State
Council takes steps to have consent judgment amended
Hattiesburg American
After convening to executive session during Tuesday's meeting of Hattiesburg City Council, council members took unspecified action toward the city's plan to have amended a consent judgment issued by Gulf Restoration Network regarding wastewater treatment issues.
Council prepares to head back to federal court over wastewater regulations
WDAM
HATTIESBURG, MS (WDAM) -The Hattiesburg City Council unanimously voted Tuesday to move forward with legal preparations to challenge its current agreement with Gulf Restoration Network and the treatment levels it sets for wastewater.
MDEQ investigating gasoline leak in Pass Christian
WLOX
PASS CHRISTIAN, MS (WLOX) -A mysterious odor rising from a vacant lot in Pass Christian led to an underground discovery.
http://www.wlox.com/story/33967623/mdeq-investigating-gasoline-leak-in-pass-christian
Couple: MEPA fouled pond
Enterprise-Journal
Residents who live next door to the new Magnolia Electric Power Association headquarters on Highway 98 West, Summit, say construction on the property last year left their pond clogged with silt.
http://www.enterprise-journal.com/news/article_48145b76-bbd8-11e6-adc0-77f1affda0d9.html
Regulators delay vote on Mississippi Power coal ash plan
AP
JACKSON, MISS.
Mississippi utility regulators Tuesday delayed voting on an $82 million plan for Mississippi Power Co. to close coal ash disposal areas at a power plant in Gulfport.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/business/article119185233.html
MISSISSIPPI POWER $82 MILLION PLAN
WXXV
Mississippi Power utility regulators aren't quite ready to vote on an $82 million plan for Mississippi Power Company to close coal ash disposal areas in Gulfport.
http://www.wxxv25.com/2016/12/06/mississippi-power-82-million-plan/
Stretching their wings, young cranes join sandhill refuge
Sun Herald
OCEAN SPRINGS
Three young cranes, released Tuesday onto the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge, spread their wings right way and took flight.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/jackson-county/article119340333.html
'What are we breathing?' East Biloxi residents ask council
Sun Herald
BILOXI
Adults and children from East Biloxi brought protest signs and complaints to Tuesday's Biloxi Council meeting and said they've had enough of the health problems, the damaged vehicles and other issues they are facing because all the streets in their part of the city are torn up.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/harrison-county/article119329733.html
Facing sewer revenue shortfalls, city raises rates
Daily Corinthian
After several months of looking at options, the Corinth Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Tuesday adopted a sewer rate increase.
http://www.dailycorinthian.com/view/full_story/27325355/article-Facing-sewer-revenue-shortfalls--city-raises-rates?
NEW MEDICAL DRONE AIMS TO IMPROVE DISASTER RESPONSE
MPB
A doctor and a medical student in Mississippi hope their new invention will save lives during an emergency. They have designed a drone to deliver supplies to emergency personnel during a disaster, and assist in treating victims. MPB's Mark Rigsby attended the unveiling.
http://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/2016/12/07/new-medical-drone-aims-to-improve-disaster-response/
UM adds biomedical engineering program
Daily Journal
OXFORD – The University of Mississippi School of Engineering has launched a new biomedical degree program after years of development.
http://djournal.com/news/um-adds-biomedical-engineering-program/
Regional
Gulf dead zone no smaller, yet hypoxia task force cites improvements
Times-Picayune
A federal-state task force charged with reducing the nutrients that form the annual low-oxygen dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico along Louisiana's coast on Tuesday (Dec. 6) outlined a variety of bright spots in their efforts to help Midwest farmers reduce fertilizer use or block it from entering rivers and streams.
Iberville Parish emergency official complains Dow failed to communicate on chlorine leak
The Advocate
Iberville Parish's top emergency preparedness official said Tuesday she's not happy about Dow Chemical's failure to quickly alert her office to last week's chlorine release at its Plaquemine facility or with its failure to adequately inform them of what was happening.
