Gov't won't shut down .. for now

The federal government will not shut down at midnight (Friday). Late on Dec. 2, the Senate passed a stopgap spending bill that avoids a short-term shutdown and funds the U.S. government through Feb. 18 after leaders defused a partisan standoff over federal vaccine mandates. The measure goes to President Joe Biden, who’s expected to sign it. (Source: WBLT 12/02/21)

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate blocked the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Nov. 29, on a 45-51 vote, amid objections from Republicans and some liberal Democrats. The policy bill has become law for 60 straight years. The vote did not get the 60 "yes" votes needed to advance its passage. NDAA determines everything from how many ships are bought to pay increases for military personnel. This year's legislation authorizes some $770B in Pentagon spending. Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee, said the measure would eventually pass. (Source: Reuters 11/29/21) U.S. Senate blocks annual defense bill amid Republican objections | Reuters

Ocean Aero HQ moving to Gulfport

San Diego-based Ocean Aero, a manufacturer and service provider of ocean-going autonomous underwater and surface vehicles (AUSV), is relocating its manufacturing operations and HQ to Gulfport, Miss. 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, and performs long-endurance missions on the ocean’s surface with the ability to also perform underwater operations.

* Milwaukee Tool is expected to create 800 jobs in Grenada, Miss., by investing in a $60M project that will add 400 sites in Greenwood and Jackson, and its distribution center in Olive Branch. The construction of an accessories manufacturing facility in Grenada is expected to be completed by the end of 2022. (Business Facilities 11/29/21) Mississippi: Milwaukee Tool Expands In Grenada And Clinton (businessfacilities.com)

PCE to expand West Point ops

Plum Creek Environmental (PCE), founded in 2007 in Columbus, Miss., is a manufacturer and distributor of waste and recycling containers and equipment. The firm plans on expanding its West Point, Miss., operations with a $3M corporate investment that will create another 50 jobs. Plum Creek is expanding into a 60,000-square-foot facility, formerly occupied by Better Brands, to meet an increase in demand. The company also will maintain operations at its current West Point facility. Plum Creek last expanded in 2016, when it moved from Columbus to a larger facility in West Point. That project created 50 jobs. Plum Creek has been named by Inc. Magazine as one of the top 5,000 fastest-growing companies in America. (Source: Virtual Strategy Magazine 11/29/21) Plum Creek Environmental expanding in West Point to meet increase in consumer demand | Virtual-Strategy Magazine

La. refinery to layoff 470 workers

PLAQUEMINES PARISH, La. - Phillips 66’s Alliance Refinery plans to permanently layoff 470 workers beginning Jan. 7 or within 14 days of the date. The 50-year-old refinery was severely damaged after several feet of water flooded it during Hurricane Ida last August. Plaquemines Parish President Kirk Lepine told WWL-TV: “If you know anyone in Plaquemines Parish, they’ve had someone affiliated with Phillips 66, a brother a cousin, a dad, my brother is personally retired from Phillips 66. The Alliance Refinery is the largest taxpayer in the parish. The shutdown is expected to cost the parish millions of dollars in sales and property tax revenue. The parish government gets about $1.5M a year; public school district $5M; and the sheriff’s office close to $2M. The refinery is “about 12 percent of our tax base,” Lepine said. Phillips 66 plans to convert the facility into an oil storage terminal. (Source: WWL 11/28/21)

Austal contracts with AL steelmaker

MOBILE, Ala. - ‎Following Austal USA’s award from the Navy to build steel-hulled Towing, Salvage, and Rescue ships (T-ATS), the south Alabama shipbuilder has contracted with local steel provider SSAB Americas to provide steel for the new ships. The supplier-partnership directly supports hundreds of jobs in the Mobile area. Austal will source various strength and sized steel plating from SSAB capable of being cut, shaped, welded, and fitted. “SSAB not only provides us with quality steel, but also great flexibility due to its location adjacent to us,” Austal USA President Rusty Murdaugh said. Austal USA broke ground on a new steel manufacturing line in March 2020 to meet the steel-ship demand of the government. The new line will be operational in April, when Austal is poised to start construction on the T-ATS program. Austal’s steel production line will also support future steel programs for the Coast Guard. (Source: Austal USA 11/29/21)

