineries must blend into the nation’s gasoline supply, providing a boost to ethanol companies and drawing criticism from an oil industry that opposes higher levels.
Contractors Settle Case Over Cleanup Effort at Hanford Nuclear Site
Two contractors agree to pay $125 million after allegations of providing deficient materials for waste-treatment plant
WSJ
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that two major contractors at the giant cleanup effort at the Hanford nuclear-weapons site in south-central Washington have agreed to pay $125 million to settle allegations that they had made false statements to the government and provided deficient materials and services.
Press Releases
EPA Finalizes Increase in Renewable Fuel Volumes
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today finalized increases in renewable fuel volume requirements across all categories of biofuels under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program. In a required annual rulemaking, today’s action finalizes the volume requirements and associated percentage standards for cellulosic biofuel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel for 2017, and for biomass-based diesel for 2018.
“Renewable fuel volumes continue to increase across the board compared to 2016 levels,” said Janet McCabe, the agency’s acting assistant administrator for the Office of Air and Radiation. “These final standards will boost production, providing for ambitious yet achievable growth of biofuels in the transportation sector. By implementing the program enacted by Congress, we are expanding the nation’s renewable fuels sector while reducing our reliance on imported oil.”
Some key elements of today’s action:
• Non-advanced or “conventional” renewable fuel increases in 2017, meeting the 15 billion-gallon congressional target for conventional fuels.
• The standard for biomass-based biodiesel – which must achieve at least 50 percent lifecycle greenhouse gas emission reductions compared to petroleum-based diesel – grows by 100 million gallons. The required volume of biomass-based diesel for 2017 is twice that of the minimum congressional target.
• Cellulosic biofuel – which must achieve at least 60 percent lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions reductions – grows 35 percent over the 2016 standard.
• The advanced biofuel standard – comprised of biomass-based diesel, cellulosic biofuel, and other biofuel that achieves at least 50 percent lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions reductions – increases 19 percent over the 2016 standard.
• Total renewable fuel volumes grow 1.2 billion gallons from 2016 to 2017, a 6 percent increase.
Renewable Fuel Volume Requirements for 2014-2018
| | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| Cellulosic biofuel (million gallons) | 33 | 123 | 230 | 311 | n/a |
| Biomass-based diesel (billion gallons) | 1.63 | 1.73 | 1.9 | 2.0 | 2.1 |
| Advanced biofuel (billion gallons) | 2.67 | 2.88 | 3.61 | 4.28 | n/a |
| Renewable fuel (billion gallons) | 16.28 | 16.93 | 18.11 | 19.28 | n/a |
The Clean Air Act requires EPA to set annual RFS volume requirements for four categories of biofuels. By displacing fossil fuels, biofuels are part of the nation’s overall strategy to enhance energy security and address climate change. EPA is using the tools provided by Congress to adjust the standards below the statutory targets, but the steadily increasing volumes in the final rule continue to support Congress’s intent to grow the volumes. EPA implements the RFS program in consultation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Energy.
For more information on today’s announcement, go to: https://www.epa.gov/renewable-fuel-standard-program/final-renewable-fuel-standards-2017-and-biomass-based-diesel-volume
MRC Now Accepting Applications for the School Recycling Grant Program
The Mississippi Recycling Coalition (MRC) is offering up to $10,000 in grants to schools to support new or expanding recycling programs. Both $500 and $1,000 grants are available to public and private K-12 schools in Mississippi. This grant program supports the mission of MRC, a non-profit organization that works to promote and grow recycling efforts in the state.
Deadline:
Applications are due Tuesday, December 20, 2016. Mailed applications should be postmarked by that date; faxed and emailed applications should be submitted by 11:59 p.m.
Submitting Applications:
MRC accepts applications through mail, fax and email. Please make sure applications and all accompanying forms are submitted by the deadline. Also, please note guidelines and instructions below.
Mail: ATTN: School Recycling Grants, Mississippi Recycling Coalition, PO Box 23294, Jackson, MS 39225
Fax: ATTN: School Recycling Grants, Mississippi Recycling Coalition, 601-961-5785
Email: ATTN: School Recycling Grants, mwilliams@mdeq.ms.gov or jmilner@mdeq.ms.gov
Questions:
If you have questions, contact Mark Williams or Jennifer Milner at 601-961-5171 or by email to mwilliams@mdeq.ms.gov or jmilner@mdeq.ms.gov.
Guidelines and Instructions:
· MRC only accepts one application per school.
· A budget outline must be included in response to Question 6 on the application form. The budget must support the grant amount the school is requesting (e.g. $500 or $1,000).
· We request that all signatures be completed with an ink pen in a color other than black.
· Applications without the necessary signatures will not be considered.
· Only typed pages will be considered.
· Font size should be no smaller than 10 points and no larger than 14 points.
· In responding to Questions 1-6 of the application, additional attachments or enclosures may be included if needed.
