State
Aldermen condemn Camelot apartments
Starkville Daily News
Extensive sewage overflow problems at apartments on North Montgomery Street have led to properties at the complex to be condemned by the Starkville Board of Aldermen.
…On September 9, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality investigated the site, and viewed large amounts of human waste in the area, with the "area [being] covered in maggots," according to the report. The sewage problem was documented flowing towards a drainage ditch, the report said.
http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/content/aldermen-condemn-camelot-apartments
Lamar supervisors move forward with energy plans
Hattiesburg American
Lamar County supervisors are moving forward with plans for energy savings in county buildings.
Test samples show E.coli in water for a Rankin County neighborhood
WJTV
RANKIN COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) —Signs are posted around a Rankin County neighborhood, telling neighbors the Central Rankin Water Association has issued a boil water alert due to water samples that showed E.coli in the water.
http://wjtv.com/2016/12/07/water-samples-show-e-coli-in-a-rankin-county-neighborhood/
Win big bucks from The C-L Outdoors
Clarion Ledger
The Clarion-Ledger readers can win big bucks in our Big Bucks Photo Contest sponsored by Van's Deer Processing and Sporting Goods and any entry can win.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/2016/12/07/win-big-bucks-c-l-outdoors/95085452/
State turns 199 Friday, plans for bicentennial
Clarion Ledger
Mississippi turns 199 years old on Friday, and the state has been gearing up for years to celebrate its bicentennial next year.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2016/12/07/statehood-bicentennial-2017/95100720/
Oil Spill
A shipment to clutch
Port St. Joe Star
For the second time this year Townsend Marine of Port St. Joe has moved a significant barge shipment through the Port of Port St. Joe.
…"The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality was pleased to see our natural shell and that it is available in large quantities," Addington said.
http://www.starfl.com/news/20161208/shipment-to-clutch
Regional
Southern drought relents but not over, despite recent rains
AP
ATLANTA – Recent showers and storms across much of the South have eased the severe drought in the region, but experts say it wasn't enough to make up for months of dry conditions before the rain finally fell.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/12/08/southern-drought-relents-but-not-over-despite-recent-rains.html
National
Donald Trump Taps Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to Lead EPA
Republican has been harsh critic of agency, fought Obama’s environmental regulations
WSJ
WASHINGTON—President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday chose Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, according to a transition official, turning to a climate-change skeptic and sharp critic of the agency to take its helm.
Trump Picks Scott Pruitt, Climate Change Denialist, to Lead E.P.A.
NY Times
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump has selected Scott Pruitt, the Oklahoma attorney general and a close ally of the fossil fuel industry, to run the Environmental Protection Agency, signaling Mr. Trump’s determination to dismantle President Obama’s efforts to counter climate change — and much of the E.P.A. itself.
Trump names Scott Pruitt, Oklahoma attorney general suing EPA on climate change, to head the EPA
Washington Post
President-elect Donald Trump on Thursday nominated Scott Pruitt, the attorney general of the oil and gas-intensive state of Oklahoma, to head the Environmental Protection Agency, a move signaling an assault on President Obama’s climate change and environmental legacy.
EPA targets dry cleaning chemical under new safety law
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing the first chemical it wants to ban under a new chemical safety law.
New regs for Thursday: Endangered whales, trucks, schools
The Hill
Endangered: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is proposing new protections for whales.
http://thehill.com/regulation/309169-new-regs-for-thursday-endangered-trucks-schools
Opinion
A Lawyer for a Lawless EPA
Scott Pruitt can restore respect for the states in environmental policy.
WSJ
As Donald Trump rolls out his domestic-policy nominees, Democrats are discovering to their horror that more often than not he meant what he said. The latest evidence is the President-elect’s intention to nominate Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to run the Environmental Protection Agency.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/a-lawyer-for-a-lawless-epa-1481155238
The EPA will likely conclude fracking doesn’t affect drinking water
BY MERRILL MATTHEWS - 12/07/16
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency may soon dispel one of the green movements favorite myths: That fracking contaminates drinking water.
Press Releases
EPA Adds Subsurface Intrusion to the Superfund Hazard Ranking System
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today finalized a proposal to expand the hazards that qualify sites for the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL).
