State
Riverfront Park repairs delayed by more debris removal from site
Vicksburg Post
The cost of repairing the landslide at Riverfront Park has increased by $35,000.
The Board of Mayor and Aldermen Wednesday approved a change order to its contract with Central Asphalt of Vicksburg totaling $35,850 to remove pieces of concrete found recently during excavations at the site of the slide area on the south end of the park. The extra cost will be split between the city and county, which jointly operate and maintain the park.
Hazardous Waste day set in April
Pontotoc Progress
Do you remember the last time you changed your oil in your car? You have it sitting up somewhere in an old plastic jug don’t you? This is considered hazardous waste and should not be put into your garbage collections.
DeSoto County set to clean up for spring
DeSoto Times-Tribune
With the start of the spring season, DeSoto County residents begin looking at how all of winter’s trash came about and ended up in their yard or along their roadside.
ANNUAL EARTH DAY SET FOR APRIL 21
Bolivar Commercial
The time to show our appreciation to Mother Earth is coming up for Cleveland and Bolivar County during the Annual Earth Day April 21 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
This is a one-day collection program for household waste from residents.
Companies courting Lincoln County for trash pickup — Alabama company says collect in-house, supervisors say ‘no’
Daily Leader
An Alabama-based equipment company wants Lincoln County supervisors to get into the garbage collection business for themselves, but the board doesn’t really want to get that dirty.
Auditor says failed solar plant owes Mississippi $93 million
AP
Mississippi’s state auditor is formally demanding that a failed solar panel maker pay nearly $93 million that he says is owed to state and local governments, a prelude to a possible lawsuit.
Ocean Springs families who lost children to brain cancer band together for DIPG Warrior Walk
Sun Herald
For a three Ocean Springs area families — each forever bound by the loss of a child to a rare and deadly brain tumor — the inaugural DIPG Warrior Walk is more than just a fundraiser.
It’s a chance to honor and remember children: Sophia Mohler, 8; Jaxon Schoenberger, 6; and Sophia Ann Myers, 7.
State Government
Cindy Hyde-Smith says she is ready for the U.S. Senate
WLOX
Mississippi will soon have its first ever female member of congress.
Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith was appointed to the the U.S. senate by governor Phil Bryant in her hometown of Brookhaven.
Who will replace the Mississippi Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner?
WLBT
So what happens now in terms of leadership at the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce?
UMMC names medical building after Gov. Phil Bryant
WJTV
University of Mississippi Medical Center held a ceremony Wednesday to name its new medical education building after Gov. Phil Bryant.
Bill on the way to governor to allow UMMC to move buried bodies
Clarion Ledger
A bill is now on the way to the governor to allow the University of Mississippi Medical Center to move up to 7,000 bodies buried on the campus.
Oil Spill
Island made from dredge spoils is under construction
AP
A Mississippi official says they are asking people to stay off an island that is essentially made of dredge spoils from the Pascagoula shipping channel.
Regional
Bonnet Carre to close soon, but Army Corps of Engineers cautions more wet weather on the way
The Advocate
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expects to be able to close the Bonnet Carre spillway by the end of the month, even though Mississippi River levels are expected to remain high for some time, a Corps representative told the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority board Wednesday.
Councilman proposes tax on plastic shopping bags
WMC
MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) -According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the average family takes home 1,500 plastic bags a year.
Oil companies bid on 1 percent of available Gulf of Mexico tracts
AP
Oil and gas companies bid on about 1 percent of the Gulf of Mexico water bottom offered in what the Trump administration has been calling the biggest offshore lease sale in U.S. history.
National
Spending bill rejects Trump’s proposed EPA cut
The Hill
The $1.3 trillion government-wide spending bill released late Wednesday rejects President Trump’s proposal to slash the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) budget by 31 percent.
Superfund, Water Infrastructure See Funding Bump in Omnibus
Bloomberg
The Environmental Protection Agency would see its funding frozen at the current year level of $8.06 billion—a victory considering the deep cuts proposed for it by the Trump administration—under the fiscal year 2018 omnibus measure released by appropriators late March 21.
