State
Pascagoula roads reopened; source of chemical leak still a mystery
WLOX
PASCAGOULA, MS (WLOX) -Roads near Highway 90 and Highway 63 in Pascagoula are open this morning. Police removed barricades at 3:15 a.m. after experts determined a chemical leak no longer posed a threat. Now, emergency teams must find the source of that leak.
AMMONIA LEAK IN PASCAGOULA
WXXV
An anhydrous ammonia leak near near Industrial Road and Highway 90 has shut HWY 90 down east and west bound.
Revitalizing Gulfport: City to hold public meeting
WLOX
E.G. Warren owns a Gulfport business that's been located on Pass Road for almost 40 years. In that time he's seen a lot of changes, but not enough development.
Regulators, utility split on Mississippi power plant rates
AP
JACKSON, MISS.
Regulators and Mississippi Power Co. disagree over how much money the company should get for the functioning portion of its Kemper County power plant.
Guns, ammo tax holiday: What's exempt?
Clarion Ledger
In its fourth year, Mississippi's Second Amendment Sales Tax Holiday is expected to pack stores this weekend with shoppers looking for a discount on guns, ammunition and other items exempt from the state's 7 percent sales tax.
Oil Spill
Penguins will formally open Mississippi Aquarium in spring 2019
Sun Herald
South African penguins will be the first creatures on display in the changing exhibit at the $93 million Mississippi Aquarium.
Pristine piece of Texas coast becoming a state park
Houston Chronicle
It took more than four decades, an environmental catastrophe, two years of negotiations, an unprecedented cooperative effort between a coalition of private conservation organizations and a state agency, and $50 million to permanently protect what a conservation group official calls an "irreplaceable" piece of native coastal Texas.
Feds take tour of sites for BP funding
Citrus County Chronicle
Dorothy Rayfield and Marcia Humphries had quite a Monday visiting coastal Citrus County.
They rode the Crystal River trolley, walked the Three Sisters Springs boardwalk, toured King’s Bay by pontoon boat and had lunch at a Homosassa River restaurant where they were entertained by inhabitants of Monkey Island.
Regional
Controversial former Alabama environmental agency head named EPA Region 4 Administrator
Al.com
Trey Glenn -- the former director of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management who resigned in 2009 -- has been named the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Region 4 Administrator, charged with overseeing EPA operations throughout the Southeast. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt made the announcement in a news release Monday.
EPA bowed to TVA, contractor on worker safety standards at nation's largest coal ash disaster, records say
Knoxville News Sentinel
The Environmental Protection Agency knew the coal ash at the center of the nation’s largest spill had dangerous levels of arsenic in it but ignored its own supervisor’s recommendations on how to protect workers from it, documents say.
Report documents negative effects of proposed EPA cuts on Florida environment
PNJ
WASHINGTON — Delayed cleanups of toxic waste sites. The elimination of programs that test water quality off beaches and in the Everglades. Deep cuts in programs that monitor air quality in the Sunshine State.
Court rejects pipeline project on climate concerns
The Hill
An appeals court on Tuesday rejected the federal government’s approval of a natural gas pipeline project in the southeastern U.S., citing concerns about its impact on climate change.
National
Economy-Wide Gains, 9.5 Billion Tons HFC Emissions At Risk From U.S. Court of Appeals Ruling
Forbes
The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington recently vacated one of the Environmental Protection Agency’s most promising rules for reducing the use of high global warming-potential refrigerants hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), in air conditioners, refrigerators, solvents, and other applications. With its ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals dealt a blow to the Obama Administration’s climate legacy as well as the current Trump Administration, which had supported the regulation upon the urging of U.S. chemical companies Honeywell International Inc. and The Chemours Co.
Trump rejects use of emergency authority to help coal plants
The Hill
The Trump administration has denied a coal company’s request to invoke a little-used authority to stop coal-fired power plants from closing.
Exclusive: Trump team goes to bat for NRA-backed bill, deleting Park Service concerns
McClatchy
The National Park Service has several big problems with NRA-backed legislation that would restrict the agency from regulating hunting and fishing within park boundaries. But according to a leaked memo obtained by McClatchy, the Trump administration has so far prevented the parks from voicing such concerns.
Chevron CEO John Watson to Step Down
Transition expected to be announced next month; successor not yet finalized
WSJ
Chevron Corp. Chief Executive John Watson is planning to step down as the energy giant seeks new leadership for a changing oil world, according to people familiar with the matter. The transition is expected to be announced next month, although Mr. Watson’s successor hasn’t yet been finalized by the board and plans could change, the people said. Mr. Watson isn’t expected to depart immediately and is likely to remain after the announcement for an orderly transition, the people said.
Opinion
Southern EPA pick Trey Glenn is downright Orwellian
Al.com
Holy cow it really is 1984. Finally.
War is peace.
Ignorance is strength.
Trey Glenn is head of the Environmental Protection Agency's Southeast Region.
Holy cow it's here. And it's over. George Orwell saw it coming.
