Winter returning to Gulf Coast

A windy cold front will move across the Gulf Coast region on Saturday night, Jan. 1, into the start of the week. Saturday stays warm with highs in the low 80s and breezy ahead of that strong cold front. Sunday will feel winter-like with highs in the upper 50s in the morning but turning colder into the 40s by afternoon. It'll be windy through the day with gusts over 30 mph for many across the region. Monday could start with a moderate to hard freeze north of Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana. In central Mississippi, temperatures will fall into the upper 20s and low 30s by Monday morning. (Sources: WTOK/WWL 12/31/21)

'Lot to unpack' for MS lawmakers

COLUMBUS, Miss. The 2022 Mississippi legislative session could be one of the most intense in recent memory. “I think it’s going to be a very eventful session,” District 41 Rep. Kabir Karriem told WCBI. “There’s a lot to unpack." When the session opens Jan. 4, Karriem expects they "will hit the ground running." (Source: WCBI 12/21/21) Golden Triangle representatives expect intense legislative session for Mississippi in 2022 (wcbi.com). 

DoD regional contract 12/30

 Alabama Shipyard, Mobile, Alabama, is awarded a $25,964,083 firm-fixed-price contract (N3220522C4031) for a 150-calendar day shipyard availability for the regular overhaul and dry-docking of Military Sealift Command’s hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20). This contract includes a base period and 11 options which, if exercised, would bring the cumulative value of this contract to $28,535,957. Work will be performed in Mobile, Alabama, begin March 1, 2022, and is expected to be completed by July 28, 2022. Working Navy capital funds in the amount of $25,964,083 are obligated for fiscal 2022 and will not expire at the end of the fiscal year. This contract was a small business set-aside with proposals solicited via the Government Point of Entry website with two offers received. Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 12/30/21)

Miz Sippi: Can't keep good biz down

By Rod Duren, Central Mississippi/Golden Triangle

Let’s take a look-back at 2021 across the Gulf Coast, now that we can almost see a new year. With all the doom-and-gloom that the pandemic provided – thousands of deaths, vaccinate or not – couldn't keep every aspect of positive business under its thumb.

Sure, there were fewer airline travelers, but at year’s-end the feds supplied almost $20M to 63 airports across Mississippi for repairs/improvements. Some of those airports selected will go to Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International, Jackson: $3,799,704; Gulfport-Biloxi $2,994,440; Golden Triangle, Columbus: $1,033,512; Key Field, Meridian $1,012,816; Tupelo $1,009,902; Hattiesburg-Laurel $1,007,54; Yazoo County $110,000; and Stennis, Bay St. Louis: $295,000 … and a host of others.  

Regional port operations also got in on more than $241M in U.S. DOT grants for projects. The grants went to 25 projects in 19 states through the Maritime Administration’s Port Infrastructure Development Program. The funds are intended to bulk up America's supply chains to meet growing demand and address inflationary pressures. Three projects are in the region: Bay St. Louis and Aberdeen, Miss., and Delcambre, La. 

In Mississippi, the Port Bienville Rail Storage Yard got $4.14M to construct a new rail storage yard – to increase storage capacity 25% - to support the existing operations at the port. Mississippi’s Aberdeen Port Rail Spur Connector was awarded $4M for a project that funds construction of 12,200 linear feet of new rail spur that is to provide direct access between the port along the Tenn-Tom waterway and Kansas City Southern Railroad.

In Louisiana, Port Resiliency Improvements was awarded $2M for a project that includes dock refurbishment, debris removal, port slip improvements, and construction of several small buildings.

Huntington Ingalls Industries in Pascagoula had a pretty stellar year. They scored $490.69M on just four contracts. In January, for one Amphibious Assault Ship (General Purpose) Replacement (LHA(R)) Flight 1 Ship (LHA 9). The fourth increment of LLTM awarded. 

 

A contract for life cycle engineering and support for LPD-17 class Amphibious Transport Dock Ship program. 

 

In May, HII was awarded a contract for planning yard support for LPD 17 amphibious transport dock ships, LHD 1/LHA 6 amphibious assault ships, LSD 41/49 dock landing ships and LCC 19 amphibious command ship.  

