State
Oil's slump doesn't doom TMS
Charles Dunagin
Enterprise-Journal
February 5, 2015 2:00 pm
With the low price of oil putting Tuscaloosa Marine Shale drilling in a
"dormant" stage, now's the time to figure out how to "make lemonade out of
lemons," says Bernell McGehee.
http://www.enterprise-journal.com/news/article_fd77eed8-ad5c-11e4-ba84-e725a96bb491.html
Corinth prepares to receive solid waste bids
By Lena Mitchell
Daily Journal Corinth Bureau
CORINTH – The Corinth street commissioner is set to advertise for solid
waste proposals that would address collection, container and management
information systems for the city.
http://djournal.com/news/corinth-prepares-receive-solid-waste-bids/
Sewer problem disrupts neighborhood
WDAM
LAMAR COUNTY, MS (WDAM) -Folks that live in an apartment complex on Sheri
Drive in Lamar County say they can hardly stand the smell.
http://www.wdam.com/story/28040549/sewer-problem-disrupts-neighborhood
Meridian Resident Says Home Invaded by Sewage
WTOK
Meridian, Miss. "I got up and went to the hallway and there was a wall of
water coming over the top of my tub, and it was black," Teri Harris of
Meridian says.
http://www.wtok.com/home/headlines/Meridian-Resident-Says-Home-Invaded-by-Sewage-290982461.html
City aldermen approve repairs to pumping station
Bolivar Commercial
by Courtney Warren
02.05.15 - 01:00 pm
One of the pumps is out and Keith Christopher with ST Services reported to
the Cleveland Board of Aldermen this week that the pump at the Memorial
Drive station was out.
http://www.bolivarcom.com/view/full_story/26449679/article-City-aldermen-approve-repairs-to-pumping-station?instance=main_article
Clear water on tap for city of Gautier
MBJ
The city of Gautier is in the middle of constructing the state's only ion
exchange filtration plant and is receiving accolades for not only the
project, but the way it has been funded.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2015/02/05/clear-water-tap-city-gautier/
American Specialties Alloys names chief operating officer
MBJ
American Specialty Alloys has been coy about where it will build its $1.2
billion aluminum plant — which, by all appearances, is planned for Columbus
— but it has made a bold move in naming its chief operations officer.
http://msbusiness.com/blog/2015/02/05/american-specialties-alloys-names-chief-operating-officer/
Prescribed burnings start in Mississippi forests
WTVA
JACKSON, Miss. (WTVA) -- Smoke will soon be rising from Wildlife Management
Areas (WMA) in northeast Mississippi.
http://www.wtva.com/news/national/story/Prescribed-burnings-start-in-Mississippi-forests/_X4xiIhBykKLhk8uC3z_TA.cspx
Design flaw, excess clay halts $94 million MDOT project
Clarion Ledger
Ketan Patel held back tears Thursday as he explained his struggle to
pay the note on his south Jackson convenience store. Patel owns the
Exxon station just off the Elton Road exit on I-55, and both his
business and livelihood are in jeopardy because of an ongoing
decline in business.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/02/05/mdot-project-faulty-design/22921757/
Oil Spill
Should U.S. government end 'relentless pursuit' of BP over oil spill fines?
Jennifer Larino
The Times-Picayune
February 06, 2015 at 9:00 AM
The Financial Times on Thursday (Feb. 6) called on the U.S. government to
end its "relentless pursuit" of BP for pollution fines from the 2010 Gulf
of Mexico oil disaster, arguing the company has already paid a high cost
for the disaster. The editorial says BP has paid more than $35 billion to
clean up the oil, cap the well, pay fines, compensate those affected and
restore the coast -- enough to make any company think twice before acting
recklessly while drilling offshore.
http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2015/02/should_us_government_end_relentless_pursuit_of_bp_over_oil_spill_fines.html#incart_river
Regional
USDA program promotes land management to aid migrating birds
BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press
JACKSON, MISS. — A new study shows ducks and other birds are being helped
by a farmland management program that provides habitat along migration
routes in Mississippi, Louisiana and six other states.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/02/06/6057093/usda-program-promotes-land-management.html
National
California Permitted Oilfield Discharge in Protected Water
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — Feb 5, 2015, 6:23 PM ET
By ELLEN KNICKMEYER Associated Press
Regulators in California, the country's third-largest oil-producing state,
have authorized oil companies to inject production fluids and waste into
what are now federally protected aquifers more than 2,500 times, risking
contamination of underground water supplies that could be used for drinking
water or irrigation, state records show.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/california-permitted-oilfield-discharge-protected-water-28750594?singlePage=true
Flawed Pipe System Led to Deadly DuPont Plant Accident, Investigators Say
Chemical Release Killed Four Workers in La Porte, Texas, in November
Wall Street Journal
A flawed network of pipes and valves at a DuPont Co. plant in La Porte,
Texas, led to the release of a chemical that killed four workers in
November, federal investigators said Thursday.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/flawed-pipe-system-led-to-deadly-dupont-plant-accident-investigators-say-1423187865
Bill aims to improve federal land access for hunters
The Hill
A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Thursday with various
provisions meant to improve outdoor recreation for hunters, fishers and
other sportsmen.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/231926-bill-aims-to-improve-federal-land-access-for-hunters
Feds to auction 41M acres of Gulf of Mexico drilling rights
The Hill
The Interior Department is planning a March auction to sell the oil and gas
drilling rights to 41.2 million acres in the central Gulf of Mexico.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/231885-feds-to-auction-41m-acres-of-gulf-of-mexico-drilling-rights
Opinion
Whitehurst: Oysters, rivers and state government contradictions
MBJ
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant recently announced the formation of the
Governor's Oyster Council to help the coast's oyster industry restore a
fishery that has been hurt and diminished over just a few years by
hurricanes, the BP drilling disaster and its aftermath, and oyster reef
mortality due to salinity changes. The fresh water from rivers feeding the
bays and marshes on the coast has been one of the few reliable natural
factors, but that could change if rivers continue to be dammed upstream.
http://msbusiness.com/businessblog/2015/02/04/whitehurst-oysters-rivers-state-government-contradictions/
Press releases
Wicker Opposes President's Expansion of Waters Rule
Miss. Senator Says New Regulation Would Impact Farmers, Ranchers,
Communities
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., a member of the Senate
Committee on Environment and Public Works, today criticized the Obama
Administration's proposed expansion of the "Clean Water Act" to redefine
the "Waters of the United States" (WOTUS) rule.
"The President's regulatory expansion would be a disaster for property
owners and state and local authorities," Wicker said. "Increasing the
scope of this rule is inconsistent with Supreme Court rulings and would be
unworkable for Americans. Farmers and ranchers should be able to manage
their own ponds, irrigation systems, and ditches without interference from
the federal government."
"Stakeholders throughout the country have submitted nearly one million
comments on the rule. Unfortunately, it is likely that the public's input
will not be considered by the Administration because of its rush to
finalize this ill-conceived overreach," Wicker added.
Wicker has supported multiple efforts in Congress to stop the
Administration's proposed rule from being finalized. He is a cosponsor of
the "Protecting Water and Property Rights Act of 2014."
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works held a joint
House-Senate hearing yesterday on the state and local impacts of the
proposed WOTUS changes.
http://www.wicker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=3a016dfb-6be7-4476-a5ba-498c991b49ad
