Friday, December 29, 2017

News Clippings December 29, 2017

State

Some Oktibbeha supes fed up with waste services provider
Commercial Dispatch
 
Oktibbeha County supervisors may start the year with the approval of a request for proposals to change the county's waste disposal services. 

Keep Tupelo Beautiful’s ‘Cans for Critters’ to benefit local animal shelter
Daily Journal

TUPELO – An initiative seeking to increase recycling efforts and clean up the city of Tupelo all while benefitting the Tupelo-Lee Humane Society is picking up steam.

City of Jackson Christmas Tree Pickup
WJTV

The city of Jackson has released their guidelines for getting rid of your Christmas tree.
Christmas trees will be collected by the City of Jackson’s Waste Management Division.

‘TIS THE TIME TO… RECYCLE
WXXV

News 25’s Toni Miles interviews Kelly Griffin about recycling your Christmas tree in Harrison County.

LAKE LOWNDES STATE PARK COULD BE CHANGING OWNERS
WCBI

LOWNDES COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A popular recreation area in Lowndes County may soon be under new management.


State Government

First responder communication network finally gets green light
Clarion Ledger

Gov.Phil Bryant approved Thursday a buildout plan to deliver a wireless broadband network to the state's public safety community.


Oil Spill

Businesses hurt by 2010 oil spill want BP money to stay on the coast
WLOX

SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) -Several coast businesses hope to see most of the BP money allocated to South Mississippi. We spoke with people who recalled how their businesses took a financial hit from the 2010 spill that lasted several months. 

Big upgrades in store for Fort Walton Landing
NWF Daily News

FORT WALTON BEACH — Much of the popular Fort Walton Landing will likely receive a major facelift in 2018.


National

How Scott Pruitt turned the EPA into one of Trump’s most powerful tools
Washington Post

Since 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency has been embroiled in an enforcement battle with a Michigan-based company accused of modifying the state’s largest coal-fired power plant without getting federal permits for a projected rise in pollution.


Opinion

Washington’s Carbon Overreach
Another rebuke to climate change rule by executive diktat.
Editorial – WSJ

Washington Governor Jay Inslee calls climate change an “existential threat,” and he has channeled President Obama in using executive powers to impose his policy response. But like Mr. Obama he suffered a major blow this month when a Washington court ruled that he exceeded his authority under state law.

Birds of Regulatory Prey
Interior reverses an Obama rule punishing accidental bird killings.
Editorial – WSJ

Animal spirits revived this year after the Trump Administration halted its predecessor’s regulatory predations. Consider the Interior Department’s legal memo last week that rescinds an Obama Administration policy of criminalizing citizens who accidentally kill migratory birds.

Thursday, December 28, 2017

News Clippings December 28, 2017

State

Jackson saves more than $5M on controversial sludge hauling contract
Clarion Ledger

Jackson city officials have renegotiated a once-controversial contract for sludge removal that appears to have been widely miscalculated, resulting in more than $5 million in savings. 

Ole Miss researchers using acoustics to spot undersea oil leaks
Clarion Ledger

An oil pipe fractured in the Gulf of Mexico in October about 40 miles southeast of Venice, Louisiana, releasing between 7,950 and 9,350 barrels of oil before being halted.

O CHRISTMAS TREE
Recycling program gives second life to Christmas trees
Daily Journal

TUPELO – Just because the presents are opened and Christmas Day has passed, that doesn’t mean the tree is no longer useful.

Trash collectors: No rest for the weary after Christmas
Daily Times Leader
WEST POINT, MS

For most people, Christmas is a time of days off and slowing down at work.
That's not true for at least one group -- trash collectors.

Future of Mississippi's waterparks, campgrounds the focus of PEER report
WLOX

JACKSON, MS (WLOX) -A new report says Flint Creek and the other parks run by the Pat Harrison Waterway District have enough money in the bank to remain open for another 18.5 years. Their futures beyond 2036 are the focus of a new Mississippi Legislative PEER committee analysis.

Fulton officials still seeking BlueFire deed, county officials claim it doesn’t exist
Itawamba County Times

Fulton leaders are still asking Itawamba County officials to provide them with a deed for their portion of the property that was to house the defunct BlueFire Renewables plant … a document that county officials say doesn’t exist.