DHEC sued over failure to remove turtle-blocking seawalls
The State
COLUMBIA, SC Two conservation groups filed a lawsuit Tuesday over the state's failure to force the removal of experimental seawalls that they say are keeping rare sea turtles from reaching nesting sites on beaches in Charleston and Beaufort counties.
http://www.thestate.com/news/local/article119155113.html
Python big gulp: Three whole deer in one big snake belly
Miami Herald
MIAMI
Pythons eat a lot. No surprise there. But in a new study, scientists examining poop from a Burmese python bagged in the Everglades discovered the ravenous snakes may be gorging themselves on a Denny's scale of a Lumberjack Slam with two Moons over My Hammy.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article119345728.html
National
Climate Change Will Bring Wetter Storms in U.S., Study Says
NY Times
Decades of research (and perhaps your own recent experiences on hot, humid days) have suggested that climate change will lead to an increase in big storms that cause flash floods, landslides and other natural disasters. Now, a new study shows that such intense precipitation will most likely increase across the continental United States, but with important regional variations.
Environmental Groups Seek to Defend Federal Methane Rule
AP
Environmental groups are seeking to defend a new federal rule that would restrict how oil companies burn off excess natural gas extracted from public lands.
Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota are pressing a federal lawsuit in Wyoming seeking to block a rule that President Barack Obama's administration issued in November requiring certain companies to capture natural gas instead of burning it off.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/environmental-groups-seek-defend-federal-methane-rule-44020529
Coal Miner Wins Over Wall Street by Turning to Gas Fracking
Consol Energy's transformation to natural gas is part of a broader shift in Appalachia, which is becoming the country's primary gas-producing region
WSJ
On the campaign trail Donald Trump promised "coal is coming back," and the president-elect vowed to roll back environmental regulations he blames for hamstringing miners.
But the experience of Consol Energy Inc. suggests some businesses have already made up their mind about coal. The Pittsburgh-area company, which has mined coal sinceAbraham Lincoln was president, has in recent years become a natural-gas producer as it has shed its mines.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/coal-miner-wins-over-wall-street-by-turning-to-gas-fracking-1481115602
House panel quizzes EPA on VW zero emission vehicle fund
Reuters
A U.S. House panel on Tuesday questioned the Environmental Protection Agency's diesel emissions settlement with Volkswagen AG (VOWG_p.DE), which requires the German automaker to invest $2 billion in zero emission vehicle efforts over 10 years.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-volkswagen-emissions-hearing-idUSKBN13V2B3
Thousands of Montana snow geese die after landing in toxic, acidic mine pit
Washington Post
Snow geese migrate in huge, honking flocks, each bird winter-white except for a beak and wingtips smudged black. A single flock may comprise tens of thousands of birds. When the geese land en masse, bird hunters call it a swirl, as though a twister were touching down rather than four pound animals.
California EPA says settled with Apple on hazardous waste claims
Reuters
The California Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday said Apple Inc agreed to pay $450,000 to settle state claims that it had mishandled hazardous electronic waste at facilities in Silicon Valley.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-apple-waste-violations-idUSKBN13V2HS
Don't cry over spilled milk, molten aluminum or chicken poop
McClatchy News
If you bought it, a truck brought it, or so the saying goes.
But an online map from Atlas Obscura shows that trucks spilled it too, or some of it.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article119314453.html
Feds push dinosaur rules
The Hill
The Obama administration is looking to regulate dinosaur fossils.