 

In December, HII as awarded a contract action for long lead time material (LLTM) in support of one amphibious assault ship (general purpose) replacement (LHA(R)) Flight 1 Ship (LHA 9). This action will be the seventh increment of LLTM awarded that was executed on April 30.  

 

At Stennis Space Center, NASA began testing for development of RS-25 engines that will help power the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on future missions to the Moon and, eventually, Mars. The first test was in late January. The 7-test series was being used for RS-25 developmental engine No. 0528, and for data for Aerojet Rocketdyne as it begins production of new RS-25 engines for use after the first four SLS flights.

On Dec. 7, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy visited Stennis Space Center for the first time. 

 

Ten-digit dialing came to north Mississippi customers in the 662-area code. The change will enable a new national suicide prevention hotline. On April 24, customers in Southaven, Oxford, Tupelo, Columbus, Starkville, Greenwood and Greenville began 10-digit dialing. North Mississippi was among 82 area codes nationwide making room for the 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which begins operation in July 2022.  

 

San Diego-based Ocean Aero, a manufacturer and service provider of ocean-going autonomous underwater and surface vehicles (AUSV), announced in November it is relocating its manufacturing operations and HQ to Gulfport. The $4.7M project will create 45 new jobs. Ocean Aero’s AUSVs are currently deployed by DoD, Homeland Security, NOAA and offshore energy companies. The company manufactures the world’s first and only environmentally powered AUSV, the TRITON, which operates exclusively on wind and solar energy.   

 

Metal Shark shipbuilding in Franklin and Jeanerette, La., was on a roll in early January. They were selected to develop and implement the Long Range Unmanned Surface Vessel (LRUSV) System for the Marines. The system is to usher in a new era of naval technology while increasing lethality and a network of unmanned vessels traveling autonomously for extended ranges and transporting munitions. Metal Shark enlisted developer Spatial Integrated Systems (SIS), which had been recently acquired by Huntington Ingalls Industries, to provide the autonomy solution. Metal Shark will design, build, test, and implement the vessels; and handle the integration of the autonomy system and implement a Command and Control (C2) software suite.  

The Port of New Orleans celebrated its 125th anniversary of its July 9 founding as an independent subdivision of the State of Louisiana. 

Mississippi was recognized by Area Development magazine with a Silver Shovel Award in tribute to its economic development successes of 2020. The state’s top project was Amazon’s state-of-the-art fulfillment center in Madison County. Some additional projects: Navistar Defense’s manufacturing/testing facility in West Point with 500 jobs and Gulf Ship of Harrison County with 200 jobs. Additionally, the Kiln, Miss.-based Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission’s aerospace strategy project won the 2020 Community Economic Development Award.  

 

2022 

Mississippi lawmakers will have a full agenda upon reconvening at the Capitol on Jan. 4. Among the major challenges will be overseeing $1.8B in allocated funds to the Magnolia State from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. The feds have placed broad categories on the one-time funding to be spent on water, sewer and broadband infrastructure; tourism; issues related to health care; and combating/recovering from the pandemic. 

 

Aside from the federal funds, several other bills will be floated: Teacher pay raises, rehabilitation of state parks, tax relief, medical marijuana, and redistricting of state and congressional districts. You can follow the legislative sessions at www.legislature.ms.gov. 

 

Editor’s Note: This post is an end-of year column for Central Mississippi and The Gulf Coast communities. In deference to the Ole Miss, ‘Miz Sippi’ is a periodic post throughout the month(s) ahead. Invitations are open to businesses and individuals for input in improving the coverage and grow business product(s). Low-cost business ads are also available upon request via gcmilbiz@gmail.com.)

Halter: $552M for CG cutter

VT Halter Marine Inc., Pascagoula, Mississippi, is awarded a $552,654,757 fixed-price incentive modification to previously awarded contract N00024-16-C-2210 to exercise an option for the detail design and construction of the second Coast Guard Polar Security Cutter. Work will be performed in Pascagoula, Mississippi (61%); Metairie, Louisiana (12%); New Orleans, Louisiana (12%); San Diego, California (4%); Mossville, Illinois (4%); Mobile, Alabama (2%); Boca Raton, Florida (2%); and other locations (3%) and is expected to be completed by September 2026. Fiscal 2021 Coast Guard procurement, construction, and improvement funds in the amount of 485,129,919 (80%); fiscal 2020 procurement, construction, and improvement (CG) funds in the amount of $100,000,000 (17%); and fiscal 2019 procurement, construction, and improvement (CG) funds in the amount of $20,000,000 (3%) will be obligated at time of award and will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity.

