Census to end: MS may lose $B

The United States Census Bureau announced Aug. 3 it would be shortening the census deadline by one month. The census deadline will end Sept. 30 instead of the original deadline of Oct. 31. The Census Bureau made the decision in order to expedite the process of data collection to meet the end-of-year deadline. The City of Oxford “has the lowest response rate in Mississippi of cities over 5,000 people, and 63rd out of 63 cities,” Mark Levy, director of special projects at Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce, said. “Lafayette County has the lowest response rate of all counties in the 22 county Northern Congressional District and is 63rd out of 82 counties in the state.” The loss of a 31 days could mean billions of dollars to Mississippi. States like Mississippi have a higher percentage of hard-to-count areas and populations, which benefit from in-person follow-up. The Census Bureau has planned for bureau employees to knock on doors to follow-up with people who have not responded to the census. This will begin August 11 and end on Sept. 30. The Census survey takes 10-minutes and can result in up to $5,000 funding per person, he explained. The Census may be completed online, mail, or by telephone. The 2020 Census marked the first time a questionnaire has been completed online. The low- level broadband internet has negatively impacted Mississippians. The low response rate will impact the state for the next decade, according to Giles Ward, a former state senator. For more information about the Census or to respond to the Census visit https://my2020census.gov/. (Source: Oxford Eagle 08/06/20) Gulf Coast Note: As of Aug. 5, the national percentage of Census responses: USA (61.3%). Minnesota is #1 with a 72.4% response rate. The four Gulf Coast states’ rankings/percentage of responses: Alabama ranked #30 (60.7%); Florida #32 (60.1%); Mississippi #40 (57.9%); and Louisiana #45 (57.2%). DeSoto and Madison counties in Mississippi have response rates above 69.5%. Cities: Tupelo 65.4%; Columbus 59.8%; Iuka 57.2%; Vicksburg 56.9%: Jackson 56.7%; Meridian 53.7%; Starkville 52.5%; Oxford 41.7%; and last but not least Sumner 11.3%. In Alabama counties, Mobile 59.2%; Tuscaloosa 58.7%; and Pickens 56.6%.

EPA moving on MS Superfund site

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released proposed plans for removing contaminated soil from 11 private properties around the former Kerr-McGee plant in Columbus, Miss., as part of the ongoing cleanup process to the Superfund site. The properties are mostly residential. Property owners have been notified and met with EPA and the Greenfield Environmental Multi-State Trust representative. The Greenfield trust will oversee the clean-up process. "The plan is to remove, for most of the properties, only the top foot of soil," Lauri Gorton, director of environmental programs and senior strategist at the Greenfield Trust, told The Dispatch. The estimated $2.7M project is the next step of the clean-up process for the 90-acre site. Kerr-McGee operated a wood-treatment plant at the site from 1928-2003, by which time the pollutant creosote, used to treat wood, had contaminated the site and surrounding area. EPA declared the site a Superfund site and designated it a priority clean-up along with some 30 other sites around the country. (The Dispatch 08/06/20) https://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=82787

HII 2Q results, and outlook

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) reported second quarter 2020 revenues of $2B, down 7.4 percent from the 2Q of 2019. Operating income in the quarter was $57M and operating margin was 2.8 percent, compared to $175M and 8 percent, respectively, in the 2Q34 of 2019. The decreases were primarily driven by unfavorable cumulative catch-up adjustments totaling $167M resulting from updated cost and schedule assumptions across all programs - $61M resulting from discrete COVID-19 related delay and disruption estimates across all programs. It also includes impacts from lower employee attendance, availability of critical skills, and out-of-sequence work, attributable to, among other things, orders of civil authorities associated with COVID-19 and steps taken to mitigate the effects of COVID-19. (Source: HII 08/06/20) https://newsroom.huntingtoningalls.com/releases/huntington-ingalls-industries-reports-second-quarter-2020-results-provides-covid-19-update-and-updates-2020-outlook

PSC approves two solar facilities

JACKSON, Miss. - Mississippi’s Public Service Commission (PSC) Chairman Dane Maxwell drafted orders Aug. 4 approving $80M solar facilities for Clark and Hancock counties, according to statements from the PSC. The orders would allow developers of the Moonshot Solar project in Hancock County and the Cane Creek Solar project in Clarke County to move forward with construction plans for their solar farms, according to Maxwell's office. The projects would bring separate 78.5-megawatt electric generating stations to each county that would deliver wholesale power directly to the Mississippi Power Company/Southern Company transmission grid, the statements said. (Source: The Associated Press 08/05/20) https://www.djournal.com/news/around-mississippi/80m-solar-facilities-approved-for-2-mississippi-counties/article_0a369f8e-d168-52fe-a90f-614e5577a575.html

