Wednesday, May 31, 2017

News Clippings May 31, 2017




State

Cooper Tire Tupelo, Clarksdale plants recognized by Mississippi Dept. of Environmental Quality
AP

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) has recognized Cooper Tire’s Tupelo and Clarksdale, Mississippi plants as members of its environmental stewardship enHance initiative.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/business/2017/05/30/cooper-tire-clarksdale-plants-recognized/354818001/

Message to Spillway fishermen and visitors: "Clean up or We're Closing!"
WLBT

RIDGELAND, MS (Mississippi News Now) -After threatening a $1,000 fine and educating on the importance of not littering, those maintaining the grounds at the Spillway say they've had enough with people leaving their garbage behind.
http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/35551598/message-to-spillway-fishermen-and-visitors-clean-up-or-were-closing

Hattiesburg business flooded with raw sewage
WDAM

HATTIESBURG, MS (WDAM) -The owners at Audio Video Specialists were overwhelmed over the weekend to find their store flooded with raw sewage water.
http://www.wdam.com/story/35547895/hattiesburg-business-flooded-with-raw-sewage

Yazoo clay forcing slide repair projects in 3 counties
Clarion Ledger

Construction crews are beginning a $1.8 million project today to repair multiple slides in Hinds, Madison and Scott counties.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2017/05/30/yazoo-clay-forcing-slide-repair-projects-3-counties/354878001/

Governor coming to Coast to create ocean task force
Sun Herald

Gov. Phil Bryant will be on the Coast on Thursday to formally create an ocean task force, but his office isn’t saying exactly what it is or what its purpose will be.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/article153453884.html

Bill Walker, former DMR director, moved to halfway house
WLOX

Former Mississippi Department of Marine Resources director Bill Walker is back in Mississippi at a halfway house in Hattiesburg, according to his son, Scott Walker.
http://www.wlox.com/story/35549326/bill-walker-former-dmr-director-moved-to-halfway-house


National

Trump expected to withdraw from Paris climate agreement
CNN

President Donald Trump is expected to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement, two senior US officials familiar with his plans told CNN Wednesday.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/31/politics/trump-paris-accord/index.html

EPA Regulatory Review Floodgates Open, Leaving Pruitt to Mop Up
Bloomberg

When asked which EPA regulations stifle economic growth and should be reconsidered or rescinded, industry groups responded, “All of them.”
https://www.bna.com/epa-regulatory-review-n73014451676/

EPA to Clear Backlog of New Chemical Approvals by July
Bloomberg

The backlog of new chemicals being reviewed by the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to be cleared by July due to staffing, policy and procedural changes the agency has made.
https://www.bna.com/epa-clear-backlog-n73014451641/

Exxon Refinery Neighbor Group Scoffs at Texas-EPA Agreement
Bloomberg

Environmental groups say a settlement between the Texas state environmental regulator and the EPA over a potential civil rights violation in permitting of an Exxon Mobil Corp. refinery is too little, too late.
https://www.bna.com/exxon-refinery-neighbor-n73014451639/

Opinion

Agriculture Beware: Groundwater Future Belongs to SCOTUS
Farm Journal

“Drainage. Drainage … My straw reaches across the room and starts to drink your milkshake. I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!” The menacing words of maniacal oilman Daniel Plainview were spoken in the final scene of the searing 2007 film, There Will Be Blood, set in 1927 in California. Ninety years later, questions over ownership of another natural resource hidden in the depths have fueled a new controversy carrying sledgehammer legal implications for agriculture: I drink your groundwater.
Mississippi and Tennessee are tangled in a legal fight over groundwater rights and the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) has bucked prediction by granting leave and taking the case. 
https://www.agweb.com/article/agriculture-beware-groundwater-future-belongs-to-scotus-naa-chris-bennett/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWWpoak4ySm1aVGM1TURFNSIsInQiOiJZK1h1cGhNYUt5a2dkdFRMNm14cmdwYk02QXpaUG4rQTVIK3pYOVprT05LMkVCSlRWMTl0eVwvek5oQVRQODdGbCs0RytsMmVzNGtiT2dRSGVTY0lsRjQ5Y1Y3aDVFSWJKdjNZVjFxVXBhZU54NlI1T09SNXpNVGR1c2U0N3YwVXAifQ==



Press Releases

McDonald to coordinate Mississippi Oyster Gardening Program

After its 2016 pilot run, the Mississippi Oyster Gardening Program will open its first official season in June with nine sites along the Coast.
http://masgc.org/news/article/mcdonald-to-coordinate-mississippi-oyster-gardening-program

