State
Improvements underway at Hattiesburg wastewater lagoon
Hattiesburg American
Just a few short months ago, Hattiesburg officials were looking at pulling the trigger on either a $120 million land application system or a $135 million mechanical system to treat Hattiesburg's wastewater.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/hattiesburg/2017/02/08/improvements-underway-hattiesburg-wastewater-lagoon/97653894/
Hattiesburg cleaning, testing wastewater lagoon
WDAM
HATTIESBURG, MS (WDAM) -Engineers and contractors are working to improve and clean equipment and test water in Hattiesburg's south wastewater lagoon to improve efficiency and save money.
http://www.wdam.com/story/34459170/hattiesburg-cleaning-testing-wastewater-lagoon
DeSoto 'In-fill' redevelopment ideas flow
DeSoto Times-Tribune
The Nesbit community's old downtown "is just sitting there," a cluster of forlorn, empty or under-used buildings, says DeSoto Supervisor Lee Caldwell. Yet she envisions a future where the area can be an up-and-coming, humming hub of commerce.
http://www.desototimes.com/news/desoto-in-fill-redevelopment-ideas-flow/article_1ec9be5a-ee55-11e6-aeea-8361912723cb.html
Council approves debris-removal contract
Hattiesburg American
Hattiesburg City Council members have accepted the proposal of Crowder Gulf for debris-removal assistance related to the Jan. 21 tornado that barreled through the Pine Belt.
http://www.hattiesburgamerican.com/story/news/local/hattiesburg/2017/02/08/council-approves-debris-removal-contract/97632490/
Bill: move tidelands from Secretary of State to DMR
Clarion Ledger
A provision deep in a "cleanup bill" to fix issues and release trapped money from last year's special funds sweep by lawmakers would strip state tidelands trust authority from the secretary of state and give it to the Department of Marine Resources.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/politicalledger/2017/02/08/tidelands-dmr-state/97647478/
P&B Oil and Gas Inc. looking to build refinery in Moss Point
Mississippi Press
MOSS POINT, Miss. - Representative Don Levy with P&B Oil and Gas Well Inc. visited the City of Moss Point Tuesday evening to pitch his company to Mayor Billy Broomfield and the Board of Aldermen.
http://blog.gulflive.com/mississippi-press-news/2017/02/pb_oil_and_gas_inc_looking_to.html#incart_river_index
City will not provide utilities in county side of trailer park
North Mississippi Herald
A proposed trailer park expansion in Water Valley may have hit a snag after city officials reported at Tuesday night’s meeting that the city does not have the capacity to provide sewage for the entire project.
http://yalnews.com/v2/content.aspx?module=contentitem&ID=420810&MemberID=1175&Title=city-will-not-provide-utilities-in-county-side-of-trailer-park&Postback=1
Barnett Reservoir officials address fishing conflicts
Clarion Ledger
Conflicts between leaseholders and anglers on Barnett Reservoir aren't common, but they are frequent enough that the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District, which oversees the impoundment and surrounding areas, wants them resolved.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/2017/02/08/barnett-reservoir-officials-address-fishing-conflicts/97637632/
Effort continues to spare civil service protection
Clarion Ledger
A measure to strip civil service protection from state employees remained stalled in the House on Wednesday, with supporters lacking the votes to remove a holding motion and send it on to the Senate.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2017/02/08/effort-continues-spare-civil-service-protection/97653874/
Regional
Arkansas AG seeks delay of EPA's haze reduction plan
Arkansas News
LITTLE ROCK - Attorney General Leslie Rutledge filed a motion Tuesday asking a federal appeals court to stay the Environmental Protection Agency's plan for reducing air pollution that limits visibility in Arkansas.
http://www.arkansasnews.com/news/20170207/arkansas-ag-seeks-delay-of-epa8217s-haze-reduction-plan
Landfill owner drops speech suit against residents
AP
UNIONTOWN - The owner of a landfill in a small Alabama city has dropped a defamation lawsuit filed against residents who used social media to voice their opposition to the disposing of coal ash at the site.