Tulane plans expansion @ Charity

NEW ORLEANS - Tulane University announced Nov. 29 it had signed a long-term lease agreement to occupy nearly 350,000 square feet of at the former Charity Hospital building on Tulane Avenue downtown spurring redevelopment of the landmark that had been unoccupied since 2005. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The project is a “central component of a major expansion of Tulane’s downtown campus in the heart of the city’s biomedical corridor.” according to Tulane Chief Operating Officer Patrick Norton. Tulane will work with developers to transform the building into a mixed-use complex featuring apartments, retail outlets, and educational institutions anchored by the university’s academic and research. Project developers 1532 Tulane Partners and SKK Opportunity Zone Fund I, LLC will spend the next 2.5 years completing base building construction before Tulane develops its space. The university said it hopes to occupy its portion of the building in 2025. (Source: WVUE 11/29/21)

GoM wind industry panel video

WATCH VIDEO REPLAY OF PANEL DISCUSSION AT

Experts answer questions about offshore wind energy in Gulf of Mexico - YouTube

The offshore wind energy business is booming on the East Coast, and Louisiana workers have been instrumental. State business leaders are hoping for wind turbines to be built in the Gulf of Mexico. The Times-Picayune / The Advocate is exploring GoM's offshore wind energy potential in Winds of Change, a five-part series currently available at NOLA.com. On Nov. 30, the newspaper will host a virtual panel with three insiders to discuss the offshore wind industry and the challenges it may face in the Gulf. Reporter Tristan Baurick will be joined by La. State Rep. Joseph Orgeron, co-founder of 2nd Wind Marine, an offshore wind service vessel company in Galliano; Sara Ghazizadeh, renewable energies manager for Keystone Engineering, a Mandeville-based company that has worked on several offshore wind projects; and Annie Hawkins, executive director of the Responsible Offshore Development Alliance, an organization that advocates for the fishing industry. The event begins at 11 a.m. on NOLA.com and theadvocate.com. (Source: NOLA.com 11/29/21) Got questions about offshore wind energy in Gulf of Mexico? Ask our panel of experts | Environment | nola.com Submit your questions via Submit your questions on wind power (google.com)

5 'must see' MS towns' holidays

Towns across the Magnolia State - from Gulfport to Oxford - are set to deck some halls, string lights and bring the 'fat man from the North Pole' to spread holiday cheer this year. For families looking to get into the spirit of the season, here are five places to check out ... (Source: Clarion Ledger 11/29/21) 5 Mississippi holiday attractions for the whole family (clarionledger.com)

Wind power; river diversion studies

In a multi-part series, The Times-Picayune & The New Orleans Advocate take an in-depth look at the economic and energy-producing potential of offshore wind in the Gulf of Mexico. 

In a separate story via NOLA.com, should Louisiana's $2B Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project be built, at full capacity it could move 40,000 tons of clay, silt and sand daily from the Mississippi River into the wetlands off Plaquemines Parish's west bank. That's three times the weight of the Eiffel Tower. All that new sediment could compress mud and earth beneath it, causing land that Louisiana's trying to save, to sink. But two academic studies suggest the river diversion will likely outpace the rapid subsidence rate and build land faster than it sinks. (Source: NOLA.com 11/28/21) Louisiana Environment | NOLA.com | nola.com

Ret BG, Miss. native, passes away

Retired Air Force Brigadier General Graham Edward Shirley, 78, passed away Nov. 14 at his home in San Antonio, Texas. Shirley was a native of Starkville, Miss., who grew up on a farm in West Point, Miss. After graduation from West Point High School in 1961, he joined the Air Force and graduated from the AF Academy’s Preparatory School a in 1963. He was the first Prep School grade to be promoted to general officer rank. He was a distinguished graduate from the USAF Academy in 1966 with Bachelor of Science degrees in Engineering Management and International Affairs. Shirley attended pilot training at Craig AFB in Selma, Ala., in 1967. His first assignment was flying KC-135s at Columbus AFB, Miss. In 1969, he volunteered for combat duty, flying the RF-4Cs with the 16th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron at Tan Son Nhut Air Base in South Vietnam. From 1976-79, Shirley served tours at the headquarters of the 8th Airi Force at Barksdale AFB, La. He retired in 1992 after serving 31 years with the AF.  After retirement, he founded The Pegasus Group, an international trade and consulting firm, and served as the CEO of Westland Helicopter. A memorial service is planned for late January 2022 at Chapel #1 at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph, Texas. (Source: Legacy.com 11/26/21) GRAHAM SHIRLEY Obituary (2021) - San Antonio, TX - San Antonio Express-News (legacy.com)