The Interior Department proposed Tuesday new paleontology regulationsto preserve fossils found on federal lands, such as those belonging to dinosaurs.
http://thehill.com/regulation/energy-environment/309021-feds-push-dinosaur-rules
Opinion
Grand Gulf a 'catastrophe' that became an asset
Charlie Mitchell
Sun Herald
Nuclear-powered generators were scarce in the United States when utility powers-that-be in Mississippi decided, "Hey, we need one of those."
http://www.sunherald.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/charlie-mitchell/article119133613.html
Press Releases
| USDA Invests $33 Million to Improve Water Quality in High-Priority Watersheds |
| |
| WASHINGTON, Dec. 6, 2016 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced an investment of more than $33 million in 197 high-priority watersheds across the country to help landowners improve water quality through the Natural Resource Conservation Service's (NRCS) National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI). The NWQI helps farmers and ranchers implement voluntary conservation practices, such as nutrient management, cover crops, conservation cropping systems, filter strips, terraces and buffers, which protect and improve water quality where it is needed most. Conservation practices enhance agricultural productivity and profitability while also improving water quality by enhancing soil health and optimizing the use of agricultural inputs. "USDA is committed to working hand-in-hand with farmers, ranchers, and landowners to address water quality issues and provide the tools necessary to ensure clean, safe water for communities and wildlife," Vilsack said. "This latest investment is yet another example of how voluntary, incentive-based conservation programs are benefitting both producers and our natural resources." This year, NRCS added 42 new watersheds to the NWQI and selected 21 watersheds for new assessment projects. These assessment watershed projects span 17 states and include a variety of land uses and water quality issues. NRCS will provide resources for these assessment projects to leverage existing plans, data, and information, and fill gaps needed to complete watershed assessments and develop outreach plans. Experience and data gained from several studies, including the Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP), have shown that improvements in water quality are more likely to be detected when conservation systems are placed in the most vulnerable areas of a watershed. The goal of the NWQI is to implement conservation practices within a local area to protect water bodies within priority watersheds. NRCS works closely with conservation partners and State water quality agencies to select watersheds where on-farm conservation can deliver the greatest benefits for clean water. State water quality agencies also work to align U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funding with these priority watersheds. This targeted approach to improve water quality is working across the country. Conservation work on seven watersheds in Texas contributed to positive results and improving trends in water quality in Chambers Creek. With continued conservation efforts, Chambers Creek will not be added to the State's Clean Water Act list of impaired waterbodies due to agricultural impacts. Since 2012, conservation systems have been placed on almost 600,000 acres in priority watersheds through NWQI, supported by approximately $125 million in USDA investments. Now in its sixth year, NWQI has expanded to include more small watersheds across the nation, and it builds on efforts to deliver high-impact conservation in areas such as the Mississippi River basin, Gulf of Mexico, Chesapeake Bay and Great Lakes. Since 2009, USDA has invested more than $29 billion to help producers make conservation improvements, working with as many as 500,000 farmers, ranchers and landowners to protect over 400 million acres nationwide, boosting soil and air quality, cleaning and conserving water and enhancing wildlife habitat. For an interactive look at USDA's work in conservation and forestry over the course of this Administration, visit http://medium.com/usda-results. # |
EPA Moves to Ban Certain Aerosol Degreasers and Dry Cleaning Spot Removers as the First Major Regulatory Action Under Chemical Reform Law
WASHINGTON–The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing to ban certain uses of the toxic chemical trichloroethylene (TCE) due to health risks when used as a degreaser and a spot removal agent in dry cleaning.
"For the first time in a generation, we are able to restrict chemicals already in commerce that pose risks to public health and the environment," said Jim Jones, assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. "Once finalized, today's action will help protect consumers and workers from cancer and other serious health risks when they are exposed to aerosol degreasing, and when dry cleaners use spotting agents. I am confident that the new authority Congress has given us is exactly what we need to finally address these important issues."
EPA identified serious risks to workers and consumers associated with TCE uses in a 2014 assessment that concluded that the chemical can cause a range of adverse health effects, including cancer, development and neurotoxicological effects, and toxicity to the liver.
Specifically, EPA is proposing to prohibit manufacture (including import), processing, and distribution in commerce of TCE for use in aerosol degreasing and for use in spot cleaning in dry cleaning facilities. EPA is also proposing to require manufacturers, processors, and distributors to notify retailers and others in their supply chains of the prohibitions.
