State
Residents in Grenada concerned about contaminated soil
WTVA
GRENADA, Miss. (WTVA) - Some residents in Grenada became concerned that contaminants could get into their water system after seeing a remedial service digging in the town.
Long Beach man identified as I-10 crash victim
WLOX
The interstate opened back up about five hours after an early morning accident took the life 44-year-old Phillip Wesley Mullins, of Long Beach.
Residents, leaders sound the alarm about growing log-litter jam on the Pearl River
WWL
BOGALUSA -- For almost 60 years, Gary Parker has run up and down the Pearl River like it was his own backyard.
New Orleans official to fill Jackson Public Works Director job
WJTV
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba continues to flesh out his administration, adding new staffers periodically. Thursday, Mayor Lumumba confirmed his pick for Director of Public Works is Robert Miller. Miller currently serves as Deputy Director of the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board.
County utility wants Gulfport to pay $1.5 million to leave trash contract
Sun Herald
The Harrison County Utility Authority wants the city of Gulfport to pay about $1.5 million to break away from the authority and administer the city’s own garbage/recycling contract.
Authorities monitoring mudslide near Spillway Road
WJTV
RANKIN COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) — Rankin County officials are monitoring a spot on Spillway Road where a mudslide is occurring.
Why Omega Protein has stirred up a big stink about a small fish
Sun Herald
The disagreement between activists and Omega Protein depends on the answer to a simple question: Are there enough menhaden in the Gulf of Mexico?
KEMPER POWER PLANT CHANGES LEADS TO COAL MINE LAYOFFS
MPB
Hundreds of jobs could be at risk now that the controversial clean coal portion of a Mississippi power plant has been shuttered. MPB's Alexis Ware reports.
New solar facility approved for Lauderdale County
WTOK
A new 53-megawatt solar facility could bring hundreds of cibstruction jobs to Lauderdale County.
Officials fear white-tailed deer in Lamar County may have chronic wasting disease
Hattiesburg American
Lamar County deer hunters are being asked to bring in the heads of their game so state wildlife officials can test the specimens for chronic wasting disease.
NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI MAYORS FIND OUT ABOUT STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS THROUGH TVA
WCBI
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – It is a meeting that takes place every four years.
“We hope this will be a TVA 101 overview,” said TVA Government Relations Director Amy Tate.
Mississippi congressman to be promoted to brigadier general
AP
TUPELO, MISS.
One of Mississippi's members of Congress will soon have a new title — general.
WTVA-TV reports that U.S. Rep. Trent Kelly, a Republican who has represented northeast Mississippi's 1st Congressional District since 2015, is in line to be promoted to brigadier general.
University of Southern Mississippi approved to reorganize
AP
Trustees have approved a plan for the University of Southern Mississippi to reorganize its academic units.
Regional
Shelby board to rewrite rules to protect Memphis Sand aquifer
Commercial Appeal
Less than a year after the Tennessee Valley Authoritywon approval to use pristine aquifer water to cool a power plant, a Shelby County board this month will review proposed regulatory changes that could restrict similar projects from tapping drinking-water sources in the future.
Gulf of Mexico loaded with one of world's highest concentrations of plastic; here's why
Times Picayune
The Gulf of Mexico is famous for its bountiful catches: blue crab, shrimp, redfish. Add one more: plastic.
National
EPA EXTENDS COMMENT PERIOD ON RESCINDING WOTUS RULE
KTIC
Comments on the proposed rescinding of the controversial Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule are now due September 27, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Wednesday, August 16, a 30-day extension.
Pruitt's secrecy in running EPA faulted by critics
NY Times
WASHINGTON -- When career employees of the Environmental Protection Agency are summoned to a meeting with the agency's administrator, Scott Pruitt, at agency headquarters, they no longer can count on easy access to the floor where his office is, according to interviews with employees of the federal agency.
Trump Signs Order Rolling Back Environmental Rules on Infrastructure
NY Times
WASHINGTON — President Trump announced on Tuesday that he had signed a sweeping executive order to eliminate and streamline some permitting regulations and to speed construction of roads, bridges and pipelines, declaring that the moves would fix a “badly broken” infrastructure system in America and bring manufacturing jobs back to the country.
Energy Department Faces Pressure Over Power Study
Sierra Club sues agency alleging it violated laws over requests for public information
WSJ
Energy Secretary Rick Perry faces stepped-up pressure from environmental groups over a power grid study that he has signaled could help bolster coal and nuclear power.
U.S. Parks End Bottled-Water Ban
Environmental activists criticized the move, which was pushed by the bottled-water industry
WSJ
The National Park Service this week ended a policy that encouraged its parks to ban sales of disposable water bottles, a move pushed by the bottled-water industry.
Lawsuit claims Poland Spring a ‘colossal fraud,’ selling groundwater
Bangor Daily News
PORTLAND, Maine — A group of bottled water drinkers has brought a class action lawsuit against the company behind Poland Spring, alleging that the Maine business has long deceived consumers by mislabeling common groundwater.