Howorth & Chair removed from TVA

OXFORD, Miss. - Former Oxford Mayor Richard Howorth was removed from the Tennessee Valley Authority board along with its chair, Skip Thompson, by President Donald Trump on Aug. 3. The president criticized the federal-owned utility for hiring foreign workers. Thompson, of Decatur, Ala., was appointed by Trump in 2018. He also threatened to remove other board members if they continued hiring foreign labor. Howorth, who owns Square Books, said it “doesn’t bother me to be perfectly honest.” His term was about up, and would have been replaced next May. “I was expendable, but I’m very upset that they fired Skip Thompson because he was an exceptionally good chair and a very valuable part of the authority at TVA.” Trump nominated another Oxford businessman to the TVA board, Charles William “Bill” Cook Jr., who has more than 30 years of experience in telecommunications networks and business, and is CEO of Cook Consulting. (Source: Daily Journal 08/03/20)

Col. Spears take lead at 14th OG

COLUMBUS AFB, Miss. - Colonel Justin Spears took command of the 14th Operations Group (OG) at a change of command ceremony July 24, at Columbus Air Force Base. The 14th OG, and its six squadrons, are responsible for the 52-week Specialized Undergraduate Pilot Training mission at CAFB. The group also performs quality assurance for contract aircraft maintenance. "It's an incredible thing we're asked to do here at Columbus," Spears said. "Our mission is clear and the success of our mission depends on solely on the quality of the people assigned to do it and there are none better than the men and women of the 14th Operations Group. (Source: CAFB 07/27/20)

14 warbirds to WWII's anniversary

Fourteen vintage aircraft, including a 1944 B-25 bomber, are headed to Hawaii, courtesy of a Navy lift onboard the USS Essex, for aerial flyovers commemorating the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII. Planners are moving forward with the Aug. 29 to Sept. 2 celebration in the face of a stubborn coronavirus. David Prescott of New York sent his B-25 “Old Glory” to San Diego to make the trip to Hawaii on the Essex, an amphib with a flat top capable of hosting short-takeoff aircraft including F-35B fighters, helicopters and V-22 Ospreys. More than 30 WWII vets are expected to attend. “It’s probably one of the last times (some of the vets) will be able to see this. They are up there in age,” Prescott said. The B-25 flew at least one war-time bombing mission over Italy. (Source: Stars and Stripes 08/04/20) https://www.stripes.com/lifestyle/military-history/vintage-warbirds-aboard-uss-essex-on-their-way-to-hawaii-for-end-of-wwii-anniversary-1.640006

HII grows unmanned investments

The Navy continues its pursuit of unmanned vehicles, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) hopes to harness its experience of building the service’s largest platforms to expand into the unmanned arena. HII announced in July its investment in Sea Machines Robotics, a Boston firm, that focuses on software for the unmanned surface vehicle market. Andy Green, HII’s Technical Solutions president, said the investment allows HII to respond to Navy requests and learn more about new unmanned technologies. Surface or sub-surface unmanned vehicles act as a “multiplier of existing platforms” that will provide significant extension of those … capabilities, regardless of the specific mission. Green told USNI News. The former submariner billed these unmanned platforms as a way for the Navy to supplement legacy platforms like amphibious ships and combatants with new technology. He described Sea Machines as a “logical extension” of what HII delivers to the Navy. HII got into the unmanned market in 2015, when it purchased Columbia Group’s Engineering Solutions Division, which built the Large Displacement Unmanned Underwater Vehicle known as Proteus. In early 2020, HII reached a $350M deal with Kongsberg to purchase Hydroid, which builds unmanned underwater vehicles. HII also joined Boeing in a collaborative bid for the Navy’s Orca Extra Large Unmanned Undersea Vehicle, for which Boeing received a $43M contract to build four vessels in February 2019. (Source: USNI News 08/04/20) Mississippi Note: HII-Pascagoula, Miss., is one of the largest shipbuilders, along with its sister facility in Virginia, the U.S. https://news.usni.org/2020/08/04/hii-growing-unmanned-investments-as-navy-plans-to-expand-capability