Viking to cruise MS? Not so fast

U.S.-flag operators - Alaskan Dream Cruises, American Cruise Lines, American Queen Steamboat Company, The Boat Company and UniCruise Adventures - are questioning the Maritime Administration’s (Marad) opinion in a proposed deal to allow Switzerland-based Viking Line sail in U.S. waters on the Mississippi River. They want to know why an arrangement between Viking, and an affiliate (River 1 LLC) of Edison Chouest, is a time charter and not a bareboat charter. Vessels can be time chartered to non-citizens, but U.S. citizens must have operational control. Operators want Marad to be open about its deliberations that are required by law. At issue is the expected entry into the U.S. market next year of the 450-foot cruise ship Viking for operation on the Mississippi River. The ship is being built at Edison Chouest’s Galliano, La., shipyard. Marad said River 1 LLC proposed time chartering “a cruise vessel that it would construct, own and operate, to Viking USA, a non-citizen,” for an initial term of eight years with options to extend, according to documents on Marad's website. (https://www.maritime.dot.gov/national-security/strategic-sealift/transferring-us-flag-vessels-foreign-ownership-reflagging.) The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act requires Marad to issue a public notice, get comments and provide a detailed summary of a time charter approval. Operators say Marad didn’t provide any standards supporting its decision. Marad told River 1 in an advisory opinion the charter was a bona fide time charter that complies with the law. The U.S.-flag operators want a full airing of the time charter details before Marad's final decision. (Source: Work Boat 11/23/21) Marad opinion questioned in proposed Viking Line deal | WorkBoat

UM grad new CEO of Unical

LOS ANGELES - Unical Aviation, a provider of aircraft parts and components to the global commercial aerospace market, announced Nov. 23 it had appointed Sharon Green as the company's Chief Executive Officer, effective Dec. 1. Green will replace Platinum Equity Managing Director Dori Konig, who is serving as Unical's interim CEO. Platinum Equity acquired Unical in August. Green earned a Bachelor of Accountancy from University of Mississippi. Unical Aviation is an aftermarket parts and aviation solutions provider serving over 2,100 customers in 91 countries. It is HQ'd from the San Bernardino (Calif.) International Airport. (Source: WBRC 11/23/21)

HII union contract talks on hold

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Then thousand Newport News Shipbuilding workers, and 7,000 at Pascagoula, Miss., are waiting for a new contract, but union representatives say that's not going to happen until at least after Thanksgiving. Negotiations are on hold for the holiday. On Nov. 16, members of the United Steelworkers Local 8888 in Virginia turned down a tentative labor deal with the shipyard. On Nov. 18, Ingalls Shipbuilding workers in Pascagoula rejected a proposal to extend their current contract through March 8, 2026. Without providing a reason, the trade union responded to that defeat by announcing workers will be forced to vote again on the extension Dec. 2. (Source: Wall Street Journal 11/21/21) Workers at Navy shipyards in Virginia and Mississippi reject pro-company contracts - World Socialist Web Site (wsws.org)

Nov. 16, members of the United Steelworkers Local 8888 in Virginia turned down a tentative labor deal with the shipyard. On Nov. 18, Ingalls Shipbuilding workers in Pascagoula rejected a proposal to extend their current contract through March 8, 2026. Without providing a reason, the trade union responded to that defeat by announcing workers will be forced to vote again on the extension Dec. 2. (Source: Wall Street Journal 11/21/21) Workers at Navy shipyards in Virginia and Mississippi reject pro-company contracts - World Socialist Web Site (wsws.org)