State
‘Environmental racism’ alleged in filing
Residents appeal MDEQ decision on proposed poultry farm
Enterprise-Journal
Progress residents are appealing Department of Environmental Quality approval of a proposed poultry farm, alleging “environmental racism” among other concerns.
CITY HIRES FIRM TO HELP WITH CONSENT DECREE
Northside Sun
Jackson continues to build the team that it hopes will lessen the burden of its consent decree on lower-income residents.
Sulfur truck explosion shuts down I-55 for hours near Batesville
WMC
PANOLA CO, MS (WMC) -Two officers were injured after a truck exploded in Batesville, Mississippi.
I-59 back open after hazmat spill in Pearl River Co.
WDAM
Pearl River County, MS (WDAM) -Southbound lanes of Interstate 59 are back open in Pearl River County after a truck hauling asphalt sealer overturned, spilling the hazardous liquid.
UPDATE: Delta Council relents and reveals that EPA chief is speaker
MBJ
After withholding the name of the keynote speaker for the Delta Council’s annual meeting on Friday, the group’s president revealed on Thursday that Environmental Protection Agency Director Scott Pruitt is the speaker.
ONE LAKE
Northside Sun
Northsiders will likely be able to sound off on the One Lake Project next month.
The long-awaited feasibility study and environmental impact study on the project is slated to be released by mid-June.
TURNER WARNS AGAINST IMPACT OF MAJOR FLOOD
Northside Sun
With more development in downtown Jackson and Flowood, another flood similar to the 1979 Easter Flood would have far more devastating consequences.
Costco opponents sue again
Madison County Journal
RIDGELAND — Six of the nine residents who successfully won a Supreme Court appeal last month to stop on-site fuel at the proposed Costco have now filed suit alleging a moratorium on climate-controlled storage units was approved to help the retail giant.
How one company hopes prehistoric oyster shells will restore the Gulf Coast
WGNO
PERKINSTON, Miss. - You don't normally find oysters growing 40 miles inland, but at one former fish hatchery in Perkinston, Mississippi, there are millions of them!
ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS UNVEILED AT GULFPORT PREMIUM OUTLETS
WXXV
The future of the electric vehicle charging station is now available at the Gulfport Premium Outlets.
Oktibbeha close to waste service decision
Commercial Dispatch
Oktibbeha County leadership is trying to determine if it would retain any equipment from Golden Triangle Waste Services, as supervisors continue to weigh a possible change in waste service providers.
Debris is the city’s job once more — Public Works has taken over cleanup
Daily Leader
The City of Brookhaven is in charge of debris pickup again.
Planning Commission discusses improper sewage disposal fines
Oxford Eagle
The Lafayette County Planning Commission began discussions to amend sewage disposal fines during its meeting on Tuesday night.
NON-COMMITTAL
Northside Sun
State officials are non-committal on plans to move the Jackson Zoo to the golf course at LeFleur’s Bluff State Park, mainly because they don’t know enough about the plans.
ATTENDANCE CONTINUES TO DECLINE AT JACKSON ZOO DESPITE RECENT ATTENTION
Northside Sun
Attendance at the Jackson Zoo continues to decline, even after park officials announced plans to move.
Raytheon makes $100 million Mississippi investment
NewsMS
A $100 million investment is coming to Mississippi after an announcement from Raytheon.
Raytheon, an industry-leading defense contractor, is expanding its radar manufacturing capabilities in Forest.
National
Trump to Grant Lifeline to Money-Losing Coal Power Plants
The Hill
Trump administration officials are making plans to order grid operators to buy electricity from struggling coal and nuclear plants in an effort to extend their life, a move that could represent an unprecedented intervention into U.S. energy markets.
EPA sends fuel economy changes to White House
AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency has sent the White House a proposal widely expected to scale back future fuel-economy standards for cars and trucks.
