State
Oil prices slow down Mississippi's drilling, fortunes
Clarion Ledger
A 90 million-year-old underground rock formation was supposed to be
an economic development alpha wolf for Southwest Mississippi.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/money/business/2015/02/27/oil-prices-slow-mississippis-drilling-fortunes/24152851/
Diamondhead sewer board promises change
WLOX
The newest members of the Diamondhead Water and Sewer Board are promising a
brighter future for the embattled operation.
http://www.wlox.com/story/28225848/diamondhead-sewer-board-promises-change
Southern Co. suing former Kemper plant manager, wants him to stop talking
The Associated Press
February 27, 2015 at 11:21 AM
JACKSON, Mississippi -- Southern Co. is suing a key employee who worked on
the troubled Kemper County power plant, asking a judge to order him to not
talk about the project.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2015/02/southern_co_suing_former_kempe.html#incart_river
Officials hope clean-up will fight area litter
Sunday, March 1, 2015 8:00 am
By Ernest Herndon
Enterprise-Journal
The Great American Clean-up will begin Saturday, and county officials are
hoping it will at least put a dent in the "depressing" litter problem.
http://www.enterprise-journal.com/news/article_9d4c6d54-bfd6-11e4-9b8c-f35ee023280c.html
Gulfport Seeks Help from State to Build Downtown Aquarium
WXXV
Since Hurricane Katrina, most of the Coast has been redeveloped with
exception of the beach.
http://www.wxxv25.com/news/local/story/Gulfport-Seeks-Help-from-State-to-Build-Downtown/6_gqKeGAkEW_FE-vE40Y8g.cspx
Former Miss. Gov. Haley Barbour to lead Butler Snow economic development
firm
AP
RIDGELAND, Miss. - Former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is among
the leaders of a new economic development firm formed by
Ridgeland-based Butler Snow LLP.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/business/2015/03/02/haley-barbour-butler-snow-economic-development-firm/24249089/
Regional
Meetings seek to collect concerns, information on Pearl River
Picayune Item
http://www.picayuneitem.com/2015/02/meetings-seek-to-collect-concerns-information-on-pearl-river/
Gulf states battle for drilling proceeds
The Hill
Gulf Coast lawmakers are up in arms over an Obama administration proposal
to reduce the money that their states receive for offshore oil and gas
drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/234201-gulf-states-battle-for-drilling-proceeds
Arsenic in water from coal ash at center of TVA dispute
The Tennessean
John Kammeyer compares the environmental pollutants in a coal ash
pond to the minerals in a bottle of vitamins.
http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/environment/2015/02/28/arsenic-levels-river-center-tva-dispute/24187637/
Geologists: Small earthquake registers in west Alabama
AP
The U.S. Geological Survey says west Alabama experienced its fourth
earthquake since November.
http://www.wtva.com/news/local/story/Geologists-Small-earthquake-registers-in-west/TZqjEn0KxE2Hyw3tMmoxLQ.cspx
National
Air, Water Rules Threaten Sovereignty, State Officials Tell House
Subcommittee
Bloomberg
The Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act
rules infringe on state sovereignty and would impose significant economic
burdens on farmers and industries, states told a House subcommittee Feb.
26.
http://www.bna.com/air-water-rules-n17179923454/
Coal company says EPA climate rule already hurting industry
The Hill
A major coal company is arguing that the Environmental Protection Agency's
(EPA) proposed climate rule for power plants is already having an effect on
its operations.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/234119-coal-company-says-epa-climate-rule-already-hurting-industry
Environmental group sues U.S. EPA over monarch butterfly demise
Reuters
Fri, Feb 27 2015
By Carey Gillam
(Reuters) - An environmental group sued the U.S. government on Friday,
accusing regulators of discounting the dangers that a widely used herbicide
poses to the declining monarch butterfly population.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/27/us-usa-environment-butterfly-idUSKBN0LV2F320150227
Opinion
SUN HERALD | Editorial: Perhaps Mississippi needs term limits as well as
audits
Though we commend the federal authorities who have been at the forefront of
recent public-corruption investigations in South Mississippi, we believe
Mississippi can and should do more to police itself.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/02/28/6094420/sun-herald-editorial-perhaps-mississippi.html
Press Releases
Atlanta Conference Highlights How College Students are Helping Underserved
Communities Address Environmental Problems
Contact: Davina Marraccini, 404-562-8293 (direct), 404-562-8400 (main),
marraccini.davina@epa.gov
ATLANTA – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 4
office in Atlanta, Ga., hosted a day-long conference about the
College/Underserved Community Partnership Program (CUPP) at the Sam Nunn
Federal Center. EPA's Senior Advisor to the Administrator for Environmental
Justice, Mustafa Ali, provided opening remarks. Through CUPP, college and
university students provide technical support to underserved communities at
no cost to them.
Over the last couple of years, EPA Region 4 has developed partnerships with
nine colleges and 16 communities through CUPP. The conference was designed
to highlight how college students are helping communities address important
issues that will improve their economic future and the environmental
health. At the same time, these efforts are providing practical experience
for students in their areas of academic study.
The conference included presentations by EPA, other federal agencies and
college professors on topics such as environmental justice initiatives, the
impact of climate change in underserved communities and health disparities
in poor communities. There were also presentations by students on projects
they have worked on as part of CUPP. Christina Emmanuel from Atlanta
Metropolitan College discussed an analysis of water plant operations, while
students from Tuskegee University presented their work to develop an
alternate transportation plan for the Voting Rights Act Trail.
To conclude the conference, a panel discussion was held with community
leaders about how the program has supported them. Participants included
Mayor Deborah Jackson, City of Lithonia, Ga.; Frederick Gardiner, City
Manager for the City of East Point, Ga.; Harold Powell, City of Shorter,
Ala.; and Mayor Perry Keenan, City of Pleasant View, Tenn.
EPA expects to add two new colleges to join CUPP this fall. For more
information about joining this voluntary program, please contact Michael
Burns at burns.michael@epa.gov or 404-562-8228.