How Pennsylvania Slashed Coal Emissions Without Alienating Industry
New regulation gave power plants flexibility to cut smog-forming emission in half while remaining efficient
WSJ
Coal-fired power plants in Pennsylvania cut smog-forming emissions by more than half last year, in a rare regulatory effort that has won support from both industry officials and environmentalists.
Borrowing G.O.P. Playbook, Democratic States Sue the Government and Rack Up Wins
NY Times
During the administration of President Barack Obama, attorneys general from Republican states developed a powerful tool: They teamed up dozens of times to sue the federal government to block environmental initiatives.
Residents near Harvey-damaged chemical plant wary of water
Houston Chronicle
The skeleton crew at Arkema's chemical plant knew it was time to go by the morning of Aug. 29.
Flooding from Hurricane Harvey had knocked out power. Thousands of gallons of chemical-laden water had spilled into the floodwaters. Soon, the company's stores of volatile organic peroxides would overheat and produce fires noxious enough to make first responders vomit. The last workers evacuated by floating over a 6-foot chain-link fence in a small boat.
Go fish: Under President Trump, changing political tide opens water for anglers
USA Today
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump is known for hitting the golf course but his administration is now putting the power of the presidency behind another favorite American pastime: fishing.
As Nuclear Plant Closes, Fears Shift From Contamination to Financial Pain
Residents of a New York community worry that the end of hefty payments from the Indian Point facility will spark tax increases, teacher layoffs and a school closure
WSJ
Press Releases
Governor Phil Bryant Announces Appointment of Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Cindy Hyde-Smith to U.S. Senate
BROOKHAVEN, Miss. — Gov. Phil Bryant announced today that he will appoint Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Cindy Hyde-Smith to the United States Senate. Commissioner Hyde-Smith will replace Sen. Thad Cochran, who is retiring after nearly 50 years of service to the state of Mississippi.
Commissioner Hyde-Smith’s appointment will be effective on April 2.
“Commissioner Hyde-Smith has worked tirelessly on behalf of the men and women in agriculture, Mississippi’s largest industry and a treasured way of life in our state,” Gov. Bryant said. “Her intellect, compassion, toughness and determination to get things done exemplify everything Mississippi needs in the United States Senate. I know she will continue to faithfully serve every Mississippian in her new role.”
Commissioner Hyde-Smith was elected commissioner of agriculture and commerce by Mississippi voters in November 2011, following a 12-year career as a state senator representing District 39. With her election, Commissioner Hyde-Smith made Mississippi history as the first woman to ever be elected to the statewide position.
“I am truly humbled and honored that Governor Phil Bryant has asked me to serve as your next U.S. Senator. I am eager and excited to get to Washington to begin work on issues that are important to every Mississippian. I am extremely grateful for the work of Senator Thad Cochran. His contributions to the state of Mississippi have been invaluable,” Commissioner Hyde-Smith said.
Elected to the Mississippi State Senate in 1999, Commissioner Hyde-Smith quickly became known as a passionate advocate of farmers and ranchers in Mississippi, serving as chairwoman of the Agriculture Committee for eight years and as an influential member of numerous other committees. She has authored legislation and supported efforts to promote and protect all facets of the agriculture industry, defending private property rights, endorsing right-to-farm legislation, and working to increase country-of-origin labeling requirements.
Commissioner Hyde-Smith successfully advocated for USDA inspection of catfish to ensure food safety and equity in the marketplace and secured funding for investments in infrastructure to generate economic activity. Through her leadership roles as President of the Southern Association of States Departments of Agriculture and the Southern US Trade Association, Commissioner Hyde-Smith has been on the forefront of national and regional issues impacting agriculture. Her service as the Co-chairman of the Agriculture Policy Advisory Council for President Donald Trump has been instrumental in ensuring Mississippi farmers and ranchers a voice during key decision making.