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/news/20170208/landfill-owner-drops-speech-suit-against-residents
Researcher makes ground-breaking dinosaur discovery
WCTV
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) -- Dinosaurs might have gone extinct 65 million years ago, but it's movies like Jurassic World that prove we're still fascinated by them and so are scientists.
http://www.wtok.com/content/news?article=413216873
National
GOP Climate Group Tries to Warm White House to Carbon Tax
WSJ
After a 45-minute meeting Wednesday with President Donald Trump’s top economic adviser Gary Cohn, a group of former Republican leaders left the White House feeling cautiously optimistic about an idea conventional wisdom says is dead on arrival: a carbon tax to address climate change.
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2017/02/08/gop-climate-group-tries-to-warm-white-house-to-carbon-tax/
Prominent Republicans Pitch Carbon-Tax Plan to Top Trump Aides
Bloomberg
A group of prominent Republicans and business leaders pitched a tax on carbon dioxide to top White House aides Wednesday, selling the plan as an economic win that could drive job growth and yield environmental dividends too.
https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-02-08/prominent-republicans-begin-push-to-tax-carbon-cut-regulations
Trump Expected to Name Two Veteran Lobbyists to Advise on Energy Issues
Administration expected to tap Michael Catanzaro and George David Banks
WSJ
WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump is likely to tap two veteran lobbyists to advise on energy and environmental issues in the White House, according to multiple people close to the new administration, filling key roles with longtime Washington experts.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-expected-to-name-fossil-fuel-lobbyist-to-advise-on-energy-issues-1486559510
Benton staying at EPA as senior White House adviser
AP
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) - Former Washington state Sen. Don Benton will be staying on at the Environmental Protection Agency as the agency’s senior White House adviser.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/feb/8/benton-staying-at-epa-as-senior-white-house-advise/
Republican Congressman on Push to Abolish the EPA
Fox Business
There have been reportsOpens a New Window. that the Trump administration may look to make significant cuts to the EPA’s budget and staffing. But one Congressman is taking it a step further and wants to abolish the EPA. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) discussed the bill he is introducing to end the EPA.
http://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/2017/02/08/republican-congressman-on-push-to-abolish-epa.html
EPA Officials Yanked From Alaska Event as Trump Team Weighs In
Bloomberg
Just three days before this week’s environment conference in Alaska, the top Environmental Protection Agency official in Anchorage called the organizer with some news: The agency had been instructed by the White House to slash the number of EPA staffers who could attend.
https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-02-09/epa-officials-yanked-from-alaska-event-as-trump-team-weighs-in
EPA rejects Iowa new clean water rule passed last August
AP
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has told Iowa environmental regulators that changes made to state clean water standards last year violate federal regulations.
http://www.kwwl.com/story/34449948/epa-rejects-iowa-new-clean-water-rule-passed-last-august
Trump delays new rules for farmers, guitarfish
The Hill
President Trump’s regulatory moratorium captures new rules for farmers and protections for guitarfish in Thursday’s edition of the Federal Register.
http://thehill.com/regulation/318481-trump-delays-new-rules-for-farmers-guitarfish
Opinion
WLOX Editorial: What's good for the coast, is good for the state too
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) - It looks like the state legislature is going to do the right thing when it comes to money coming to the state from BP. BP will pay Mississippi $750 million over 17 years for economic damages caused by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil disaster in the Gulf.
http://www.wlox.com/story/34459299/wlox-editorial-whats-good-for-the-coast-is-good-for-the-state-too
Press Releases
Portion of oyster reef in Pass Christian
to open Thursday, Feb. 9
BILOXI, Miss. – A portion of an oyster reef in Pass Christian will open Thursday, Feb. 9, for tonging, officials with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources announced Wednesday.
Conditionally Approved Area II “F” will open at legal sunrise Thursday. It is part of the Pass Christian Reef and is known as the “Tonging Box.”
All applicable rules and regulations shall remain in effect, and all other waters and reefs shall remain closed to the harvest of oysters.
For more information, harvesters may call the Oyster Hotline at 228-374-5167 or 1-800-385-5902.
Gov. Bryant Appoints the Honorable Ann Lamar to IHL Board
JACKSON – Gov. Phil Bryant has appointed the Honorable Ann Lamar, retired Justice of the Supreme Court of Mississippi, to the IHL Board of Trustees. Mrs. Lamar will represent the 3rd Supreme Court District. Her term will begin immediately and run through 2021. She replaces Karen Cummins, who passed away in January 2017 after an extended illness.
Mrs. Lamar is recently retired from the Supreme Court of Mississippi and was a Justice from 2007 to 2016. She was only the third woman to have served on the Supreme Court upon her appointment.