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

News Clippings May 30, 2017




State

Company applies for landfill permit in Madison County
WJTV

MADISON COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – A company wants to develop another landfill in Madison County, and the City of Ridgeland says it’s not having it.
http://wjtv.com/2017/05/26/company-applies-for-landfill-permit-in-madison-county/


Supervisor unhappy with erosion control plan
Costs $214,000 to prepare 140 acres of grass
Enterprise-Journal

A Pike County supervisor cried foul Thursday when bids exceeded $200,000 to handle an erosion control prevention plan on 140 acres in Gateway Industrial Park.
The board voted 4-1 to accept a $214,935 bid from W.S. Construction Inc. to implement a stormwater pollution prevention plan — also known as SWPPP — required by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.
http://www.enterprise-journal.com/news/article_649360d6-4363-11e7-bbdf-c39fea011b32.html


Jackson steel coater to pay $98K fine
AP

JACKSON, Miss. - A Mississippi facility that coats and paints coils of steel is paying a $98,000 civil fine for a number of environmental violations.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/business/2017/05/30/jackson-steel-coater-pay-98-k-fine/353847001/

Mississippi town fined for too much cyanide in wastewater
AP
JACKSON, MISS. 

A Mississippi town is being fined $2,000 for discharging too much cyanide from its wastewater treatment plant.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/state/mississippi/article153139309.html

Asphalt plant owner paying $36,000 fine for record problems
AP
BOONEVILLE, MISS. 

The owner of a Mississippi asphalt plant is paying a $36,000 civil fine for violations of environmental record-keeping rules.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/business/article153045439.html

Guess who will pay if Trump has his way with budget?
Sun Herald

President Donald Trump’s budget would cut deep into the millions that stream to the Coast from the federal government, touching most aspects of life — health, education, the environment, tourism and human services.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/politics-government/article152836209.html


KEMPER POWER PLANT SCHEDULED TO BE FULLY OPERATIONAL THIS WEEK
MPB

Mississippi Power is scheduled to have its state-of-the-art, Kemper County Energy Facility up and running by tomorrow. As MPB's Mark Rigsby reports, it's still unclear if the company will meet its start up deadline.  
http://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/2017/05/30/kemper-power-plant-scheduled-to-be-fully-operational-this-week/

Deadline looms for Mississippi Power to make case for raising rates
Sun Herald

Seven years after construction began, and at an anticipated cost of $4.3 billion more than originally projected, the Kemper County energy plant now faces a major deadline.
Mississippi Power Co. has until June 3 to lay out its case for raising customer rates to recover those costs.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/business/article152881969.html

Homeowners, businesses dream of generating power from rooftops or backyards
Clarion Ledger

The sun drenches the earth with enormous energy potential. It’s often reported that enough solar energy hits the earth every hour to meet all the earth’s power needs for a year. If we could efficiently tap even a tiny fraction of that energy, it could make us truly energy-independent. Since Mississippi is generally a sunny state, getting at least some power from the sun is beginning to become a real possibility.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/business/2017/05/28/homeowners-businesses-dream-generating-power-rooftops-backyards/339719001/

Construction begins at solar farm near Sumrall
Hattiesburg American

The story
In September 2015, officials from Hattiesburg-based Cooperative Energy announced the company would partner with international solar energy provider Origis Energy to construct a 52-megawatt project on a 470-acre solar farm off Mississippi 42 near Sumrall.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/2017/05/27/construction-begins-solar-farm-near-sumrall/344030001/

MSU researchers monitoring crazy creatures
Clarion Ledger

Mississippi State University researchers are studying a “crazy” creature found in the state’s coastal counties that are difficult to control because of their massive scale and cause disruption in electrical systems.

Graduates to help establish ocean survey standards
Seven hydrography experts with ties to the University of Southern Mississippi will convene next month in Paris, France, to begin the process of revising international standards critical to such areas as maritime navigation, oil and gas exploration and military battlespace mapping.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2017/05/27/researchers/344300001/

Coast anglers angry over short Federal Red Snapper season
Sun Herald

Several Coast anglers are upset about the shortest federal red snapper season in history.
The season starts at 12:01 a.m. Thursday and ends 12:01 a.m. Sunday. The Associated Press is reporting demonstrations are being organized at fishing ports in Alabama, Florida and Mississippi with boat owners and captains on Sunday.
http://www.sunherald.com/sports/outdoors/article153167939.html

Regional

Patient records may be needed to confirm suspected ’cancer cluster”
Herald-Tribune

Families of alumni from Bayshore High School, which was demolished and rebuilt in 1999, and the adjoining and abandoned Manatee Technical Institute campus, which was recently demolished, believe potentially hundreds of cancer cases could be traced back to soil or other contamination at the school sites on Bradenton’s 34th Street West. http://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20170525/patient-records-may-be-needed-to-confirm-suspected-cancer-cluster


