State
Bevin and Haslam Contend to Land $1.6 Billion Toyota-Mazda Facility
Lancashire Independent News
Just last week, Toyota announced they would be building a $1.6 billion facility in the United States that could create up to 4,000 jobs.
http://clicklancashire.com/2017/08/10/bevin-and-haslam-contend-to-land-1-6-billion-toyota-mazda.html
Water levels, population should benefit gator hunters
The Clarion-Ledger
Alligator hunting season is two weeks away, and water levels combined with the moon phase and a stable population could produce an exciting season.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/2017/08/08/water-levels-population-should-benefit-gator-hunters/548294001/
Stacey Wilkes takes oath of office for Mississippi Legislature
AP
JACKSON, Miss (AP) - A new member has joined the Mississippi House of Representatives after winning a July 14 special election.
http://www.wdam.com/story/36102538/stacey-wilkes-takes-oath-of-office
National
EPA looks to add Newark site to Superfund list
Newark Post
The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to add a site in Newark to the National Priorities List – a list of contaminated sites eligible for remedial action financed under the federal Superfund program.
http://www.newarkpostonline.com/news/article_1bc7adce-b8bc-55b4-b97b-7b1f9f8033ae.html
Regulator warns of higher petrol pump prices from sale of Woolworths
Herald Sun
MOTORISTS could face higher petrol prices if Woolworths wins approval to sell its Caltex service stations to rival petrol company BP Australia, the competition regulator has warned.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/business/regulator-warns-of-higher-petrol-pump-prices-from-saleof-woolworths/news-story/27acef87965008d096284122ed7c53c0
WV governor pitches coal plant subsidies to Trump
The Hill
President Trump is “really interested” in an idea to pay power plants to buy Appalachian coal, West Virginia’s governor said.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/346017-wv-governor-pitches-coal-plant-subsidies-to-trump
Press Releases
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency CONTACT: marraccini.davina@epa.gov
EPA to Host Public Meeting for the Proposed Listing of the Mississippi Phosphates Corporation Site to the NPL Public comments sought through Oct. 2, 2017
ATLANTA (AUGUST 8, 2017) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposed the former Mississippi Phosphates Corporation (MPC) site in Pascagoula, Miss., to the Superfund National Priorities List (NPL) and will host a public meeting to explain the NPL process and how the public can submit comments. The NPL is a list of sites that require further investigation in order to protect human health and the environment.
A public meeting will be held on Tuesday, August 15, 2017, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Pascagoula Senior Center, located at 1912 Live Oak Avenue, in Pascagoula, Miss. The public is invited to comment on the proposed listing during the 60-day public comment period that ends on Monday, Oct. 2, 2017.
The MPC site is 1,080 acres and is located at 601 Industrial Road in Pascagoula MPC is a former diammonium phosphate fertilizer plant that began operation in the 1950s. The facility ceased operations in December 2014 leaving more than 700,000,000 gallons of low-pH, contaminated wastewater stored at the facility. More than 9,000,000 additional gallons of contaminated water is generated with every one inch of rainfall.
An Environmental Trust, under the direction of MDEQ, managed wastewater treatment at the Site after MPC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2014. EPA assumed oversight of the MPC site when the Environmental Trust became insolvent on February 10, 2017. Currently, EPA is overseeing wastewater treatment at a rate of approximately 2,000,000 gallons per day and a cost of approximately $1,000,000 per month due to the high volume of wastewater generated that requires treatment.
Since assuming oversight of the MPC site, EPA has evaluated conditions at the site for proposal to the NPL. Proposal of the site to the NPL begins the public comment period. Following review of comments, EPA will make a final determination on this proposed listing. EPA will continue to oversee wastewater treatment operations at the MPC Site until the facility is sold or cleaned up and closed.
Public comments may be submitted online at www.regulations.gov (commenters should identify the MPC site by docket number EPA-HQ-OLEM-2017-0075).
Alternately, comments may be mailed to:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency EPA Superfund Docket Center Mail Code 28221T 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20460
EPA’s Superfund program is responsible for cleaning up some of the nation’s most contaminated land and responding to environmental emergencies, oil spills and natural disasters. The Superfund NPL is the list of sites of national priority among the known releases or threatened releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants throughout the United States and its territories. The NPL is intended primarily to guide the EPA in determining which sites warrant further investigation and possible cleanup.
The Superfund program is a cornerstone of the work that the EPA performs for citizens and communities across the country. On July 25, 2017 Administrator Pruitt accepted recommendations from the task force established on May 22, 2017 to revitalize the Superfund program. “My goal as Administrator is to restore the Superfund program to its rightful place at the center of the agency’s core mission”.
The task force’s recommendations focused on five overarching goals: expediting cleanup and remediation, reinvigorating cleanup and reuse efforts by potentially responsible parties, encouraging private investment to facilitate cleanup and reuse, promoting redevelopment and community revitalization and engaging with partners and stakeholders. Work to prioritize and reinvigorate the program by the task force has been initiated and will be ongoing into the future.
The Superfund Task Force Recommendations can be viewed at: www.epa.gov/superfund/superfund-task-force-recommendations Federal Register notices, supporting documents for proposed sites and a link to submit comments, can be found at: www.epa.gov/superfund/current-npl-updates-new-proposed-npl-sites-and-new-npl-sites For information about the proposed MPC Site: www.epa.gov/superfund/ms-phosphates-corp For information about Superfund and the NPL: www.epa.gov/superfund Connect with EPA Region 4 on Facebook: www.facebook.com/eparegion4 And on Twitter: @EPASoutheast
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This is a News Release from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southeast Region
Date: August 9, 2017
Contact: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov
elsie_davis@fws.gov
Secretary Zinke Expands Hunting and Fishing Opportunities at 10 National Wildlife Refuges
(WASHINGTON) In his latest effort to increase access to hunting and fishing
on public lands and waters, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke today
announced a proposal to open or expand opportunities at 10 national
wildlife refuges <http://www.fws.gov/refuges/>. If finalized, this would
bring the number of refuges where the public may hunt up to 373, and up to
312 where fishing would be permitted.
