State
What's next for Hattiesburg's mechanical system?
Hattiesburg American
A mechanical solution to Hattiesburg's wastewater woes wasn't the first choice for most members of Hattiesburg City Council, but after Aug. 2's about-face — when council members decided to pursue that method rather than the previously-chosen land application — it's the way the city is going, at least for now.
MDEQ lifts another water contact advisory, but five other areas still not safe for swimmers
WLOX
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) -The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality lifted one more water contact advisory Wednesday afternoon. The area of the Mississippi sound now safe for swimming again is for Buccaneer State Park Beach in Waveland near State Park Road from 100 yards west of sign eastward to 100 yards east of sign.
Rosedale residents angered by tower burning
Bolivar Commercial
Many people in Rosedale were surprised to see smoke from the Great River Road State Park as the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks tour down and burned the observation tower.
http://www.bolivarcommercial.com/newsx/item/4778-rosedale-residents-angered-by-tower-burning
OYSTER AGENCY REGULATIONS MEETING
WXXV
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources reached out to the public for input on proposed changes regarding Mississippi’s oyster aquaculture.
http://www.wxxv25.com/2016/08/10/oyster-agency-regulations-meeting/
Crossgates Lake drained 1 year ago, still not refilled
WJTV
BRANDON, Miss. (WJTV) — Crossgates Lake was drained last year to remove the silt that had accumulated over the years. One year later, still no lake and now residents are asking when will it be refilled.
http://wjtv.com/2016/08/10/crossgates-lake-drained-1-year-ago-residents-still-concerned/
Mississippi officials conduct annual hurricane-prep exercise
AP
PEARL, Mississippi — Mississippi officials are conducting a hurricane training exercise, and Gov. Phil Bryant says residents should make their own preparations.
Lawsuit claims former DMR manager was harassed, demoted, fired
Sun Herald
GULFPORT
Former DMR Executive Director Bill Walker asked Ava Coleman to trust him, so she tried, the former Lyman Fish Hatchery manager says in a lawsuit.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/politics-government/state-politics/article94860712.html
Hood joins the Exxon mob
Jackson Jambalaya blog
Politico reported yesterday that Mississippi Attorney Generalissimo Jim Hood is joining several attorneys general who are suing Exxon:
http://kingfish1935.blogspot.com/2016/08/hood-joins-exxon-mob.html
Regional
15 states want gopher frog ruling reconsidered in federal court
AP
Fifteen states are asking a federal appeals court to reconsider a Louisiana landowner's attempt to keep the government from listing 1,500 forest acres as essential to an endangered frog.
http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2016/08/15_states_want_gopher_frog_rul.html#incart_river_index
Air pollution causes 21 deaths per year in New Orleans, study says
Times-Picayune
Air quality issues in the New Orleans area contribute to around 21 deaths and more than 50 major health events per year, according to a new report on the health impacts of excessive air pollution. Statewide, air pollution led to an estimated 65 deaths and 143 major health events.
http://www.nola.com/health/index.ssf/2016/08/air_pollution_new_orleans.html#incart_river_index
Here's how to build a 6-mile land bridge across open water -- and help save the coast
Times-Picayune
A fountain of wet sediment is sprayed into open water. Bulldozers and front-end loaders scurry into the muck and stack it, finishing off a 6-mile bridge of land and wetlands across the West Bank of Jefferson and Plaquemines parishes.
Toxicologist on cancer warnings: NC acted despite science
AP
Raleigh, N.C. – Officials in North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory's administration are telling a string of misleading half-truths about the safety of well water near Duke Energy coal ash pits containing a cancer-causing chemical and are responsible for any resulting fear and confusion, a state toxicologist said after being attacked by state officials.
National
EPA FUNDS RESEARCH INTO LOW-COST AIR QUALITY MONITORS
Bloomberg
Over the past several years, many developers have released low-cost air pollution monitoring devices that are capable of measuring particulate matter, ozone and other pollutants.
http://www.bna.com/epa-funds-research-b73014446178/
Feds crack down on coal cleanup financing
The Hill
Federal regulators are asking states to stop giving coal-mining permits to companies without the financing to guarantee that they can pay to clean up the mines after they are abandoned.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/290903-feds-crack-down-on-coal-cleanup-financing
EPA Urged to Flag ‘Low-Risk' Uses in Chemical Rule
Bloomberg
The Environmental Protection Agency should help the marketplace by identifying chemical uses that pose little or no risks as well as those that do, industry representatives said Aug. 9.
http://www.bna.com/epa-urged-flag-n73014446164/
Thousands of lives could be saved in California by stricter air pollution limits, study finds
LA Times
More than 2,000 Southern Californians die early each year from polluted air, and the region would benefit the most of anywhere in the country from reducing ozone and fine particle pollution below current federal limits, a new study has found.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-pollution-deaths-20160810-snap-story.html
Iowa agency changes rules on water pollution amid criticism
AP
DES MOINES, Ia. — An Iowa agency on Wednesday approved changes to administrative rules regarding water pollution that two groups say will weaken environmental protections, but supporters argue will add clarity to a system thrown into limbo by a lawsuit.