Executives earn millions despite losses at nuclear projects
AP

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Executives of a company financing construction of two nuclear reactors in Georgia continue to be awarded millions of dollars in incentives, despite it being behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/business/2017/05/27/executives-earn-millions-despite-losses-nuclear-projects/351612001/

Georgia man, 86, donates $400k of recycling earnings to charity
WTVM

RINGGOLD, GA (WTVM) - Over a span of 32 years, 86-year-old Johnny Jennings has donated $400,000 to the Georgia Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries with profits he received from recycling.
http://www.wmcactionnews5.com/story/34964813/georgia-man-86-donates-400k-of-recycling-earnings-to-charity?utm_content=bufferd2f13&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

National

EPA chief puts new spotlight on cleanup program
The Hill

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) head Scott Pruitt is looking to make a key federal program focused on cleaning contaminated sites an integral part of his agenda at the agency.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/335383-epa-chief-puts-new-spotlight-on-cleanup-program

Can the Paris Climate Deal Survive a Trump-Style Renegotiation?
NY Times

As President Trump ponders whether the United States should stay in or leave the Paris climate agreement, many of his closest allies and advisers have been urging him to keep the country in but “renegotiate” the deal to better reflect his energy policies.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/26/climate/can-the-paris-climate-deal-survive-a-trump-style-renegotiation.html?rref=collection/sectioncollection/earth&action=click&contentCollection=earth®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=3&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0

Smoky Diesel Cloud Hangs Over Auto Industry Profits
Lawsuits against Fiat Chrysler and GM are only the most visible sign of diesel’s mounting costs
WSJ

If Volkswagen ’s VLKAY -0.50% rivals ever felt schadenfreude when the auto maker’s diesel emissions fraud came to light in 2015, they won’t be feeling it now. Recently launched lawsuits against Fiat FCAU -0.28% Chrysler and General Motors GM 1.44% are only the most visible of diesel’s mounting costs.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/smoky-diesel-cloud-hangs-over-auto-industry-profits-1496135666


New regs for Monday: Whistleblowers, endangered, beef
The Hill

Regs: The Department of Energy (DOE) is searching for existing regulations to eliminate.
The Energy Department issued a request for information Friday as it seeks to identify unnecessary and burdensome rules to modify or repeal.
The public has 45 days to comment.
Endangered: Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is reconsidering protectionsfor certain freshwater mussels.
The FWS proposed last August listing the Texas hornshell as endangered, but is now reopening the comment period.
The public has an additional 30 days to comment.
http://thehill.com/regulation/335281-new-regs-for-monday-whistleblowers-endangered-beef

Opinion

Three Republican EPA administrators: Trump is putting us on a dangerous path
Washington Post
By William D. Ruckelshaus, Lee M. Thomas and William K. Reilly May 26

William D. Ruckelshaus was administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from 1970 to 1973 and 1983 to 1985. Lee M. Thomas was EPA administrator from 1985 to 1989, and William K. Reilly was EPA administrator from 1989 to 1993.

More than 30 years ago, the world was faced with a serious environmental threat, one that respected no boundaries. A hole in the ozone layer was linked to potential increases in skin cancer and blindness from cataracts.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/three-republican-epa-administrators-trump-is-putting-us-on-a-dangerous-path/2017/05/26/10060ad2-424b-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html?utm_term=.2317a406f3ef



Press Releases

GOV. BRYANT DECLARES HURRICANE PREPAREDNESS WEEK IN MISSISSIPPI

PEARL Gov. Phil Bryant has declared May 29-June 2 as Hurricane Preparedness Week in Mississippi to ensure residents are prepared for the upcoming tropical weather season. This year also marks the 12-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina that devastated the entire Mississippi Coast on August 29, 2005.

“It’s been five years since Hurricane Isaac, the last tropical system to affect Mississippi, and more than a decade since Katrina,” said Gov. Bryant. “With such a long gap between events, I want to make sure everyone in our state is prepared if we are threatened this year.”

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency will provide valuable preparedness information throughout the week for citizens and businesses on its website and on the social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and YouTube. Personal and community planning are the foundation for preparedness.

“With several years since we’ve been hit by a hurricane, I fear we’ve been lulled into a false sense of security”, said MEMA Executive Director Lee Smithson. “We need to ensure that we understand what we need to do for our families, our communities and our state before and after a hurricane or tropical storm.”

The Atlantic Hurricane Season officially starts June 1 and runs through November 30.

