State
Pond overflowing near Highway 84 in Franklin County
WJTV
UPDATE: MHP says traffic is flowing again smoothly in this area. Cpl. Brandon Fortenberry said MDEQ had a specialist come examine the dam in the area.
http://wjtv.com/2017/01/19/pond-overflowing-near-highway-84-in-franklin-county/
Emergency Management Officials monitor Franklin County Dam
WLBT
FRANKLIN COUNTY, MS (Mississippi News Now) -Franklin County Emergency Management officials say a small portion of the Gayle Evans Lake Dam broke.
http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/34304981/emergency-management-officials-monitor-franklin-county-dam
No threat of failure of Gayle Evan Lake Dam in Franklin Co. tonight; Severe weekend storms could bring hail, tornadoes
Daily Leader
Franklin County residents near the McCall Creek area should remain concerned about a potential failure of Gayle Evan Lake Dam, however officials with the National Weather Service in Jackson said that threat has been diminished through Friday morning.
Automated garbage pickup in the works for Lamar Co.
WDAM
LAMAR COUNTY, MS (WDAM) -Lamar County residents could soon see automated trash pickup in their county, all working to rid the county of litter and save tax dollars in the long run.
http://www.wdam.com/story/34303579/automated-garbage-pickup-in-the-works-for-lamar-co
Cooper Tire trainer co-teaches Ole Miss engineering winter session
Oxford Eagle
When Nichole Williams asked seven University of Mississippi students to draw a pig on graph paper, they all thought it would be easy. But the chemical engineering alumna, who has found career success at Cooper Tire & Rubber Co. in Tupelo, wasn’t the least bit impressed.
City declares emergency to fix clarifier
Vicksburg Post
A broken part on one of the clarifiers at the city’s water treatment plant on Haining Road has forced the Board of Mayor and Aldermen to declare an emergency to get it fixed.
http://www.vicksburgpost.com/2017/01/19/city-declares-emergency-to-fix-clarifier/
Oil Spill
Pascagoula Sen. Brice Wiggins files bill funneling BP settlement money into Tidelands funds
Mississippi Press
JACKSON, Miss. - Sen. Brice Wiggins told the Pascagoula City Council during his legislative address last year to "pull up your britches and get ready for a fight" when discussing BP funds.
Regional
Natural gas leaking from pipeline in Gulf of Mexico
AP
Federal regulators say a pipeline is leaking natural gas and liquid hydrocarbons in the Gulf of Mexico off Louisiana.
National
Companies Must Back Up Privacy Claims When Asserted: EPA
Bloomberg
Companies that submit proprietary chemical information to the Environmental Protection Agency must justify upfront the reasons the information cannot be publicly released, the agency said in a notice to be published Jan. 19.
https://www.bna.com/companies-back-privacy-n73014450014/
AG Paxton sues EPA for a second time this week over environmental rules
Texas Tribune
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday joked about suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency one last time before President Obama leaves office this week.
https://www.texastribune.org/2017/01/18/ag-paxton-sues-epa-second-time-week/
EPA Settles With Hawaii Company Over 2013 Molasses Spill
AP
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a settlement Thursday with the company responsible for a 1,400-ton molasses spill in Honolulu Harbor in 2013.
The federal agency said in a statement that Matson Terminals Inc. will pay a civil penalty of $725,000. The molasses leaked from a section of pipe that had been flagged by the state a year before the spill.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/epa-settles-hawaii-company-2013-molasses-spill-44896788
On an Apache reservation in Arizona, a toxic legacy and a mysterious history of chemical spraying
LA Times
The sound always came first, a low buzz that grew and grew until it roared through the valley. Then the olive-colored plane appeared overhead, flying low. In its wake was a thick shower of oily droplets making a long, slow fall to the forested gullies below.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-agent-orange-arizona-2017-story.html
New regs for Friday: Dentists, catfish, hard cider
The Hill
Catfish: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is backing down from new catfish standards.
Dentists: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is moving forward with rules for dentists.
http://thehill.com/regulation/315046-new-regs-for-friday-dentists-catfish-hard-cider
Opinion
Keeping Cool About Hot Temperatures
Last year was warmer by 0.04 Celsius, but it was also an El Niño year.
WSJ
By now you’ve seen the headline: 2016 was the hottest year on record. The news has been paired with predictions of civilization’s imminent demise. But a closer look at the evidence reveals that the political heat is overwrought—and there’s still no reason to re-engineer the global economy to mitigate small climate fluctuations.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/keeping-cool-about-hot-temperatures-1484871286
Press Releases
Funds Available to Mississippi for Longleaf Pine Initiative
Deadline: February 17th for Landowners Wanting Assistance in Planting Longleaf
Jackson, Miss. – Mississippi landowners wanting to create or restore longleaf pine stands can apply for financial assistance with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). The deadline to apply is February 17th.
USDA NRCS today announced funding is available to aid forest managers working to restore longleaf ecosystems on private lands in nine states. Longleaf pine forests nearly vanished, but a coordinated conservation effort, led by USDA and other conservation partners, is helping this unique ecosystem of the Southeast recover.
NRCS’ Longleaf Pine Initiative (LLPI), now in its seventh year, has helped restore more than 350,000 acres of longleaf forests. NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to help landowners and land managers plant longleaf as well as manage longleaf forests through practices like prescribed burning.
The Longleaf Pine Initiative is offered under the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) to landowners in Central and Southern Mississippi with multiple resource management concerns. Longleaf pines provide valuable forest products, pine straw production, scenic beauty, good wildlife habitat and harbor many threatened and endangered species. Longleaf pine is also the best tree species to use in a silvopasture system. These forests are home to some of the most diverse plant communities in the South.
Landowners in Mississippi have realized the economic value of a pole size longleaf pine stand. The price the landowners are receiving for their high-quality, straight-grained dimensional lumber and their long straight poles and pilings is attracting more people to plant longleaf pines. Timber buyers recognize the quality of these trees and are paying top prices for the products.
Recent nursery and silvicultural improvements have improved the quality of longleaf seedlings and reduced the amount of time it takes to get the seedlings up and out of the grass stage. These improvements allow the longleaf pine to compete with the early growth rates of other Southern pines.
Longleaf pine is more resistant to insect and disease pests such as Southern pine beetles and fusiform rust than other Southern pines. Longleaf pine is also more resistant to fire than other Southern pines and can be burned at an early age maintaining early successional habitat, benefitting many wildlife species like bobwhite quail.
The longleaf pines produce longer needles that are preferred landscape mulch, and the sale of pine straw provides a steady source of income from these stands. Longleaf pine needles are longer and easier to bale, last longer than other mulches and have a distinguished red color that enhances the landscape. Some landowners report they are making more money from selling pine straw than selling timber. This could also provide an additional source of income for a small forest landowner.
Finally, longleaf pine is the best species to use in a silvopasture system due to the smaller crown density, which allows more sunlight to filter through the tree crown canopy to the grass below. The deadline to apply is February 17th.
For additional information about the Longleaf Pine Initiative, visit http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/. To find your local NRCS office, visit http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app?state=MS&agency=NRCS.
