THE UNITED STATES can now officially count two disastrous, expensive failures of carbon capture and storage — a technology key to realizing the dream of “clean coal.” The Kemper County Energy Facility was supposed to burn cheap, dirty lignite coal without emitting climate-altering carbon dioxide. Mississippi ended up with a very expensive natural gas plant that pumps carbon dioxide into the atmosphere like any other.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-dream-of-clean-coal-is-burning-up/2017/07/09/784bc838-61a0-11e7-a4f7-af34fc1d9d39_story.html?utm_term=.15c1a939e68f Press Releases
EPA Administrator Pruitt Addresses American Farm Bureau’s State Leadership Meeting Scott Pruitt reaffirms Trump Administration’s commitment to American farmers
07/11/2017
Contact Information:
(
Press@epa.gov)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 11, 2017) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt addressed the American Farm Bureau Federation’s State Leadership Meeting earlier today to discuss EPA’s recent decision to begin rescinding the ‘Waters of the U.S.’ rule (WOTUS), as well as other issues of concern to American farmers.
“EPA is returning power to the states and standing with farmers who have been hurt by misguided policies of the past,” said Administrator Pruitt.
“The farming industry deserves regulatory certainty and I committed that to them today. The group expressed gratitude that their voices are being heard for the first time in a long time and I look forward to an ongoing partnership with the agriculture community in the future.” The address follows the Administrator’s visit to Gully Branch Tree Farm in rural Georgia last week where he and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue visited one of Georgia’s premier outdoor classrooms to promote environmental stewardship and reaffirm the Trump Administration’s commitment to farmers and foresters.
USDA/NRCS Accepting Environmental Quality Incentives Program Applications Jackson, Miss. – The United States Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS) is providing financial assistance through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to
help Mississippi producers, farmers and ranchers implement conservation practices.
NRCS strives to help producers and landowners enact environmentally friendly activities such as improving
water and air quality, building healthier soils, improving grazing and forest lands, enhancing organic
operations and conserving energy. EQIP provides financial assistance for a variety of conservation programs,
which include irrigation water management, tree/shrub planting, field buffers, rotational grazing systems
and erosion control practices. All programs are voluntary and offer science-based solutions that benefit
both the landowner and the environment.
"The Environmental Quality Incentives Program offers producers a variety of options to conserve natural
resources on their properties", stated Kurt Readus, NRCS state conservationist for Mississippi.
"This conservation investment helps to improve environmental health and the economy of Mississippi’s communities."
To qualify for EQIP, an applicant must be an individual, entity or joint operation that meets eligibility criteria.
Applications for EQIP and all NRCS financial assistance programs are accepted on a continuous basis with
specific sign-up deadlines being established to rank, contract and fund qualified tracts of land. The deadline
to sign-up to be considered in the EQIP first ranking period is
October 1, 2017. Applicants can sign up at their local NRCS office. For more information about EQIP, visit the NRCS website:
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/ms/programs/financial/eqip/?cid=nrcs142p2_017159 To locate the nearest NRCS office visit
http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app. ###
Songbirds, Shorebirds and Other Migratory Birds to Benefit from Nearly $18 Million in Funding Throughout the Americas
Grants Will Benefit Hundreds of Bird Species in 31 Projects Across Nineteen Countries
July 11, 2017 Contact(s): Vanessa Kauffman
703-358-2138
vanessa_kauffman@fws.gov
The sight of a migrating songbird in a backyard or shorebird along a beach brings joy to millions of Americans each year. Our national passion for birdwatching also puts billions of dollars into the economy through our purchases of bird food, binoculars and travel to see our favorite birds. Yet many of the birds we love are in trouble from shrinking habitats or threats such as invasive species. Thanks to the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA), however, our migrating birds will benefit to the tune of $18 million in federal and matching funds.
The NMBCA provides critical funding each year for bird conservation and research throughout the Western Hemisphere and is the only source of federal funding solely dedicated to the conservation of our shared migratory bird heritage. This year, over $3.8 million in federal funds will be matched by more than $14 million in partner contributions going to 31 collaborative conservation projects in 19 countries across the Americas.
“In order to protect America’s birds, we have to help them wherever they breed, migrate or spend the winter. That includes North, Central and South America,” said Service Acting Director Greg Sheehan. “These projects, involving dozens of partners through many countries and habitats, show we continue to honor our commitment to protecting birds wherever they live.”
The NMBCA grants will fund projects to conserve migratory bird habitat, engage local communities in bird habitat protection and strengthen international relations, while raising awareness of the importance of bird conservation.
There are 386 species of neotropical migratory birds that migrate to and from the United States each year, including songbirds, shorebirds and birds of prey. These birds provide critical functions that we rely on, such as pollinating and dispersing seeds of plants, keeping insect and rodent populations in balance and providing early warnings of environmental contamination.
The NMBCA program is specifically designed to send at least 75% of its funding to projects in Latin America and the Caribbean, where habitat loss and other threats to migratory birds that spend part of their lives in the United States are significant and conservation funding is scarce. Because the program works throughout the Western Hemisphere, it is able to support the full life-cycle needs of the birds. For instance, the NMBCA funds work for cerulean warbler and wood thrush on its breeding grounds as well as key stopover and wintering sites in Central America and South America.
Since 2002, the NMBCA has provided more than $58.5 million in grants to support 510 projects in 36 countries. These projects have positively affected more than 4.2 million acres of bird habitat and spurred partnerships on multiple levels contributing an additional $221.9 million. This year’s project highlights include:
JE Canyon Ranch The Colorado Cattlemen’s Agricultural Land Trust will work with local landowners to protect and support multi-generational ranching on 48,817 acres of shortgrass prairie grassland habitat and riparian areas. This property is used by dozens of species of neotropical migratory birds including conservation priorities species, such as Brewer’s sparrow, lark bunting and long-billed curlew. Grazing on ranches is a critical conservation tool for providing quality habitat for grassland birds.
Community Farming in Vermont for Grassland Birds This project will engage local landowners and managers with information about individual bobolinks breeding on their property, which will help adapt land management practices to rebalance farming and the needs of grassland birds. Partners will assess the annual life-cycle of individual bobolinks by collecting data both while on the breeding grounds and through tracking devices for the entire migration to and from southern South America. They will use a community-based approach — integrating volunteers and undergraduate students in collecting and disseminating these data.
Conservation Action for Cerulean Warbler in Canada Bird Studies Canada aims to improve the cerulean warbler’s conservation status in Canada, focusing primarily on the Carolinian Region, where the species is most threatened, but also working with stakeholders in the Frontenac Arch to ensure this population remains stable. They will achieve this by: working with landowners to reduce threats and to conserve or enhance habitat for cerulean warbler and other mature forest-dependent birds at risk; working with partners to maintain or enhance the habitat available for cerulean warbler and; implementing long-term recovery monitoring to identify threats, to prioritize sites for conservation, and to track recovery and to monitor project success.
For more information on the 2017 funded projects and previous years, please visit:
https://www.fws.gov/birds/grants/neotropical-migratory-bird-conservation-act.php.
