State
BP oil spill or Mother Nature? Is vibrio on the rise in the Mississippi Sound?
Sun Herald
Ronald “Griz” Winnert of Waveland may not remember the first time he went fishing, but he can definitely tell you the last time he fished from the seawall near the Silver Slipper Casino in Bay St. Louis.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/article130787574.html
Waveland man’s battle with vibrio successful, but costly
Sun Herald
WAVELAND
Ronald “Griz” Winnert, who said he also had open heart surgery in 2016 and is diabetic, had no idea his compromised immune system played a role in the way the vibriosis viciously attacked his body.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/health/article130787774.html
The Mississippi Sound is a healthy body of water
Sun Herald
Video
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/article130774019.html
At a stalemate
Supervisors seek action in Gateway lawsuits; workforce housing property scarred by erosion problems
Enterprise-Journal
It was pitched as a manicured, gated community for oilfield workers with the fancy name of Shale Lodge. The reality consists of eight empty mobile-home-like structures on a field of eroding mud, all tied up in lawsuits.
http://www.enterprise-journal.com/news/article_f41c6f6c-ea3b-11e6-b486-8fd4c6b2511c.html
Pascagoula City Council unanimously opposes Lake George project
Mississippi Press
PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- The Pascagoula City Council held a special meeting on Friday to discuss the proposed Lake George project. After their meeting concluded, the council unanimously voted to oppose the project.
Picayune company providing monitors for tornado debris removal
WDAM
HATTIESBURG, MS (WDAM) -A Picayune company is helping Hattiesburg clean up tornado debris.
http://www.wdam.com/story/34427772/picayune-company-providing-monitors-for-tornado-debris-removal
Supes look to address illegal dumping
Commercial Dispatch
Lowndes County supervisors are looking for a way to deal with the county's illegal garbage dumping problem.
http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=56050
Mayor Billy Broomfield holds community forum to address state of water in Moss Point
Mississippi Press
MOSS POINT, Miss. - Mayor Billy Broomfield in conjunction with H2O Innovation and Utility Partners held an informational forum to address water within the City of Moss Point and to address or answer any questions or concerns residents may have had.
Where are talks of an $8B investment in a Jackson County LNG plant?
Sun Herald
PASCAGOULA
Where is Gulf LNG — the two huge storage tanks and terminal that dominate the horizon southeast of Pascagoula — with its plans for an $8 billion revamp?
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/jackson-county/article130780374.html
Fire consumes 500 acres north of Long Beach
HARRISON COUNTY
Firefighters contained a brush fire Saturday north of Long Beach that had rekindled from Tuesday, consuming an estimated total of 500 acres of field and woodland.
http://www.sunherald.com/news/local/article130820734.html
Erosion problem threatens part of park
Vicksburg Post
In 1863, the Railroad Redoubt and the Confederate soldiers who defended it withstood multiple assaults by Union forces, forcing the decision by Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant to lay siege to Vicksburg.
Learn to manage for more turkeys
Clarion Ledger
The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks along with Mississippi State University Extension Service are offering workshops on better understanding and management of wild turkeys. One will be held on February 17 at Mitchell's Restaurant in Brookhaven and another on February 24 at Bass Pro Shops in Pearl.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/2017/02/06/learn-manage-more-turkeys/97541128/
Oil Spill
| Moran says Coast legislators will secure BP funds |
The Mississippi Legislature is in the midst of its regular session for 2017 and state Sen. Philip Moran said this week that things are looking good for the Coast so far.
http://www.seacoastecho.com/article_10610.shtml#.WJiF2lPaeUk
Gulf County Commissioners Discuss Allocation of RESTORE Act Funds
WMBB
PORT ST. JOE, Fla.
The Gulf County Board of Commissioners held an informational workshop in Port St. Joe to discuss the allocation of funds in the Restore Act.
http://www.mypanhandle.com/news/gulf-county-commissioners-discuss-allocation-of-restore-act-funds/649206316
Regional
The Memphis Sand Aquifer: a buried treasure
Commercial Appeal
Deep beneath a small metal shed that stands like a rusted, antenna-crowned curiosity piece in Peabody Park in Central Gardens, something strange,something unprecedented, is happening.
http://www.commercialappeal.com/longform/news/environment/2016/12/16/memphis-sand-aquifer-buried-treasure/93814278/
Champions of recycling: Arkansas tops SEC in environmental study
Gridiron Now
Good news, Razorbacks fans. Arkansas has finished first among SEC football programs even if it’s only in … recycling.
http://gridironnow.com/arkansas-tops-sec-environmental-study/
National
Scott Pruitt Is Seen Cutting the E.P.A. With a Scalpel, Not a Cleaver
NY Times
WASHINGTON — Scott Pruitt, President Trump’s pick to run the Environmental Protection Agency, is drawing up plans to move forward on the president’s campaign promise to “get rid of” the agency he hopes to head. He has a blueprint to repeal climate change rules, cut staffing levels, close regional offices and permanently weaken the agency’s regulatory authority.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/05/us/politics/scott-pruitt-is-seen-cutting-the-epa-with-a-scalpel-not-a-cleaver.html
Trump Team Relaxes EPA Restrictions on Media and Contracts
AP
The Trump administration said Friday it has thawed its temporary freeze on contract and grant approvals at the Environmental Protection Agency, with all $3.9 billion in planned spending moving forward.
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/trump-team-relaxes-epa-restrictions-media-contracts-45257227
Lawmakers introduce bill to end EPA
SF Chronicle
The Environmental Protection Agency has come under constant fire from the Trump administration, enduring both a temporary gag order — which was later partially lifted — and news that President Trump was looking to cut the agency's budget and staff.
http://www.sfgate.com/politics/article/Lawmakers-introduce-bill-to-end-EPA-10910411.php
House votes to overturn Obama drilling rule
The Hill
The House on Friday passed a resolution to reverse a pollution rule for oil and natural gas drillers that was put in place by the Obama administration. http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/317739-house-votes-to-overturn-obama-oil-and-gas-rule
G.O.P. Hurries to Slash Oil and Gas Rules, Ending Industries’ 8-Year Wait
NY Times
WASHINGTON — The document carried the title “A Roadmap to Repeal,” a concise list of Obama administration environmental regulations that a Koch brothers-backed group was pressing President Trump and Congress to quickly reverse after Inauguration Day.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/04/us/politics/republicans-oil-gas-regulations.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fearth&action=click&contentCollection=earth®ion=stream&module=stream_unit&version=latest&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront&_r=0
EPA: Oklahoma Regulators Should Do More to Curb Earthquakes
AP
The Environmental Protection Agency has told Oklahoma regulators to do more to protect the state from a surge in earthquake activity that scientists have linked to the underground disposal of oil and gas wastewater.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/epa-oklahoma-regulators-curb-earthquakes-45259216
