State
MDEQ APPROVES PERMIT FOR COSTCO PROJECT
Northside Sun
More major hurdles have been cleared in plans to bring a Costco to Ridgeland.
Recently, the state’s decision to award developers a water quality permit and storm water management certification for the third phase of Renaissance at Colony Park was upheld by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality’s (MDEQ) permitting board.
http://northsidesun.com/news/mdeq-approves-permit-costco-project#sthash.UrPQZ3B0.dpbs
Jackson Public Works: water corrosion issue improving
Clarion Ledger
The engineer responsible for studying corrosion control at Jackson's water treatment plants told the Jackson City Council Tuesday both water treatment facilities are operating as they should.
Coast teachers get grants to focus on air quality, environment
Sun Herald
Perhaps as result of the Coast’s troubled history with hurricanes and the BP oil spill, many teachers at Coast schools have become experts on environmental issues.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/education/article118234868.html
USDA to target Yazoo darter fish in rivers
Oxford Eagle
The Yazoo darter fish may be small but it plays a huge role in keeping Mississippi’s rivers healthy.
http://www.oxfordeagle.com/2016/11/30/usda-to-target-yazoo-darter-fish-in-rivers/
STATE TO MANAGE PEARL RIVER WILDLIFE REFUGE; NOT YET OPEN TO PUBLIC
Northside Sun
Plans for a new urban wildlife refuge along the Pearl River are taking shape.
The refuge, a 2,600-acre site formerly owned by International Paper, was recently dedicated as the Fannye Cooke Natural Area.
Feds renew Grand Gulf Nuclear Station's license
Clarion Ledger
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed Grand Gulf Nuclear Station's operating license through 2044, as the plant remains closed through the first of the year to address maintenance issues.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2016/12/01/grand-gulf-nuclear/94742454/
Kelly Lucas leaves DMR to take over USM’s aquaculture center
Sun Herald
The DMR’s loss has become the University of Southern Mississippi’s gain.
Kelly Lucas, the state Department of Marine Resources’ chief scientific officer since 2013, is leaving to become director of the Thad Cochran Marine Aquaculture Center at USM’s Gulf Coast Research Lab.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/article118260623.html
Boards, commissions still to be streamlined
Daily Journal
JACKSON – Second-term Gov. Phil Bryant apparently is not giving up on a goal he made in his first inaugural address in January 2012 – to merge some of the state’s many boards and commissions.
http://djournal.com/news/boards-commissions-still-streamlined/
After long hiatus, PEER watchdog panel running again
Clarion Ledger
The state Legislature’s “watchdog” committee is back up and running after a long hiatus and has issued its first report since late 2015.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2016/12/01/peer-committee-running/94670848/
Regional
TVA permitted to tap Memphis Sand to cool power plant
Commercial Appeal
The Tennessee Valley Authority won approval Wednesday to begin drilling more wells into the Memphis Sand aquifer as a Shelby County regulatory board rejected an appeal from environmentalists who warned of threats to the region's public drinking supplies.
BP to Proceed with Deep Water Project in Gulf of Mexico
OPEC deal adds fresh confidence to industry that has tentatively begun to invest again
WSJ
LONDON— BP PLC plans to press ahead with a major deep water project in the Gulf of Mexico—the latest evidence oil companies are tentatively wading back into big-ticket projects amid signs a two-year crude-market slump is ending.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/bp-to-proceed-with-mad-dog-project-in-gulf-of-mexico-1480610574
National
Trump considering Senator Heitkamp of North Dakota for Cabinet: source
Reuters
President-elect Donald Trump is considering Democratic U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota for either the interior or energy secretary positions in his Cabinet, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Thursday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-heitkamp-idUSKBN13Q5O0
Major EPA fracking study downplayed risks to US water supply, investigation finds
CNBC
Environmental Protection Agency officials made critical last-minute changes to their presentation of a multiyear report on hydraulic fracturing, which served to downplay the oil and gas drilling method's threat to drinking water supplies, an investigation by APM Reports and Marketplace found.
Princess Cruises to pay record $40M fine for polluting the seas
The Hill
Princess Cruises, one of the world's biggest cruise lines, will pay a record $40 million fine for polluting the seas and trying to cover it up, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Thursday.
http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/308297-princess-cruises-to-pay-record-40m-fine-for-polluting-the-seas
Four New Names Officially Added to the Periodic Table of Elements
NY Times
It’s official. Chemistry’s highest gatekeepers have accepted the newly proposed names for elements 113, 115, 117 and 118.
Opinion
MAYOR YARBER TO BLAME FOR EPA FINES
Northside Sun
Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber is blaming the Jackson City Council for the impending $7,000-per-day fines from the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA is upset over Jackson’s lack of progress in complying with a $400 million consent decree to upgrade the city’s sewer system and stop polluting the Pearl River. Progress has ground to a halt because the city no longer has a consent decree program manager.
http://northsidesun.com/opinion-editorials/mayor-yarber-blame-epa-fines#sthash.TkiADzQo.dpbs