EPA assesses sites using the Hazard Ranking System (HRS), which quantifies negative impacts to air, groundwater, surface water and soil. Sites receiving HRS scores above a specific threshold can be proposed for placement on the NPL.
Subsurface intrusion is the migration of hazardous substances, pollutants or contaminants from contaminated groundwater or soil into an overlying building. Subsurface intrusion can result in people being exposed to harmful levels of hazardous substances, which can raise the lifetime risk of cancer or chronic disease.
This regulatory change does not affect the status of sites currently on or proposed to be added to the NPL. This modification only augments criteria for applying the HRS to sites being evaluated in the future.
EPA targets sites on the NPL for further investigation and possible remediation through the Superfund program. Only sites added to the NPL are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term cleanup leading to a permanent remedy.
Further information about the HRS addition: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/hrs-subsurface-intrusion
Information about how a site is listed on the NPL: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-national-priorities-list-npl
Blog on today's action by EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Land and Emergency Management Mathy Stanislaus: https://blog.epa.gov/blog/2016/12/superfund-acts-to-protect-americans-from-harmful-vapors
| USDA Announces New Conservation Opportunities to Improve Water Quality and Restore Wildlife Habitat |
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| DES MOINES, Iowa, Dec. 7, 2016 – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will offer farmers and ranchers more opportunities to participate in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). The announcement includes new CRP practices to protect water quality and adds an additional 1.1 million acres targeted to benefit wildlife, pollinators and wetlands. "The Conservation Reserve Program is an extremely popular voluntary program that offers producers and landowners a wide variety of opportunities to prevent erosion, protect wildlife habitat and reduce nutrient runoff," said Vilsack. "With the program close to the legal enrollment limit of 24 million acres, USDA has been working to use all of the tools at our disposal to maximize benefits by combining multiple soil, water and wildlife objectives in the areas where it is needed most." Vilsack unveiled a new conservation initiative known as Clean Lakes, Estuaries and Rivers (CLEAR), which will add new tools to CRP that can help to improve water quality. CLEAR will assist landowners with the cost of building bioreactors and saturated buffers that filter nitrates and other nutrients from tile-drained cropland. Early estimates indicate that CLEAR could help to reduce nitrate runoff by as much as 40 percent over traditional conservation methods. CLEAR may cover up to 90 percent of the cost to install these new practices through incentives and cost-share. These new methods are especially important in areas where traditional buffers have not been enough to prevent nutrients from reaching bodies of water. USDA will also add an additional 1.1 million acres to a number of key CRP practices that are critically important to wildlife and conservation. These include 700,000 acres for State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement (SAFE) efforts, which restore high-priority wildlife habitat tailored to a specific state's needs. In addition to SAFE, 300,000 acres will be added to target wetlands restoration that are nature's water filters and 100,000 acres for pollinator habitat that support 30 percent of agricultural production. The continued strong demand for CRP combined with the limited acreage available for enrollment and lower land rental rates, allows USDA to modify certain program components without affecting the integrity of the program. Signing incentives are being reduced by $25 per acre on certain practices for fiscal year 2018 enrollments (incentives are currently between $100 and $150 per acre) and a cap on the maximum soil rental rate is being instituted for Continuous CRP at $300 per acre. The savings from these changes are being reinvested back in CRP, including the additional acres for SAFE, pollinator habitat and wetlands restoration. To learn more about FSA's conservation programs, visit www.fsa.usda.gov/conservation or contact your local FSA office. To find your local FSA office, visit http://offices.usda.gov. Throughout the Obama Administration, USDA has generated thousands of critical partnerships to conserve and protect our natural resources on working landscapes, while enrolling a record number of acres in conservation programs. Seventy-percent of the nation's land is owned and tended to privately, and America's farmers, ranchers and landowners have willingly stepped up to address the growing impacts of a changing climate. With USDA's support, they are working to implement voluntary practices that improve air and water quality, prevent soil erosion and create and protect wildlife habitat. 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 land and water on over 400 million acres nationwide. Read more about USDA's record conservation outcomes under this Caring for our Land, Air and Water: Preserving Precious Natural Resources for Tomorrow. # |
