OLYMPIA, Wash. - The Environmental Protection Agency approved Washington's plan that sets standards to manage potential air pollutants from regulated facilities.
http://www.kxly.com/news/local-news/epa-approves-states-plan-to-manage-air-pollutants/529472835 Press Releases
Governor’s Concert at Mississippi Bicentennial North Moves to Grove
Jackson, Miss. – Because of the tremendous response, the Governor’s Concert at the Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration North on June 24 is moving from the Gertrude C. Ford Center for the Performing Arts to the larger-capacity, outdoor Grove at the University of Mississippi.
“Interest in the Governor’s Concert showcasing Marty Stuart and many other Mississippi music stars has been consistent and strong,” said Gov. Phil Bryant. “The Grove provides ample space for many more families and friends to gather in celebration of Mississippi’s bicentennial.”
Moving from the Ford Center, which has limited seating, to the open-air Grove will allow thousands of walk-up fans to join the celebration. Attendees are encouraged to picnic and bring blankets and chairs while enjoying an exciting evening packed with some of Mississippi’s most talented performers and songwriters.
Entertainment on The Grove Stage will begin at 5 p.m., with the Governor’s Concert kicking off at 6:30 p.m., as previously scheduled. Country and Americana legend Marty Stuart will headline the lineup, appearing along with hit singer-songwriter Mac McAnally, Mississippi’s Music and Culture Ambassador Steve Azar and Shannon McNally.
“We Are Mississippi,” a salute to the state’s musical heritage conducted by Dr. Jay Dean, executive director of the Arts Institute of Mississippi, will lead festivities at 6:30 p.m. The showcase includes Vasti Jackson, the Roots Gospel Voices of Mississippi, 2015 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Contest winner David Lee, the Mississippi Bicentennial Symphony Orchestra and the Mississippi Bicentennial Singers.
The Bicentennial Celebration North includes a weekend of events beginning Friday, June 23, with a live taping of Thacker Mountain Radio Show in the Grove at 7 p.m., followed by the Mississippi Soul Singer Tribute Concert with Damein Wash. On Sunday, June 25, the University of Mississippi will host a Family Day tailgate in the Grove with food trucks and live music from Blackwater Trio beginning at 4 p.m.
Additional events hosted in Oxford throughout the June 23-25 weekend are listed at
www.visitmississippi.org/200. All events during the Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration, including the Governor’s Concert, are free and open to the public.
Mississippi Bicentennial Celebration events are also planned for Jackson on Dec. 9 during the grand opening of the Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum.
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EPA On Path to Eliminate Backlog of New Chemicals Awaiting EPA Approval
All new chemicals coming to market receive affirmative safety determination 06/05/2017
Contact Information:
(
press@epa.gov)
WASHINGTON – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has split by half the backlog of new chemical submissions being reviewed under the Toxic Substances Control Act, bringing the number of cases down from roughly 300 to 150 with plans to fully eliminate the backlog by the end of July. The agency will provide weekly web updates on the status of the backlog and the chemicals’ review status to increase transparency for the public and the regulated community.
“We are committed to working with companies to gather all the relevant information early in the process, to inform safety reviews for new chemicals. Reviewing new chemicals quickly will enable those deemed safe to enter the marketplace to support jobs and our economy,”
said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.
The reduction in the backlog is the result of prioritizing and implementing process efficiencies. For instance, grouping the review of similar chemicals speeds the review. EPA will continue to work with all stakeholders to identify additional changes to improve the quality, efficiency and transparency of the new chemical review program.
On June 22, 2016, the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act amended how requests for new chemicals (called pre-manufacture notices or PMNs) would be reviewed by EPA, requiring that EPA make an “affirmative finding” on whether a new chemical presents an unreasonable risk and addressing that unreasonable risk before allowing it to be commercialized. EPA reviews about 1,000 new chemicals per year, and must complete the review of each submission within a specified timeframe, resulting in about 300 chemicals under review at any given time. By January 2017, the number under review had grown to about 600. EPA is working hard to get the number of submissions under review back to the baseline.
View progress on new chemical reviews:
https://www.epa.gov/reviewing-new-chemicals-under-toxic-substances-control-act-tsca/statistics-new-chemicals-review.
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (Council) is announcing a subaward of the Bayou Greenways Planning and Implementation Award (Bayou Greenways Award) to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). This subaward is not out for public comment; on August 13, 2015, the Council released a draft Initial Funded Priorities List (draft FPL), which included the Bayou Greenways Award. The draft FPL was available for public and tribal review and comment through Sept. 28, 2015. The Council hosted a
series of public meetings across the Gulf Coast to discuss the draft FPL and seek public and tribal comments.
In December 2015, the Council approved the Initial Funded Priorities List, which are projects awarded under the Council-Selected Restoration Component. The Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities and Revived Economies Act (RESTORE Act) and Treasury’s implementing regulation, require that, for purposes of awards made under the Council-Selected Restoration Component, a state or federal award recipient may make a grant or subaward to or enter into a cooperative agreement with a nongovernmental entity that equals or exceeds 10 percent of the total amount of the award provided to the state or federal award recipient only if certain notice requirements are met. Specifically, at least 30 days before the state or federal award recipient enters into such an agreement, the Council must publish in the Federal Register and deliver to specified Congressional Committees the name of the recipient and subrecipient; a brief description of the activity, including its purpose; and the amount of the award. As of June 1, 2017, that Notice has been published in the
Federal Register at 82 FR 25289 for review.
Under the Bayou Greenways Award, TCEQ will provide a subaward in the amount of $7,085,022 to the Houston Park Board (HPB), a non-profit organization, to conserve approximately 100 acres of land through fee title acquisition from willing sellers. The proposed subaward will contribute to the larger Bayou Greenways Initiative, which has a long‑term goal of preserving and restoring nearly 4,000 acres of riparian buffer corridors along the major waterways (bayous and creeks) running predominantly through Harris County and the City of Houston. These waterways are connected to a region known as the Trinity‑San Jacinto Estuary (Galveston Bay) - the largest watershed in Texas. Through the Bayou Greenways Initiative, HPB has partnered with the City of Houston and the Harris County Flood Control District to preserve, restore and provide public access these important ecological assets in the 4th largest city in the nation.
Learn more about the
RESTORE Council.
Please send any questions or comments to:
Keala J. Hughes
Director of External Affairs & Tribal Relations
(504) 717-7235
keala.hughes@restorethegulf.gov 