E.P.A. Takes a Major Step to Roll Back Clean Car Rules
NY Times
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration took a major step toward dramatically weakening an Obama-era rule designed to cut pollution from vehicle tailpipes, setting the stage for a legal clash with California that could potentially split the nation’s auto market in two.
EPA Gives $30 Million-Plus in Ethanol Credits to Oil Refiners, Angers Corn Growers
The credits were designed for small refineries facing economic hardship, but courts have ruled some applicants were unfairly denied in recent years
WSJ
The Trump administration is giving two oil refiners tens of millions of dollars’ worth of retroactive biofuels credits, unprecedented help for refining operations that is refueling a fierce conflict between energy companies and corn growers.
Exclusive: U.S. EPA grants refiners biofuel credits to remedy Obama-era waiver denials
Reuters
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has awarded tens of millions of dollars worth of biofuel blending credits for this year to refiners HollyFrontier and Sinclair Oil after they argued the agency had wrongly denied them waivers from the country’s biofuels law as far back as 2014, according to two sources and public filings.
Chemical Info Could Be Slow to Reach States, EMTs Under EPA Plan
Bloomberg
Industry and health advocacy organizations are watching closely as the EPA adds new tools so that, during emergencies, local authorities and first responders can access chemical trade secrets previously kept in-house.
Big food-service outfit banning plastic straws at more than 1,000 U.S. eateries
USA Today
A big food-service company with eateries at major U.S. college campuses, museums and other institutions is going to ban plastic straws and stirrers at all of its more than 1,000 locations in 33 states.
Public sector jobs: States where the most people work for the government
USA Today
Since the economic recovery began in 2010, the private sector has added 16 million jobs. At the same time, however, the number of public sector jobs has remained static. As a result, government employment as a share of total employment has declined from 17.3% to 15.2%, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics figures.
5. Mississippi
· Gov't. employees, 2017: 21.1% of workforce
· Gov't. employment change, 2007-2017 -0.6% (244,000 to 242,600)
· State gov't. spending per capita: $7,063 (22nd most)
· Population density: 63.2 per sq. mi. (19th lowest)
Press Releases
Delta Council President George King is pleased to announce that Environmental Protection Agency Administrator and Cabinet Official
Scott Pruitt
is the featured speaker for the 83rd Annual Meeting of Delta Council.
"We are honored that Administrator Pruitt is our keynote speaker. In his one year tenure as Administrator, Scott Pruitt has taken bold and decisive actions to reduce the overreaching regulations that have been dictated by the agency over the past two decades. In doing so, he has brought back common sense and balance to the intersection of natural resource conservation and the economy," added King, a producer from Chatham, MS.
The 83rd Annual Meeting of Delta Council will begin at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow, June 1, on the campus of Delta State University at the Bologna Performing Arts Center in Cleveland, Mississippi. The sponsors for the meeting are BankPlus, Catfish Farmers of Mississippi, Cotton Inc., Mississippi Corn Promotion Board, Mississippi Rice Promotion Board, Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board, Sanders, and Mississippi Land Bank/Southern Ag Credit.
Administrator Pruitt Announces $2 Million in Water Quality Grants
05/31/2018
Clarksdale, Miss. – Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt joined over 50 farmers and landowners to announce two Gulf of Mexico Program grants totaling $2 million. He also toured Big River Farms and met with members of Mississippi agriculture community to discuss pollinator health and water quality. “This funding will empower those on the ground in the states to improve water quality and crop production in the Mississippi River Basin,” said EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.“EPA is committed to working cooperatively with our state and local partners to support American agriculture and protect our vital water resources.”
Administrator Pruitt, joined by EPA Region 4 Administrator Trey Glenn, presented the B.F. Smith Foundation and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship with grants, each $1 million. These grants will go towards projects that demonstrate innovative monitoring systems that will measure and report field scale water and nutrient dynamics to the farmer in support of informed crop management decisions throughout the Delta region. Also, the projects take a multi-stakeholder approach to improve surface waters in Iowa and ultimately the Mississippi River Basin.