EPA's assessment also found risks associated with TCE use in vapor degreasing, and the agency is developing a separate proposed regulatory action to address those risks. Last week, EPA announced the inclusion of TCE on the list of the first ten chemicals to be evaluated for risk under TSCA. That action will allow EPA will evaluate the other remaining uses of the chemical. Today's action only proposes to ban certain uses of the chemical.
Comments on the proposed rule must be received 60 days after date of publication in the Federal Register
Once published, the proposed rule and supporting documents will be available in the Federal Register docket at: https://www.regulations.gov/ by searching for HQ-OPPT-2016-0163.
Learn more: https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/trichloroethylene-tce
Learn more about last week's announcement about the first ten chemicals to be evaluated under TSCA: https://www.epa.gov/assessing-and-managing-chemicals-under-tsca/evaluating-risk-existing-chemicals-under-tsca
EPA Announces $1.3 Million to Small Businesses to Support the Nation's Green Economy
This year's projects focus on cookstoves, manufacturing, toxic chemicals, water, and building materials
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced $1.3 million to 13 small businesses nationwide to develop and commercialize technologies to help solve current environmental issues.
"The 13 businesses we are funding today are producing innovative and creative solutions for our country's environmental problems," said Thomas Burke, EPA science advisor and deputy assistant administrator of EPA's Office of Research and Development. "Small businesses play an integral role in creating technologies that will help ensure a sustainable future for our country.
Each of the 13 companies will receive a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I contract for up to $100,000 to develop their green technology. If Phase I is successful, companies will be eligible to apply for a Phase II contract of up to $300,000 to develop and commercialize their technology for the marketplace.
The following companies are receiving a Phase I SBIR contract:
- Prometheus SenTech, LLC, Cincinnati, Ohio, to create a sensor to monitor organic compounds in the indoor environment.
- ASAT, Inc., Cottage Grove, Ore., to develop a cookstove that will heat homes and cook food while also lighting the kitchen and charging cell phones.
- Babington Technology, Rocky Mount N.C., to improve current cookstove combustion technology to reduce electrical power consumption and lower cost.
- Hi-Z Technology, Inc., San Diego, Calif., to introduce a power stove that will save trees, reduce cooking fire particulates and reduce premature deaths caused by indoor air pollution.
- Renuvix, LLC, North Fargo, N. D., to create a resin technology that will be free of toxic components and will improve the current process of creating polyurethane coatings.
- Faraday Technology, Inc., Englewood, Ohio, to develop an improved nutrient extraction technology that will be used to treat agricultural nutrients in wastewater.
- Microvi Biotech, Inc., Hayward, Calif. to develop a cost-effective solution for treatment of nutrients in wastewater and recovering the nutrients as a valuable bioproduct.
- NanoSonic, Inc., Pembroke, Va., to make an ultra-thin membrane used to recover phosphorus and other nutrients in wastewater.
- XploSafe, LLC, Stillwater, Okla. to recover excess nutrients in wastewater using sorbent pellets that can release the nutrients back into the soil.
- Professional Analytical & Consulting Services, Inc., Coraopolis, Pa., to repurpose plastic and automotive waste to produce electrically conducive plastic.
- Revolution Research, Inc., Orono, Maine to design the manufacturing process for a bio-based, "green" ceiling tile that is durable, non-hazardous and compostable, with higher insulation properties.
- TIAX, LLC, Lexington, Mass. to develop a technology that will decontaminate biological material in railway and subway cars with reduced manpower while protecting workers from exposure.
- Zeteo Tech, LLC., Ellicott City, Md., to create a technology that will safely and rapidly decontaminate biological agents in railroad and subway cars that could also be used for reducing odor and allergy causing molds.
More information about the EPA SBIR Program: www.epa.gov/sbir
More information about the SBIR Program across the Federal Government: www.sbir.gov/