State Government

THE FUTURE OF THE EMA BUDGET ON A STATE AND COUNTY LEVEL
WCBI

NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Many state agencies in Mississippi are facing possible budget cuts in the new fiscal year, including the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
Nothing will be set in stone or known until the MEMA budget is finalized in April.

Secretary of State's business survey reveals need for better educated workforce
WLBT

Mississippi businesses are revealing what most helps and hurts and their progress. Nearly 2,000 businesses answered a set of questions from the Secretary of State's office. Their answers provide a better picture of the problems for starting, maintaining, and growing their businesses.


Oil Spill

Triumph Gulf Coast hires new program administrator
WJHG

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - As a result of the damage inflicted on the Florida Gulf Coast by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, Triumph Gulf Coast was organized to oversee the expenditure of 75 percent of all funds recovered by the Florida Attorney General from that event. The counties affected by the oil spill included Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf, Franklin and Wakulla.


Regional

EPA finds Baton Rouge area is out of compliance with ozone standards to industry's chagrin
The Advocate

The Environmental Protection Agency has informed state officials that it intends to label the Baton Rouge area as out of compliance with national air quality standards, a move that affects permitting standards for new or expanded industrial facilities. 


National

EPA must tighten rules on lead inside homes to protect children from poisoning, court rules
LA Times

After years of delay, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency must propose tighter limits on the amount of lead allowed inside homes within 90 days to protect children from the hazards of lead paint, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.

Air Pollution Contributes to More Than 20,000 Deaths a Year
NY Times

Day-to-day increases in air pollution, even at levels generally considered acceptable, are associated with increased deaths among the elderly.

Even brief exposure to low-level air pollution tied to deaths
Reuters

Older adults are more likely to die on days when air pollution rises, even when contaminant levels are below the limit considered safe by U.S. regulators, a new study suggests.

EPA nixes bid to herd livestock under Clean Air Act
The EPA has denied a plea by environmental groups to regulate concentrated animal feeding operations under the Clean Air Act
Capital Press

The Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday it has denied a petition by environmental groups to regulate concentrated animal feeding operations like factories under the Clean Air Act.

Court won’t reconsider dismissing case against Obama fracking rule
The Hill

An appeals court declined Wednesday to reconsider its September decision that undid a previous court ruling overturning the Obama administration’s fracking rule for federal land.

Power Plants Bloom Even as Electricity Prices Wilt
Despite fierce competition and stagnant demand, companies are investing in new power plants—so long as they’re near shale fields
WSJ

A glut of gas flowing out of U.S. shale fields is fueling a power plant construction boom in several northeastern states, despite fierce competition that has caused wholesale electricity prices to plummet.


Press Releases

Shrimp season to close north of ICW on Jan. 1, 2018;
Several fishing seasons set to open
 
 
BILOXI, Miss. – Officials with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources announced Wednesday that all waters north of the Intracoastal Waterway will close at 12:01 a.m. Monday, Jan. 1, 2018.
This closure applies to Mississippi territorial waters. All other Mississippi territorial waters will remain open to shrimping.
For more information about this closure, call the Shrimp Information Hotline at 1-866-938-7295.
MDMR officials also announced openings and closings for some recreational and commercial fishing seasons.
The recreational fishing season for Greater Amberjack will open in Mississippi territorial waters at 12:01 a.m. local time on Monday, Jan. 1, 2018.
The commercial fishing seasons for Gray Triggerfish and Greater Amberjack will open in Mississippi territorial waters at 12:01 a.m. Monday, Jan. 1, 2018.
The commercial fishing season for Flounder will close in Mississippi territorial waters at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. The season will reopen at 12:01 a.m. Monday, Jan. 1, 2018.
The Total Allowable Catch for commercial landings of Flounder will be set at 74,000 pounds. The season will be open through Dec. 31, 2018, or until the quota is met.
The commercial fishing season for Red Drum will close in Mississippi territorial waters at 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017. The season will reopen at 12:01 a.m. Monday, Jan. 1, 2018.
The annual TAC for commercial landings of Red Drum is 60,000 pounds. The season will be divided into three four-month periods: Jan. 1-April 30; May 1-Aug. 31 and Sept. 1-Dec. 31. The quota is 20,000 pounds for each period. If the quota is not met or is exceeded in any of the four-month periods, the pounds shall be added or subtracted to the following period. If the total quota of 60,000 pounds is met in the third period, the season will be closed.
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is dedicated to enhancing, protecting and conserving marine interests of the state by managing all marine life, public trust wetlands, adjacent uplands and waterfront areas to provide for the optimal commercial, recreational, educational and economic uses of these resources consistent with environmental concerns and social changes. Visit the DMR online at dmr.ms.gov.
END

