State
Miss. plant workers warned of cancer-causing toxins
Clarion Ledger
Last year, officials educated community members of the long-standing chemical contamination from the old Water Valley carburetor plant and are now warning current workers of the toxins.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2017/02/14/mississippi-plant-workers-warned-cancer-causing-toxins/97829990/
It took a while, but Trapani CMR appointment is confirmed
Sun Herald
The Mississippi Senate on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of JoLynne Trapani to the state Commission on Marine Resources.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/article132695959.html
Help offered to combat feral swine
Enterprise-Journal
Southwest Mississippi landowners vexed by feral swine can apply for federal assistance to combat the menacing hogs.
http://www.enterprise-journal.com/news/article_aa3f651a-f2de-11e6-8f86-03a493a5c082.html
Deer deaths could provide new insight
Clarion Ledger
A study designed to shed light on the life of a white-tailed buck is beginning to provide the opposite as well; how they die.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/2017/02/14/deer-deaths-could-provide-new-insight/97886470/
Oil Spill
SJC rules in favor of environmental activists who questioned part of Deepwater Horizon cleanup
Boston Globe
The right to petition the government, established 1,000 years ago in England, protects two bloggers who posted an item on Huffington Post that criticized a company involved in the Deepwater Horizon cleanup, the state’s highest court ruled Tuesday.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/02/14/sjc-rules-for-environmental-activists-who-questioned-part-deepwater-horizon-cleanup/uRUC8hmy0bfyZSQW2h8QmO/story.html
Regional
Bad news for oysters, fishing
Tallahassee Democrat
A special master’s recommendation in the ongoing tri-state water war Tuesday could spell ecological and economic disaster costing billions of dollars for Florida’s panhandle, Apalachicola Riverkeeper Dan Tonsmeire said.
http://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2017/02/14/bad-news-oysters-fishing/97912192/
Threats found in major dams in Tennessee
Commercial Appeal
Seven years after a historic flood underscored threats to dams across Tennessee, three of the state's largest water-control structures face millions of dollars in needed repairs and improvements to deal with hazards ranging from earthquakes to sinkholes.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/environment/2017/02/15/threats-found-major-dams-tennessee/97873018/
National
EPA: US greenhouse gas emissions declined in 2015
The Hill
Greenhouse gas emissions in the United States declined by 2.2 percent between 2014 and 2015, federal officials reported on Tuesday.
http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/319537-epa-us-greenhouse-gas-emissions-declined-in-2015
Evacuation Order Lifted for Residents Around California Dam
Residents around Lake Oroville advised to remain ready for quick evacuation amid forecasts for more rain
WSJ
SAN FRANCISCO—Nearly 200,000 people who fled communities around a Northern California dam over fears of catastrophic flooding can return home, officials said Tuesday.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/evacuation-order-lifted-for-residents-around-california-dam-1487117875
The United States of oil and gas
Washington Post
There are more than 900,000 active oil and gas wells in the United States, and more than 130,000 have been drilled since 2010, according to Drillinginfo, a company that provides data and analysis to the drilling industry.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/united-states-of-oil/
Retailers, Products Named as EPA Scrutinizes 10 Chemicals
Bloomberg
Businesses that make, use, sell, distribute or dispose of a host of chemical-containing products have a month to check out the EPA’s preliminary information about their use of 10 chemicals and correct that information if it’s outdated or flat out wrong.
https://www.bna.com/retailers-products-named-n57982083819/
Republicans want EPA to investigate use of encrypted texts
CNN
Congressional Republicans are trying to clamp down on rank-and-file employees from the Environmental Protection Agency who have turned to secret messaging platforms to voice frustration with the new Trump administration.
http://www.kabc.com/2017/02/14/republicans-want-epa-to-investigate-use-of-encrypted-texts/
Judge blasts WVDEP, EPA over lack of mine pollution cleanup
Charleston Gazette-Mail
A federal judge on Tuesday blamed repeated delays by the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and weak oversight by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the state’s failure to write and implement plans to clean up hundreds of streams where aquatic life has been damaged by coal-mining pollution.
http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-cops-and-courts/20170214/judge-blasts-wvdep-epa-over-lack-of-mine-pollution-cleanup
Opinion
Europe’s Error of Emission
Brussels keeps trying to fix its botched carbon cap-and-trade.
WSJ
Members of the European Parliament—yes, them—are due to vote Wednesday on another attempt to fix the European Union’s long-suffering cap-and-trade system for carbon emissions. Uh oh.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/europes-error-of-emission-1487119165
Press releases
Feral Swine Initiative Through USDA/NRCS
Jackson, Miss. – The United States Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications for the Feral Swine Initiative (FSI) through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Feral hogs are a non-native species to Mississippi and cause serious destruction to crops, crop land and grazing fields. Applications received by March 17, 2017 will be considered in the first ranking period.
FSI is a voluntary conservation program that focuses on using management practices to address conservation issues related to the over population and destruction from wild hogs in Mississippi. Over population of wild hogs results in damage to Mississippi’s natural resources, causing issues such as soil erosion, water quality degradation, wildlife habitat degradation, and public health/safety. Interested landowners within identified priority areas can apply for assistance.
The specific priority counties identified in northeast Mississippi are Clay, Lowndes, Monroe, Noxubee and Oktibbeha Counties. Counties in central Mississippi are Claiborne, Copiah, Hinds, Rankin and Simpson. Counties in southwestern Mississippi are Adams, Amite, Jefferson, Wilkinson, Lincoln, and Franklin. The counties in the Mississippi Delta are Issaquena, Sharkey, Yazoo, and Warren Counties.
The FSI program allows NRCS staff members to provide landowners with a feral swine population management plan that helps to determine the negative impacts to the natural resources of their tract as well as a management plan to address the issues present.
All NRCS financial assistance programs offer a continuous sign-up process, however to be considered for Feral Swine Initiative funding in fiscal year 2017, applications must be received by March 17, 2017. NRCS helps America’s farmers, ranchers and landowners conserve the Nation’s soil, water, air and other natural resources. All programs are voluntary and offer science-based solutions that benefit both the landowner and the environment.
To locate your local service center, visit http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app.
For more information, visit our website at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/site/ms/home/.
Applications are available at GetStarted.
