State
Tornado debris removal begins in the Pine Belt
WDAM
Pine Belt counties hit by Saturday's tornado are starting debris removal and outlining how citizens can help expedite clean up.
http://www.wdam.com/story/34356549/tornado-debris-removal-begins-in-the-pine-belt
Work started on R’land Costco
Northside Sun
Work on the Ridgeland Costco appears to be moving forward.
Last week, city officials confirmed developers had begun clearing land to make way for the project.
http://northsidesun.com/news/work-started-r%E2%80%99land-costco#sthash.B3ojCpGA.dpbs
3 On Your Side Investigates: What's in the Water?
WLBT
JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) -Nearly two years ago, a lead scare in the Capital City revealed nearly one out of every four homes had lead levels that exceeded what the EPA calls "safe" for adults. That revelation led to hundreds in the metro testing water in their homes to see if their pipes also carried the poison.
http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/34348806/3-on-your-side-investigates-whats-in-the-water
Have questions about Moss Point’s water?
Sun Herald
MOSS POINT
The city will host a forum to answer people’s questions about the city’s water quality and the treatment plant that uses a high-tech process to clean color and smell from the drinking water.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/jackson-county/article128997884.html
Mississippi No. 1 for older bucks, again
Clarion Ledger
You can almost hear the fictional movie character Forrest Gump saying it. Mississippi is number one in the nation for the percentage of mature buck harvests — again.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/2017/01/26/mississippi-no-1-older-bucks-again/97037266/
Margaritaville sues state over tidelands
WLOX
BILOXI, MS (WLOX) -A familiar argument over the question of where private property ends and state owned land begins along the beach is once again going to court. This legal battle could impact Margaritaville's plans to expand its resort in Biloxi.
http://www.wlox.com/story/34356522/margaritaville-sues-state-over-tidelands
AN ENERGY EFFICIENT WORKSHOP TAKES PLACE AT EMCC
WCBI
MAYHEW, Miss. (WCBI) – A free Energy Efficient Workshop took off at East Mississippi Community College Thursday morning.
http://www.wcbi.com/video-energy-efficient-workshop-takes-place-emcc/
MS Supreme Court rules contractor employee injured at Chevron can sue company
WLOX
JACKSON, MS (WLOX) -Thursday, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled in favor of a man who was injured while working at the Chevron refinery in Pascagoula.
Bill: No new cars for state agencies
Clarion Ledger
The House Appropriations Committee on Thursday passed a one-year ban on most state agencies buying or leasing new vehicles, part of a savings and cuts package legislative budget leaders proposed in the fall.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2017/01/26/car-moratorium-state/97103528/
New cars, old commissions on the budget chopping block
Mississippi Today
Legislation intended to further tighten the state budget, including a halt on purchasing vehicles for one year and the elimination of 16 state boards or commissions, passed House and Senate committees Thursday.
http://mississippitoday.org/2017/01/26/new-cars-old-commissions-on-the-budget-chopping-block/
Oil Spill
Behind the spotlights, Coast Coliseum at 40 is showing its age
Sun Herald
BILOXI
The Coast Coliseum is 40 this year and beginning to show some wrinkles and age spots.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/article128982624.html
Defending the Spending of DWF
WRKF
“This is – from my standpoint – one of the worst cases of Monday morning quarterbacking that I’ve ever seen,” former state Wildlife and Fisheries Secretary Robert Barham said Thursday.
http://wrkf.org/post/defending-spending-dwf#stream/0
Regional
Speed -- and caution -- urged on Louisiana's 50-year plan to save its coast
Times-Picayune
Now that four public hearings have been held on Louisiana's new $50 billion, 50-year plan to save its southern flank, staff at the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority turn to tweaking the draft before presenting it to agency's governing board for a vote. The last of the hearings, held in Wednesday night (Jan. 25) in Mandeville, ended with several calls for speed and caution in completing the plan's 120 projects.
