P. O. Box 1295
Gautier, MS 39553
October 2, 2018
Timmy Ladner, Chairman, Marine Resources
Mississippi House of Representatives
400 High Street
Jackson, MS 39201
Brice Wiggins, Chairman, Env. Prot., Cons., Water Room
404-B P.O. Box 1018
Jackson, MS 39215
Philip Moran, Chairman, Wildlife Fisheries and Parks
Room 214-F
P.O. Box 1018
Jackson, MS 39215
David Baria
Capitol: Rm Bsmnt-B
P.O. Box 1018
Jackson, MS 39215
Jeremy Anderson
Capitol: 400-F
P.O. Box 1018
Jackson, MS 39215
Dear Chairmen/Members Ladner, Wiggins, Moran, Baria and
Anderson:
Please feel free to share this letter with any members of
the State Legislature that are involved in nominating persons for Commissioner
of the Environment at the Department of Marine Resources.
I am the Gulf Coast Group Chair of the Sierra Club. I represent
the three coastal counties and the three counties above the coast for the State
Chapter of the Sierra Club. I have lived on the coast most of my life and
devote part of my time each day to advocating for a clean environment with as
healthy an ecosystem as possible.
The Department of Marine Resources has been hampered in its
responsibilities by first having a recent commissioner for the environment who
had no background in what it means to represent environmental concerns on the
commission. And now, with no re-nomination of that person, we have a Commission
with four members not able to act effectively on issues without environmental
input. We need an environmental commissioner who has awareness of the
importance of clean air and water and knows how coastal activities and rules
around activities impact the environment.
I am pleased to suggest Henry Ward, of Hancock County, as
environmental commissioner precisely because he has lived on this coast all or
most of his life and is vitally concerned that clean air, water, coastal
development, rules around activities on our coast, can either lower our quality
of life or enhance our economic prosperity depending on what is decided in that
regard. An environmental commissioner needs to understand as Henry does that
when you pollute, you cost us money.
Henry was educated in economics in many countries, such as
while interacting with Margaret Thatcher's staff during the time when Hong
Kong's lease was ending and that colony was returned to China (where he
understood full well that China's pollution policies were not as good as Hong
Kong's and could affect the economy there if lower standards were forced on
that former colony). He was mentored by an international marketing professional
in the petroleum industry; his fishing from youth to his experiences as a
sailor, charter boat hand, oceanography student, seasoned tow-boat engineer
that included a one-way trip by water to Venezuela after riding out Hurricane
Andrew (1992) in Morgan City, LA--are all qualifications for serving at the
Department of Marine Resources. He worked for Ship Island Excursions and
marketed that family business starting in 1994.
About one year ago at one of our meetings, Henry recognized
our guest, Jerry Benninger, an environmental protection specialist, EPA Gulf of
Mexico Program, because Henry had attended a meeting sponsored by GOMP prior to
our having Benninger as a guest speaker. Henry was able to show with the help
of our guest, that the byproduct of his efforts to develop three downtowns beginning
in 1994, agreed with the Gulf of Mexico Program's for a greater economy while
lessening the use of gas guzzling transportation coast wide. As Henry has
stated, “We promote shoe sales, not tire sales, while making sure visitors to
Mississippi are happy walking downtown.”
Henry recently produced a tax collection graph that shows
environmental “miracles” from his mainly voluntary efforts with a not for
profit brochure company, map company and consulting business to maximize
exposure of the environmental beauty of South Mississippi. Henry is dedicated
to encouraging any traveler that sees the Mississippi Gulf Coast leaving with a
sense of enjoyment sufficient to encourage their return over and over again. By
marketing the walkable downtowns such as in Bay St. Louis, Pass Christian,
Gulfport, Biloxi and Ocean Springs, he has spread great wealth to small
businesses while better serving a more-healthy environment.
This may not sound like what an environmental commissioner
should do on the DMR commission, but it is exactly what the Sierra Club seeks
and I'm sure most other environmental groups seek as well. An environment
without prosperous small businesses in attractive settings is an environment
subject to degradation. Since Dupont entered its effluent upon Henry's Bay St.
Louis in his teen years, he has been dedicated to finding a better more
prosperous way of economically developing the Gulf Coast. Instead of an
industry that lessens the clarity and cleanness of the air and water for
limited profits, Henry believes we should pursue policies that enhance the
coast and attract investment that works with our natural beauty and drives up
our property values.
Henry was not able to put together a grant proposal for the
2018 EPA grants which could have been for $300,000 per waterfront community.
However, he may have a chance again in 2019 to write grants for seven cities on
the coast and win up to $2.1 million so economies can be developed with
attractive clean environments in and around them. This looks like a whole new
avenue for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Sierra Club to support Henry's plan of
action-- an environmental conservative's efforts-- toward a better economy in a
waterfront tourism alchemy.
Please give Henry Ward your nomination for Environmental Commissioner,
Department of Marine Resources Commission.
Sincerely,
Steve Shepard
Gulf Coast Group
Sierra Club
