State
FURNITURE MARKET RETURNS
WCBI
TUPELO, Miss. - This weekend’s arctic blast didn’t chill the enthusiasm at the Tupelo Furniture Market, as participants are exited about the arrival of a pro-business president.
http://www.wcbi.com/video-furniture-market-returns/
Mississippi State of the State address set for Jan. 17
The Associated Press
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant will give his State of the State address during the third week of the legislative session.
Spokesman Clay Chandler said the speech is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Jan. 17 at the Capitol. It will be carried live on Mississippi Public Broadcasting TV.
http://www.wapt.com/article/mississippi-state-of-the-state-address-set-for-jan-17/8577577
National
Researchers Release Study on Effect of Dispersants on Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Cape Cod
WOODS HOLE – Scientists continue to research the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 and are studying the effect dispersants had in breaking down oil.
A 2014 study identified how much and where the oil was deposited onto the seafloor.
After Deepwater Horizon spill, oyster size did not change
Cornell Chronicle
Contrary to their own scientific intuition, Cornell researchers found that the body size of intertidal oysters didn’t change after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. This offers evidence that either the mollusks recovered rapidly or that the accident lacked the severity to affect growth.
“The average body size of oysters was relatively unchanged after the oil spill,” said paleo-ecologist Gregory Dietl, Cornell adjunct associate professor of earth and atmospheric sciences, reporting in the journal Royal Society Open Science, Nov. 30. Dietl is also a fellow at Cornell’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future.
http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/2017/01/after-deepwater-horizon-spill-oyster-size-did-not-change
Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 6, 2017
EPA Releases Final Analysis of Metals Released from Gold King Mine in the Animas and San Juan Rivers
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) posted the final fate and transport report for the Gold King Mine (GKM) release. The report focuses on understanding pre-existing river conditions, the movement of metals related to the GKM release through the river system, and the effects of the GKM release on water quality. The research supports EPA’s earlier statements that water quality in the affected river system returned to the levels that existed prior to the GKM release and contamination of metals from the release have moved through the river system to Lake Powell.
"This report is a comprehensive analysis of the effects on water quality from the Gold King Mine release," said Dr. Thomas A. Burke, EPA's Science Advisor and Deputy Assistant Administrator of EPA's Office of Research and Development. “While data indicate that water quality has returned to pre-event conditions, EPA is committed to continue our work with States and Tribes in the river system affected by the Gold King Mine release to ensure the protection of public health and the environment.”
The area affected by the Gold King Mine release consists of complex river systems influenced by decades of historic acid mine drainage. The report shows the total amount of metals, dominated by iron and aluminum, entering the Animas River following the release --- which lasted about nine hours on August 5, 2015 --was comparable to four to seven days of ongoing GKM acid mine drainage or the average amount of metals carried by the river in one to two days of high spring runoff. However, the concentrations of some metals in the GKM plume were higher than historical mine drainage. As the yellow plume of metal-laden water traveled downstream after the release, the metal concentrations within the plume decreased as they were diluted by river water and as some of the metals settled to the river bed.
There were no reported fish kills in the affected rivers, and post-release surveys by multiple organizations have found that other aquatic life does not appear to have suffered harmful short-term effects from the GKM plume. The concentrations of metals in well-water samples collected after the plume passed did not exceed federal drinking water standards. No public water system using Lake Powell as a source of drinking water has reported an exceedance of metals standards since the release.
Some metals from the GKM release contributed to exceedances of state and tribal water quality criteria at various times for nine months after the release in some locations. Metals from the GKM release may have contributed to some water quality criteria exceedances during the spring 2016 snow melt. Other exceedances may reflect longstanding contributions of metals from historic mining activities in the region and natural levels of metals in soils and rocks in the area. EPA will continue to work with states and tribes to interpret and respond to these findings.
Results from this analysis will inform future federal, state and tribal decisions on water and sediment monitoring. EPA will continue to work with states and tribes to ensure the protection of public health and the environment in the river system affected by the Gold King Mine release.