With code name, how Toyota-Mazda set off secret race for 4,000-job plant
USA Today
One of the biggest potential job-creating bonanzas in the country, a giant new auto plant proposed by Toyota and Mazda, began in secret with a mysterious code name. Here’s a look at some of the key states in the mix:
Mississippi
Why it could win: Landed the last new Toyota plant.
Why it could lose: If Toyota believes the local workforce can’t sustain another factory.
The Toyota plant in Blue Springs, Miss. opened in 2011 and employs about 2,000 people. The state also has Nissan’s 5,000-person assembly plant in Canton.
Even with two major plants, the state can easily accommodate another and gin up training dollars to assure Toyota of a competent workforce, said Scott Waller, interim chief executive of the Mississippi Economic Council.
“Today the incentives are workforce based," Waller said. "It’s all workforce driven. There’s absolutely no question Mississippi can be successful.”
Opinion
Take some aspirin before searching Transparency Mississippi website
Geoff Pender
Clarion Ledger
As I write this column, I have a splitting headache and it’s state government’s fault.
I just spent more than an hour on the Transparency Mississippi website, or as I like to call it, the Mildly Translucent Mississippi site or the Through a Glass Darkly site.
Press Releases
EPA Issues Guidance on State Coal Ash Management Permit Programs
WASHINGTON - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released an interim final guidance to help states develop and submit permit programs for the safe management of coal combustion residuals (CCR), commonly known as coal ash, to EPA for review and approval. The current version of the guidance describes EPA’s statutory interpretations and the way in which EPA generally intends to review State programs. As such, EPA encourages States to consult this interim final guidance as they develop and submit programs to EPA for review and approval.
“As part of EPA’s ongoing commitment to cooperative federalism, we continue to consult with our state partners to find the best management strategy for the safe disposal of coal ash in each of their states,” said Administrator Scott Pruitt. “We intend for this new guidance to help states by making the permit program approval process easier to navigate.”
“EPA's action today makes the CCR authority application process clear and will put more states on track to obtain CCR authority efficiently,” said Executive Director and General Counsel of the Environmental Council of the States Alexandra Dapolito Dunn, Esq. “With CCR authority at the state level, communities will have increased access to information about CCR management activities, and regulated facilities will have robust and streamlined compliance requirements.”
In April 2015, EPA published a final rule regulating the management and disposal of CCR as nonhazardous waste from certain coal-fired power plants under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). Unlike other environmental laws that are implemented through EPA-approved state permit programs, RCRA generally does not provide for regulation of nonhazardous wastes such as CCR through permit programs, meaning the requirements of the CCR rule apply directly to regulated facilities and are enforceable through citizen suits.
Section 2301 of the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act, which was enacted into law in December 2016, gives states the opportunity to act as the primary regulatory and enforcement authority over coal ash through the establishment of EPA-approved state permit programs. Under the WIIN Act, approved state permit programs must be as protective as the federal coal ash regulations, but state programs may provide flexibilities for facilities managing coal ash in their states. Implementing this new law is a high priority for EPA and earlier this year, Administrator Pruitt communicated with each of the governors encouraging them to develop a program and to work with EPA.
The interim final guidance released today addresses numerous questions EPA received about the provisions of the WIIN Act, establishes a framework to guide EPA’s approval process and provides checklists to aid states as they are considering and developing their program submittals. EPA will accept public comments on the interim final guidance for 30 days following its publication in the Federal Register. EPA may update the guidance based on experience implementing the WIIN Act and comments received from the public.
EPA Announces Intent to Revisit Provisions of Phase 2 Heavy-Duty Rules
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today its intent to revisit provisions of the Phase 2 Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Fuel Efficiency Standards for Medium- and Heavy-Duty Engines following concerns raised by stakeholders in the trailer and glider industry.
“In light of the significant issues raised, the agency has decided to revisit the Phase 2 trailer and glider provisions,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “We intend to initiate a rulemaking process that incorporates the latest technical data and is wholly consistent with our authority under the Clean Air Act.”
Background:
In September 2011, EPA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and fuel efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles for model year 2014-2018 (“Phase 1”). These standards applied to newly manufactured engines, tractors, vocational vehicles, large pickups, and vans. In October 2016, EPA and NHTSA updated the standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles MY 2021-2027 (“Phase 2”), and regulated trailers and gliders – for the first time under the GHG program – with compliance deadlines beginning in 2018.
Updates to EPA’s EJSCREEN Provide Access to Important New Data
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today launched its annual update of EJSCREEN, the Agency’s nationally acclaimed environmental justice screening and mapping tool. The updated version incorporates the most up-to-date demographic and environmental data available. It also reflects improvements made based on feedback gleaned from users. In addition to updating the underlying datasets, the highlights of this year’s updates include:
· a revised water data layer that vastly improves user ability to screen for surface water pollution;
· the ability to look at municipalities as distinct geographic areas--a common request from our local government users--in addition to states, counties and census boundaries; and
· new map layers that provide data on public institutions such as schools and public housing.