One of the first steps you should take in preparing for tropical weather is to create or restock an emergency supply kit:
  • Flashlight and battery-powered radio with extra batteries.
  • Non-perishable food for at least three days.
  • One gallon of water, per person, per day for at least three days.
  • Toiletry items.
  • Pet food and pet supplies.
  • Medicine and prescription medication.
  • Copies of important family papers and documents.
  • Cash and travelers checks, enough to fill up your vehicle with fuel.

You can download the 2017 MEMA Hurricane Preparedness Guide at http://www.msema.org/2017-hurricane-preparedness-guide. The best way to get up-to-date information is to “Like” MEMA on Facebook, or “Follow” us on Twitter and Snapchat.
                                                                       
###



Monday, May 29, 2017

Mississippi Steel Coater Pays $98,000 Environmental Fine

Source: Associated Press, 2017-05-29

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi facility that coats and paints coils of steel is paying a $98,000 civil fine for a number of environmental violations.

Texas-based Metal Coaters agreed to pay the fine to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality for violations at its Jackson plant. The regulator cited Metal Coaters for 15 violations in 2016, saying the company was improperly storing hazardous waste, hadn't reported a spill from a solvent tank, had an incomplete emergency plan and lacked two years' worth of inspection records.

The company has told MDEQ that it has fixed the problems in August and December letters.

Vice President for Environmental Affairs Todd Harbour signed the Feb. 17 order agreeing to waive hearing rights and pay the fine.

##

Friday, May 26, 2017

News Clippings May 26, 2017




State

Advisory remains for 1 section of MS Sound
WLOX

SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) -As we head into Memorial Day weekend, only one section of the Mississippi Sound now remains under a water contact advisory.
http://www.wlox.com/story/35518577/only-one-section-of-the-mississippi-sound-now-remains-under-a-water-contact-advisory

National Public Works Week celebrated locally
WTOK

MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) - This week is a big one for the people who keep the city’s infrastructure working.
http://www.wtok.com/content/news/National-Public-Works-Week-celebrated-locally-424390593.html

Public Works Week promotes those 'behind the scenes'
Daily Journal

TUPELO – Sounds of children laughing and applauding could be heard from Tupelo’s Public Works Department Thursday – a different sound for the company.
http://www.djournal.com/news/public-works-week-promotes-those-behind-the-scenes/article_8fb3cfee-aa09-5ad8-88b6-bdffb6466356.html

Solar energy coming to EMEPA members
Meridian Star

A partnership in East Mississippi could bring clean, renewable energy to East Mississippi Electric Power Association members in the upcoming year.
http://www.meridianstar.com/news/local_news/solar-energy-coming-to-emepa-members/article_97b3a91b-870a-58db-a13e-b427ef44b253.html


RECENT CUTS BY THE FORESTRY COMMISSION COULD HAVE A HUGE IMPACT ON VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS
WCBI

STURGIS, Miss. (WCBI)- The Forestry Commission is one of the latest agencies in the state to feel the budget ax.
http://www.wcbi.com/video-recent-cuts-forestry-commission-huge-impact-volunteer-fire-departments/

State issues health alert for dogs
WTVA

JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) — The Mississippi Board of Animal Health has issued a health alert for wildlife, puppies and adult dogs concerning a virus that can kill them.
http://www.wtva.com/story/35523958/state-issues-health-alert-for-dogs

Mississippi Taxing - Nuclear Power And Accusations Of Racism
Forbes

Claiborne County,  Mississippi is home to the Grand Gulf Nuclear Generating Station operated by Entergy.  Having one of those things in the neighborhood is a little nerve wracking.  The Nuclear Regulatory Agency defines a plume exposure pathway zone and a larger ingestion pathway zone in the vicinity of the plant, in the event something goes really wrong. On the upside, a power plant could mean a lot of tax revenue and Claiborne County shows up on lists as one of the poorest counties in the country.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterjreilly/2017/05/14/mississippi-taxing-nuclear-power-and-accusations-of-racism/#2c981d74919d

Oil Spill

Walton County looks to the future for transportation
WJHG

WALTON COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - As money from the 2010 Deep Water Horizon oil spill begins to be divvied out, Walton County is looking at innovative ways to spend it.
The council that deals with the RESTORE Act money and county officials are working together to build the area's infrastructure.
http://www.wjhg.com/content/news/Walton-County-looks-to-the-future-for-transportation-424403194.html

Experts tackle state waterway issues
Houma Courier

Experts are meeting in Thibodaux this week to present research and possible solutions to challenges facing the state’s waterways.
http://www.houmatoday.com/news/20170525/experts-tackle-state-waterway-issues