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

News Clippings Lists Clean Up for 2018

You're receiving this email because you receive news clippings from me.

Annually I work to clean up the lists.

I send two emails daily--one with full stories in the text and one with links.

If you want to be on one list or the other or both or deleted from one or both, please let me know. Want to make sure everyone receives the information they want and need.

Thanks.

News Clippings December 27, 2017

State

Jackson resident fed up with illegal dumping in yard
WLBT

"They just think I'm a garbage dump and they throw beer cans, coke cans, paint jugs. But this morning for Christmas I got some mattresses. That was particularly refreshing. I want to thank Santa for that."

Looking to recycle your Christmas tree? Check out these locations along the Gulf Coast
Mississippi Press

JACKSON COUNTY, Miss. -- Christmas is behind us and for those who may be looking for a place to recycle your live Christmas tree, various locations in Jackson County will take them.

RECYCLING CHRISTMAS TREES
WCBI

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – There is life after the living room for Christmas trees in the Tupelo area.


Regional

Wolf River wetland 'bank' will restore swamps to offset damage
Commercial Appeal

On a Fayette County tract that generations of farmers painstakingly cleared and drained to grow crops, a team of scientists and natural resource consultants plans to spend the next several years deliberately undoing all that work.


National

How Scott Pruitt turned the EPA into one of Trump’s most powerful tools
Washington Post

Since 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency has been embroiled in an enforcement battle with a Michigan-based company accused of modifying the state’s largest coal-fired power plant without getting federal permits for a projected rise in pollution.

EPA's Pruitt: Bring back 'true environmentalism'
The Hill

When it comes to environmentalism, Scott Pruitt thinks environmentalists have it all wrong.
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under President Trump has been on a mission to redefine the mission of the agency and, in the process, redefine what it means to be a guardian of the environment. 

Northeast states sue EPA over air pollution from Midwest
Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Eight northeastern states said on Tuesday they sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to force it to impose more stringent controls on a group of mostly Midwestern states whose air pollution they claim is being blown in their direction.

Wildfires Scorch California Earth, and Its Air
This month air quality in some Santa Barbara and Ventura county communities hit record-high hazardous levels, making it unsafe for anyone to be outside
WSJ

ISLA VISTA, Calif.—For her recent hike around an idyllic seaside lagoon, Mika Leslie wore shorts, a cotton T-shirt and a microfiber respirator mask.

'Junk science'? Studies behind Obama regulations under fire
Fox News

Scientific studies used by the Obama administration to help justify tough environmental regulations are coming under intensifying scrutiny, with critics questioning their merit as the Trump EPA reverses or delays some of those rules.

Chevron Closed Mine, Now New Mexico Town Faces Daunting Recovery
Bloomberg

Chevron Mining Inc. shook the village of Questa, N.M., when it closed the molybdenum mine that anchored the rural community in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

Coyotes Are Colonizing Cities. Step Forward the Urban Hunter.
NY Times

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Dennis Murphy sniffed the bobcat urine he uses to lure his prey. He checked the silencer on his AR-15 assault rifle and loaded a few snares into his Ford pickup.
“Let’s go kill some coyotes,” he said.

Wire the wilderness? As cell service expands, national parks become the latest digital battlegrounds
McClatchy

When John Muir helped establish the National Park Service, he argued that such parks were vital to help people unplug from the world. “Break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods,” Muir was quoted as saying in 1915.