General Atomics, San Diego, California, is awarded a $14,456,036 firm-fixed-price order (N0001922F0893) against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N0001921G0014). This order provides facilities, labor, material, and logistics services in support of the correction of deficiencies identified during prior qualification cycles for the block A21/A22 sustainment phase of the advanced arresting gear for CVN 78 and testing sites. Work will be performed in San Diego, California (91.42%); Boston, Massachusetts (7.52%); Lakehurst, New Jersey (1%); and Tupelo, Mississippi (0.06%), and is expected to be completed in April 2023. Fiscal 2021 research, development, test and evaluation (Navy) funds in the amount of $11,689,199 will be obligated at the time of award, all of which will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Maryland, is the contracting activity.

Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. Sperry Marine, Saint Rose, Louisiana (N3220522D0005); Northrop Grumman Systems Corp., Charlottesville, Virginia (N3220522D0006); NAV Systems Inc., Chesapeake, Virginia (N3220522D0007); and NAVTECH Marine Electronics, Honolulu, Hawaii (N3220522D0008), were awarded a multiple award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a shared ceiling of $55,940,500. This award fulfills Military Sealift Command’s (MSC) requirement to procure services and parts to maintain bridge electronic communication equipment, navigation equipment, steering gear, and various other navigational systems aboard MSC’s government-owned, government-operated fleet of 15 fleet replenishment oilers (T-AO); three fleet ocean tugs (T-ATF); two hospital ships (T-AH); two rescue and salvage ships (T-ARS); two submarine tenders (AS); 14 dry cargo, ammunition ships (T-AKE); two fast combat support ships (T-AOE); and 12 expeditionary fast transport ships (T-EPF). This contract also provides stated services for MSC’s government-owned, contract operated, large medium speed roll-on, roll-off ships USNS Seay (T-AKR 302); USNS Pililaau (T-AKR 304); USNS Sisler (T-AKR 311); and USNS Dahl (T-AKR 312). This contract includes one five-year ordering period that would with a cumulative contract ceiling value of $55,940,500. Work will be performed worldwide and is expected to be completed by Dec. 21, 2026. Working capital funds (Navy) in the amount of $2,500 for the minimum guarantee for each offer will be obligated at time of award. Orders may be placed throughout the single five-year ordering period. Funding for fiscal 2022, in which initial orders are placed, will be utilized at that time. This contract was in fulfillment of the open competition requirement procured via the beta.sam.gov website with four timely offers received. (Awarded Dec. 22, 2021) (Source: DoD 12/29/21)

Sea grant fellowship applications

 

The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium (MASGC) is now accepting applications for the 2022 NMFS-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship Program in Population and Ecosystem Dynamics and the NMFS-Sea Grant Fellowship in Marine Resource Economics. These two fellowships allow Ph.D. students to closely work with a NOAA Fisheries mentor who will also serve on the student’s academic committee. Application materials are due by Jan. 27. The fellowships are anticipated to start Aug. 1. (Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium 12/13/21) Sea Grant is accepting applications for the 2022 NMFS-Sea Grant Joint Fellowship Program - News - Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium (masgc.org)

New all-in-one GoM fishing app

A new mobile app from the Alabama Water Institute and the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium provides interactive ways to find important weather, boating, safety and fishing information for the Gulf of Mexico. The app allows users to instantly access information about weather, tides, buoy stations, water safety and fishing regulations based on their location. The app is now available by searching “MAPP-AWI” on iOS and Android. (Source: University of Alabama 12//17/21) New mobile app to aid Gulf of Mexico fishermen, boaters - News - Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium (masgc.org)