Blocking O&G in east GoM

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The non-profit environmental group Oceana is working with economic development professionals and military supporters in a broad-based effort to extend or make permanent a moratorium on oil and gas exploration in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. The current moratorium is set to expire on June 30, 2022. The U.S. House approved a permanent moratorium last year, but the Senate has not followed that lead, mandatory to get the president to sign off on it. “We’re doing our best to work with the best partners we can find,” said Hunter Miller, Florida Gulf Coast campaign organizer for Oceana, an ocean conservation group. Among their partners is the Defense Support Initiatives (DSI) team of the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County, Fla. Oceana’s focus is on environmental protection in and near the Gulf. DSI’s focus, along with other advocates of the military’s prominent role in the area’s economy, is the 122,000 square mile Eglin Gulf Test and Training Range, most of which is over the eastern GoM, and used for weapons testing and a host of other military missions involving most of the military services. The range is overseen by the 96th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. (Source: Destin Log 08/04/20) https://www.thedestinlog.com/news/20200804/environmental-group-oceana-works-with-economic-developers-to-extend-gulf-moratorium-on-oil-and-gas

Aurora temp positions in Columbus

Aurora Flight Sciences has two temporary positions available at its Columbus, Miss., manufacturing facility: Supervisory position in a manufacturing environment; Quality Engineer position must have experience and with excellent computer skills. (Source: ZipRecruiter 08/20) https://www.ziprecruiter.com/jobs/qualified-staffing-200ad073/temporary-supervisor-and-quality-engineer-e5393ccb

Harvey, NOLA firms: COE bids

AHTNA Construction, Anchorage, Alaska (W912BV-20-D-0039); APC Construction, Harvey, La. (W912BV-20-D-0040); Gideon Contracting, San Antonio, Texas (W912BV-20-D-0041); Pontchartrain Partners, New Orleans (W912BV-20-D-0042); and Southwind Construction,* Edmond, Okla. (W912BV-20-D-0043), will compete for each order of the $49,500,000 firm-fixed-price contract for civil works construction projects in support of various military and civil works projects within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Tulsa District's boundaries. Bids were solicited via the internet with 15 received. Work locations and funding will be determined with each order, with an estimated completion date of Aug. 3, 2025. U.S.  Army Corps of Engineers Tulsa, Okla., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 08/04/20)

Correx: Gulfport pact for EOD craft

United States Marine Inc. of Gulfport, Miss., is awarded a $7,572,364 firm-fixed-price delivery order to previously awarded an indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract (N00024-16-D-2215) in support of the government of Azerbaijan for 15 9-meter Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Multi-Use EOD Response Craft. Work will be performed in Gulfport, and is expected to be completed by April 2022. Foreign Military Sales funding in the amount of $7,572,364 will be obligated at time of award and will expire at the end of the current fiscal year. Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., is the contracting activity. (Source: DoD 08/04/20) CORRECTION:  The contract announced on August 4 for United States Marine Inc. of Gulfport (N00024-16-D-2215) for $7,572,364 was announced with the type of craft and incorrect funding. The delivery order is for the construction and delivery of 15 Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Multi-Use EOD Response Craft, road trailers, engine diagnostic equipment, forward looking infrared systems, vessel spare parts, and other technical assistance, funded by Title 10 USC 333 authority to build foreign security forces capacity.

La. restoring marine mammals

The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group has approved the Final Restoration Plan/Environmental Assessment #5 with four projects to restore marine mammals and oysters. One project approved in the plan will focus on increasing capacity to respond to marine mammal strandings, and the other three will focus on oyster restoration in the Louisiana Restoration Area. (Source: Gulf Spill Restoration 08/02/20) https://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/2020/08/louisiana-trustees-approve-four-projects-restore-oysters-and-marine-mammals?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery

MS going for No.1 in infections

Mississippi is heading for a title nobody wants:  Overtaking Florida to becoming No. 1 for new coronavirus infections per capita, according to Harvard research. The Magnolia State already faces high levels of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and obesity. - all specific to the coronavirus pandemic and "layered on top of our existing challenges," says Dr. LouAnn Woodward, director at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. By multiple measurements, the coronavirus will continue to worsen in Mississippi, Woodward told All Things Considered. (Source: NPR 08/03/20) https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/08/03/898656250/mississippi-on-track-to-become-no-1-state-for-new-cases-of-coronavirus-per-capit