Read the final report, “Analysis of the Transport and Fate of Metals Released From the Gold King Mine in the Animas and San Juan Rivers”: https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_file_download.cfm?p_download_id=530074
Read the report’s executive summary: https://cfpub.epa.gov/si/si_public_file_download.cfm?p_download_id=530075
More information on the Fate and Transport analysis: https://www.epa.gov/goldkingmine/fate-transport-analysis
More information on the 2015 Gold King Mine incident: https://www.epa.gov/goldkingmine
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 6, 2017
EPA Recognizes Electronics Manufacturers, Retailers and Brand Owners for Making Electronics More Sustainable
WASHINGTON – Tomorrow, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will recognize leading electronics manufacturers, retailers, and brand owners for their significant contributions in diverting electronics from landfills. The winners will be honored during an event at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
“The successful practices spearheaded by our Sustainable Materials Management (SMM) Electronics Challenge participants are inspiring examples of how other manufacturers, retailers and brand owners throughout various industries can make their products more sustainable throughout their life cycles,” said Mathy Stanislaus, Assistant Administrator for EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management. “I am proud to recognize the awardees and all SMM Electronics Challenge participants who are leading the industry in creating innovative ways to meld environmental responsibilities with sound business practices, which are necessary for future growth.”
“CTA is honored to host EPA at CES 2017 and recognize the winners of the annual SMM Awards Challenge,” said Walter Alcorn, vice president, Environmental Affairs and Industry Sustainability, Consumer Technology Association. “These awards help demonstrate our industry’s focus on advancing sustainable operations to reduce e-waste and our industry’s overall environmental impact. In fact, through the consumer tech industry’s leadership, EPA research shows electronics recycling has increased more than that of any other product stream in the U.S.”
Electronic products are a global economic driver, with supply chains reaching around the world. By designing with the environment in mind and through a lifecycle lens, the product can be made to be more readily repairable and reusable, while toxic materials can be designed out of the product, which extends product life and facilitates recycling.
In the spirit of innovation, the EPA is unveiling a new award this year: The Cutting Edge Award. This award promotes bold ideas that have the potential to make a huge impact on the future of sustainable electronics management across a product’s full supply chain. It is designed to encourage life cycle thinking while creating ambitious and new ideas that have the potential to be game changers in addressing sustainability in electronics.
Leaders from Best Buy (Gold Tier Award), Dell (Gold Tier), LG Electronics (Gold Tier), Samsung (Gold Tier), Sony (Bronze Tier), Sprint (Gold Tier), Staples (Gold Tier), and VIZIO (Bronze Tier) will gather at CES to celebrate their environmental achievements, which include diverting more than 256,000 tons of used electronics from landfills in 2015 – equivalent to taking 129,000 passenger vehicles off of the road for one year. Of the used electronics collected, almost all (more than 99.9 percent) were sent to third-party-certified recyclers, which helps to ensure that used electronics are handled in a manner that protects human health and the environment.
EPA is also honoring Dell, Staples and Samsung as the SMM Electronics Challenge Champion Award winners for exemplifying exceptional leadership and innovation in the sustainable management of electronics. These three companies serve as examples in demonstrating significant environmental, social, and economic outcomes for their organizations and the public that go above and beyond the requirements of the SMM Electronics Challenge.
- Dell is receiving an award for its pioneering use of post-industrial recycled carbon filled polycarbonate in the Latitude E7450 laptop.
- Staples is receiving an award for its “Make More Happen” initiative, an outreach and public education campaign that has provided information on Staples’ Technology Recycling Program to more than 6 million people.
- Samsung is receiving the inaugural Cutting Edge Award for its Cadmium-free Quantum Dot ultra-high-definition televisions.
Mr. Stanislaus will also introduce a CES panel, “Can Sustainability Payoff in Tech?” The panel will bring together policymakers, researchers and leaders in the industry to discuss sustainability issues.
Both the SMM Awards and the sustainability panel are open press.
WHEN and WHERE:
Awards Ceremony
10:00 -10:30 a.m. PST – Saturday, January 7, 2017
LVCC, Grand Lobby Consumer Technology Association Center Stage
Tech East Las Vegas Convention Center
3150 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Panel Discussion
1:00 – 2:00 p.m. PST – Saturday, January 7, 2017
North Hall N254 Las Vegas Convention Center
3150 Paradise Road
Las Vegas, NV 89109
RSVP: Credentialed press who would like to attend should email egrimm@cta.tech to RSVP with your name, cell or email info and media affiliation. Please note updated CES security measures on CES.tech, including bag check points, bag restrictions and exceptions and badge pickup locations for CES 2017.
More information for consumers to find a location to donate or recycle their electronics: http://www.epa.gov/recycle/electronics-donation-and-recycling
More information on the SMM Electronics Challenge and how to participate: http://www.epa.gov/smm-electronics
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Robbie Wilbur
Communications Director
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality
Post Office Box 2261
Jackson, Mississippi 39225
rwilbur@mdeq.ms.gov
601-961-5277 (office)
601-421-5699 (cell)
@MDEQ