NOAA recruiting coastal fellowships

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Association (NOAA) is recruiting candidates for the 2022 Coastal Management Fellowship and the Digital Coast Fellowship. This program's mission is to provide on-the-job education and training opportunities in coastal resource management and policy for postgraduate students and to provide project assistance to state coastal zone management agencies and other key NOAA partners. The 12 fellowship positions start in August and are available with the California Coastal Commission, California Coastal Conservancy, and the coastal programs in Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Oregon, and three are hosted by Digital Coast Partners: Coastal States Organization (in partnership with Association of State Floodplain Managers, the National States Geographic Information Council and The Nature Conservancy). Eligibility requirements at coast.noaa.gov/fellowship. Application packages must be submitted to the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium by Friday, Jan. 21 (Source:  Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium 12/16/21) NOAA is recruiting candidates for the 2022 Coastal Management Fellowship and the Digital Coast Fellowship - News - Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium (masgc.org)

DoD spending nod, but no money

President Joe Biden signed a $768B defense bill on Dec. 27 after both parties' lawmakers rejected his initial Pentagon plans and endorsed a major influx to military spending. The enactment of the National Defense Authorization Act marks the 61st consecutive year DoD policy legislation has become law. The White House announced Biden signed the bill into law in a statement. The bill rejects Biden's $715B Pentagon budget request and instead calls for $740B for the Pentagon. The bill provides for spending but does not allocate any money. Lawmakers must strike a deal to fund the government for the rest of the fiscal year. (Source: Politico 12/27/21) Biden signs $768B defense policy bill that supersized his original Pentagon request - POLITICO

GA's EMALS proposed for France

PARIS - The U.S. State Department has given the green light for the sale of electromagnetic aircraft catapults and arresting gear, worth an estimated $1.3B, for France's next-generation aircraft carrier, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced. The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) Foreign Military Sale to the French. The estimated cost of the sale, of the Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) and related equipment, would be $1.321B, the agency said in a Dec. 21 statement. Congress received the required notification for the sale Dec. 21. France has requested procurement of one electromagnetic system with two launchers and one advanced arrestor gear, in a three-engine configuration. France is awaiting Congress to approve the deal, a spokeswoman for the French procurement office said. The prime contractors will be General Atomics-Electromagnetic Systems and Huntington Ingall Industries. There will be no offset deal on the deal, which calls for some 40 U.S. government officials and contractors to spend 10 weeks a year in France, from 2033-38 to support installation, certification, and sea trials. (Source: SLDInfo.com 12/27/21) Mississippi Note: GA Electromagnetic Systems' high cycle testing facility in Tupelo, Miss., was site of the full-scale power train of the original EMALS for the USS Gerald R. Ford. (Source: SLDinfo.com 12/27/21) The United States Clears EMALS Sale to France for Their Next Generation Carrier - Second Line of Defense (sldinfo.com)

Rural cybersecurity via USM

Several groups in rural Mississippi are learning more about cybersecurity awareness based on a new program launched by the University of Southern Mississippi. The program, Cyber4Work, is aimed at preparing employees to prevent and handle data breaches and other malicious software online. Sarah Lee, director of the School of Computing Sciences and Engineering at USM, says training will be vital as broadband internet access continues to expand throughout the state. With broadband expansion more people
will be going online for the first time," she said in a statement. "Safe online behavior is important to personal safety, in addition to national security." Cyber4Work is funded via a grant from the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, in collaboration with the Mississippi Coding Academies. (Source: Clarion Ledger 12/27/21)

Can DNA be in last slave ship?

At least two-thirds of the section below deck of the ship 90-foot-long schooner Clotilda, believed to be the last known to transport African captives to the American South for slavery, remains largely in one piece and in the fresh-water muds along the Gulf Coast. The ship was discovered on the Mobile-Tensaw River in Alabama, according to maritime archaeologist James Delgado of the Florida-based SEARCH Inc. The upper portion of the ship is gone. The unventilated slave pen below deck raises questions whether human DNA could remain in the hull, said Delgado. “It's a stunning revelation.” The ship, which departed Mobile on an illegal trip to purchase people in Africa, returned to Alabama in either Autumn 1859 or July 9, 1860, with 124 slaves. [Illegal trip: Congress outlawed the practice in 1808.] Alabama steamship owner Timothy Meaher, a Maine native, financed the last slave vessel and came out of the Civil War a wealthy man. The schooner was scuttled in 1860. Meaher's descendants, with land worth millions, are still part of Mobile society’s upper crust. Alabama has set aside $1M for preservation and research, and additional work planned onsite in early 2022 that could show what's inside the hull, Delgado said. But far more work is needed to determine whether the ship could ever be pulled from the mud and displayed. Freed after the Civil War, some of the enslaved Africans settled in a community they started called Africatown, a few miles north of downtown Mobile. (Source: The AP 12/22/21) Research: Wreck of last US slave ship mostly intact on coast (msn.com)

