State
More of Cat Island is early Christmas gift to Mississippi
Sun Herald
GULFPORT
It’s where pirates buried their treasures, bootleggers hid their stash during Prohibition and the government secretly trained attack dogs during World War II, and now a bigger chunk of Cat Island off the Coast belongs to the people of Mississippi.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/article119923293.html
State of Mississippi acquires another 500 acres of Cat Island
Mississippi Press
GULFPORT, Mississippi -- Calling it "pleasant Christmas news for Mississippians," Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann announced Friday morning the state had acquired another 500 acres of Cat Island, the westernmost of Mississippi's four barrier islands.
MS takes ownership of 492 acres of Cat Island
WLOX
GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) -Mississippi is now the owner of another large chunk of Cat Island.
http://www.wlox.com/story/34016538/ms-now-owns-492-acres-of-cat-island-previously-owned-by-bp
BIOGAS PLANT COMING TO NORTH MISSISSIPPI
MPB
A French company plans to construct a renewable energy plant in north Mississippi. As MPB's Mark Rigsby reports, the plant will provide natural gas in Tippah County.
http://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/2016/12/12/biogas-plant-coming-to-north-mississippi/
Vicksburg officials won’t learn of Kuhn environmental grant until May
Vicksburg Post
City officials should know in May if Vicksburg will receive one or two Brownfields grants to raze the buildings and clear the Kuhn Memorial Hospital property, members of the Board of Mayor and Aldermen learned Friday.
DNA study measures 1900s deer restocking effort in Southeast
AP
STARKVILLE, MISS.
Scientists are studying the DNA of deer to gauge the success of restocking efforts a century ago in Southeastern states.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/health/article120131368.html
Entergy to more than double energy efficiency spending
AP
JACKSON, MISS.
Mississippi's largest private utility plans to more than double spending on energy efficiency next year.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/state/mississippi/article120267573.html
Money to deal with eyesore Katrina properties coming to Coast
Sun Herald
JACKSON COUNTY
Jeff Barlow is scouring the county, mapping properties that are condemned or need to be — like a house in Pinehurst subdivision that is stripped to the studs with the roof falling in, never repaired after Hurricane Katrina.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/jackson-county/article120296253.html
State leaders propose budget cuts, layoffs possible
Starkville Daily News
STARKVILLE, MS
The Mississippi Legislature is proposing cutting nearly 2,000 unfilled government positions, and doing away with civil service protections for various state agencies. The move coincides with the Joint Legislative Budget Committee adopting a lean spending proposal for the next fiscal year.
…Mississippi State University could see cuts totaling 11 percent across the university's Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, the Cooperative Extension Service, the university's Forest and Wildlife Research Center and the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine. Similarly, the committee recommends a 22 percent decrease in funding — nearly $3 million — for the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.
http://www.starkvilledailynews.com/content/state-leaders-propose-budget-cuts-layoffs-possible
City, county, business leaders give wish list to legislators
Natchez Democrat
NATCHEZ — Local leaders met Friday with state representatives to discuss priorities and projects ahead of the upcoming legislative session. Natchez Inc., Adams County and City of Natchez ofÖcials discussed four main issues with Rep. Robert Johnson (DNatchez) and Rep. Sam Mims (R-McComb) at a legislative luncheon at the Carriage House Restaurant.
…“Living in a community where the infrastructure is that old, maybe we can get some special legislation to help us out, since we are the oldest city (on the) Mississippi,” Gray said. Johnson said the city should consider the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality for funding. “I would just request you keep an open mind,” he said. “This seems more like an environmental project, and MDEQ has more funds.” http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2016/12/09/city-county-business-leaders-give-wish-list-to-legislators/
Analysis: Budget writers prepare to say 'no' to requests
AP
JACKSON, MISS.
Directors of Mississippi government agencies should get accustomed to one word as the 2017 legislative session approaches.
"No."
http://www.sunherald.com/news/health/article119965293.html
Committee recommends slashing DMR budget, agency won't suffer
WLOX
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) -Could the Department of Marine Resources budget be slashed 75 percent next year?
http://www.wlox.com/story/34019965/committee-recommends-slashing-dmr-budget-agency-wont-suffer
Governor, legislative leaders look to limit civil service protection
By Bobby Harrison
Daily Journal Jackson Bureau
JACKSON – Both legislative leaders and Gov. Phil Bryant are proposing to limit Mississippi’s civil service protection, which has been a hallmark of most state governments for more than a century.
http://djournal.com/news/governor-legislative-leaders-look-limit-civil-service-protection/
National
Despite scientific consensus, Trump says ‘nobody’ knows if climate change is real
Washington Post
President-elect Donald Trump said Sunday that “nobody really knows” whether climate change is real and that he is “studying” whether the United States should withdraw from the global warming agreement struck in Paris a year ago.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/politics-government/article120322798.html
Clean Energy ‘Moving Forward’ Despite Trump’s E.P.A. Pick, Experts Say
NY Times
WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald J. Trump’s choice of a fossil-fuel advocate and climate-change denier to head the Environmental Protection Agency comes at a moment when the American energy market has already shifted away from the most polluting fossil fuels, driven more by investors and economics than by federal regulations.
Trump Expected to Pick Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers to Run Interior
If confirmed by the Senate, she would lead administration’s efforts to open up federal lands and waters to fossil-fuel development
WSJ
WASHINGTON—President-elect Donald Trump is expected to tap Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R., Wash.) to lead the Interior Department, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Companies on Climate: Trump or No, Still Cutting Emissions
Scott Pruitt’s appointment to lead EPA doesn’t change corporate strategies
WSJ
Many big corporations continue to support efforts to reduce carbon emissions, vowing to stay the course despite the election of Donald Trump, who has promised to dismantle the Obama administration’s climate agenda and this week chose a global-warming skeptic to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
EPA Rejects $20.4 Million in Requests for Mine Spill Costs
AP
The Environmental Protection Agency said Friday it will pay $4.5 million to state, local and tribal governments for their emergency response to a mine spill that the EPA triggered, but the agency turned down $20.4 million in other requests for past and future expenses.
New regs for Monday: Wood, battery chargers, renewable fuel standard
The Hill
Wood: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving forward with new emissions standards for composite wood products.
Efficiency: The Department of Energy (DOE) is moving forward with new efficiency standards for battery chargers.
.Gas: The EPA is moving forward with the 2017 renewable fuel standard.
Opinion
New restoration announcements bring transformative opportunity for Coast
Restoration efforts on the Mississippi Coast in the wake of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill received a big boost recently.
http://www.sunherald.com/opinion/other-voices/article119818238.html
