State
Supervisors consider more ‘trash’ talking Sea Coast Echo
The Hancock County Solid Waste Authority Board last week approved amending its solid waste plan to include a medical waste treatment facility; however, the Hancock County Board of Supervisors wants to talk about the project a little bit more.
Pike County’s groundwater continues a decades-long drop, but at a relatively slow pace, according to an annual report from the Pearl River Basin Development District.
http://www.enterprise-journal.com/news/article_58ccdb58-3a51-11e7-ad66-739a5b73bc7c.html SPECIAL REPORT: What's in our water? WTVA
TUPELO, Miss. (WTVA) - For decades, heightened by the Flint, Michigan, water crisis that started about three years ago, people everywhere have wondered what’s in their water. That’s a reasonable concern. After all, water is vital to our survival. We drink it, we bathe in it, we cook with it, we play in it. Water in some way, is part of almost everything we are and do.
http://www.wtva.com/story/35434156/special-report-whats-in-our-water
Some areas of MS waters open year round for shrimping
WLOX
MISSISSIPPI SOUND (WLOX) -
Shrimpers are eagerly awaiting opening day of shrimp season in South Mississippi.The latest updates on the industry were presented Tuesday morning at the Commission on Marine Resources meeting.
Future farmers of oysters in Mississippi will be getting some lessons and hands-on training this summer on the fundamentals of oyster farming in neighboring Alabama. What they bring back and put into practice in coastal waters is designed to give Mississippi’s lagging oyster industry “a jumpstart,” said Jason Rider, oyster extension agent for the state Department of Marine Resources.
http://gulfcoastbusinesstoday.com/2017/05/12/oyster-farmers-learning-basics-2/ MAYOR PUSHES FOR MISSISSIPPI RIVER IMPROVEMENTS MPB
Will the Mississippi Aquarium boom or bust?
WLOX
Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency put out a call for comments about what regulations are in need of repeal, replacement or modification. The effort stemmed from an executive order issued by President Trump earlier this year instructing agencies to reexamine regulations that “eliminate jobs, or inhibit job creation” and/or “impose costs that exceed benefits.”
President Trump is facing a new fight with Democrats and greens over his energy agenda.
Trump last week nominated two officials to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which is responsible for permitting decisions on hot-button energy projects such as natural gas pipelines and export terminals.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/333219-trump-triggers-battle-over-energy-nominees Scorned Law May Be Environmentalists’ Tool to Protect EPA Data Bloomberg
A law long scorned by environmentalists may now be a tool for protecting information on the EPA’s website as the Trump administration purges references to climate change.
https://www.bna.com/scorned-law-may-n73014451036/ How high should Congress let flood insurance rates rise in program renewal? USA Today
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is wasting no time broadcasting that an era of lawless environmental regulation is over. One of the best signals so far is the agency’s agreement last week to let the Pebble Mine project in Alaska proceed through regular permitting and legal order.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-pebble-mine-victory-1494976868 The Struggle Behind Oil’s Ups and Downs We likely won’t see $100 a barrel again. The industry has been recalibrated to a lower price level. WSJ
By Daniel Yergin
A great struggle is unfolding in the world oil market. On one side are forces pushing to rebalance supply and demand; on the other, those pulling to recalibrate the business so that it operates at lower cost. That tension explains why the price keeps jumping toward $60 a barrel and then falling back near $40.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-struggle-behind-oils-ups-and-downs-1494976842 Press releases
DuPree seeks financial support from Congress on unfunded infrastructure
WDAM
This is a news release from the city of Hattiesburg. The National League of Cities has selected Hattiesburg Mayor, Johnny DuPree, to travel to Washington, D.C. on Thursday, May 18 to testify before Congress on the challenges local governments face in meeting Clean Water Act (CWA) requirements, as well as balancing environmental protection with economic feasibility.
Mayor DuPree’s testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee,
Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment, will occur during Infrastructure Week and will focus on “Building 21st Century Infrastructure for America: Improving Water Quality through Integrated Planning.”
“I am grateful for the chance to advocate for Hattiesburg and cities across the U.S. that are plagued with unfunded mandates which, too often, place a financial strain on the budgets of city officials, residents, and businesses,” said Mayor DuPree. “As city budgets struggle to recover from the Great Recession, many of us are making tough choices about the services and maintenance that we can afford and in some instances taking actions to borrow and finance funds to addresses critical needs,” he said.
DuPree said the Integrated Planning Framework and the Financial Capability Framework have been positive steps by the Environment Protection Agency to address the high costs of meeting CWA regulatory requirements, but there is more work to be done to ensure that these policy frameworks are useful tools and are implementable in Hattiesburg and communities across the country.
“With regard to affordability, flexibility, and the use of the permitting process within the Integrated Planning Framework, we can minimize these conflicts and pursue the best solutions for the environment and our nation’s communities,” said DuPree. “Additionally, with the consideration of socio-economic factors, in determining the financial capability of a community when developing compliance schedules for municipal projects necessary to meet CWA obligations, communities have the opportunity to address the particularly high financial burden that water rates have on low- and fixed-income residents,” he said.
