State
Jackson Fights Takeover of Sewer System
Jackson Free Press
The City of Jackson is fighting what its officials call an all-out assault
from a Rankin County utility to take control of Jackson's profitable
water-treatment facilities.
http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2015/feb/06/jackson-fights-takeover-sewer-system/
MDEQ: Waveland water contact warning
WLOX
If you are heading to the beach in Waveland, beware. There's a section of
the water that has high bacteria levels, and you don't want to swim in it.
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has issued the water
contact advisory from Oak Boulevard east to Favre Street.
http://www.wlox.com/story/28044069/mdeq-waveland-water-contact-warning
Waveland mayor says long-term Jeff Davis sewage & drainage project almost
finished
By Geoff Belcher
Feb 6, 2015, 20:15
Sea Coast Echo
The year-long road and utility improvement project at Jeff Davis Avenue in
Waveland should be complete by early March, Mayor Mike Smith said this
week.
http://www.seacoastecho.com/article_8570.shtml#.VNi4APmjNcZ
Lowndes pulls reservation for aluminum mill
Commercial Dispatch
February 7, 2015 10:27:14 PM
Andrew Hazzard
The chances of Lowndes County being the future home of an aluminum mill
that employs 650-plus people have taken a step back.
http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=39893
Equipment Slated to Arrive for Elevance's Biorefinery
Natchez Democrat
http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2015/02/08/equipment-slated-to-arrive-for-elevances-biorefinery/
City of Picayune Begins Trash Program
Picayune Item
http://www.picayuneitem.com/2015/02/city-of-picayune-trash-program-off-to-a-slow-start/
Wild hogs threaten state economy, expert says
By Josh Edwards
The Vicksburg Post
VICKSBURG – Perhaps the biggest threat to Mississippi tromps around on four
legs and wallows in the mud.
It is a powerful, intelligent and seemingly indestructible beast that left
unbridled could ruin the Magnolia State's agricultural and hunting economy.
http://djournal.com/news/wild-hogs-threaten-state-economy-expert-says/
Notes from the field: public hearing for Barnett bass
Clarion Ledger
The Pearl River Valley Water Supply district and Mississippi
Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks have scheduled a meeting
to discuss Barnett Reservoir largemouth bass and habitat.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/2015/02/08/notes-field-public-hearing-barnett-bass/23072021/
MDWFP and MSU will Host Quail and Turkey Workshop
Sun Herald
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks and
Mississippi State University Extension Service are hosting a workshop to
teach landowners how to better manage their property for bobwhite quail and
wild turkeys.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/02/07/6059222/mdwfp-and-msu-will-host-quail.html
Nonstop action on Mississippi oxbows
Clarion Ledger
Without a doubt, Mississippi has some of the best fishing in the
nation. Interstate 55 is often referred to as the "crappie corridor"
with the Corps of Engineers lakes to the north and Barnett Reservoir
in the central area. Lakes such as Neshoba, Calling Panther and
Davis have reputations for trophy largemouth bass and almost all
have healthy catfish and bluegill.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/2015/02/08/nonstop-action-mississippi-oxbows/23072065/
Former Hattiesburg public works manager pleads guilty to federal kickback
scheme
Mississippi Press
April M. Havens
February 06, 2015 at 4:05 PM
HATTIESBURG, Mississippi -- John T. "Tim" Pittman, 54, a former public
works general manager for the city of Hattiesburg, pleaded guilty today in
U.S. District Court to conspiracy involving a kickback scheme which
defrauded the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2015/02/former_hattiesburg_public_work.html
DMR hosts fundraising luncheon for officer battling cancer
WLOX
BILOXI, MS (WLOX) -The Department of Marine Resources hosted a fund raising
luncheon Friday to help the family of a marine patrol officer who is
battling cancer.
http://www.wlox.com/story/28047927/dmr-hosts-fundraising-luncheon-for-officer-battling-cancer
Lumberton trying to fight back from the brink
Hattiesburg American
LUMBERTON – In December, Lumberton Mayor Ben Winston appeared to be
about at wits' end, with the city's cash account about to hit around
$2,000 after that month's bills were paid.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/lumberton/2015/02/07/lumberton-fighting-back/23066677/
State contracting process faces revamping
By Bobby Harrison
Daily Journal Jackson Bureau
JACKSON – On the heels of the indictment of former Corrections Commissioner
Chris Epps on the allegation of accepting bribes, two Lee County
legislators have bills alive this session to revamp the process for
awarding state contracts.