Trump Wants to Downplay Global Warming. Louisiana Won’t Let Him
Bloomberg
On a recent morning in Baton Rouge, a thousand miles from where Senate Democrats were jousting with Donald Trump’s nominee to run the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency about whether humans are warming the planet, the future of U.S. climate policy was being crafted in a small room in the east wing of the Louisiana Capitol. The state’s 7,700-mile shoreline is disappearing at the fastest rate in the country. Officials had gathered to consider a method of deciding which communities to save—and which to abandon to the Gulf of Mexico.
Red snapper focus group to share report
Pensacola News Journal
Last year, members of the recreational fishing community organized a Gulf Angler Focus Group Initiative to explore improved management options for the conservation and public enjoyment of Gulf of Mexico red snapper.
Chronic Wasting Disease Detected in Wild Texas Deer
NBCDFW
Chronic wasting disease, a fatal brain condition, has been detected in Texas free-ranging white-tailed deer for the first time, officials with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department announced Wednesday.
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Chronic-Wasting-Disease-Detected-in-Wild-Texas-Deer-411847105.html
National
Allaying concerns, EPA lifts temporary freeze on grants to states
USA Today
WASHINGTON – The Environmental Protection Agency has resumed issuing grants following a brief pause that alarmed state regulators, environmental advocates and congressional lawmakers already concerned the Trump administration would rein in the EPA’s reach and scope.
Official: Trump wants to slash EPA workforce, budget
AP
WASHINGTON
The former head of President Donald Trump's transition team at the Environmental Protection Agency says he expects the new administration to seek significant budget and staff cuts.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article129082824.html
AP Explains: What Is the EPA, and Why Is It in the Hot Seat?
AP
The former head of President Donald Trump's transition team at the Environmental Protection Agency says he expects the new administration to seek significant budget and staff cuts for the department. Here's a look at the EPA.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/ap-explains-epa-hot-seat-45075891
More fissures could crack if groundwater pumping increases
KVOA
TUCSON – A large crack discovered in the desert near Picacho Peak could be the start of a growing issue if groundwater pumping increases.
http://www.kvoa.com/story/34348187/more-fissures-could-crack-if-groundwater-pumping-increases
Keystone XL builder sends new permit application to Trump
The Hill
The Canadian company hoping to build the Keystone XL oil pipeline said Thursday that it sent the Trump administration a new application for the cross-border permit the project needs.
Trump names Obama nominee as temporary top energy regulator
The Hill
President Trump has named Cheryl LaFleur, a Democratic nominee, to be the acting chairwoman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the board announced Thursday.
Government Science Goes Rogue on Twitter
CBS
The Trump administration’s attempt to muzzle environmental messages on social media appears to be failing bigly.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/government-science-goes-rogue-on-twitter-resist/
Pipeline leaks 138K gallons of diesel in Iowa
USA Today
DES MOINES — An investigation is ongoing on how a pipeline leaked 138,600 gallons of diesel fuel in Worth County early Wednesday morning, according to Magellan Midstream Partners L.P., the pipeline company.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/pipeline-leaks-138k-gallons-of-diesel-in-iowa/ar-AAmfG3a?li=BBnb7Kz
Opinion
LET THE FEDS PAY FOR KEMPER
Northside Sun
The Kemper power plant cost has now topped $7 billion. It has yet to produce electricity from lignite. If that day comes, there’s no way it will be cost effective. Even if the cost of lignite electricity is zero, the interest on the construction debt preclude anything remotely considered prudent.
http://northsidesun.com/opinion-editorials/let-feds-pay-kemper
Trump, incoming leaders must take action on climate change
Sun Herald
BY BILL CURTIS
Every presidential election causes turmoil, and this one was particularly tumultuous because both nominees said or did things that were troubling to a majority of voters. Donald Trump made some pretty outrageous statements, but now that he has taken office he is backing off many of them. One of these is his comments on human-caused climate change.
http://www.sunherald.com/opinion/other-voices/article128869909.html