Ecologist finishes BP oil report

Soon after the BP Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded in April 2010, Paul Montagna, a Texas A&M marine ecologist, was given a hurry-up-and-finish contract by BP to go into the black waters to find out any harm, of the country’s biggest oil disaster, was being done to the barely understood organisms that form the foundation of the Gulf of Mexico’s ecosystem. He came up with 200 samples. Before the research was ended, he’d only had time to analyze 58. BP was eager to begin negotiating a settlement with the U.S. government over ballooning claims. In April 2016 the case was settled for $8.8B - largest in history. But, it wasn’t until this year he finally finished his work. “The good news for BP is they got away with something … the actual impact was at least twice, if not 10 times larger” than the settlement documents were based on, Montagna said in February at a conference in Tampa, Fla. A full analysis of his work was published in the journal PLOS One in June showing analysis of all of those samples showed damage to seafloor organisms stretching at least 124 square miles - nearly two times larger than the 66-square-mile footprint described in the abbreviated report Montagna turned over for the disaster’s Natural Resource Damage Assessment. NRDA helped determine how much BP owed for the harm done. (Source: NOLA.com 07/31/20) https://www.nola.com/news/environment/article_944018de-c776-11ea-a8f8-9738b904d580.html Those tiny sea creatures of the Gulf. https://www.nola.com/news/collection_7355a2de-d369-11ea-bc2e-b3ef5b406237.html

The big 'ugly' may replace BHR

The fire that broke out on the Navy amphibious ship USS Bonhomme Richard (BHR) in San Diego last month caused catastrophic damage to 11 of 14 decks on the vessel. The Navy has awarded a $10M contract to begin post-fire clean-up, but the sea-service may not be planning to repair the badly-damaged ship. Restoration could cost hundreds of millions and years potentially making it more cost-effective to the ship. 

What’s the Navy’s options? The ugliest option may be the best one. The Navy could accelerate production of America-class assault ships with big-decks that combine troop-berthing, vehicle-storage, floodable well-deck for landing craft and a full-length flight deck. 

Huntington Ingalls Industries' (HII) shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss., is the only site that builds the aviation-optimized Americas. America and Tripoli already are in commission. Bougainville began production in 2019 and could join the fleet in 2024. Accelerating the unnamed LHA-9 would require hundreds of millions of dollars in advance funding. 

Instead of building a new assault ship to replace BHR, the Navy could acquire a different kind of vessel or mix of vessels with equivalent capabilities. Marine Commandant Gen. David Berger has argued for this approach in order to expand and diversify the amphib force. 

The Navy already is buying substitute ships for BHR-like vessels. The service is in the process of buying up to six expeditionary sea-base ships (ESB) with a flight deck that can accommodate every rotorcraft in the inventory. Under the flight deck is an open-air well-deck for landing craft. The ESB can slightly submerge its lower deck to allow landing craft to sail on and off. There’s berthing for hundreds. 

The main difference between the two ships is that the LHA can support Marine F-35Bs. The flight deck on the ESB is too flimsy for fixed-wing aircraft. The ESB also is lightly-built and lightly-armed compared to America. 

It may be fair to call the ESB “ugly,” according to Forbes. But that’s not to mean it can’t fight. National Steel and Shipbuilding in San Diego, which has built all the ESBs to date, is busy building fleet oilers. 

But the ESB design isn’t overly-complex. Another shipyard - namely, HII-Pascagoula - should be able to build it. (Source: Forbes 08/01/20) https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidaxe/2020/08/01/big-ugly-dock-ship-could-replace-the-us-navys-burned-up-bonhomme-richard/#5661c5a92957

UM tackling safe drinking water

Most Mississippians receive their drinking water from a network of more than 1,100 public water systems. Some obtain water from private wells. With some of these water systems facing challenges, the interdisciplinary UM research team has focused on lead-in-drinking-water issues in both the Mississippi Delta and Jackson, working with several community partners. (Source: HottyToddy 08/01/20) https://hottytoddy.com/2020/08/01/um-researchers-tackle-challenges-of-safe-drinking-water-in-mississippi/

DOE biofuels funds to MSU, UAla.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced more than $97M in funding for 33 projects that will support high-impact technology research and development to accelerate the bioeconomy. The projects will improve the performance and lower the cost and risk of technologies that can be used to produce biofuels, biopower, and bioproducts from biomass and waste resources. The selected projects included $2,035,6022 in support of Mississippi State University’s research and development in bioenergy: PoSIES - Populus in the Southeast for Integrated Ecosystem Services; and regionally $3,053,043 to the University of Alabama for innovation and optimization of the Szego Mill for reliable, efficient, and successful up-scaling of the deacetylation and mechanical refining process for biofuel production. (WJTV/DOE 07/31/20)