LA business people news

Madan Bhasin, adjunct professor in the LSU Cain Department of Chemical Engineering, has been named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. The NAI Fellows Program highlights academic inventors who have demonstrated a spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions with tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society. Election to NAI Fellow is the highest professional distinction accorded o academic inventors. Bhasin earned a doctorate in in physical chemistry from Notre Dame and serves as chief scientific adviser to the Mid-Atlantic Technology, Research & Innovation Center. He has more than 45 years of experience in the chemical industry, primarily with Union Carbide and Dow Chemical.

Graça Vicente, professor of chemistry and the Charles H. Barré Distinguished Professor at LSU, has been awarded the rank of Boyd Professor by the LSU Board of Supervisors. It’s the most prestigious academic rank at LSU, awarded to faculty who have achieved national or international recognition for outstanding research, teaching and achievements. She is the 78th professor to receive the honor since it was created at LSU in 1953. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Aveiro Portugal and doctoral degree in chemistry from the University of California-Davis. She completed postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Bourgogne in France, University of Geneva in Switzerland, and ITQB research institute in Portugal.

The Louisiana Industrial Development Executives Association will offer a 4-day basic economic development course Feb. 8-11 at the Greater New Orleans Inc. Energy Centre on Poydras Street in New Orleans. The course will provide an overview and introduction to the fundamentals of economic development that prepare people to help communities and organizations. Early registration, which ends Dec. 31, is $350 for LIDEA members and $400 for non-members. Regular registration, which ends Jan. 21, is $400 for LIDEA members and $450 for nonmembers. For information or to register, go to lLIDEA I Economic Development Training (lideatraining.com) (Source: NOLA.com 12/26/21)

FL electrical grid roadmap for LA?

Back-to-back hurricane seasons across the Southeast battered electrical grids and left millions sweltering in summer’s heat waiting for power – sometime up to weeks. That was the scene in Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi in 2004-05. The Florida hurricanes, similar in strength/timing to those that mangled Louisiana in 2020-21, resulted in reforms to the Sunshine State’s utility regulations and massive infrastructure investments. Governments and Florida’s power companies spent billions upgrading above-ground structures, burying power lines and investing in “smart grid” technology. Some have indicated it’s made a major difference. Florida’s improved grid may serve as a roadmap for Louisiana, where those 2020-21 hurricanes have prompted cries for massive investment. But there are caveats for Louisianans looking to the Sunshine State. The big one is cost to ratepayers. There are 66 percent more people in Florida than Louisiana, which means the cost among ratepayers is more widely spread out. Florida hurricanes still knock out power, though the lights come back on faster. (Gulf Coast Note: Mississippi is in a similar boat as Louisiana. Discussions are underway.) Source: NOLA.com 12/25/21) Watch In Florida, some see a model for Louisiana's ailing electric grid after devastating hurricanes - Google Florida News Youtube HD Video - Latest Breaking News (latestbreakingnewsvideo.com)

Christmas in the camper: St. John the Baptist Parish (La.) residents still recovering from Hurricane Ida four months later. (Source: WVUE 12/24/21) Christmas in the camper: Residents still recovering from Hurricane Ida four months later (wlox.com) 

MS airport association's '22 board

JACKSON, Miss. - The Mississippi Airports Association (MAA) has elected 2022 officers and board members. Newly elected members include Matt Dowell of the Golden Triangle Regional Airport in Columbus. Re-elected or continuing board members include Mike Forster of the Louisville-Winston County Airport and Wes Kirkpatrick of the Monroe County Airport near Aberdeen. Kirkpatrick will also serve as secretary, Forster as treasurer and Dowell as assistant treasurer. The MAA’s purpose is to promote aviation and airport interests. (Source: WTVA 12/23/21)