Following the grant announcement, Administrator Pruitt and members of the Mississippi agriculture community, toured Big River Farms in Bobo, Miss. During the tour of a soybean field, Administrator Pruitt and members of the Mississippi agriculture community and discussed a variety of pollinator issues and water quality projects in the area and the impact it has on agricultural systems.
“Mississippi farmers and ranchers are the backbone of our economy. Today’s grants provide the necessary support from Administrator Pruitt and our federal partners as we work together to improve our state’s water quality, strengthen agriculture, and protect the environment,” said Governor Phil Bryant (R-Miss).
“Mississippi’s farmers rely upon the latest technology and research to improve their production processes, lower prices for consumers, and stay competitive in a global market,” said Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss). “These grants from the Environmental Protection Agency will help the B.F. Smith Foundation, Delta Council, and others to develop farming methods that will improve water quality and increase profitability for hundreds of farmers in the Mississippi Delta. I extend my personal thanks to Administrator Pruitt for his leadership and for making the trip to Mississippi to present these important awards.”
“Mississippi farmers know successful agricultural production relies on good stewardship of our land and water resources. This EPA grant will support efforts in the Mississippi Delta to find practices to help increase yield while promoting practices that will benefit the environmental overall,” said U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.). “I appreciate the cooperative nature of this award and thank Administrator Pruitt for his support of farmers in our state.”
“It is encouraging to farmers and all of the allied agricultural businesses in this country to know that Administrator Pruitt is focused on important issues that effect this industry,” said Delta Farmers Advocating Resource Management Chairman Dan Branton. “Spending time ‘in-the-field’ with real farmers on working lands is the only way to truly understand some of the environmental issues this industry faces.”
Background:
The Clean Water Act provides authority and resources that are essential to protecting water quality in the Gulf of Mexico and larger Mississippi River Basin. EPA’s regional offices and the Gulf of Mexico Program work with states to continue to maximize the efficiency and utility of water quality monitoring efforts for local managers by coordinating and standardizing state and federal water quality data collection activities in the Gulf region. Enhanced monitoring and research is needed in the Gulf Coast region to make data more readily available. The B.F. Smith Foundation was awarded a grant for the Yazoo River Basin project. The project will demonstrate a successful cover crop minimum tillage production system and evaluate the agronomic, economic, and environmental benefits. An innovative monitoring system will measure and report field scale water a nutrient dynamic to the farmer, which will support better informed crop management decisions. This project will provide data demonstrating greater than five percent reductions in sediment, nitrogen, or phosphorous through the implementation of cover crop minimal tillage systems on a minimum of 15 farms and 800 acres annually.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship was awarded a grant for the Iowa Transforming Drainage Demonstration project. It will advance knowledge and implementation of alternative drainage systems in the Des Moines River Basin to improve downstream water quality, while also improving crop production and yield stability, sustainably secure and manage irrigation water, and enhance wildlife habitat. This project will provide agricultural producers, service providers, and other decision-makers, with access to the research-based information they need to make informed decisions by integrating these practices into their operations for increased resilience of crop production and improved water quality.
EPA Advises Facility Operators to Prevent and Minimize Chemical Releases during Hazardous Weather Events
05/31/2018
ATLANTA (May 31, 2018) – As hurricane season approaches, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is issuing a Hazardous Weather Release Prevention and Reporting alert to remind facility operators of certain requirements that call for preventing, minimizing and reporting chemical releases. This alert is designed to increase awareness among facility operators about their obligation to operate facilities safely, minimize releases that do occur, and report chemical releases in a timely manner.
