State
EPA names Mississippi stamping plant as Superfund site
AP
GRENADA, Miss. (AP) — Federal officials want to put a polluted north Mississippi industrial site on the national Superfund list for cleanup.
EPA announces Mississippi Phosphates addition to Superfund Priorities List
Mississippi Press
PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- The Environmental Protection Agency has officially added the Mississippi Phosphates plant to its Superfund Priorities List, it announced in a release on Tuesday.
Threefoot work could start Monday
Meridian Star
Interior demolition work could begin next week at the Courtyard by Marriott-Threefoot building site in downtown Meridian, officials said Tuesday.
After installing a construction debris chute on the side of the Threefoot building last month, work is expected to resume when project developer Ascent Hospitality, LLC receives a permit from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality for asbestos abatement.
MSDH OFFERING FREE RADON TEST KITS
WTVA
JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) – The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH) is offering free radon test kits during Radon Action Month.
Illegal dumps plague county
Grenada Star
County officials are taking a strong stance on the trash problem, and they want citizens to know that littering will not be tolerated.
$36 million power plant announced in southeast Mississippi
AP
BENNDALE, MISS.
An electrical provider plans a $36 million natural gas-fired power plant in southeast Mississippi.
Plans for Meridian to become more energy efficient
WTOK
MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) - In order to meet EPA requirements, the city of Meridian has to update the way it deals with water and waste water.
City of Jackson Water Update 01/09/2018
State Government
Governor Bryant’s State of the State Address reflects progress
NewsMS
A joint session of the Mississippi Legislature was gaveled in, and Governor Phil Bryant delivered his 2018 State of the State Address to the people of the Magnolia State.
Oil Spill
One coast, one voice when it comes to BP oil spill money
WLOX
Coast business and elected leaders are gearing up for one of the most important trips they'll ever make. They're spending two days in Jackson to shake hands and bend the ears of lawmakers.
Regional
City Council votes down Frayser landfill expansion
Commercial Appeal
Memphis City Council members on Tuesday voted unanimously to block the proposed expansion of a construction-debris landfill in Frayser.
Louisiana crafts rules for buying and selling water pollution credits
Times-Picayune
Louisiana polluters having a tough time meeting water quality standards may soon be able to buy their way into compliance. The state is crafting a credit trading program that would allow a factory, farm or sewer plant to offset its pollution by purchasing credits from another entity that has reduced its foul output.
Freezing temps tamp down invasive aquatic plant that's been overtaking Louisiana lakes
Times-Picayune
While recent freezing temperatures in Louisiana caused water pipelines to freeze, school closures and may have even resulted in fish kills, there is some good news, according to the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
Local site proposed for list of country's most toxic places
Chattanooga Times Free Press
A local site composed of residential properties, including areas used by children, has been proposed to be put on a list of the country's most toxic places.
Trump administration says no oil drilling off Florida coast
AP
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - The Trump administration said Tuesday it would not allow oil drilling off the coast of Florida, abruptly reversing course under pressure from Republican Gov. Rick Scott.
National
Exclusive: Trump's EPA aims to replace Obama-era climate, water regulations in 2018
Reuters
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will replace Obama-era carbon and clean water regulations and open up a national debate on climate change in 2018, part of a list of priorities for the year that also includes fighting lead contamination in public drinking water.
EPA staffing falls to Reagan-era levels
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) staffing is now lower than it was in former President Reagan’s final year in office.
Michigan abruptly sets PFAS cleanup rules
MLive
LANSING, MI -- Michigan is establishing enforceable cleanup criteria for a pair of unregulated fluorochemicals polluting drinking water supplies around the state.
Opinion
Issue could be real setback for county and city in making park repairs
Vicksburg Post
Just when it seemed Riverfront Park was on the way to being repaired and reopened to the public, the project hit a roadblock — the contractor struck oil.
Press Releases
EPA Proposes Site in Grenada, Miss., to National Priorities List to Clean Up Contamination
ATLANTA (January 9, 2018) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed the Rockwell International Wheel & Trim site in Grenada, Miss., along with nine other sites across the country to the Superfund Program’s National Priorities List (NPL). An additional four hazardous waste sites were formally added to the NPL.
Superfund, as established by Congress in 1980, investigates and cleans up hazardous waste sites and converts them into community resources. EPA adds sites to the NPL when contamination threatens human health and the environment. Only sites added to the NPL are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term cleanup.
“Today’s action ensures the necessary resources are available for effective and safe revitalization of some of the most contaminated sites across the country,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “Superfund clean-up continues to be a priority at EPA as we work intently to create a safer and healthier environment for all communities affected.”
EPA adds sites to the NPL when contamination threatens human health and the environment. EPA deletes sites from the NPL once all response actions are complete and all cleanup goals have been achieved. EPA typically initiates Superfund involvement because states, tribes or citizens ask for the Agency’s help. The Agency may also find contamination during its own investigations.
The Rockwell Grenada site includes the 40-acre facility at 635 Highway 332 (commonly called Grenada Stamping and currently operated by Ice Industries, Inc.), and other areas where site-related contaminants have migrated or were disposed. Rockwell International, followed by Textron Automotive and later by Grenada Manufacturing, operated a wheel cover manufacturing and chrome plating facility on the property from 1966 to the early 2000s. In 2005, portions of the plant were leased to Ice Industries, which converted the facility to a metal stamping plant that continues to operate today.
