Five times a month, biologist Allison Fitzgerald, an assistant professor at New Jersey City University, descends upon Soundview Park in the Bronx borough of New York to tend a reef that is home to thousands of oysters.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/an-oyster-reef-grows-in-the-bronx-1499710546 Press Releases
GOV. BRYANT ANNOUNCES TREASURY’S AWARD OF HCPHC RESTORE PROJECTS July 10, 2017
KILN, MS – The Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission was awarded $10 million in RESTORE Act funds as part of Gov. Phil Bryant’s Multiyear Implementation Plan (MIP) for the state, which includes nine proposed projects totaling more than $54.1 million.
“This is good news as we continue to propose and implement projects to support the economic recovery of Hancock County and the entire Gulf region resulting from the oil spill,” said Bill Cork, HCPHC CEO.
The projects were proposed to the governor by the GoCoast 2020 Commission and announced in December 2015. The RESTORE Act requires the state, through MDEQ, to prepare the MIP for Direct Component Funding, which is administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
HCPHC received $8 million to complete the Port Bienville Trans-Loading Terminal Facility and $2 million for a new hangar at Stennis International Airport.
The funding will be used to construct approximately 1,600 linear feet of rail spur, 1,200 linear feet of bulkhead and 9,300 square yards of dock area at Port Bienville. The project will improve the terminal for use in trans-loading of materials and will support container-on-barge operations.
“Today, major industry has leased every piece of dock space in Port Bienville Industrial Park,” Cork said. “By using RESTORE funding to complete the build out of Port Bienville’s Transloading Terminal Facilities, we can immediately facilitate growth and expansion for existing industry and enable Hancock County to attract new industrial development for decades to come. “
The new 24,640-square-foot Stennis hangar will be constructed to accommodate maintenance, repair and overhaul operations or unmanned systems operations.
“Stennis International Airport regularly receives inquiries from the aeronautical industry seeking hangar space and is unable to meet those needs. This hangar will be a mirror of the existing hangar facilities, which are leased at 100 percent capacity,” Cork said.
The hangar is expected to generate tens of millions of dollars in annual economic impact for Hancock County and will generate as much as $100,000 per year in rents to sustain its operation and maintenance, according to Cork.
The Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission was established in 1963 to lead the county’s economic development activities. Stennis International Airport and Port Bienville Industrial Park are home to more than 30 companies with 1,000 employees. For more information visit
www.portairspace.com.
http://ht.ly/DnEP30dvjgU The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (Council) will announce the availability of the Draft 2017 Funded Priorities List: Comprehensive Commitment and Planning Support (draft CPS FPL) in accordance with the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf States Act (RESTORE Act). Beginning Thursday, July 13, 2017, the draft CPS FPL will be available for public and Tribal review and comment at
www.restorethegulf.gov until 11:59pm MT August 14, 2017.
MEETING NOTICES: Two informational webinars will be conducted to provide an overview of the Draft 2017 Funded Priorities List: Comprehensive Commitment and Planning Support Awards. A select number of participant questions will be answered during the live webinar. Webinars will be recorded and posted on
www.restorethegulf.gov:
You may register for these webinars in advance. Once registered, a link to access the webinar will be sent to the email address provided during registration.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Please send questions by email to
RestoreCouncil@restorethegulf.gov, or contact Keala J. Hughes at (504) 717-7235.
Pruitt and Perdue Promote Sustainability in The South
Trump Administration Cabinet Members Visit Rural Georgia Tree Farm, Speak to Students 07/10/2017
Contact Information:
(
Press@epa.gov)
COCHRAN, GA (July, 7, 2017) - Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt and Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue visited the Gully Branch Tree Farm in rural Georgia. The visit focused on the benefits of EPA’s partnership with local organizations in rural America to promote environmental stewardship among school-aged children, especially those living in agricultural communities.
Gully Branch Tree Farm has been used as one of Georgia’s premier outdoor classrooms since 1994. More than 800 students visit Gully Branch each year as part of forestry education field trips rooted in the American Forest Foundation’s Project Learning Tree environmental education program. The farm was named the “2008 Georgia Tree Farm of the Year”.
After touring the farm, the two cabinet officials delivered remarks to local farmers and foresters, educators, 4H students and members of Future Farmers of America.
"As Secretary Perdue and I visited Gully Branch today, it reaffirmed that there are no better stewards of the land than folks like Earl and Wanda Barrs. Farmers and foresters care deeply about their greatest asset, the land," Administrator Pruitt said.
"The American people once again have a voice, and EPA is listening and ready to work together, creating optimism across the country." https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/pruitt-and-perdue-promote-sustainability-south 
