News Clippings 6.8.15

State

Dispute continues to roil over wastewater


Hattiesburg American


Tim Doherty


June 6, 2015


Late last month, Hattiesburg took its first official step down a path
leading to a mechanical plant for treating the city's wastewater that is
pumped into the Leaf and Bouie rivers.

http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/hattiesburg/2015/06/06/hattiiesburg-wastewater-dispute/28630737/






Hernando to join program, redevelop contaminated properties
AP


HERNANDO, Miss. (AP) — Hernando has signed up for a state "brownfields"
program to entice private-sector developers to clean up and reuse
contaminated sites.
http://www.sfgate.com/news/science/article/Hernando-to-join-program-redevelop-contaminated-6312504.php





Pump Station Causes Sewage Spill on HWY 90
WXXV


A sewage spill caused a big stink on Highway 90 in Biloxi this morning, but
city leaders tell News 25 it's all cleaned up now.
http://www.wxxv25.com/news/local/story/Pump-Station-Causes-Sewage-Spill-on-HWY-90/MieAcNhkJU2YCuhQTnvyjA.cspx



Flesh Eating Bacteria: Things To Know

WTOK


During this time of year many people seek summer fun near the water. If you
are one of those, there's something that you might need to know . It
involves a flesh-eating bacteria that can be found in varying forms in both
fresh water and salt water.

http://www.wtok.com/home/headlines/Flesh-Eating-BacteriaThings-To-Know-About-It-306300941.html



Our Town: Sizing Up the Kemper County Coal Plant

WTOK


There's no denying the Kemper County coal plant is big. $6.2 billion
dollars big. At its peak, more than 6,000 workers(Embedded image moved to
file: pic02306.jpg) big. And big enough to disturb 350 acres for mining
each year.

http://www.wtok.com/home/headlines/Our-Town-Sizing-Up-the-Kemper-County-Coal-Plant-306355061.html





Atmos Energy seeking safety pipeline changes
By Rod Guajardo


Daily Journal


TUPELO – Atmos Energy customers could begin seeing a slight increase on
their bills as the natural gas distribution company hopes to make changes
to its pipeline system.
http://djournal.com/news/atmos-energy-seeking-safety-pipeline-changes/





McCullough becomes head of Miss. Development Authority

AP


JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Glenn McCullough will officially begin his tenure
Monday as executive director of the Mississippi Development Authority.
http://www.wjtv.com/story/29260844/mccullough-becomes-head-of-miss-development-authority





Mississippi's river monsters
Clarion Ledger


Mississippi summers are the definition of hot, and folks flock to
rivers and lakes to have fun and cool off. Kids on towables scream
with excitement as they are pulled by boat, and others take an
occasional dip while relaxing on sand bars.


Days on the water are generally carefree, but beneath the surface
there are fish of monstrous proportions, including one infrequent
visitor to freshwater that is a killer.


http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/2015/06/06/mississippis-river-monsters/28623677/





Oil Spill


EARLY RESTORATION INCLUDES $37M IN NEW PROJECTS FOR MISSISSIPPI

MPB


About 70 people attended a meeting Thursday evening on the Mississippi Gulf
Coast to hear about the latest round of oil spill early restoration funding
proposals, which includes several local projects. MPB's Evelina Burnett
reports.
http://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/2015/06/05/early-restoration-includes-37m-in-new-projects-for-mississippi/





Jury acquits BP exec accused of lying about oil spill flow
Jennifer Larino


The Times-Picayune


June 05, 2015 at 3:33 PM


A jury on Friday (June 5) acquitted former BP executive David Rainey on a
charge he lied to federal agents about the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2015/06/david_rainey_acquitted_bp_oil.html#incart_story_package





Midnight deadline approaches for oil spill settlement claims
The Associated Press


June 08, 2015 at 7:13 AM


With a midnight Monday deadline approaching to file claims under a 2012
settlement over the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the claims administrator
said he expected a last-minute rush of filers.
http://www.gulflive.com/news/index.ssf/2015/06/midnight_deadline_approaches_f.html#incart_river





Regional


3.0 magnitude earthquake measured near Eutaw, fifth in area since November
Al.com
Melissa Brown
June 06, 2015 at 3:12 PM

A small but notable earthquake shook parts of west Alabama Saturday
afternoon, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.
http://www.al.com/news/tuscaloosa/index.ssf/2015/06/30_magnitude_earthquake_measur.html#incart_river




Oyster shell recycling project providing building material for oyster reef
south of New Orleans

