State
DEQ permits explained
Enterprise-Journal
Last week’s column on clearcutting included information from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality on permits. Unfortunately, it was unintelligible, at least to me.
Oil Spill
BP Faces Down Its Doubters
Oil company is trying to regain the confidence and prestige it lost after the Deepwater Horizon disaster in 2010
WSJ
LONDON— BP BP -5.07% PLC is struggling to convince investors it can regain its top position among the world’s elite energy players nearly eight years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Regional
Drinking water not affected by toxins
Fox 13
Toxins have seeped into the ground near the University of Memphis, but the Environmental Protection Agency and Memphis Light Gas and Water both claim the drinking water has not been affected.
Could Mississippi River change course? New research raises question, but Corps says plan working
The Advocate
LETTSWORTH — If you drive out to the middle of nowhere and keep going, you can see where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is battling with the forces of nature.
National
Pruitt: Goal is to roll EPA back from 'weaponized' past
The Hill
While environmentalists lash out at the Trump administration over blocked Obama-era regulations, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt says they should first look at Congress.
Court grants EPA delay on animal waste emissions reporting
The Hill
A federal court granted the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) a victory Thursday, allowing regulators to give U.S. livestock producers more time to comply with a mandate on reporting emissions from animal waste.
White House withdraws controversial nominee to head Council on Environmental Quality
Washington Post
he White House has withdrawn its controversial nominee to head the Council on Environmental Quality, Kathleen Hartnett White, whose selection a year ago had failed to gather momentum with some Senate Republicans raising questions about her expertise.
Scott Pruitt pushes back on finding that would restrict pesticides’ use to protect fish
Washington Post
For months, chemical companies have waged a campaign to reverse findings by federal fisheries scientists that could curb the use of pesticides based on the threat they pose to endangered species. They scored a major victory this week, when Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt announced he would press another federal agency to revisit a recent opinion triggering such restrictions.
The Super Bowl of recycling? NFL aims to keep over 40 tons of waste out of landfills.
Washington Post
Whatever happens in the Super Bowl — be it the Patriots winning their sixth title with Bill Belichick and Tom Brady or the Eagles bringing Philadelphia its first NFL championship since 1960 — the result will be long remembered. However, the NFL aims for the staging of the game itself, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, to barely leave a trace.
Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 5, 2018
Gov. Bryant Designates MDEQ to Administer VW Trust Funds
State to Receive $9.8 Million
(JACKSON, Miss.) – Gov. Phil Bryant has designated the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to administer the state’s portion of the funds resulting from the Volkswagen Diesel Settlement. The state has been allocated $9,874,414 out of the $2.7 billion Environmental Mitigation Trust to implement air emissions reduction projects. Each of the states involved in the litigation will receive settlements based on the number of offending vehicles registered in that state. VW established the Mitigation Trust Fund, in part, to settle claims under the Clean Air Act that it sold vehicles with “defeat devices” designed to cheat emissions tests for its diesel vehicles.
“MDEQ has managed a successful Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) program for many years that has reduced diesel emissions statewide. I am confident the agency will administer these funds with the best benefit for the state’s air quality and economy,” said Bryant.
The funds from the trust will be used to fund mitigation projects to replace older diesel emission sources with cleaner technology to reduce excess nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions and improve air quality in Mississippi. Examples of projects could include replacing or modifying vehicles and equipment such as:
· Class 8 local freight trucks and port trucks (large trucks)
· Class 4-8 school buses, shuttle buses, or transit buses
· Railway freight switchers
· Ferries and tugs
· Shorepower for ocean going vessels
· Class 4-7 local freight trucks (medium trucks)
· Airport ground support equipment
· Forklifts and post cargo handling equipment
· Supplementing the Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) program
Funds may be used for government and non-government owned mitigation projects, and the state may also use up to 15 percent of its allocation to buy, operate, and maintain zero emission supply equipment such as charging stations or hydrogen dispensing equipment.
MDEQ is seeking public input on how these funds will be used before it submits a plan to the Mitigation Trust. It will soon announce public meeting and public comment opportunities. There is also a comment form on its website here and a sign up form for a notification email list here. # # #
USDA-NRCS Accepting Applications for
Upper Pascagoula Water Quality Enhancement Project (UPWQEP)
Corrected Copy
Jackson, Miss. – The United States Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is providing financial assistance through the Upper Pascagoula Water Quality Enhancement Project (UPWQEP). In accordance with the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 (OPA), the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) Oil Spill: Programmatic Damage Assessment and Restoration Plan (PDARP) and Final Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS), and the Trustee Council Standard Operating Procedures for Implementation of the Natural Resource Restoration for the DWH Oil Spill, The Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group approved the UPWQE project for funding.
USDA-NRCS, Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), and the Environmental Protection Agency are the implementing Trustees for the project. NRCS will lead the project implementation component of the project, and MDEQ and EPA will facilitate the water quality monitoring component of the project.
The purpose of the UPWQEP is to provide water quality improvement through the development and implementation of conservation plans and practices. These conservation practices will reduce nutrient and sediment runoff into coastal waters.
The project will be implemented in the Chunky-Okatibbee watersheds. The following counties are eligible: Clarke, Kemper, Lauderdale, Neshoba, and Newton.
To qualify for this project, an applicant must have control of land and be in compliance with the highly erodible land and wetland conservation compliance provisions. Priority will be assigned based upon the location within the watershed prioritization zone, core practices, and proximity of conservation practices to impaired waterbodies.