http://djournal.com/news/state-contracting-process-faces-revamping/
Oil Spill
Camo Coalition revitalized
Clarion Ledger
When it comes to enjoying the outdoors, Mississippi is the land of
opportunity. Over 123,000 miles of streams and rivers flow through
the state and lakes abound. The woods and fields offer exceptional
hunting and the Mississippi coast is our playground. As important as
these resources are, they are sometimes threatened.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/2015/02/08/camo-coalition-revitalized/23071983/
Seagrass isn't sexy, but 'nurseries of the Gulf' are a key part of oil
spill restoration
Press-Register
Dennis Pillion
February 06, 2015 at 9:44 AM
Ask the average person how important submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) is
in their daily life, and the likely response is among 50 shades of "meh."
The grouper that person ate for dinner, however, would likely have a very
different response.
http://www.al.com/news/beaches/index.ssf/2015/02/seagrass_isnt_sexy_but_nurseri.html
Regional
Plan calls for expanding Gulf of Mexico reef sanctuary
The Associated Press
February 07, 2015 at 10:59 AM
NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- A federal marine sanctuary protecting coral reefs in
the Gulf of Mexico could grow five times in size under a plan being
proposed to safeguard an even larger area of the Gulf from scavengers
looking for historic shipwrecks, ships dropping anchor, commercial fishing
and oil and gas drilling.
http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2015/02/plan_calls_for_expanding_gulf.html#incart_river
National
GOP avoids showdown over EPA climate change rules
Politico
Republicans' aggressive energy agenda has so far conspicuously sidestepped
one of their biggest campaign-trail targets: the climate change rules from
President Barack Obama's Environmental Protection Agency.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/02/republicans-epa-climate-change-rules-115005.html
White House: Climate change threatens national security
The Hill
The Obama administration looks at climate change as a threat to national
security on par with terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and disease
outbreaks.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/231985-white-house-climate-change-urgent-and-growing-national-security
Clean coal setback fuels industry attacks
The Hill
The Energy Department's decision this week to pull the plug on a major
"clean coal" demonstration project stands as the latest setback for a
technology that only recently held promise as a key piece of the United
States' fight against climate change.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/232072-clean-coal-setback-fuels-industry-attacks
Is solar poised for shale-like breakthrough?
USA Today
Declining oil prices may be slowing the U.S. shale boom. But there's
no denying that the nation will remain a leading global producer of
oil and natural gas well into the future, thanks to advances in
drilling technology.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2015/02/08/solar-energy-shale-boom/23010885/
NHL becomes first pro sports league named to EPA's 'Green Power' list
Sports Illustrated
The National Hockey League announced Friday that it has become the first
professional sports league ever to be listed on the Environmental
Protection Agency's National Top 100 list of the largest users of green
power.
http://www.si.com/nhl/2015/02/06/epa-green-power-list-first-sports-league
Opinion
Does BP Deserve Mercy in Setting Deepwater Horizon Penalty?
Forbes
The long march toward what is certain to be a multibillion-dollar penalty
for BP and its partners for their role in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil
spill reached a milestone last week when testimony concluded in the final
phase of a two-year, multi-front trial. In coming weeks — and more likely,
months — a federal judge will weigh just how much the company ought to be
fined for the mess, which dumped millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf
of Mexico when its undersea well blew out, killing 11 workers and setting
off a gusher that spewed freely into the ocean for months.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/tomzeller/2015/02/08/does-bp-deserve-mercy-in-setting-deepwater-horizon-penalty/
Thanks, EPA: Your New 'Navigable Waters' Rule Strengthens The Case Against
Administrative Law
Forbes
When Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972, it was exercising its
power to regulate interstate commerce by prohibiting discharges into the
nation's "navigable waters." If a body of water could be used to transport
goods from one state to another, it was covered by the Act.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/georgeleef/2015/02/02/harvard-law-fights-awful-ed-department-rules-bravo-but-no-school-should-have-to/
EPA overreach endangers energy prices, reliability and jobs: Guest opinion
AL.com
February 06, 2015 at 11:07 AM
By Mike Arms
Our region is a leader in reliable and affordable energy thanks to the
Tennessee Valley Authority. The benefits of which make the Tennessee River
Valley one of the most attractive places in the country to do business.
