State
Oktibbeha County Sewer Customers at Odds with Utility Over Billing
WCBI
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) -Some Oktibbeha County residents have been
suffering from "sticker shock", and today they were looking for answers.
Several East Oktibbeha Wastewater customers showed up at the utility's
public meeting to find out why they are now being hit with, in some cases,
thousands of dollars in back charges, interest, and late fees.
http://www.wcbi.com/local-news/video-oktibbeha-county-sewer-customers-at-odds-with-utility-over-billing/
Boil Water Notice for North Lamar Water Association
LAMAR COUNTY, MS (WDAM) -
A boil water notice has been issued for some North Lamar Water Association
customers.
The customers that live from the intersection of Old HWY 11/Oak Grove Road
to the intersection of Oak Grove Road/Steeleman Road will need to boil
their water until further notice.
This does include the Corner Oaks Subdivision.
This boil water notice does not include customers that live on Steeleman
Road.
http://www.wdam.com/story/29608661/boil-water-notice-for-north-lamar-water-association
Dry, hot conditions lead to burn bans
WAPT
The dry, hot conditions have led to burn bans in areas of central
Mississippi.
Byram issued a citywide burn ban earlier this week that will remain in
place until conditions improve. Firefighters said they are trying to limit
their chances of a debris pile catching a spark and going up in flames.
http://www.wapt.com/weather/dry-hot-conditions-lead-to-burn-bans/34298766
New marine education center being built in Ocean Springs
WLOX
OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) - Officials with the Gulf Coast Research
Laboratory and the University of Southern Mississippi have unveiled plans
for a new $17 million marine education center.
WLOX-TV, http://www.wlox.com
Kemper wants credits as first refund option
clarion ledger
JACKSON – Mississippi Power Co. is telling regulators that the company
wants bill credits to be the default option when refunding the $350 million
the company collected from customers for its Kemper County power plant.
The unit of Atlanta-based Southern Co., in a Tuesday filing with the
Mississippi Public Service Commission, said it only wants to issue checks
when customers ask, although it acknowledged the three-member commission
could order the company to issue checks to all customers who are due a
refund.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2015/07/22/kemper-wants-credits-first-refund-option/30547569/
Oil Spill
Mississippi plans for BP settlement money, coming from many 'pots'
SUN HERALD
Mississippi can expect $1.5 billion from settlement of BP claims, but state
Department of Environmental Quality Director Gary Rikard said the money is
coming over time and will be divvied up out of separate "pots" with various
agencies and rules governing each.
Rikard, in a meeting Wednesday with the Sun Herald, said the 2010 BP oil
catastrophe in the Gulf has been settled in principle, but the settlement
will not be signed for at least six months, after a public notice process
is completed. Local governments in the Gulf states also must sign off to
receive an additional total of $1 billion in settlement money.
http://www.sunherald.com/2015/07/22/6333000_mississippi-plans-for-bp-settlement.html?rh=1
Jefferson moves to spend BP money on raises, despite Grand Isle plea
Times - Picayune
Grand Isle leaders pleaded for a share ofJefferson Parish's $45 million BP
settlement Wednesday (July 22), stressing the disproportionate harm that
their town and Jean Lafitte suffered in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil
disaster. But at least part of the money would instead go to parish
employee paychecks under a proposal introduced during the council's annual
Grand Isle meeting.
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/07/jefferson_moves_to_spend_bp_mo.html#incart_river
Regional
USDA: 35 Louisiana parishes natural disaster areas
WLBT
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared a
natural disaster involving 35 Louisiana parishes and eight counties in
three neighboring states because of floods and storms from April 27 through
June 26.
Farmers and ranchers can apply for low-interest loans to help them recover
from severe damage.
USDA said Wednesday that 12 parishes are primary disaster areas, and the
rest are adjacent.
http://www.msnewsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=29610838
National
Obama administration greenlights Shell drilling off Alaska's Arctic coast
Washington Post
The Obama administration gave Shell the go-ahead Wednesday to drill two oil
exploration wells in the Chukchi Sea about 70 miles off Alaska's Arctic
coast, a decision environmental groups decried as posing a grave risk to
the area's marine life.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement issued approval for the
wells, but the agency limited the drilling to the top sections of wells and
prohibited Shell from drilling into oil-bearing zones. The conditional
approval could be altered if Shell can repair an ice breaking vessel before
the short open water season ends in late September.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/07/22/obama-administration-greenlights-shell-drilling-off-alaskas-arctic-coast/
