State
Tropical Depression 16 forms, expected to become hurricane in Gulf by Sunday, NHC says
The Advocate
A tropical depression formed in the Caribbean Sea on Wednesday with projections indicating it will move into the Gulf of Mexico in the coming days.
LOCAL LANDFILL TURNS GARBAGE TO ELECTRICITY
WCBI
PONTOTOC, Miss. (WCBI)- When it’s time to take out the trash, the last you may see of it is the truck driving it away.
KPCB building on roots
New trailer, plants, president for Keep Pike Co. Beautiful
Enterprise-Journal
At its annual luncheon Monday, Keep Pike County Beautiful officials presented a new trailer, planted crape myrtles and introduced the incoming board president.
Energy cost saving plan for City of Meridian
WTOK
MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) - City leaders in Meridian are taking steps to implement a plan which they say could save the city almost $1,000,000 each year.
Water Valley’s Mayor Hart resigns
Oxford Eagle
According to the North Mississippi Herald’s Facebook
page, following a lengthy city board meeting Tuesday night, the last item of business was a resignation letter from Mayor Larry Hart.
State Government
Missy Warren McGee wins Mississippi House District 102 seat in runoff
Hattiesburg American
On Tuesday voters in a runoff election decided on Missy Warren McGee to be their next representative for Mississippi House District 102.will finish out the rest of Barker's term, which ends in December 2019.
Mike Hurst, who worked public corruption cases on Coast, will be U.S. attorney
Sun Herald
Pearl River Valley Water Supply District
Clarion Ledger
Jennifer Hall of Brandon has been elected president of the 14-member board of directors of the state agency that oversees operation of Barnett Reservoir. Hall, appointed to the board by Gov. Phil Bryant in 2016 as a representative of Rankin County, becomes the ninth president and the first woman to hold the position since the district was formed in 1958.
Oil Spill
Pensacola City Council will narrow down Triumph Gulf Coast requests
PNJ
The Pensacola City Council will meet Thursday to rank its top five Triumph Gulf Coast requests, which could include an airport expansion, small coastal cruise ships at Community Maritime Park and a baywalk along Pensacola Bay.
National
EPA to propose repealing Obama's climate regulation - document
Reuters
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will propose repealing the Clean Power Plan - the Obama administration’s centerpiece regulation to fight climate change - and plans to solicit input on a rule to replace it, according to an EPA document seen by Reuters.
EPA misses smog rule deadline
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) missed a legal deadline to start implementing its regulation limiting ozone pollution.
Senate to weigh key EPA nominees with close ties to chemical, fossil fuels industries
Washington Post
On Wednesday, Senate lawmakers will weigh whether to confirm as the chemical industry’s top regulator a scientist who over the past two decades has helped companies argue against stricter government regulation of potentially harmful compounds in everyday products.
EPA launches industry partnership program for regulating
The Hill
The Trump administration wants to work more closely with industrial sectors in formulating the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations that affect them.
EPA Opts for Pollution Trading Over Emissions Controls in Texas
Bloomberg
Eight Texas coal-fired power plants can join an air pollution trading program instead of installing expensive new sulfur dioxide controls, the EPA said as part of a rule aimed to improve visibility in the state.
'Oil Lake' in Meadowlands to be cleaned after languishing for decades
The Record
Part of a Superfund site in the Meadowlands dubbed "Oil Lake," which is home to tons of contaminated soil from a shuttered petroleum plant, is slated to receive its most comprehensive cleanup under a $24 million plan approved Tuesday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
EPA awarded $540M in cyber contracts without verifying if contractors got proper training, auditors say
Fox News
The Environmental Protection Agency awarded more than $540 million worth of often-sensitive information security contracts during the last two years of the Obama administration without learning whether the contractors now doing the jobs have gotten special “role-based” training required for their tasks, according to an internal audit report.
Opinion
The most expensive Coast properties have shifting property lines. It’s time to change that.
Editorial – Sun Herald
All we’re asking for is a little clarity about who owns what along our coastline.
Property ownership, it seems, gets fuzzier the closer the property is to the water. Much of the land nearest the water, it is clear, belongs to the government. That land begins at the water’s edge. The other northernmost boundary? That, it seems, depends on whom you are talking to.