The alert specifies release prevention and preparedness requirements and clarifies reporting requirements, including exemptions. Unlike some natural disasters, the onset of a hurricane is predictable and allows for early preparations to lessen its effect on a facility. Before hurricane force winds and associated storm surge flooding damage industrial processes, the alert recommends that operators take preventive action by safely shutting down processes, placing hazardous chemicals in safe storage locations, or otherwise operating safely under appropriate emergency procedures. If a chemical release does occur, operators should notify appropriate authorities immediately so that an appropriate response can be carried out.
Mississippi shrimp season opens June 6
BILOXI, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources has set the opening date of the 2018-2019 shrimp season in state territorial waters for 6 a.m. Wednesday, June 6.
All regulations of the MDMR will be in full force and effect, and all boats engaged in catching or transporting shrimp from Mississippi waters must be licensed or permitted by the MDMR before beginning operations.
Recreational and commercial shrimp season north of the Intracoastal Waterway will close at midnight on Dec. 31, 2018. In areas south of the Intracoastal Waterway and west of the Gulfport Ship Channel, shrimp season will close at midnight on April 30, 2019. Licensed live-bait shrimping is open year-round in designated areas.
Additionally, Marine Patrol officers will be available to perform dockside courtesy inspections of Turtle Excluder Devices upon request of shrimpers. Shrimpers requesting courtesy inspections should contact Marine Patrol at 228-523-4134.
For specific information, call the Mississippi Shrimp Information Hotline at 866-938-7295 or the MDMR at 228-374-5000.
MDMR to host Boats and Beignets June 2
BILOXI, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources will host Boats and Beignets on Saturday, June 2, from 8 until 10 a.m. at McElroy’s in Biloxi. The community is invited to meet the agency’s Marine Patrol officers who will be available to answer questions about boater safety and rules of the water. The Memorial Hospital Foundation will also be on hand distributing free life jackets to children.
Raytheon Increases Radar Manufacturing Capacity in Forest, Miss.
Jackson, Miss. (May 31, 2018) – Industry-leading defense contractor Raytheon is expanding its radar manufacturing capabilities in Forest, Miss. The project is a $100 million corporate investment and will create dozens of direct jobs at the company’s Forest campus over the next five years.
“Raytheon recognizes the value of continued investment in the state of Mississippi,” Gov. Phil Bryant said. “Together, along with Raytheon’s outstanding employees, we will continue supporting the U.S. military and strengthening our national defense through the innovative, high-tech radar systems developed in East Mississippi.”
Raytheon will construct a new facility to serve as a hub for test, integration and production of s-band radars, which includes the U.S. Navy’s next-generation SPY-6, Air and Missile Defense Radar program. The new 50,000-square-foot facility will allow for future personnel growth and also will create dozens of indirect jobs from the local community in support of design, supply and construction.
“Construction of a new radar production facility is the next step in our decades-long partnership with the state of Mississippi and its highly skilled workforce,” said Wes Kramer, president of Raytheon’s Integrated Defense Systems business. “Together we will integrate, test and deliver the most technologically advanced military radar systems to our U.S. and international customers.”
The Mississippi Development Authority is providing assistance for site preparation and infrastructure improvements. Mississippi Works funds are also being made available to assist with workforce training. Scott County is providing assistance in the form of a fee-in-lieu of taxes agreement.
“Raytheon and the people of Mississippi have enjoyed a productive, profitable, mutually beneficial partnership for many years. This exciting new investment which expands Raytheon’s presence in our state is evidence that Mississippi is the place where innovative global leaders can achieve their goals, said MDA Executive director Glenn McCullough, Jr. “MDA salutes the teamwork of Governor Bryant, the Mississippi Legislature, Scott County and the Mid-Mississippi Dev District, which is instrumental in Raytheon’s growth making Mississippi a leading state for the defense industry.”
The facility will become the newest addition to Raytheon’s existing Consolidated Manufacturing Center campus in Forest, which will continue uninterrupted deliver on critical commitments across the airborne radar and electronic warfare markets. Construction of the new facility will begin in August, with its completion expected by the first quarter of 2020.