Applications for all NRCS financial assistance programs are accepted on a continuous basis with specific sign-up deadlines being established to rank, contract and fund qualified tracts of land. The deadline to sign-up to be considered in the EQIP first ranking period isMarch 1, 2018.
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Perdue Names New Leaders in USDA’s Departmental Administration
(Washington, D.C., February 2, 2018) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today introduced five new leaders within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Departmental Administration. The key personnel named are: Donald Bice, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration; Gary Washington, Chief Information Officer; Mary Pletcher, Chief Human Capital Officer; George Cabaniss, Senior Procurement Executive; and Joseph Doyle, Customer Service Coordinator.
“One of my top priorities has been to make USDA the more effective, most efficient, and best-managed department in the entire federal government, and these highly qualified people will help us toward that goal,” Perdue said. “These are people who have demonstrated dynamic, innovative organizational leadership, and I know we can count on them to put that skill and talent to work on behalf of USDA’s customers, the farmers, ranchers, foresters, and agricultural producers of America. We’re excited to welcome them to our team.”
Background:
Donald Bice, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration
Donald Bice has been USDA’s Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration since September 2017. Prior to serving in this capacity, Mr. Bice was the Associate Director of USDA’s Office of Budget and Program Analysis and the Performance Improvement Officer. As the Associate Director, Mr. Bice was responsible for managing the development and execution of the department’s budget, managing regulatory and legislative reporting processes, and coordinating performance improvement activities. From 2007 through February 2011, Bice served as the Deputy Director for Budget, Legislative, and Regulatory Systems in the same office. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a degree in Government and Politics and holds a law degree from American University.
Gary Washington, Chief Information Officer
Gary Washington, who formerly served as the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, has been the Acting CIO since September 2017. Washington also has served as CIO and Director of the Information Technology Division for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Prior to his appointments as the CIO of USDA, APHIS and NRCS, Washington was a portfolio manager in the Electronic Government Office in the Executive Office of the President-Office of Management and Budget, where he was responsible for managing the Internal Effectiveness and Efficiency portfolio. Additionally, Washington managed the financial management, human resources and infrastructure lines of business, and the E-gov initiatives.
Washington also has worked at the Food and Drug Administration, where he was the Director of IT Governance and the Deputy Director of Infrastructure, and at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, where he was the service manager for one of the first nationwide seat management programs. Washington spent 5 years in private industry as well as 10 years as a Computer Operator and Command Control Specialist in the U.S. Air Force. He is an elected member of the Association for Federal Information Resource Managers and a 2006 graduate of the Industry Advisory Council Partners Program. Washington is a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute and holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Strayer University in Washington D.C.
Mary Pletcher, Chief Human Capital Officer
Mary Pletcher will be joining USDA on February 5, 2018. She previously served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Human Capital and Diversity for the Department of the Interior. As the Chief Human Capital Officer for Interior, Ms. Pletcher provided leadership and executive oversight for the department’s human capital programs, including human resources; civil rights; employee and organization development; and occupational safety and health. Prior to this role, Pletcher served as the Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget, supporting the Assistant Secretary of Interior in the implementation of management initiatives and transformation efforts. She has also served as Acting Director and Deputy Director of the Interior Business Center, Deputy Recovery Act Coordinator for Interior, and the department’s capital planning and investment control program manager.
Before joining the federal government, Pletcher led the information technology strategic consulting practice for an 8(a) company and served as a project manager for a leading government strategy and technology firm. Ms. Pletcher received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Florida. She received her Juris Doctor, with honors, from the American University Washington College of Law. Pletcher was nominated and selected as a 2011 Service to America Medal Finalist.
George Cabaniss, Senior Procurement Executive
George Cabaniss joined USDA in August as the Senior Procurement Executive and Director of the Office of Procurement and Property Management. He has been a member of the Senior Executive Service (SES) since 2011. Cabaniss has a diverse background with over 30 years of federal and private sector experience. Prior to joining the OneUSDA team, he led 2,500 contracting professionals located at more than 30 offices across the United States in supporting veterans as the Deputy Chief Procurement Officer for the Veterans Health Administration. His first SES appointment was as the Deputy to the Commanding General for the Army Mission and Installation Contracting Command. As the command’s senior civilian, he led some 1,200 civilian and 500 soldiers assigned to more than 30 contracting offices across the United States in providing contracting support to Army soldiers, families, and civilians. Prior to his SES appointment, Cabaniss held contracting leadership positions with several Army and Navy commands as well as with the General Services Administration.
In addition to his federal service, Mr. Cabaniss practiced law in Atlanta, Georgia for 10 years. He is also licensed to practice law in the state of Florida. Mr. Cabaniss holds a Juris Doctor from Florida State University College of Law, Tallahassee, Fla., where he was a Law Review editor; a Master’s in Public Administration from Golden Gate University in Tampa, FL, and a Bachelor of Arts from Ambassador College in Pasadena, CA.
Joseph Doyle, Secretary’s Customer Service Coordinator
Joe Doyle joins USDA having spent a long career at the intersection of customers and employees, both as the owner of a successful 240-store retail chain in Georgia and through his transformative work in Georgia state government. Doyle led the Office of Customer Service for the State of Georgia when Secretary Perdue was governor. His work was nationally praised for building and championing a customer-first attitude in employees.
Doyle previously held positions with Arthur Andersen & Co. and the Augusta National Golf Club. He received an undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame. Doyle is also an active member of his community, including membership in the Atlanta Businessmen’s Roundtable and service as Vice-Chair of the Cashiers Historical Society. In 2009, Doyle was selected as a Toll Fellow, one of the highest honors a public servant can receive.
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