Press Releases
Museum to Host “Fossil Friday the 13th” on October 13, 2017
10/3/2017 8:52:38 AM
From MDWFP
JACKSON - Elementary and middle school children and families can explore Mississippi's fossil past through activities, investigations, and games during a National Fossil Day celebration at MDWFP’s Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. “Although National Fossil Day is officially October 11th, the museum is celebrating on Fossil Friday the 13thfrom 10 a.m. – Noon,” explains Museum Director Charles Knight.
Visitors will meet a Mississippi paleontologist, discover the state’s fossil history with a museum scavenger hunt, dig in the “Red Hot” fossil pile for real fossils, and see the official state fossil (Zygorhiza kochii). In addition, visitors can play in the “Be the Dinosaur: Life in the Cretaceous” exhibit. This groundbreaking fusion of video technology and traditional exhibits features full-size dinosaur bones and scientifically accurate computer modeled dinosaurs.
Visit
http://www.mdwfp.com/museum for details or call 601-576-6000. Admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors (60+), $4 for youth (3-18), free for youth under age three, and free for Members of the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science Foundation. Group rates available. Tickets may be purchased in advance online or at the door.
“Be the Dinosaur: Life in the Cretaceous” is produced by Eureka Exhibits and is sponsored locally by: Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, Mississippi Museum of Natural Science Foundation, Gertrude C. Ford Foundation, Nissan, Regions Bank, The Chisholm Foundation, and other generous sponsors.
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EPA Launches Smart Sectors Program
A Program to Engage American Businesses to Achieve Better Environmental Outcomes
10/03/2017
Contact Information:
WASHINGTON (October 3, 2017) — Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt announced the launch of Smart Sectors, a partnership program between the Agency and regulated sectors focused on achieving better environmental outcomes. A sector-based, collaborative approach provides a significant opportunity for EPA to consider more forward-thinking ways to protect the environment.
“When we consider American business as a partner, as opposed to an adversary, we can achieve better environmental outcomes,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “The Smart Sectors program is designed to effectively engage business partners throughout the regulatory process. The previous administration created a narrative that you can’t be pro-business and pro-environment. This program is one of the many ways we can address that false choice and work together to protect the environment. When industries and regulators better understand each other, the economy, public, and the environment all benefit.”
A sector-based approach can provide benefits, such as: increased long-term certainty and predictability, creative solutions based on sound data; and, more sensible policies to improve environmental protection. Program leads for each sector will serve as ombudsmen within the Agency across program and regional offices. Staff will also: conduct educational site tours, host roundtables with EPA leadership, analyze data and advise about options for environmental improvement; maintain open dialogue with business partners and their environmental committees; and, develop reports that profile the impact of each sector on the environment and the economy.
Smart Sectors aims to facilitate better communication and streamline operations internally at EPA. The program is located in the Office of Policy’s Immediate Office, which enables the sector leads to work across EPA’s land, water, air, and chemical program offices, as well as with environmental justice, enforcement and compliance assistance, and other offices, including EPA regional offices.
View Smart Sectors Federal Register Notice
here.
EPA's Associate Administrator for the Office of Policy, Samantha Dravis; and EPA's Chief of Operations, Henry Darwin, announced the launch at EPA Headquarters on Tuesday, October 3rd, and were joined by representatives from across the American economy, including: Aerospace, Agriculture, Automotive, Cement and Concrete, Chemical Manufacturing, Construction, Electronics and Technology, Forestry and Wood Products, Iron and Steel, Mining, Oil and Gas, Ports and Marine, and Utilities and Power Generation.
“The auto industry is living through what may be its most dynamic moment in history,” said Mitch Bainwol, president and CEO of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers. “Our technology is transforming the driving experience and mobility models, offering more fuel efficient and safer transportation for all. We are breaking ground on new plants and expanding existing plants to build the most innovative vehicles in the world. And as we innovate and produce, we are a vital – if not the vital - catalyst for the American economy, providing millions of jobs from coast to coast – building, selling and servicing the vehicles that animate our economy. The Smart Sectors Program benefits us all by providing an open and transparent dialogue on policy that is predicated on solid facts and meaningful data. Protecting the environment while supporting economic growth – these twin goals are paramount, mutually supportive, and enabled by thoughtful collaboration between government and business.”
