State
'They're great little animals': The dusky gopher frog goes before the Supreme Court
Washington Post
SUCCESS, Miss.- When does the mood strike for a dusky gopher frog?
In the winter or spring. At night. When the water in a unique kind of pond in a distinct kind of forest is at a specific depth. And it is raining.
Consent Decree Legal Fees
Northside Sun
Jackson has spent nearly $58,000 so far in efforts to renegotiate its sewer consent decree.
In January, the city hired Susan Richardson, with the law firm of Kilpatrick Townsend and Stockton to help renegotiate terms.
Rate increase begins for Vicksburg water and sewer customers
Vicksburg Post
The cost of service for customers on Vicksburg’s water and sewer systems goes up Monday.
That’s when the new water and sewer user fees approved in June by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen go into effect.
...The city has applied to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality for a low-interest $27.76 million water pollution control revolving fund loan to cover the cost of upgrading Vicksburg’s 110-year-old system.
PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE IN FINDING THE CAUSE FOR SCHOOL SICKNESS
WCBI
LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- Concern continues to grow around what is making students sick in Louisville.
You asked: What day do I recycle?
Daily Leader
Q: What day do I recycle?
A: In general, every day is the best day to recycle, Brookhaven Mayor Joe Cox said. But specifically, recycle day is Monday in Brookhaven.
FIRE BREAKS OUT AT A PLANT IN EUPORA
WCBI
EUPORA, Miss. (WCBI) – An electrical fire shut down Plymouth Tube Corp. in Eupora around 2pm Sunday Afternoon. WCBI’s Cash Matlock was on the scene and filed this report.
This study may have explained why that big buck disappeared
Clarion Ledger
Two years of data from a 3-year study is already revealing insight into buck movement and core home ranges.
Oil Spill
EPA approved $292 million for Florida's oil spill cleanup
WEAR
PENSACOLA, FLA. (WEAR-TV) — After five years of work, the Gulf Coast Consortium has approval from the Environmental Protection Agency to move forward with spending restore act funds.
BP reached cozy settlement with Mexico on Deepwater spill
AFP
MEXICO CITY (AFP) – British Petroleum struck a deal with the Mexican government to pay a vastly reduced fine for environmental damage caused by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a watchdog group alleged on Friday.
Regional
New cancer-causing danger in Baton Rouge-New Orleans corridor, EPA report says
The Advocate
Yet again, researchers are finding that communities along the Mississippi River between Baton Rouge and New Orleans are at a greater risk for exposure to cancer-causing chemicals.
Residents weigh in on state environmental regulators' waters proposal
Status of Buffalo a main concern
NW Arkansas Democrat Gazette
State environmental regulators' draft list of impaired-water bodies doesn't provide justification for not listing certain waters and won't protect certain waters from continued pollution, dozens of people wrote to regulators this month.
Officials aim to install system to block invasive fish
AP
Kentucky officials say they are aiming to install a riverbed bubbler and sound system in Lake Barkley early next year as an environmentally friendly way to block the spread of an invasive fish.
Entergy seeks to re-license two nuclear plants, amid questions over performance in power emergency
The Advocate
Entergy has received preliminary approval to operate its nuclear plant near St. Francisville for another two decades, though federal agencies are investigating a power-demand emergency in which two of Entergy's nuclear facilities were down.
National
Trump Administration Prepares a Major Weakening of Mercury Emissions Rules
NYT
The Trump administration has completed a detailed legal proposal to dramatically weaken a major environmental regulation covering mercury, a toxic chemical emitted from coal-burning power plants, according to a person who has seen the document but is not authorized to speak publicly about it.
Oil lobby clashes with Trump over ethanol plan
The Hill
The oil industry is trying to stop the Trump administration from implementing a plan to allow more ethanol to be blended into gasoline during summer months.
EPA To Dissolve Office Of Science Advisor
NPR
As part of a broader reorganization, the EPA will eliminate the science advisor role created to counsel acting EPA Administrator, Andrew Wheeler. Critics fear the move is a further demotion of scientific research.
Environmental groups sue over Oklahoma coal ash oversight
AP
OKLAHOMA CITY — (AP) -- Several environmental groups are trying to stop the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from transferring oversight of the disposal of toxic coal ash to state regulators in Oklahoma.
Press releases
Public Meeting Planned for Mississippi Phosphates Corporation Superfund Site Cleanup
ATLANTA (September 28, 2018) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will hold a public meeting to share details about the first phases of cleanup at the Mississippi Phosphates Corporation (MPC) Superfund Site in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and answer questions.