However, recent actions by the Obama Administration could derail our
success and our historically balanced approach to generating affordable
energy and electricity, resulting in serious negative consequences for
businesses, local governments and families.
http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/02/epa_overreach_endangers_energy.html
Press Releases
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| Study Says USDA Effort Benefits Birds after 2010 Gulf Oil Spill |
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| |
|YAZOO CITY, Miss., Feb. 6, 2015 – A newly released study says the United States |
|Department of Agriculture's (USDA) effort to create habitat on private lands for |
|migratory birds following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill has provided significant|
|benefits to ducks, geese and other birds. The independent study conducted by |
|Mississippi State University (MSU) on USDA's Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative (MBHI), |
|a Farm Bill conservation effort, shows that wetlands created and enhanced by farmers |
|provided migration and winter habitat for many more birds than unmanaged sites. |
| |
| |
|"Catastrophes like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill can have lasting impacts on |
|waterfowl and water birds," said Robert Bonnie, USDA undersecretary for Natural |
|Resources and Environment. "The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) worked |
|with farmers to create alternative habitat for waterfowl and other birds through Farm |
|Bill conservation programs. The ecosystems that NRCS helped create through this |
|initiative are thriving." |
| |
| |
|Bonnie visited Mississippi today to announce the results of this report, and was joined|
|by U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson and representatives from MSU and other partnering |
|organizations. |
| |
| |
|While the university is still collecting data, findings show the initiative generated |
|substantial ecological, environmental and economic benefits in the Gulf of Mexico |
|region. NRCS launched MBHI in 2010, investing $40 million to work in partnership with |
|private landowners to create migratory bird habitat on more than 470,000 acres in |
|Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Texas. |
| |
| |
|"With tomorrow marking the one-year anniversary of the signing of the 2014 Farm Bill, |
|it's important we recognize how important this legislation is to rural America and our |
|nation's natural resources," Bonnie said. "The Migratory Bird Habitat Initiative is one|
|example of how farmers and ranchers are voluntarily stepping up to improve the |
|environment." |
| |
| |
|Millions of migratory birds, including ducks, geese, and shorebirds travel the |
|Mississippi Flyway each year to winter in Gulf of Mexico-area ecosystems, or in the |
|case of many shorebirds, Central and South America. The study shows many of these birds|
|benefitted from lands managed through MBHI. |
| |
| |
|"We know well-managed habitat is valuable, but this study helped us quantify how |
|valuable," Bonnie said. |
| |
| |
|The study's findings demonstrate: |
| |
| |
| · Rice fields flooded early through MBHI were home to an average 15 migratory birds|
| per acre, compared to two birds per acre on rice fields not flooded; |
| |
| |
| · Catfish ponds flooded early showed heavy biodiversity with 40 species of ducks, |
| shorebirds and other waterbirds visiting them; |
| |
| |
| · Over seven times more migrating shorebirds were observed on shallowly flooded |
| idled catfish ponds enrolled in MBHI than on other catfish ponds; |
| |
| |
| · MBHI-enrolled catfish ponds in Mississippi met nearly all the established |
| shorebird migration habitat goal for the region; and |
| |
| |
| · MBHI-managed habitats provided up to 28 percent of the winter waterfowl food |
| energy needed in the Mississippi Delta and up to 25 percent needed in |
| southwestern Louisiana. |
| |
| |
|Findings also show MBHI was particularly beneficial during the drought the region |
|experienced following the oil spill, when many wetland habitats were dry. See more |
|results at www.nrcs.usda.gov. |
| |
| |
|Mississippi State University's Forest and Wildlife Research Center led the independent |
|evaluation of the initiative. MBHI is one of USDA's Landscape Initiatives, which are |
|temporary, targeted conservation efforts to address a particular conservation need. |
|NRCS uses the MBHI concept as the foundation for other similar NRCS efforts across the |
|country, such as the Waterbird Habitat Enhancement Program in the Sacramento River |
|Delta. |
| |
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|# |
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