“I hope colleagues will join me in welcoming Cindy Hyde-Smith, who will join us in the Senate in April,” U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said. “Gov. Bryant made an excellent choice to serve the people of Mississippi in the United States Senate. Commissioner Hyde-Smith has had a long outstanding career of public service in Mississippi, first in the state senate and most recently as the first female Commissioner for Agriculture and Commerce. She will also make history here in Washington as Mississippi’s first female U.S. Senator. We’ve got important work to do for the American people and are eager for her to join us here in the Senate.”
Commissioner Hyde-Smith has received numerous awards and honors for her exemplary leadership, including the Distinguished Service Award, Agriculture Legislator of the Year and Agriculture Ambassador of the Year from the Mississippi Farm Bureau and was named a 2017 Women in Leadership Honoree from the Governing Institute.
She is a graduate of Copiah-Lincoln Community College and the University of Southern Mississippi.
Commissioner Hyde-Smith and her husband Mike are the proud parents of Anna-Michael, the family’s fifth generation farmer. Together, they raise beef cattle and are partners in Lincoln County Livestock, the local stockyard auction market in Brookhaven, which has held a live cattle auction every Tuesday since 1942. She and her family reside in Brookhaven and are active members of Macedonia Baptist Church.
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Garbage Patches Explained
Posted Wed, 03/21/2018 - 11:00
By: Amanda Laverty, Communications Specialist with the NOAA Marine Debris Program
We’re spending March talking all about marine debris and its types, sources, impacts, and solutions. Tune in throughout the month to learn more about this important topic and how we can all be part of the effort to make our lives and our ocean #DebrisFree.
Garbage patches are areas of increased concentration of marine debris that are formed from rotating ocean currents called gyres. The most publicized garbage patch is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, located in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre in the northern Pacific Ocean. However, there are actually several garbage patches located in gyres around the world!
How big are they? Because gyres are dynamic, the size of these concentrated areas is constantly changing, making it extremely difficult to estimate the size of garbage patches. In addition, although these areas have greater amounts of marine debris, they are not forming “islands of trash.” Instead, this debris is continually mixing and is spread throughout the water column, from the surface all the way to the ocean floor.
What kind of debris do we find? Debris in the garbage patches is primarily made up of plastic pieces less than five millimeters in size, called microplastics. Many of these microplastics are the result of larger plastic debris breaking into smaller pieces due to exposure to environmental elements such as sunlight, wind, and waves. Other microplastics are manufactured at this size, such as microbeads found in some personal care products or microfibers from synthetic clothing. With such small debris making up the majority of the garbage patches and the constant movement of this debris, it’s possible to sail through a garbage patch without even realizing it!
Can we clean them up? Since the debris in these areas is so small in size, is constantly being mixed, and is located throughout the water column, removing it proves to be very difficult. For this reason, we generally focus removal efforts on shorelines and coastal areas, before debris has the chance to make it to the open ocean.
What can we do? Though removal is one important piece of the puzzle, prevention is ultimately the key! If we consider an overflowing sink, it’s obvious that the first step before cleaning up the water on the floor is to turn off the faucet — that is what we mean by prevention. By working to prevent marine debris through education, outreach, and making an individual effort to reduce our own contribution, we can put a stop to this global concern.
Interior Announces Results of Gulf of Mexico Region-Wide Oil and Gas Lease
Sale Yields $124.7 Million in High Bids on 815,403 Acres, Advances the President’s America-First Energy Strategy
3/21/2018
WASHINGTON – In support of President Donald J. Trump's America-First Offshore Energy Strategy, Interior Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Joe Balash today announced that region-wide Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale 250 generated $124,763,581 in high bids for 148 tracts covering 815,403 acres in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico. A total of 33 companies participated in the lease sale, submitting $139,122,383 in bids. “Today’s lease sale is yet another step our nation has taken to achieve economic security and energy dominance,” said Assistant Secretary Balash. “Today’s results will help secure high-paying offshore jobs for rig and platform workers, support staff onshore, and related industry jobs, while generating much needed revenue to fund everything from conservation to infrastructure.”