What: Public Meeting for the MPC Superfund Site
When: Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Where: Pascagoula Senior Center, 1912 Live Oak Avenue in Pascagoula
Who: EPA representatives
Press Availability – 5:30 to 6:00 p.m.
EPA added the MPC Site to the Superfund National Priorities List in January 2018. In April 2018, EPA announced a $71.6 million cleanup that will take place from 2018 through 2020, plus $36 million for ongoing wastewater treatment during cleanup.
Cleanup construction is expected to begin in October 2018, and will focus on the closure of the East Gypsum Stack and the North Ponds at the West Gypsum Stack over three phases (each lasting about a year). The cleanup will eliminate storage of more than 500 million gallons of contaminated wastewater and reduce the volume of wastewater requiring treatment by an estimated 98 percent.
In response to comments received during the public comment period, EPA evaluated and ultimately chose to use engineered geosynthetic turf as an alternative to a traditional soil and grass cap/cover system. This is expected to save an estimated $6 million, including $4.6 million on construction costs and $1.4 million in operations and maintenance costs (since it does not need to be mowed, fertilized, etc.).
These first phases of cleanup will be followed by a site-wide final cleanup. EPA will present its recommended site-wide cleanup remedy to the public for input before a final decision is made.
BACKGROUND
The MPC Site is a former diammonium phosphate fertilizer plant. The facility ceased operations in December 2014 following bankruptcy, leaving more than 700,000,000 gallons of acidic, nutrient-rich wastewater behind. In February 2017, EPA assumed control of wastewater treatment operations once the MPC Environmental Trust, which owns the property, ran out of funds.
The wastewater—if improperly discharged—may be toxic to fish and other forms of marine life, and can cause algal blooms. Previous releases of untreated wastewater from the Site (before EPA took over wastewater treatment operations) resulted in fish kills. EPA oversees wastewater treatment at a rate of approximately 2-4 million gallons per day, at a cost of $1 million per month, due to the high volume of wastewater requiring treatment. EPA has expended approximately $23.4 million to treat wastewater.
Under the Trump Administration, the Superfund program has reemerged as a top priority to advance the Agency’s core mission of protecting human health and the environment.
EPA Takes First Steps in Identifying Next Group of Chemicals for Risk Evaluation under TSCA
09/28/2018
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the approach it will use to identify chemicals that could be included in the next group of risk evaluations under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Additionally, the Agency will be looking for input from the public on which chemicals should be prioritized for risk evaluation and which chemicals may be low priorities under TSCA.
“EPA will be open and transparent as we continue to review the safety of existing chemicals,” said EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Today’s announcement is an important first step in determining which chemicals will be prioritized for risk evaluation as we fulfill our obligations under TSCA and ensure chemicals in the marketplace are safe for human health and the environment.”
The document released today lays out EPA’s near-term approach for identifying potential chemicals for prioritization, the initial step in evaluating the safety of existing chemicals under TSCA. Building on the Agency’s promise to work with the public to select the next chemicals for risk evaluation, this approach reflects public input received at a December 2017 meeting and through the public docket. By December 2019, EPA must designate at least 20 chemical substances as High-Priority for risk evaluation and 20 chemical substances as Low-Priority for which risk evaluation is not currently warranted.
The document also includes a longer-term risk-based strategy for managing the larger TSCA chemical landscape which, according to the TSCA Inventory, is composed of more than 40,000 active chemicals. This longer-term approach proposes parsing chemicals into “bins” that can be used to inform multiple activities and priorities throughout EPA, including within the TSCA program. After the Federal Register notice publishes EPA will open a public docket to accept comments on this longer-term strategy, which will inform its continued development and help outline a public meeting to be held in early 2019.
Upon publication of the Federal Register notice, EPA will open 73 chemical-specific public dockets, one for each of the remaining chemicals on the 2014 TSCA Work Plan. Additionally, there will be a general docket open for the public to suggest chemicals for risk evaluation that are not on the Work Plan. With this action, the Agency will be providing the public an opportunity to submit use, hazard, and exposure information on these chemicals. EPA will use this data to inform TSCA prioritization and risk evaluation for these chemicals.
Background on The Trump Administration’s Lautenberg Act Accomplishments
The Trump Administration through its work at EPA has undertaken many implementation activities which have enabled the agency to meet its statutory responsibilities under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act which amends the Toxic Substances Control Act, the Nation’s primary chemicals management law.