DuPree said as he highlights to Congress options to improve both frameworks, he will share the obstacles and opportunities Hattiesburg encounters when working to meet CWA requirements, upgrade aging infrastructure, and protect water sources.
DuPree said he will also implore lawmakers to refrain from proposed budget cuts to critical programs as they would further reduce the ability to meet the everyday needs of communities, and add to the burden that unfunded mandates have on the Hattiesburg community, and other cities across the nation.
http://www.wdam.com/story/35444385/dupree-seeks-financial-support-from-congress-on-unfunded-infrastructure EPA’s Brownfields Job Training Program Transforms Lives and Land Across the Country
05/16/2017
Contact Information:
Christie St. Clair (
stclair.christie@epa.gov)
(202) 564-2880
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the selection of 14 organizations to receive funding to operate environmental job training programs for local residents. Funded through the agency’s Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training (EWDJT) Program, the organizations will receive a total of approximately $2.7 million to help residents learn the skills needed to secure employment in the environmental field. These grants help prepare people for green jobs that reduce environmental contamination and provide more sustainable futures for the communities most affected by solid and hazardous waste contamination.
“Brownfields job training programs are a win-win for communities impacted by hazardous waste sites,” said
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “These job training programs can touch and change lives by teaching valuable and marketable skills that also help protect our environment.”
“Massachusetts has a proud history of environmental protection, and this workforce development and job training grant will help meet the demands of employers and job candidates,” said
Governor Charlie Baker. “We appreciate the EPA’s support for the Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board and will continue pursuing steps at the state level to bolster educational training opportunities that are consistent with Massachusetts’ commitment to a diverse, skilled workforce.”
“I’m glad to see the EPA recognize the great work that St. Louis Community College is doing to recruit and train students for good-paying jobs,” said
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt. “STLCC has a strong record of placing program graduates in high-demand fields, and these additional resources will give more students the skills they need to secure their future and improve their communities.”
“Job training programs are important to growing good-paying Montana jobs that maintain our pristine environment,” stated
U.S. Senator Steve Daines. "This grant will allow residents of the 11th District [of Pennsylvania], including our veterans, to obtain the skills necessary to fill good-paying jobs,"
U.S. Representative Lou Barletta said. "What better way to prepare our workers than to train them to reclaim abandoned mine lands, improve our environment, and strengthen our local economy.”
U.S. Representative John Rutherford said, “Through the Brownfield program, dozens of Northeast Florida residents will have the opportunity to learn the skills necessary to reinvent these sites while gaining real-world work experience. These program transformations will positively impact the Jacksonville community, and will increase investments in our city.”
Today’s selectees are:
- The Fortune Society, Inc., New York City, New York
- Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc., Portland, Oregon
- Santa Fe Community College, Santa Fe, New Mexico
- Florida State College, Jacksonville, Florida
- People United for Sustainable Housing, Inc., Buffalo, New York
- PathStone Corporation, Arecibo, Barceloneta and Manati, Puerto Rico
- Zender Environmental Health and Research Group, Anchorage, Alaska
- Great Lakes Community Conservation Corps., Racine, Wisconsin
- OAI, Inc., Chicago, Illinois
- Salish Kootenai College, Inc., Flathead Indian Reservation, Montana
- Merrimack Valley Workforce Investment Board, Lawrence, Massachusetts
- St. Louis Community College, St. Louis County, Missouri
- City of Richmond, Richmond, California
- Earth Conservancy, Ashley, Pennsylvania
For over two decades, EPA’s EWDJT program has helped put people to work by building a skilled workforce across the country. The program awards competitive grants to nonprofit organizations and other eligible entities to recruit, train and place unemployed and underemployed individuals. Individuals completing the training have often overcome a variety of barriers to employment. Many are from low-income neighborhoods. The training programs also serve dislocated workers who have lost their jobs as a result of manufacturing plant closures, minorities, tribal members, transitioning veterans, ex-offenders and other individuals who may have faced barriers to employment.
Since 1998, when the EWDJT grant program started, more than 274 grants have been awarded. Approximately 16,300 individuals have completed training, and of those, more than 11,900 individuals have been placed in full-time employment earning an average starting wage of over $14 an hour. This equates to a cumulative job placement rate of 73 percent of graduates.
There are an estimated 450,000 abandoned and contaminated waste sites in America. When brownfields are addressed, nearby property values within a one-mile radius can increase 5-15.2% percent according to an independent study.
For more information on EWDJT grantees, including past EWDJT grantees, please visit:
https://cfpub.epa.gov/bf_factsheets/ For more information on EPA’s EWDJT program, please visit:
https://www.epa.gov/brownfields/environmental-workforce-development-and-job-training-grants For a success story from Tacoma, Washington, visit:
https://blog.epa.gov/blog/2017/05/environmental-workforce-development-and-job-training-success-stories-tacoma-washington For a success story from Richmond, California, visit:
https://blog.epa.gov/blog/2017/05/environmental-workforce-development-and-job-training-success-stories-richmond-california For EPA's blog post on the Brownfields Job Training program, visit:
https://blog.epa.gov/blog/2017/05/brownfields-job-training-is-a-win-win-for-job-creation-and-environmental-protection https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epas-brownfields-job-training-program-transforms-lives-and-land-across-country