New Orleans Advocate


AMY WOLD



Diners have consumed enough oysters in New Orleans this year that tons of
recycled shells from the seafood delicacy will help build a half-mile
oyster reef south of the city this fall.
http://www.theneworleansadvocate.com/opinion/editorial/12541981-123/oyster-shell-recycling-project-providing




National


Week ahead: Senate panel to take up bill blocking EPA water rule
The Hill




Senate Republicans will begin moving legislation to force the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) to rewrite a rule asserting regulatory power over
small waterways.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/244152-week-ahead-senate-panel-to-take-up-bill-blocking-epa-water-rule




Exxon to Face Regulators' Questions Over Quakes

Texas is scrutinizing U.S. energy producers on injection wells to dispose
of wastewater from hydraulic-fracturing operatio
Wall Street Journal


Texas regulators are scrutinizing some of the biggest U.S. energy producers
in the wake of several earthquakes that have rocked the Dallas-Fort Worth
area.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/exxon-to-face-regulators-questions-over-quakes-1433593802





Opinion





The EPA's 'Clean Power' Mess

The plan will ensure that energy plants operate like cars in stop-and-go
traffic, cutting efficiency.
Wall Street Journal


By BENJAMIN ZYCHER


June 7, 2015 6:21 p.m. ET


'Flexibility" is the advertised hallmark of the Environmental Protection
Agency's proposed Clean Power Plan, which by 2030 would reduce
carbon-dioxide emissions from U.S. power plants by 30% from 2005 levels.
The central feature of the plan is a forced shift away from inexpensive
coal-fired power. Not to worry, says EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy: "With
EPA's flexible proposal, states choose the ways we cut carbon pollution, so
we can still have affordable, reliable power to grow our economy."
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-epas-clean-power-mess-1433715694





Dirty Rotten Ethanol Scoundrels

The feds admit defeat on the mandate but pile on a new subsidy.
Wall Street Journal


Mark down May 29 as the date when the last tether connecting ethanol
subsidies to reality came unhitched, and the fuel made from corn and tax
dollars achieved a kind of postmodern perfection. On the same day the Obama
Administration conceded that the U.S. auto fleet cannot practically consume
enough ethanol to fulfill Congress's quotas, it announced a new program so
motorists can consume more ethanol.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/dirty-rotten-ethanol-scoundrels-1433716070

News Clippings 6.5.15

State

Cochran, Wicker oppose EPA regulations on coal plant emissions
Meridian Star
Friday, June 5, 2015 4:05 am

Mississippi's U.S. Senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker, both
Republicans, announced Thursday their support of legislation designed to
stop proposed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations on carbon
dioxide emissions.
http://www.meridianstar.com/news/cochran-wicker-oppose-epa-regulations-on-coal-plant-emissions/article_cc94151a-0b32-11e5-8e86-1309913f919c.html



Civil rights group to hear concerns about cancer rates in Jackson County
BY KAREN NELSON
Sun Herald




MOSS POINT -- Wendol Lee of Operation Help Civil Rights in Memphis will
meet Saturday with Jackson County residents concerned about the county's
cancer rate.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/06/04/6261334/civil-rights-group-to-hear-concerns.html




Bird flu could impact Mississippi's multi-billion dollar business



WJTV




Mississippi is 5th in the country for producing chicken and eggs with 1.3
billion eggs each year.

Now this multi-billion dollar industry is on the line if a virus were to
hit us here.
http://www.wjtv.com/story/29245580/bird-flu-could-impact-mississippis-multi-billion-dollar-business







Oil Spill


Oil spill money could fund bike lanes in Ocean Springs park
NOAA restoration program trustees offer draft of 10 ideas to use money, 2
are in Mississippi
BY REGINA ZILBERMINTS
Sun Herald




A busy road that runs through Gulf Islands National Seashore's Davis Bayou
in Ocean Springs could soon have a bike and pedestrian lane, funded by
money assessed in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/06/04/6261140_oil-spill-money-could-fund-bike.html?rh=1



Closing Arguments Set in Ex-BP Executive Rainey's Trial
NEW ORLEANS — Jun 5, 2015, 4:47 AM ET


By KEVIN McGILL Associated Press


Testimony is over and closing arguments were set for Friday in the federal
trial of a former BP executive charged with lying to investigators about
oil spill calculations he made following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon
explosion.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/closing-arguments-set-bp-executive-raineys-trial-31546321