EPA has already met critical initial deadlines from the Lautenberg Act, including issuing the framework rules on existing chemicals prioritization, risk evaluation, existing chemicals inventory by the first-year anniversary of the Act on June 22, 2017.
On the second-year anniversary of the Lautenberg Act, EPA issued:
· Mercury Use Reporting Rule with deadlines and requirements to assist in updating the inventory of mercury supply, use, and trade in the United States.
· Alternative Testing Strategy to promote the development of alternative test methods to reduce vertebrate animal testing. On March 7, 2018, EPA released the draft strategy for public comment.
· Guidance on Generic Names.
· Policy on Assigning Unique Identifiers.: EPA will develop a policy for assigning unique identifiers to chemicals and applying those identifiers to other information concerning the same chemical.
· Guidance on Expanding CBI access to states, tribes, and local governments; health and environmental professionals; and first responders.
Finally, on September 27, 2018, EPA issued a final Fees Rule to provide funding for Lautenberg Act implementation, including risk evaluations and reviewing CBI.
More Than $50 Million in Grants from Interior Department Will Support State Wildlife Conservation Projects
9/28/2018
WASHINGTON — U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke today announced over $50 million in funding to states through the State Wildlife Grant (SWG) Program. The funds will support state conservation efforts of non-game fish and wildlife.
The SWG Program is the only federal program with the explicit goal of preventing endangered species listings.
“Collaborative conservation is a joint effort,” said Secretary Zinke. “When the federal and state governments work together, we can achieve the best outcomes. This funding is an investment in the future of our wildlife. When we can recover species before they are listed under the Endangered Species Act, that means more federal resources for the other species that need it most.”
The SWG Program helps states implement approved State Wildlife Action Plans, which list species and habitats in need of assistance. All 50 state and U.S. territorial wildlife agencies have these plans, which include detailed strategies to proactively protect species in greatest conservation need.
“By working with local communities and other partners, state wildlife agencies serve as the foundation for protecting the nation’s wildlife and natural resources legacy,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Acting Director Jim Kurth. “The State Wildlife Grant program, which benefits game and nongame species, supports these crucial state efforts.”
Examples of how SWG Program funds are being used include:
Using SWG funds, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will map connectivity corridors for a wide array of species. Many species, from migratory birds to furbearing mammals to big game, move throughout the landscape to complete their lifecycles. The tools produced through this project will improve species and habitat connectivity in Oregon through conservation-based design of residential and industrial developments, providing wildlife crossings along highways, careful siting of renewable energy development, open space conservation, and maintenance or restoration of important migratory stopover sites.
Sustained commitment to large-scale, community-level species monitoring is an essential part of the California Wildlife Action Plan. Using SWG program funds for monitoring, the California Department of Fish and Game will improve its ability to detect average annual species population declines as small as 2 percent for up to 70 wildlife species throughout a 20-year period. Targeted species include black bear, bobcat and mule deer, among many others. These data and results will benefit species conservation efforts as well as habitat conservation planning initiatives by identifying locations where the state’s conservation dollars can have the greatest impacts.
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD), with support from the SWG program, will document the population status, habitat usage and potential threats to the red-crowned parrot, which is present only in the lower Rio Grande Valley near Brownsville, Texas. Due to habitat loss and other threats, the species is in danger of requiring protection under the Endangered Species Act and is a current Service-listed candidate species. TPWD will build a network of local constituents engaged in monitoring and conservation of the bird and develop management recommendations for minimizing identified threats.
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources recently used SWG funds to determine if thermal stress reduces striped bass population fitness. Understanding striped bass sensitivity to increases in water temperature is critical for effective, long-term management of the state’s diverse aquatic environment. A healthy striped bass fishery also enhances angler satisfaction while supporting the significant economic benefits of South Carolina’s sport fishing industry.
The Service is a key supporter of the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project, part of a nationwide effort to address the needs of declining wildlife populations. Several freshwater mussels, such as the recently listed yellow lance mussel in Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina, are considered by the Service to be threatened or endangered. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has taken a proactive approach to mussel conservation by releasing native captive-bred mussels into river systems they originally inhabited. Landowners, partner organizations, public land managers and many others have voluntarily used the Nebraska Natural Legacy Project to guide conservation work that benefits wildlife habitat and state residents.
SWG Program grants are administered by the Service’s Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program and are allocated to states and territories according to a congressionally mandated formula based on population and geographic area. Grant funds must be used to address conservation needs, such as research, wildlife surveys, species and habitat management, and monitoring identified within State Wildlife Action Plans. The funds may also be used to update, revise or modify a state’s plan.