Press Releases
NFWF Announces $1.9 Million in Grants from Gulf Coast Conservation Program
Projects will enhance ecosystems, bolster priority fish and wildlife populations, and strengthen resiliency within the coastal region
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 22, 2017) – The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced 10 grant awards totaling $1.9 million to enhance coastal habitats, bolster fish and wildlife populations, and strengthen resilience along the Gulf of Mexico. Grantee organizations have committed approximately $6 million in match, generating a total conservation impact of nearly $7.9 million.
The 2017 grant awards address three key strategies: 1) strengthening coastal resilience; 2) advancing conservation and management on private lands; and 3) conserving living resources. Grantees will enhance the conservation of key wildlife species, including sea turtles, marine mammals, waterfowl, the endangered Mississippi sandhill crane, and federally listed mussels species and Gulf sturgeon.
Altogether, the projects supported by these grants will sustain, restore or enhance more than 36,000 acres of coastal habitat along the Gulf of Mexico.
“Successful conservation programs operating at this scale wouldn’t be possible without bringing together the public and private sectors,” said Jeff Trandahl, executive director and CEO at NFWF. “Innovative partnerships like these drive the overall success of the Gulf Coast Conservation Grant Program, which in turn ensures that critical on-the-ground conservation work gets done throughout the Gulf Coast.”
“Shell is proud to partner with NFWF to support protection and restoration efforts on the Gulf Coast,” said Rick Tallant, GM of Gulf of Mexico’s East Assets. “This year, the projects we’re supporting with NFWF will ultimately lead to the restoration of over 250 acres of coastal habitat in Louisiana alone. Coastal Louisiana is an important place for Shell, home to thousands of our employees and contractors, and the Gulf Coast Conservation Grants Program is an excellent opportunity for us to collaborate on important work in conservation.”
The GCCGP is a competitive grants program that supports priority conservation needs of the Gulf that are not funded under NFWF’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund or other funding opportunities associated with the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. “We believe in being a good steward wherever we serve and our support of the Gulf Coast Conservation Grants Program is one of the many ways we are doing that,” said Southern Company Environmental and System Planning Vice President Jeff Burleson. “Through the Power of Flight Program, we are helping to conserve critical bird species and improve the Gulf Coast’s ecosystem, which is inextricably tied to the health of our coastal economy and tourism.”
The GCCGP focuses on strategic conservation projects within coastal areas in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The program seeks to build and maintain the resilience of the Gulf Coast’s ecosystems, living resources and communities by supporting critical gaps in conservation and catalyzing conservation solutions through strategic planning, innovation and technology that can be applied at a landscape scale.
EPA Funds Innovative Research across the Country to Address State Environmental Issues
08/22/2017
Contact Information:
214 665-2200
DALLAS – (Aug. 22, 2017) Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced research projects addressing priority environmental and human health problems in 14 states through partnerships between EPA’s research office, regional offices, and states.
“EPA encourages the use of innovative scientific approaches to help solve important environmental problems,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “By working with our state partners and engaging the public we can foster creative solutions to these challenges.”
Among the partnerships is one between EPA Region 6 and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to develop a low-cost sensor to detect harmful air emissions known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs). These compounds contribute to the formation of ozone, a significant source of air pollution in many parts of Texas. The sensor will use advanced emission-detection technologies to identify specific types of VOCs. The resulting data will improve understanding of local sources of air pollution, how to reduce it, and potential cost-savings for facilities.
The research announced today is designed to address pressing environmental issues faced by the states. EPA is uniquely equipped to provide scientific expertise to help tackle these problems. The selected projects focus on non-point source nitrogen pollution, volatile organic compound emission detection, harmful algal blooms, roadway air pollution near schools, and other environmental and human health issues across the country. The projects will employ innovative approaches including citizen science, crowdsourcing, a challenge competition, and advanced monitoring technologies.
EPA Announces Innovative Mussel Research to Address Water Quality Issues
08/22/2017
Contact Information:
215-814-5407
PHILADELPHIA (August 22, 2017) –The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a new project today to develop innovative methods to improve our understanding of the distribution of freshwater mussels. EPA will partner with the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection in this effort.
The project is one of 14 research projects announced today by EPA addressing priority environmental and human health problems through partnerships among EPA’s research office, regional offices, and states.
“EPA encourages the use of innovative scientific approaches to help solve important environmental problems,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “By working with our state partners and engaging the public we can foster creative solutions to these challenges.”
Freshwater mussels improve water quality by filtering and sequestering pollutants and suspended particulates, nutrient cycling, and removing harmful toxins and pathogens that are threats to public health. Currently, it takes extensive time, effort, and money to assess mussel populations, but now it is possible to monitor mussels by collecting water and/or sediment samples and analyze for their DNA.
This new method of detecting mussel populations lowers the level of effort in traditional freshwater mussel assessments and will help provide an early warning system for water quality changes, act as sensors for drinking water, and help promote mussel restoration and management in regional watersheds.
The research announced today is designed to address pressing environmental issues faced by the states. EPA is uniquely equipped to provide scientific expertise to help tackle these problems. The selected projects focus on non-point source nitrogen pollution, volatile organic compounds, harmful algal blooms, roadway air pollution, and other environmental and human health issues across the country.
The projects will employ innovative approaches including citizen science, crowdsourcing, a challenge competition, and advanced monitoring technologies.