“The Smart Sectors Program shows it’s a new day at EPA—and that’s good news for the environment and the economy,” said Michael D. Bellaman, president and CEO of Associated Builders and Contractors. “The nation’s construction industry welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with regulators to ensure that environmental protection is streamlined and cost effective. That’s the way government can help industry be more productive, create more jobs and grow the economy.”
“The real estate industry’s leaders are committed to sustainable building management and construction practices that tie directly to their business mission,” said Jeffrey D. DeBoer, president and CEO of The Real Estate Roundtable. “We look forward to participating in EPA’s Smart Sectors Program to share our industry’s perspectives on how responsible, measurable environmental stewardship can help create jobs, strengthen our economy, spur innovation, and enhance lasting value for our communities.”
“Modern agriculture is environmentally sustainable,” said Zippy Duvall, American Farm Bureau Federation president. “From satellite technology and data management to the use of cover crops, farmers and ranchers continue to adopt innovations that are effective in helping them grow more food with fewer resources. That’s good for the environment and good for business. EPA’s Smart Sectors Program provides a framework of welcome collaboration that embraces continued innovation aligned with our commitment to continuous improvement.”
“Manufacturers are committed to protecting the environment and the communities we serve, and we appreciate the efforts of Administrator Pruitt to work with us to jointly address current and future environmental challenges,” said Ross Eisenberg, vice president of energy and resources policy at the National Association of Manufacturers. “Smarter, modernized regulations are an essential ingredient in supporting manufacturing job growth here in America, so we are excited that the EPA is ringing in this year's Manufacturing Day—when we focus on building the next generation of modern manufacturing workers—with a new EPA Smart Sectors Program. This will hopefully yield better, smarter regulations that achieve their environmental goals while empowering manufacturers to be more competitive and create more well-paying jobs in America.”
“We are very pleased that the steel industry can be a part of the Smart Sectors Program, and appreciate the work of Administrator Pruitt and his team to partner with industry to develop a more sensible regulatory framework that better protects human health and the environment,” said Thomas J. Gibson, president and CEO of American Iron and Steel Institute.
“The American Wood Council supports a smarter, more sensible and cost-effective regulatory process, such as the approach taken by EPA’s Smart Sectors Program,” said Robert Glowinski, president and CEO of the American Wood Council. “AWC represents more than 75 percent of the North American wood products industry, which provides approximately 400,000 men and women with family-wage jobs in the United States. AWC members make wood products that are essential to everyday life from a renewable resource that absorbs and sequesters carbon.”
“The oil and natural gas industry is a major economic engine supporting 10.3 million jobs, is leading the world in the production and refining of oil and natural gas, and is a world leader in reducing carbon emissions from energy use which today are near 25-year lows,” said Kyle Isakower, American Petroleum Institute vice president for regulatory and economic policy. “We welcome this new partnership and look forward to working with the Agency on this program to ensure that industry is doing all it can to protect the environment and support economic growth.”
“We’re grateful Administrator Pruitt invited the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) to participate in this Smart Sectors Program,” said Brian Jennings, ACE executive vice president. “The biofuels industry is essential to growing the rural economy and protecting the environment.”
“America’s cement manufacturers have a strong track record of finding creative ways to reduce their environmental footprint while producing the high-quality material our economy needs for building everything from homes to highways and hospitals,” said Todd Johnston, Portland Cement Association executive vice president. “We look forward to working with EPA and the Administration to protect health and the environment while reducing unnecessary regulatory burdens that undermine economic growth.”
“Community-owned, not-for-profit electric utilities exist to safely provide reliable, low-cost electricity to more than 49 million Americans, while protecting the environment,” said Sue Kelly, American Public Power Association president and CEO. “We very much appreciate the EPA’s invitation to participate in the Smart Sectors Program, and look forward to a productive dialogue.”
