News Clippings August 8, 2017

State Tugboat fire near Cat Island could have been ‘lethal’ to marine life, fire chief says Sun Hearld MISSISSIPPI SOUTH  The crew of a burning tugboat that contained hazardous materials evacuated before Gulfport firefighters put out the blaze. The tugboat contained 2,500 pounds of anhydrous ammonia and had about 800 gallons of diesel fuel on hand, Gulfport Fire Chief Mike Beyerstedt said. http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/harrison-county/article165224307.html PROGRESS MADE REMOVING LITTER AT RESERVOIR AND ALONG THE PEARL RIVER Northside Sun The Spillway Recreational Litter Committee has made progress in trying to clean up the reservoir and the Pearl River. “Our Spillway Recreational Litter Committee met last week, and we reported this to the Parks Policy Committee,” John Sigman, Pearl River Valley Water Supply District (PRVWSD) general manager, said about a recent July meeting. “We feel like there’s been substantial progress in the abatement of litter. https://northsidesun.com/breaking-news/progress-made-removing-litter-reservoir-and-along-pearl-river#sthash.xHrUcjCE.dpbs       Regional Parish seeks comments on oil spill fine money projects Daily Comet Terrebonne’s Parish’s plan for using money from the 2010 BP oil spill penalties includes a levee and pump project, plus an education program to train workers for coastal restoration work. The plan for Restore Act money is now open for public comment. It can be accessed at http://www.tpcg.org/index.php?f=coastal_restoration&p=myip. http://www.dailycomet.com/   Gulf of Mexico dead zone is largest on record ARS Technica Hypoxic area is likely even larger, but cruise ran out of time to make measurements. Every summer for the last three decades, researchers have cruised the northern Gulf of Mexico during July to study the extent of hypoxia, or low oxygen levels. https://arstechnica.com/science/2017/08/gulf-of-mexico-dead-zone-is-largest-on-record/   EPA to drill wells to assess chemical threat at dry-cleaners site Commercial Appeal The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to drill a series of wells this month to determine if a toxic solvent found in ground water beneath a former Memphis dry-cleaning business is seeping toward a pumping station supplying some of the city's drinking water, officials said Thursday. The five wells — two of them at a neighboring McDonald's restaurant — will help EPA map the plume of tetrachloroethylene emanating from the former Custom Cleaners site at 3517 Southern.  http://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/2017/08/03/epa-drill-wells-assess-chemical-threat-dry-cleaners-site/528495001/     National EPA Administrator Pruitt part of delegation to tour Gold King mine area on 2-year anniversary of spill FOX 31 Denver DURANGO, Colo. — Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt will tour the site of the Gold King mine on the second anniversary of the spill in southwest Colorado. Gov. John Hickenlooper, Sens. Cory Gardner Michael Bennet, and Rep. Scott Tipton will also tour the site, and meet with Pruitt and other representatives of the EPA on Friday. http://kdvr.com/2017/08/04/epa-administrator-pruitt-part-of-delegation-to-tour-gold-king-mine-area-on-2-year-anniversary-of-spill/   Press Releases     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 3, 2017  Public Input Requested for Crittenden County Ozone Advance Path Forward Plan  NORTH LITTLE ROCK –The Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) is requesting public input on the development of a plan to enact voluntary measures and actions in Crittenden County to ensure continued maintenance of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone. Information received in response to this request for information will inform the state’s Ozone Advance Path Forward plan for Crittenden County. In order to guide comments, ADEQ has included a draft Path Forward plan. The deadline for submitting comments on the request for information is 4:30 p.m. (Central Time) on September 25, 2017.   The Ozone Advance program is a collaborative effort among the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), states, local governments, businesses, and industry. The goal of the program is to reduce ground-level ozone and ozone precursors as a way of helping participating areas continue to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone. This is accomplished by encouraging a proactive approach at the state and local level, with the aid of the Ozone Advance program, to help ensure that local air quality remains healthy. The EPA provides technical assistance and other support to state and local governments administering an Ozone Advance program.   Copies of the Crittenden County Ozone Advance Path Forward plan can be found on our website at https://www.adeq.state.ar.us/air/planning/ozone/crittenden.aspx. Stakeholders and the public can also sign up for updates about the development and implementation of Crittenden County’s Path Forward plan.   Information responsive to this request for information and comments on the draft Path Forward plan should be sent to Tricia Treece, Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, 5301 Northshore Drive, North Little Rock, Arkansas 72118. Electronic mail comments should be sent to the following address: treecep@adeq.state.ar.us.     CONTACT:  Kelly Robinson (Robinson@adeq.state.ar.us or 501.682.0916)                                                 Connect with us

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