Lease Sale 250, livestreamed from New Orleans, was the second offshore sale held under the National Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program (National OCS Program) for 2017-2022. Under this program, 10 region-wide lease sales are scheduled for the Gulf, where resource potential and industry interest are high, and oil and gas infrastructure is well established. Two Gulf lease sales will be held each year and include all available blocks in the combined Western, Central, and Eastern Gulf of Mexico Planning Areas.
In January of this year, Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced a draft proposed program for a new national OCS program for years 2019-2024. The 60-day public comment period for the draft ended on March 9. After considering all public comments received in response, BOEM will develop and publish a proposed program for public comment later this year, followed by the proposed final program expected in 2019.
“Today’s sale is a continuation of our all-of-the-above energy strategy,” said Vincent DeVito, Counselor to the Secretary of the Interior for Energy, “and will result in responsible development of American energy resources.”
The 2017-2022 National OCS Program will continue to be implemented until the new National OCS Program is approved.
Lease Sale 250 included 14,474 unleased blocks, located from three to 231 miles offshore, in the Gulf’s Western, Central and Eastern planning areas in water depths ranging from nine to more than 11,115 feet (three to 3,400 meters).
Excluded from the lease sale are blocks subject to the congressional moratorium established by the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006; blocks that are adjacent to or beyond the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone in the area known as the northern portion of the Eastern Gap; and whole blocks and partial blocks within the current boundary of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Money received from OCS leases (including high bids, rental payments and royalty payments) are directed to the U.S. Treasury, Gulf Coast states, the Land and Water Conservation Fund and Historic Preservation Fund.
Leases issued as a result of this sale will include stipulations to protect biologically sensitive resources, mitigate potential adverse effects on protected species, and avoid potential conflicts associated with oil and gas development in the region.
Additionally, BOEM has included appropriate fiscal terms that take into account market conditions and ensure taxpayers receive a fair return for use of the OCS. These terms include a 12.5 percent royalty rate for leases in less than 200 meters of water depth, and a royalty rate of 18.75 percent for all other leases issued under the sale, in recognition of current hydrocarbon price conditions and the marginal nature of remaining Gulf of Mexico shallow water resources.
All terms and conditions for Gulf of Mexico Region-wide Sale 250 were detailed in the Final Notice of Sale (FNOS) information package, which is available at: http://www.boem.gov/Sale-250/. ###
EPA Provides $800,000 to Research Lead in Well Water and Its Impacts on Children
03/21/2018
ATLANTA (March 21, 2018) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced funding to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) to examine lead in well water and its potential impact on children’s developmental health.
“Childhood lead exposure is a serious health concern across the country,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “Addressing childhood lead exposure from drinking water sources is a top EPA priority, and this important research will advance our goal to help all communities, including those serviced by private water wells.”
Working with the State of North Carolina and using healthcare, education, and water infrastructure data for their research, the UNC team will assess the association between lead in private well water and children’s blood lead levels.
Since private drinking water wells are not routinely monitored for lead, the funds provided to UNC will enhance their current research efforts, which includes a program for evaluating lead in drinking water at childcare centers in schools.
Reducing childhood lead exposure and addressing associated health impacts is a top priority for the Trump Administration and EPA.
On February 16, Administrator Pruitt hosted key members of the Trump Administration to collaborate on the development and implementation of a new Federal Strategy to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposures and Eliminate Associated Health Impacts. The President’s Task Force aims to make addressing childhood lead exposure a priority for their respective departments and agencies.
Background on President’s Task Force and the challenges of childhood lead exposure:
Lead exposure, particularly at higher doses, continues to pose a significant health and safety threat to children, preventing them from reaching the fullest potential of their health, their intellect, and their future. No blood lead level is safe for children. EPA and our federal partners are committed to a collaborative approach to address this threat, and improve health outcomes for our nation’s most vulnerable citizens – our children.