“The paper and wood products industry faces enormous challenges from costly, complex and vast amounts of regulations that hurt our ability to contribute to economic growth and job creation,” said Mark Kowlzan, chairman and CEO, Packaging Corporation of America and immediate past chairman of the American Forest & Paper Association Board of Directors. “We’re pleased to participate in the Smart Sectors Program to achieve common-sense regulatory approaches that protect the environment and allow industry to compete at home and around the globe.”
“We are thrilled to be part of the EPA’s launch of its Smart Sectors Program and are proud to represent an industry that’s always first in line when it comes to partnering with EPA to improve its processes and benefits,” said John McKnight, senior vice president of government relations for the National Marine Manufacturers Association. “The recreational boating industry is unique in that while the EPA, the State of California, and many international environmental government agencies place stringent environmental requirements on our products, our customers—the 142 million Americans who went boating last year—also demand and expect clean water and a healthy environment in which to fish, swim, and enjoy watersports. As a treasured American pastime with 95 percent of the boats sold in the U.S., made in the U.S., an estimated 35,000 marine-related businesses, which provide approximately 650,000 jobs, and an estimated $121 billion in economic impact, the recreational boating industry is one of our country’s driving economic engines that is eager to continue meaningful collaboration with the EPA.”
“Seaports are vital economic engines and create American jobs,” said Kurt Nagle, American Association of Port Authorities president and CEO. “Seaport cargo activity accounts for over a quarter of the U.S. economy, supports the employment of more than 23 million people in the United States, and generates over $320 billion in tax revenue annually. AAPA is excited to partner with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on the Smart Sectors Program. Improved communication between industry and EPA can streamline processes for all parties, achieving better environmental results and clearer goals and outcomes. The U.S. port industry looks forward to being part of an ongoing dialogue with EPA that furthers ports’ commitment to their roles as stewards of coastal resources.”
“We welcome the opportunity to explain how long-term, capital-intensive operations like ours – which require regulatory predictability – can be carefully aligned with important Agency objectives for ensuring health and environmental protection,” said Hal Quinn, president and CEO of the National Mining Association. “Regulatory policies will be more effective when they are informed by actual conditions in regulated sectors.”
“Forest Resources Association serves the whole supply chain from the woods to the mill,” said Ryan Rhodes, director of public relations and government affairs. “The forest products supply chain supports 2.4 million jobs and is dedicated to the sustainability of forest land through conservation and best practices. We look forward to working together to promote a smarter regulatory outcome, which promotes both jobs and environmental stewardship.”
“Finding a way to combine a deep knowledge of how to protect the environment with an understanding of how construction firms operate is the most effective way to craft programs and policies that deliver significant environmental protections to commercial construction sites,” said Stephen E. Sandherr, the chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America. “The Administrator clearly understands that firms will be able to do more to protect the environment if the regulations they must follow are crafted with an understanding of how employers operate.”
“The Smart Sectors Program holds great promise to enable the technology industry to drive environmental protection and economic growth,” said Gary Shapiro, Consumer Technology Association president and CEO. “Improved dialogue and collaboration between industry and the EPA at the earliest stages will ideally lead to fewer onerous rules that handcuff innovation and job creation. Working together, we can unleash our nation’s tech sector to help improve environmental performance and increase sustainability across multiple industries.”
“CropLife America is excited to collaborate with EPA and other stakeholders to ensure agriculture-related regulations allow the U.S. food system to advance as well as feed the rising population,” said Jay Vroom, president and CEO of CropLife America. “Additionally, we believe that through the Smart Sectors Program and developing productive relationships with the Agency and industry partners, we can successfully create the best approach to supporting both economic growth and advance innovation in agriculture, while protecting the environment.”
“ACC appreciates Administrator Pruitt’s actions to foster a more productive relationship between our industry and the Agency through the Smart Sectors Program, which will help support economic growth in ways that protect our environment,” said Michael Walls, vice president of regulatory and technical affairs for the American Chemistry Council. “This program is an opportunity to have a more open and constructive dialogue about how the chemistry industry can continue to fuel the economy through innovation while working with EPA to make American businesses, homes and consumer products more efficient, environmentally friendly and sustainable.”