National





Fracking Has Had No 'Widespread' Impact on Drinking Water, EPA Finds

'Potential vulnerabilities' should be addressed to prevent water
contamination, EPA says after four-year study
Wall Street Journal


Fracking isn't causing widespread damage to the nation's drinking water,
the Obama administration said in a long-awaited report released Thursday.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/fracking-has-had-no-widespread-impact-on-drinking-water-epa-finds-1433433850





Fracking Has Not Had Big Effect on Water Supply, E.P.A. Says While Noting
Risks

NY Times


WASHINGTON — A landmark Environmental Protection Agency
report on the impact of hydraulic fracturing has found no
evidence that the contentious technique of oil and gas
extraction has had a widespread effect on the nation's
water supply, the agency said Thursday.


http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/05/us/epa-hydraulic-fracking-water-supply-contamination.html?ref=earth&_r=0





Major EPA fracking study cites pollution risk but sees no 'systemic' damage
so far

Washington Post


The most extensive government review of U.S. "fracking" practices has found
no evidence of widespread damage to drinking-water supplies, while also
warning of the potential for contamination from the controversial technique
used in oil and gas drilling.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/06/04/fracking/





Federal study: No 'pause' in global warming
The Hill




Federal scientists Thursday disputed the notion that the world's
temperature stopped rising 15 or so years ago.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/244064-federal-study-no-pause-in-global-warming





Opinion





The EPA Fracking Miracle

Andrew Cuomo's ban on drilling is exposed as a fraud.
Wall Street Journal


So even the Environmental Protection Agency now concedes that fracking is
safe, which won't surprise anyone familiar with the reality of
unconventional oil and natural gas drilling in the U.S. But if no less than
the EPA is saying this, then the political opposition doesn't have much of
a case left.http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-epa-fracking-miracle-1433460321





Press Releases



EPA Releases Draft Assessment on the Potential Impacts to Drinking Water
Resources from Hydraulic Fracturing Activities


Assessment shows hydraulic fracturing activities have not led to
widespread, systemic impacts to drinking water resources and identifies
important vulnerabilities to drinking water resources.


WASHINGTON—The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing a draft
assessment today on the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing
activities on drinking water resources in the United States. The
assessment, done at the request of Congress, shows that while hydraulic
fracturing activities in the U.S. are carried out in a way that have not
led to widespread, systemic impacts on drinking water resources, there are
potential vulnerabilities in the water lifecycle that could impact drinking
water. The assessment follows the water used for hydraulic fracturing from
water acquisition, chemical mixing at the well pad site, well injection of
fracking fluids, the collection of hydraulic fracturing wastewater
(including flowback and produced water), and wastewater treatment and
disposal [http://www2.epa.gov/hfstudy/hydraulic-fracturing-water-cycle].


"EPA's draft assessment will give state regulators, tribes and local
communities and industry around the country a critical resource to identify
how best to protect public health and their drinking water resources," said
Dr. Thomas A. Burke, EPA's Science Advisor and Deputy Assistant
Administrator of EPA's Office of Research and Development. "It is the most
complete compilation of scientific data to date, including over 950 sources
of information, published papers, numerous technical reports, information
from stakeholders and peer-reviewed EPA scientific reports."


EPA's review of data sources available to the agency found specific
instances where well integrity and waste water management related to
hydraulic fracturing activities impacted drinking water resources, but they
were small compared to the large number of hydraulically fractured wells
across the country. The report provides valuable information about
potential vulnerabilities, some of which are not unique to hydraulic
fracturing, to drinking water resources, but was not designed to be a list
of documented impacts.


These vulnerabilities to drinking water resources include:


water withdrawals in areas with low water availability;


hydraulic fracturing conducted directly into formations containing drinking
water resources;


inadequately cased or cemented wells resulting in below ground migration of
gases and liquids;


inadequately treated wastewater discharged into drinking water resources;


and spills of hydraulic fluids and hydraulic fracturing wastewater,
including flowback and produced water.


Also released today were nine peer-reviewed EPA scientific reports (
www.epa.gov/hfstudy). These reports were a part of EPA's overall hydraulic
fracturing drinking water study and contributed to the findings outlined in
the draft assessment. Over 20 peer-reviewed articles or reports were
published as part of this study [
http://www2.epa.gov/hfstudy/published-scientific-papers].


States play a primary role in regulating most natural gas and oil
development. EPA's authority is limited by statutory or regulatory
exemptions under the Clean Water Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, the
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act, and
the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Where EPA's exemptions exist,
states may have authority to regulate unconventional oil and gas extraction
activities under their own state laws.