“I grew up in the mountains of northwest Montana, where I spent my time
hunting and fishing on our shared public lands. I was lucky to take my boys
out on the same land that my dad and granddad took me,” *said Secretary
Zinke*. “As the steward of our public lands, one of my top priorities is to
open up access wherever possible for hunting and fishing so that more
families have the opportunity to pass down the heritage. The last thing I
want to see is hunting and fishing become elite sports. These ten refuges
will provide incredible opportunities for sportsmen and anglers across the
country to access the land and connect with the wildlife.”
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manages hunting and fishing programs to
ensure sustainable wildlife populations while also offering other
traditional wildlife-dependent recreation on public lands, such as wildlife
watching and photography. The unparalleled network of 566 national wildlife
refuges and 38 wetland management districts means that there is a national
wildlife refuge within an hour’s drive of most major metropolitan areas.
“With Secretary Zinke's leadership, the team at the Fish and Wildlife
Service is happy to expand hunting and fishing opportunities where they are
compatible with wildlife management goals,” *said USFWS Acting Director
Greg Sheehan*. “Sportsmen and anglers play a huge role in the conservation
of wildlife and their habitat, so it only makes sense that refuges provide
opportunities for folks to get outside to hunt and fish. Refuges provide
all Americans with places to hunt, fish, observe the natural world
firsthand and experience the great outdoors.”
Hunting, fishing and other outdoor activities contributed more than $144.7
billion in economic activity across the United States according to the
USFWS National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation
<http://wsfrprograms.fws.gov/Subpages/NationalSurvey/2011_Survey.htm>,
published every five years. More than 90 million Americans, or 41 percent
of the United States’ population 16 and older, pursue wildlife-related
recreation.
*Hunting and/or fishing will expand or be opened on the following refuges:*
*Georgia and South Carolina*
· Savannah River National Wildlife Refuge
<https://www.fws.gov/refuge/savannah/>: Expand migratory game bird hunting,
upland game and big game hunting. The refuge is already open to migratory
game bird hunting, upland game and big game hunting and sport fishing.
*Indiana*
· Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge
<https://www.fws.gov/refuge/patoka_river/>: Expand migratory game bird
hunting, upland game and big game hunting and sport fishing. The refuge is
already open to migratory game bird hunting, upland game and big game
hunting and sport fishing.
*Minnesota*
· Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
<https://www.fws.gov/refuge/minnesota_valley/>: Expand migratory game bird
hunting, upland game and big game hunting. The refuge is already open to
migratory game bird hunting, upland game and big game hunting and sport
fishing.
*North Dakota*
· Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge
<https://www.fws.gov/refuge/des_lacs/>: Open moose hunting for the first
time. The refuge is already open to upland game and other big game hunting.
· Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge
<https://www.fws.gov/refuge/upper_souris/>: Open moose and turkey hunting
for the first time. Expand upland game and big game hunting. The refuge is
already open to upland game hunting, other big game hunting and sport
fishing.
*Oklahoma*
· Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge
<https://www.fws.gov/refuge/sequoyah/>: Expand upland game and big game
hunting. The refuge is already open to migratory game bird hunting, upland
game and big game hunting and sport fishing.
*Oregon*
· Baskett Slough National Wildlife Refuge
<https://www.fws.gov/refuge/baskett_slough/>: Expand migratory game bird
hunting. The refuge is already open to migratory game bird hunting.
· Siletz Bay National Wildlife Refuge
<https://www.fws.gov/refuge/siletz_bay/>: Open sport fishing for the first
time. The refuge is already open to migratory game bird hunting.
*Wisconsin*
· Horicon National Wildlife Refuge
<https://www.fws.gov/refuge/horicon/>: Expand migratory game bird hunting
and upland game and big game hunting. The refuge is already open to
migratory game bird hunting, upland game and big game hunting and sport
fishing.
· Fox River National Wildlife Refuge
<https://www.fws.gov/refuge/fox_river/>: Expand big game hunting. The
refuge is already open to big game hunting.
The USFWS is seeking comments from the public for 30 days regarding
information pertaining to the proposed rule. For additional information, go
to www.regulations.gov, docket no. FWS-HQ-NWRS-2017-0005. The proposed rule
will publish in the *Federal Register* on August 10, 2017. Comments must be
received by September 8, 2017.
More than 50 million Americans visit refuges every year. National wildlife
refuges provide vital habitat for thousands of species and access to
world-class recreation, from fishing, hunting and boating to nature
watching, photography and environmental education. In doing so, they
support regional economies to the tune of $2.4 billion dollars per year and
support more than 35,000 jobs.
Under the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997, the
Service permits hunting and fishing along with four other types of
wildlife-dependent recreation, including wildlife photography,
environmental education, wildlife observation and interpretation, when they
are compatible with an individual refuge’s purpose and mission. Hunting
<http://www.fws.gov/refuges/hunting/>, within specified limits, is
currently permitted on 336 wildlife refuges and 36 wetland management
districts. Fishing <http://www.fws.gov/refuges/fishingguide/> is currently
permitted on 276 wildlife refuges and 33 wetland management districts.
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