State
MDEQ could penalize Yazoo County for tar spill that trapped puppy
WLBT
Over 29,000 Vicksburg residents without water after massive main break
WLBT
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) Fisheries Bureau announced a new rule regarding the handling and storage of bait fish captured in dam spillway areas.
Gov. Rick Scott’s pick for his next secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection will be Noah Valenstein, the executive director of the Suwannee Water Management District and a former environmental policy aide in the governor’s office, staff announced at a meeting of the Cabinet aides on Wednesday.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/environment/article151058807.html In Bonnet Carre Spillway test Thursday, corps will practice removing needles Times-Picayune
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has vowed to roll back Obama-era rules capping greenhouse gases from power plants and oil wells, but some conservative groups want him to go further and uproot the legal foundation for the agency’s climate regulations.
https://www.bna.com/pruitt-harpoon-climate-n73014451084/ Dozens of EPA Staff Scrambling to Meet Coal Analysis Deadline Bloomberg
The EPA has laid out the resources and man-hours it will need to spend to comply with a court order on the effects its regulations have on the coal industry, and it’s also asking an appeals court to intervene soon to relieve it from having to comply with this order.
https://www.bna.com/dozens-epa-staff-n73014451141/ Justice could sue FCA over diesel emissions Bloomberg
A federal judge rejected an attempt by attorneys to pry more information out of a retired EPA scientist embroiled in a bitter battle between Monsanto Co. and thousands of cancer victims.
https://www.bna.com/judge-sides-exepa-n73014451079/ Opinion
RICHARD SUN — Kemper: What price fuel diversity? MBJ
In a recent column, Bill Crawford asserted that the issue with Kemper is prudent fuel diversity. It is not and never has been. The issue has always been whether the rate payers of Mississippi Power should bear the risk of unproven technology and a long-shot side bet on natural gas prices.
http://msbusiness.com/2017/05/richard-sun-kemper-price-fuel-diversity/ Jackson’s “One Lake” project: Pearl River flow and nutrient pollution problems Picayune Item
There is a pending permit application to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dam the Pearl River and build a 1,500 acre lake in the Jackson, Mississippi metro-area. The proposed “One Lake” project is moving rapidly and begs for close scrutiny from all interests that rely on the Pearl River to safely and legally discharge their regulated wastewater.
http://www.picayuneitem.com/2017/05/jacksons-one-lake-project-pearl-river-flow-and-nutrient-pollution-problems/ Press releases
Two commercial fishing seasons close in May BILOXI, Miss. – Officials with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources announced Wednesday that two commercial fishing seasons will close in May.
The commercial season for Spotted Seatrout will close at 11:59 p.m. Thursday, May 18, in Mississippi territorial waters. The season will reopen at 12:01 a.m. Thursday, June 1.
The commercial season for King Mackerel will close at 12:01 p.m. Sunday, May 21 in Mississippi territorial waters. The season will reopen at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, July 1.
Bill Signed by President Trump Gives EPA’s WIFIA Program Additional Help to Meet Communities’ Water Infrastructure Needs
Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017 Increases Amount Available for EPA Water Infrastructure Loans to $1.5 Billion 05/17/2017
Contact Information:
Tricia Lynn (
lynn.tricia@epa.gov)
(202) 564-2615
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (WIFIA) program received an additional $8 million for credit subsidy in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017 which was signed into law by President Donald Trump on May 5, 2017.
This additional funding, combined with the $17 million appropriated for credit subsidy in December 2016, will allow the WIFIA program to lend approximately $1.5 billion for water infrastructure projects, a key component of the President’s infrastructure agenda.
“Thanks to President Trump and Congress, this additional funding will accelerate the construction of projects to meet communities’ water infrastructure needs. This investment will empower states, municipalities, companies, and public-private partnerships to solve real environmental problems in our communities, like the need for clean and safe water,”
said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.
In response to the Notice of Funding Availability issued on January 10, 2017, EPA received 43 letters of interest for WIFIA loans from public and private entities with a collective request of $6 billion in WIFIA loans. These letters demonstrate the high need to invest in water infrastructure improvements in communities across the nation and the value that WIFIA financing can offer.
Combined with other sources, such as EPA’s State Revolving Fund (SRF) loans, private equity, and municipal bonds, these projects' cost could address over $12 billion in infrastructure needs. Entities are seeking financing for a wide array of water and wastewater projects, including repair, rehabilitation, and replacement of aging treatment plants and pipe systems and construction of new infrastructure for desalination, water recycling, and drought mitigation.
EPA is currently evaluating projects eligibility, credit worthiness, engineering feasibility, and alignment with WIFIA’s statutory and regulatory criteria. Through this competitive process, EPA will select projects that it intends to fund and invite them to continue to the application process this summer.
Established by the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014, the WIFIA program is a new federal loan and guarantee program at EPA that aims to accelerate investment in our nation’s water by providing long-term, low-cost supplemental credit assistance for regionally and nationally significant projects. For more information about the WIFIA program, visit:
https://www.epa.gov/wifia