EPA's draft assessment benefited from extensive stakeholder engagement
conducted across the country with states, tribes, industry,
non-governmental organizations, the scientific community and the public to
ensure that the draft assessment reflects current practices in hydraulic
fracturing and utilizes all data and information available to the agency.


The study will be finalized after review by the Science Advisory Board and
public review and comment. The Federal Register Notice with information on
the SAB review and how to comment on the draft assessment will be published
on Friday June 5, 2015.


For a copy of the study, visit www.epa.gov/hfstudy. ;


To submit comments on the report, see
http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/sabproduct.nsf/fedrgstr_activites/HF%20Drinking%20Water%20Assessment?OpenDocument

News Clippings 6.4.15

State



Local counties granted $86K for waste tire collection
WTVA


JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) -- A few North Mississippi counties are the latest
recipients of a grant to continue a waste tire collection program.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/Local-counties-granted-86K-for-waste-tire/6tsqDH_HjkyG03jutDFxkw.cspx?rss=3033





MDEQ awards two counties with illegal dumping grants
WTVA


The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality provided funds to
Monroe and Lafayette counties in support of combating illegal dumping.
http://www.wtva.com/news/national/story/MDEQ-awards-two-counties-with-illegal-dumping/GWajP_is1kqtNRli80aInQ.cspx





Mississippi officials issue water advisory for area of Gulfport Beach
WDSU


The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has issued a swimming
advisory this week for a portion of Gulfport Beach.
http://www.wdsu.com/news/local-news/new-orleans/mississippi-officials-issue-water-advisory-for-area-of-gulfport-beach/33380424






Magnolia working to supply North St. sewer
By Justin Vicory, Enterprise-Journal | Posted: Wednesday, June 3, 2015 2:00
pm

Five years after annexation, Magnolia officials are still grappling with
ways to hook up about 100 houses in the North Street area with city sewer
service.

…The city will meet with the Mississippi Department of Environmental
Quality on June 30 to discuss those options.
http://www.enterprise-journal.com/news/article_e025b566-0a1f-11e5-98af-fb3a5f24c97d.html





Adams County Officials Grapple with Trash Problem


Natchez Democrat


http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2015/06/04/adams-county-officials-grapple-with-trash-problem/





County sets date, time for hazmat event


Vicksburg Post



What's a person to do with that old refrigerator? Or maybe that box of dead
batteries or stack of worn-bald tires?


http://www.vicksburgpost.com/2015/06/03/county-sets-date-time-for-hazmat-event/







A river runs through it: Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway commemorates 30th
anniversary of dedication

Monroe Journal


An idea tracing back to the 1780s, a residual product spawned from
President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, a shape-shifter for a 234-mile
stretch of Mississippi and Alabama, the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway is a
30-year chapter still being written in not only Monroe County's history but
a chunk of the southeast's as well.
http://monroecountyjournal.com/2015/06/04/a-river-runs-through-it-tennessee-tombigbee-waterway-commemorates-30th-anniversary-of-dedication/





Oil Spill





AG Luther Strange deputizes private firms for BP case, still plans to keep
case in-house
Al.com


Dennis Pillion


June 03, 2015 at 1:02 PM


Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange has deputized two private law firms
to allow them to assist the state in its lawsuit against BP stemming from
lost tax revenue and other expenses incurred during the 2010 Deepwater
Horizon oil spill, he confirmed in a phone interview with AL.com.
http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/06/ag_luther_strange_deputizes.html





BP oil spill settlement money used in project to restore D'Olive Creek


WALA


SPANISH FORT, AL (WALA) - Construction continues in Spanish Fort to restore
Joe's Branch and prevent the harmful erosion of soil into D'Olive Creek and
ultimately the Mobile Bay.
http://www.wtvm.com/story/29229155/bp-oil-spill-settlement-money-used-in-project-to-restore-dolive-creek





National





EPA Sends Final Clean Power Plan Rule to White House for Interagency Review

Bloomberg


The Environmental Protection Agency sent a final rule to regulate carbon
dioxide emissions from existing power plants to the White House Office of
Management and Budget for interagency review.


http://www.bna.com/epa-sends-final-n17179927292/





Coal miners union to sue over Obama power plant rules
The Hill




The head of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) said his union will
sue the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over two rules designed to
cut greenhouse gas emissions at power plants once the Obama administration
finalizes them.


http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/243947-coal-miners-union-to-sue-over-obama-power-plant-rules