Past operations, spills and waste handling practices resulted in air, groundwater, surface water and soil contamination The solvent trichloroethene (TCE) has been found in the air inside the manufacturing building on-site, groundwater beneath the site, the adjacent Eastern Heights neighborhood, a former disposal area associated with the facility, nearby wetlands and Riverdale Creek.
EPA has been overseeing the cleanup of the facility under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) program. The Agency’s priority is a comprehensive approach that addresses all contamination related to the former chrome plating operation at the facility and in the surrounding community.
On Dec. 29, 2017, a treatment system intended to reduce elevated levels of TCE inside the manufacturing building at the Grenada Stamping facility was restarted under an EPA removal action. Removal actions are short-term responses intended to protect people from risks or potential risks associated with contaminated sites. The treatment system will operate with EPA oversight and monitoring.
Adding the Site to the NPL will allow EPA to conduct a comprehensive assessment of all the risks to public health and the environment, and take the necessary cleanup actions. Only sites added to the NPL are eligible for receive federal funding for long-term cleanup.
Superfund addresses a variety of sites. While many Superfund sites were contaminated decades ago, at least six of the sites EPA is adding or proposing today were in operation within the last 15 years – and the main facility at the Rockwell Grenada site continues to operate today. These sites have contamination from a variety of sources, including manufacturing, electroplating and metal finishing.
The Superfund law directs EPA to update the NPL at least annually.
EPA Add Mississippi Phosphates Corporation Site to National Priorities List Site to Clean Up Contamination
WASHINGTON (January 9, 2018) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) added the Mississippi Phosphates Corporation (MPC) site in Pascagoula, Miss., along with three other sites across the country to the Superfund Program’s National Priorities List (NPL). An additional 10 hazardous waste sites were proposed for listing on the NPL.
Superfund, which Congress established in 1980, investigates and cleans up hazardous waste sites and converts them into community resources. EPA adds sites to the NPL when contamination threatens human health and the environment. Only sites added to the NPL are eligible to receive federal funding for long-term cleanup.
“Today’s action ensures the necessary resources are available for effective and safe revitalization of some of the most contaminated sites across the country,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “Superfund clean-up continues to be a priority at EPA as we work intently to create a safer and healthier environment for all communities affected.”
EPA adds sites to the NPL when contamination threatens human health and the environment. EPA deletes sites from the NPL once all response actions are complete and all cleanup goals have been achieved. EPA typically initiates Superfund involvement because states, tribes or citizens ask for the Agency’s help. The Agency may also find contamination during its own investigations.
Mississippi Phosphates Corporation is a former diammonium phosphate fertilizer plant that began operation in the 1950s. The facility ceased operations in December 2014 under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, leaving more than 700,000,000 gallons of low-pH, contaminated wastewater stored at the facility. On Feb. 11, 2017, EPA assumed temporary control of wastewater treatment operations at the former MPC fertilizer facility once the MPC Environmental Trust, which owns the property, ran out of funds. EPA is overseeing wastewater treatment at a rate of approximately 2,000,000 gallons per day—at a cost of approximately $1,000,000 per month—due to the high volume of wastewater generated that requires treatment.
EPA proposed listing the MPC site on the Superfund National Priorities List on Aug. 3, 2017. On Dec. 8, 2017, EPA announced that the MPC site is among those that Administrator Pruitt has targeted for immediate and intense attention. The 21 sites on the list – from across the United States – are in direct response to the Superfund Task Force Recommendations, issued this summer, calling for this list.
Superfund addresses a variety of sites. While many Superfund sites were contaminated decades ago, at least six of the sites EPA is adding or proposing today – including the MPC site – were in operation within the last 15 years. These sites have contamination from a variety of sources, including manufacturing, electroplating and metal finishing.
When EPA cleans up a site or a portion of a site, the site is available for beneficial uses. More than 850 Superfund sites nationwide have some type of actual or planned reuse underway.
Community partnerships are critical to Superfund site cleanups. EPA's goal is to work with community partners at every site by establishing a process to explore future uses before the cleanup remedy’s selection. This gives EPA the best chance of ensuring remedies are consistent with a site’s likely future use.
The Superfund law directs EPA to update the NPL at least annually.
Palazzo Welcomes EPA Cleanup Announcement
Washington, DC - Congressman Steven Palazzo (MS-4) today commended the Environmental Protection Agency for adding the Mississippi Phosphates Corporation (MPC) in Pascagoula to its Superfund Program's National Priorities List (NPL).
"It has been three years since the facility discontinued operations and until last February it sat untouched in Pascagoula. We've witnessed the damaging environmental impact of hazardous materials not being properly managed. Working to clean up the contaminated facility is past due.
"This announcement is a refreshing reminder that the EPA under this Administration is committed to fixing real problems and not overregulating and further burdening our businesses.
"Seeing swift action taken by Secretary Pruitt and the EPA to clean up the MPC site will help ease the minds of local residents and work toward restoring a healthier ecosystem in Pascagoula."
In February 2017, the EPA temporarily assumed oversight of the wastewater treatment operations after the MPC Environmental Trust ran out of funds. The Superfund investigates and cleans up hazardous waste sites and converts them into community resources
