State
Wastewater treatment system could cost $152M
Hattiesburg American
The City of Hattiesburg could be looking at about $152.5 million
over the next three years or so for a fully-mechanical wastewater
treatment system that would continue to discharge into the Leaf
River.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/2015/03/03/council-considers-wastewater-treatment-options/24344937/
Anthony waives indictment on bribes, guilty plea delayed
AP
GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) - A Pass Christian contractor's guilty plea was
delayed Tuesday after a federal judge took himself off the case.
http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268748/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=p7yhe8v6
Mississippi Power notes new Kemper overrun amid uncertainty
AP
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Southern Co. announced Tuesday that it projects at
least another $26 million in spending to complete its construction of a
power plant in eastern Mississippi, pushing the total cost to nearly $6.2
billion.
http://m.apnews.com/ap/db_268748/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=yJFvjqbd
Five Students Win M.D.M.R. Awards at Region VI Science Fair
WXXV
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (M.D.M.R.) presented five
Coast students with the M.D.M.R. Excellence in Marine Sciences Award as
part of the Region VI Science and Engineering Fair.
http://www.wxxv25.com/news/local/story/Five-Students-Win-M-D-M-R-Awards-at-Region-VI/42sNgeSKmEiU_OpigZtyeA.cspx
National
White House reviews EPA airplane emissions plan
The Hill
The White House is reviewing the first step the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) plans to take toward regulating greenhouse gas emissions from
airplanes.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/234432-white-house-reviews-epa-airplane-emissions-proposal
Opinion
'Offensively Unapologetic' at the EPA
A judge finds the agency withheld documents and then lied about it.
Wall Street Journal
Hillary Rodham Clinton isn't the only one apparently baffled by newfangled
technologies such as email (see nearby). In a withering ruling on Monday, a
federal judge scored the Environmental Protection Agency for its contempt
for its legal obligation to disclose documents and then lying to the courts
about its stonewalling.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/offensively-unapologetic-at-the-epa-1425429233
Press Releases
The Mississippi Recycling Coalition
Announces Recycling Awareness Event
at the State Capitol
(JACKSON, MS) — The Mississippi Recycling Coalition (MRC) is hosting the
organization's annual "Recycling Awareness Day" in the first floor Rotunda
area of the Mississippi State Capitol Building on Wednesday, March 4th,
2015 from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. The event will include an ice cream
social with State Legislators and other elected officials. The Awareness
Day is being held to promote to the State's elected officials the positive
impacts that the recycling industry has on Mississippi's economy and
environment. In addition, representatives of the MRC will be available to
discuss the economic and jobs benefits of a strong recycling industry with
the State's media outlets. The MRC will also be announcing and making
presentations of its annual Environmental Hero Awards for the Recyclers of
the Year in various organizational categories. Additional details on the
event are available at www.msrecycles.org or through the contact
information below.
The Mississippi Recycling Coalition is a consortium of recycling
businesses, manufacturers, local governments, state and federal agencies,
non-profit groups, trade associations and other interested organizations
that promotes and encourages the growth of recycling in Mississippi. For
more information on MRC or the Recycling Awareness Day, please visit the
MRC web page at http://www.msrecycles.org, or contact the MRC members
identified above by phone or by email at: info@msrecycles.org.
###
Comprehensive Assessment of Mercury in Streams Explains Major Sources,
Cycling, and Effects
A new USGS report, Mercury in the Nation's Streams—Levels, Trends, and
Implications, presents a comprehensive assessment of mercury contamination
in streams across the United States. It highlights the importance of
environmental processes, monitoring, and control strategies for
understanding and reducing stream mercury levels. This report summarizes
selected stream studies conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
since the late 1990s, while also drawing on scientific literature and
datasets from other sources.
Worldwide, mercury inputs to aquatic ecosystems are primarily from
atmospheric sources such as coal combustion. Mercury can travel long
distances in the atmosphere and be deposited in watersheds in areas with no
obvious source of mercury pollution.
Methylmercury (inorganic mercury that is converted to organic mercury
within the ecosystem) poses a significant threat to wildlife because of its
high bioavailability, its substantial bioaccumulation in food webs, and its
extreme toxicity.
Methylmercury concentrations in predator fish exceeded the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency criterion for human health in about one in
four of the nearly 300 U.S. streams sampled. Some of the highest fish
mercury levels were found in coastal plain streams in the southeastern
United States. Coastal plain streams typically drain forested watersheds
that contain abundant wetlands.
Wetlands can increase the amount of inorganic mercury that is converted to
methylmercury, the form that accumulates to harmful levels in fish.
Elevated mercury levels also were noted in fish in areas of the western
United States affected by historical gold and mercury mining. Fish mercury
levels were lowest in urban streams, despite an abundance of sources of
inorganic mercury. This occurs because urban streams lack conditions, such
as wetlands, that are conducive to the production and bioaccumulation of
methylmercury.
Most mercury exposure in the U.S. population is from fish consumption. Fish
consumption advisories exist in every State in the Nation. Methylmercury
exposure from fish consumption has been associated with various adverse
effects on human health, ranging from central nervous system toxicity (at
extremely high levels of exposure) to diminished cardiovascular health and
endocrine disruption (at lower exposure levels of exposure).
In contrast to other environmental contaminants, mercury emission reduction
strategies need to consider global mercury sources in addition to domestic
sources. In response to the widespread contamination of fish, mercury has
been effectively removed from many products and product waste streams.
Since 1990, mercury emissions in the United States have decreased by about
60 percent. However, to reduce mercury levels in fish to fully meet human
health criteria, further reductions in mercury emissions are necessary. The
development of a national monitoring approach will be critical to track the
effectiveness of future management actions.
This study was funded by the USGS National Water Quality Assessment Program
and the USGS Toxic Substances Hydrology Program.
http://toxics.usgs.gov/highlights/2015-01-28-mercury_circular.html
