State
Proposed dam puts Pearl River on country's top 10 most endangered rivers
list
Proposed dam puts Pearl River on endangered rivers list
SUN HERALD
American Rivers, an advocacy group headquartered in Washington D.C., has
named the Pearl River one of the country's 10 most endangered rivers for
2015.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/04/06/6162587_proposed-dam-puts-pearl-river.html?rh=1
DeSoto names anti-litter team; welcomes top health ranking
Commercial Appeal
DeSoto environmental and physical health dominated the agenda as the county
Board of Supervisors named appointees to a permanent anti-litter commission
and welcomed another No. 1 overall health ranking among Mississippi's 82
counties.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/local-news/desoto/desoto-names-antilitter-team-welcomes-top-health-ranking_79632806
Litter clean-up yields tons
Signs to be posted across county
DeSoto Times
By ROBERT LEE LONG
DeSoto County's recent Annual Spring Clean-up 2015 yielded more than 14,000
pounds of litter picked up alongside the county's roads and highways,
DeSoto County Environmental Services manager Ray Laughter informed the
DeSoto County Board of Supervisors on Monday.
http://www.desototimes.com/articles/2015/04/07/news/doc55231cc4711c3769929110.txt
Dumpster Days Begin
Brookhaven Daily Leader
http://www.dailyleader.com/2015/04/03/111537/
SMCC well construction program gets donation
By Lauren Thornton Tobin
Enterprise-Journal
The Well Construction Technology Program at Southwest Mississippi Community
College on March 25 received a $25,000 donation on behalf of Cotton Gin
International, a start-up company dedicated to providing safe drinking
water throughout the world.
http://www.enterprise-journal.com/news/article_6a2ef590-dc87-11e4-bfe9-f7ee93f5c798.html
Oil Spill
Fines from BP spill to help restore Gulf
WTSP
It has been nearly five years since the Deepwater Horizon oil rig
explosion sent an estimated 134 million gallons of crude oil
spilling into the Gulf of Mexico, washing tar balls up on Florida
beaches, costing lives and livelihoods.
http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/local/2015/04/06/5-years-after-the-gulf-oil-disaster/25374477/
Environmentalists Evaluate the Gulf Five Years After the Spill
WUSF
It's been nearly five years since the explosion and oil spill on the BP oil
rig Deepwater Horizon. On Monday a diverse group of environmentalists got
together to talk about the lingering environmental effects.
http://wusfnews.wusf.usf.edu/post/environmentalists-evaluate-gulf-five-years-after-spill
Regional
Oil spill reported in Mississippi River after multi-ship collision
Heather Nolan
The Times-Picayune
April 07, 2015 at 6:50 AM
About 420 gallons of oil spilled into the Mississippi River near Convent
after a multi-ship collision around 4 p.m. Monday (April 6), according to
the U.S. Coast Guard.
http://www.nola.com/traffic/index.ssf/2015/04/oil_spill_reported_in_mississi.html#incart_river
National
Obama to describe climate change as a threat to Americans' health
The Associated Press
April 07, 2015 at 6:52 AM
WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama will ask Americans to think of climate
change as a threat not just to the environment, but also to their health.
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/04/obama_to_describe_climate_chan.html#incart_river
EPA sends controversial water pollution rule to White House
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday sent to the White House
its controversial regulation to redefine the extent of its authority over
water pollution control.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/237980-epa-sends-controversial-water-rule-to-white-house
U.S. safety board: Oil train tank cars need urgent upgrades
BY MATTHEW BROWN
Associated Press
BILLINGS, MONT. — Tank cars carrying oil or ethanol by rail urgently need
to be retrofitted or replaced to make them more fire-resistant after a
spate of explosive accidents in recent months revealed the shortcomings of
voluntary industry standards, U.S. safety officials said Monday.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/04/07/6162800/us-safety-board-oil-train-tank.html
Fewer Oil Trains Ply America's Rails
Safety concerns, low crude prices depress train traffic
Wall Street Journal
The growth in oil-train shipments fueled by the U.S. energy boom has
stalled in recent months, dampened by safety problems and low crude prices.
The number of train cars carrying crude and other petroleum products peaked
last fall, according to data from the Association of American Railroads,
and began edging down. In March, oil-train traffic was down 7% on a
year-over-year basis.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/oil-shipments-by-rail-take-slow-track-1428348393
Researchers map climate opinions by county, congressional district
The Hill
Researchers with Yale University have created maps of public opinions of
climate change down to the county-by-county level.
The maps by the Project on Climate Change Communication use data and
estimates provided by Yale and Utah State University.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/238025-researchers-map-climate-opinions-by-county-congressional-district
New regs for Tuesday: Tuna fishing, endangered crayfish, oil and gas
wastewater
The Hill
Tuesday's edition of the Federal Register contains new rules for the
treatment of oil and gas extraction wastewater, women-owned small
businesses, tuna fishing boats and endangered crayfish.
http://thehill.com/regulation/237964-new-regs-for-tuesday-tuna-fishing-endangered-crayfish-oil-and-gas-wastewater
Press releases
Mississippi NRCS Accepting Applications for Agriculture Land Easements
Jackson, Miss. – The United States Department of Agriculture/Natural
Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications for the
Agricultural Conservation Easement Program- (ACEP-ALE). This program helps
protect productive farm and ranch lands from being converted for commercial
development. Through ACEP-ALE, private land owners, land trusts and other
entities are able to obtain federal support to help preserve working farm
lands and ranches and restore, enhance and protect wetlands and grasslands
through a permanent easement. The deadline for applications for funding
consideration for this fiscal year is May 15, 2015.
ACEP was created by the 2014 Farm Bill and divided into two components: a
wetland easement component (WRE), which largely mirrors the former Wetland
Reserve Program and an agricultural land easement component (ALE), which
retains the purposes and functionality of the Grassland Reserve Program and
Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program.
"ACEP-ALE gives landowners and other entities an opportunity to work
together to preserve working lands," stated Kurt Readus, Mississippi NRCS
state conservationist. "We encourage Indian tribes, state and local
governments, non-governmental organizations and private landowners to
contact their local NRCS office to apply."
To enroll eligible land through agricultural land easements, partners
should discuss the development of an easement proposal with their local
NRCS field office staff. Applications are continuously accepted for ACEP.
To find a NRCS office nearest you, please visit
http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?agency=nrcs