EPA will host a series of webinars on how to use the newly updated tool. Details about those webinars, which are scheduled for August 21, September 7 and September 14, are available at https://www.epa.gov/ejscreen. First created in 2012 for internal use, EJSCREEN provided EPA with a single tool to evaluate environmental justice concerns in a nationally consistent and meaningful way. In 2015, the tool was released to the public in an effort to be transparent about how we consider environmental justice, to assist our partners and stakeholders in making informed decisions, and to create a common starting point between EPA and others when looking at issues related to environmental justice. EJSCREEN recently was awarded the prestigious national Special Achievement in GIS Award from ESRI. EJSCREEN continues to be a tremendously popular tool, consistently ranking as one of EPA’s most used tools available through the Agency website. Since its release, the tool has been viewed over 211,000 times.
The tool is regularly used by other federal, Tribal, state and local government partners as well as by nonprofit and community groups, business and industry, and academia. Based on a recent EJSCREEN evaluation, the uses of the tool range from informing policy, strategic, and programmatic decisions to crafting outreach tools and educational materials.
Gulf of Mexico Region-Wide Oil and Gas Lease Sale Yields $121 Million in High Bids on 508,096 Acres
Underscores Secretary Zinke’s initiatives to expand energy development, streamline regulations, enhance cooperation with industry and local governments
WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke today announced that the region-wide Gulf of Mexico lease sale generated $121,143,055 in high bids for 90 tracts covering 508,096 acres in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. A total of 27 companies participated in the sale, submitting 99 bids totaling $137,006,181. The sale offered the largest amount of acreage in the history of the federal offshore program in the Gulf, including parcels offshore Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.
“The path to American energy dominance starts in the Gulf, and the hard work of rig and platform workers, support staff onshore, and the industries that support them cannot go unnoticed,” said Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. “Today’s results will help secure their jobs and create more good paying jobs while generating $121 million in revenue to fund everything from conservation to infrastructure.”
Lease Sale 249, livestreamed from New Orleans, is the first offshore sale under the National Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program for 2017-2022. Under this program, nine additional region-wide lease sales that combine all three planning areas are scheduled for the Gulf, where resource potential and industry interest are high, and oil and gas infrastructure is well established.
On June 29, President Donald J. Trump and Secretary Zinke announced a public comment period for a new National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program for years 2019-2024. The comment period is the first step in executing the new program. The 2017-2022 Program, which begins with the lease sale held today, will continue to be executed until the new National OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program is complete. Lease Sale 249 offered approximately 76 million acres offshore Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida for oil and gas exploration and development. It included 14,220 unleased blocks, located from three to 231 miles offshore, in the Gulf’s Western, Central and Eastern planning areas in water depths ranging from nine to more than 11,115 feet (three to 3,400 meters). Excluded from the lease sale are blocks subject to the Congressional moratorium established by the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006; blocks that are adjacent to or beyond the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone in the area known as the northern portion of the Eastern Gap; and whole blocks and partial blocks within the current boundary of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. "Today's lease sale is another important step in this Administration's strategy of responsible resource development and energy dominance,” said Vincent DeVito, Counselor for Energy Policy at Interior. “Investor response reflects our work making the Department of the Interior a better business partner and highlights the optimism in the results of this Administration."
The lease sale terms include stipulations to protect biologically sensitive resources, mitigate potential adverse effects on protected species, and avoid potential conflicts associated with oil and gas development in the region.
Additionally, BOEM has included appropriate fiscal terms that take into account market conditions and ensure taxpayers receive a fair return for use of the OCS. These terms include a 12.5 percent royalty rate for leases in less than 200 meters of water depth, and a royalty rate of 18.75 percent for all other leases issued pursuant to the sale. The 12.5 percent royalty rate for leases in less than 200 meters is lower than the proposed 18.75 percent royalty rate for shallow water leases that BOEM published in the Proposed Notice of Sale.
"Through regulatory streamlining, expanded offshore and onshore opportunities and great cooperation with our stakeholders, we expect to encourage competition while continuing to receive a fair and equitable return on oil and gas resources,” said Katharine MacGregor, Acting Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management.
The estimated amount of resources projected to be developed as a result of the region-wide lease sale ranges from approximately 0.21 to 1.12 billion barrels of oil and 0.55 to 4.42 trillion cubic feet of gas. Most of the activity (up to 83% of future production) of the proposed lease sale is expected to occur in the Central Planning Area.
As of August 1, 2017, 15.9 million acres on the U.S. OCS are under lease for oil and gas development (2994 active leases) and 4.3 million of those acres (870 leases) are producing oil and natural gas. More than 97 percent of these leases are in the Gulf of Mexico; about 3 percent are on the OCS off California and Alaska.
All terms and conditions for Gulf of Mexico Region-wide Sale 249 were detailed in the Final Notice of Sale (FNOS) information package and available at: http://www.boem.gov/Sale-249/. 