Regional

MSU coastal researchers get to throw out their muddy boots in favor of drone
Times-Picayune

Gray Turnage is looking forward to the day when he no longer has to trudge through mud to do coastal wetland research. Turnage is an invasive species expert with Mississippi State University and was recently part of a team that used a drone to map a species of wetland plant.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2017/05/msu_researchers_use_drone_to_m.html#incart_river_index

Environmental advocates sounding alarm about proposed cuts to EPA and its effect on Georgia
WSAV

President Trump is fulfilling a campaign promise in his new, proposed federal budget. It slashes the budget of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by 31 percent. But some advocates are sounding the alarm. 
http://wsav.com/2017/05/25/environmental-advocates-sounding-alarm-about-proposed-cuts-to-epa-and-its-effect-on-georgia/


National Hurricane Center warns of 'above-normal' Atlantic hurricane season
The Advocate

It's been 12 years since a major hurricane made landfall in the U.S., but the streak may come to an end this summer.
http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_5b36e01a-3ff5-11e7-a932-4fc1b1ac0016.html

National

Obama Administration Failed to Protect Environment, Pruitt Says
Bloomberg

EPA chief Scott Pruitt skewered his predecessors at a May 24 symposium, arguing contamination crises and court battles are the real environmental legacy of the Obama administration.
https://www.bna.com/obama-administration-failed-n73014451516/

Hatch proposes new plan for states struggling with “one-size-fits-all” ozone rule
Salt Lake Tribune

A new proposal from Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch could give the state more time to address its growing problem with ozone pollution.
The Senate bill — co-sponsored by Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. — would allow states and communities expected to violate the Environmental Protection Agency's new standard for ozone pollution levels to instead enter into voluntary control programs.
http://www.sltrib.com/home/5328847-155/hatch-proposes-new-plan-for-states

Looking for Trump’s Climate Policy? Try the Energy Department
NY Times

The Trump administration’s deepest impact on domestic climate policy might have little to do with its efforts to dismantle the Clean Power Plan or its decision on the Paris accord.
Instead, the coming battle over the future of the Energy Department could prove far more significant for the United States’ long-term efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate change" is out. "Resilience" is in. "Victims of domestic violence" are now "victims of crime." Foreign aid for refugee rights has become aid to protect "national security." "Clean energy investment" has been transformed into just plain "energy" investment.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-trump-federal-agencies-20170525-story.html

EPA, Energy Among Few Agencies Complying With Regulatory Order
Bloomberg

The environmental and energy agencies appear to be far ahead of other federal agencies in complying with executive orders signed months ago by President Donald Trump, aimed at repealing or streamlining regulations, according to data compiled by Bloomberg BNA.
https://www.bna.com/epa-energy-among-n73014451569/

Opinion

Anatomy of a Deep State
The EPA’s ‘Science Integrity Official’ is plotting to undermine Trump’s agenda.
WSJ
By Kimberley A. Strassel

On May 8 a woman few Americans have heard of, working in a federal post that even fewer know exists, summoned a select group of 45 people to a June meeting in Washington. They were almost exclusively representatives of liberal activist groups. The invitation explained they were invited to develop “future plans for scientific integrity” at the Environmental Protection Agency.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/anatomy-of-a-deep-state-1495753640

Press Releases

EPA Takes Action to Postpone Costly Steam Electric Power Plant Effluent Guidelines Rule
05/25/2017

Contact Information: 
(press@epa.gov )

WASHINGTON – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt today signed a proposed rule to postpone compliance dates for the effluent limitations guidelines and standards for steam electric power plants (ELG Rule), which was published in November 2015.

“This proposed rule is one of nearly two dozen significant regulatory reform actions I have taken during my short time as EPA Administrator to protect the environment, jobs and affordable, reliable energy. Today’s action, if finalized, will provide relief from the deadlines under the existing ELG Rule while we carefully consider the next steps for this regulation,” said Administrator Pruitt.

Specifically, EPA proposes to postpone the compliance dates for the more stringent best available technology economically achievable (“BAT”) requirements in the 2015 rule for each of the following wastestreams: fly ash transport water, bottom ash transport water, flue gas desulfurization (“FGD”) wastewater, flue gas mercury control wastewater, and gasification wastewater.

Last month EPA determined that two administrative petitions asking the agency to reconsider the 2015 ELG Rule raised issues sufficient to warrant reconsideration of the rule.

EPA is requesting a 30-day comment period that will begin upon publication in the Federal Register at: www.regulations.gov and searching for EPA-HQ-OW-2009-0819.

EPA is posting a pre-publication copy at: https://www.epa.gov/eg/steam-electric-power-generating-effluent-guidelines-2015-final-rule#documents