“Justice Lamar admirably served the people of Mississippi on the Supreme Court with honor and integrity. She will now bring her experience and wisdom to the College Board,” Gov. Bryant said. “I am pleased to appoint her.”
Prior to her appointment to the Supreme Court of Mississippi, Mrs. Lamar served as a Circuit Court Judge in the 17th Circuit Court District from 2001 to 2007, which includes Desoto, Tate, Panola, Tallahatchie, and Yalobusha counties. She also presided over the 17th Circuit Drug Court, supervising program participants in four of the five counties.
Additionally, Mrs. Lamar served as District Attorney in the 17th District until her appointment to the circuit bench in 2001, as Assistant District Attorney for nine years, and had a private law practice for eight years.
She was named Citizen of the Year by the Tate County Economic Development Foundation in 2010, inducted as a Fellow of the Mississippi Bar Foundation in 2011, and is also the recipient of the Mississippi Bar’s Susie Blue Buchanan Award for commitment of the advancement of women in the field of law.
Mrs. Lamar earned her law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law, after attending Northwest Mississippi Junior College and earning a Bachelor of Science degree in education from Delta State University.
“This appointment is a great honor, and I thank Gov. Bryant for the opportunity to serve,” Lamar said. “The work of the College Board is critical to our state, and I’m excited to get to work with my fellow members.”
She and her husband have two adult children, three grandchildren, and attend First Baptist Church in Senatobia.
The appointment will be brought before the Mississippi Senate for confirmation.
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| USDA Reminds Individuals and Small Businesses in Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi that USDA Offers Disaster Assistance Programs to Help |
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| WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2017 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reminds farmers and ranchers, families and small businesses that could potentially be affected by the recent storms that USDA has several programs that provide assistance before, during and after disasters. USDA staff in the regional, State and county offices in the states of Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi are ready to help. USDA encourages residents and small businesses in the potential impact zones to contact the following offices to meet their individual needs: Property and Shelter When floods destroy or severely damage residential property, USDA Rural Development can assist with providing priority hardship application processing for single family housing. Under a disaster designation, USDA Rural Development can issue a priority letter for next available multi-family housing units. While these programs do not normally have disaster assistance authority, many of USDA Rural Development programs can help provide financial relief to small businesses hit by natural disasters, including low-interest loans to community facilities, water environmental programs, businesses and cooperatives and to rural utilities. More information can be found on the Rural Development website or by contacting the State Offices. Food Safety and Food Assistance Severe weather forecasts often present the possibility of power outages that could compromise the safety of stored food. The USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recommends that consumers take the necessary steps before, during, and after a power outage to reduce food waste and minimize the risk of foodborne illness. FSIS offers tips for keeping frozen and refrigerated food safe and a brochure that can be downloaded and printed for reference at home. If you have questions about the safety of food in your home, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET or visit AskKaren.gov to chat live with a food safety specialist, available in English and Spanish. Owners of meat and poultry producing businesses who have questions or concerns may contact the FSIS Small Plant Help Desk by phone at 1-877-FSIS-HELP (1-877-374-7435), by email at infosource@fsis.usda.gov, or 24/7 online at http://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/regulatory-compliance/svsp/sphelpdesk. The USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) coordinates with state, local and voluntary organizations to provide food for shelters and other mass feeding sites. Under certain circumstances, states also may request to operate a disaster household distribution program to distribute USDA Foods directly to households in need. In addition, FNS may approve a state's request to implement a Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) when the President declares a major disaster for individual assistance under the Stafford Act in areas affected by a disaster. State agencies may also request a number of disaster-related SNAP waivers to help provide temporary assistance to impacted households already receiving SNAP benefits at the time of the disaster. Resources for disaster feeding partners as well as available FNS disaster nutrition assistance can be found on the FNS Disaster Assistance website. Crop and Livestock Loss The USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) administers many safety-net programs to help producers recover from eligible losses, including the Livestock Indemnity Program, the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program, Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) and the Tree Assistance Program. The FSA Emergency Conservation Program provides funding and technical assistance for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters. Producers located in counties that received a primary or contiguous disaster designation are eligible for low-interest emergency loans to help them recover from production and physical losses. Compensation also is available to producers who purchased coverage through the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program, which protects non-insurable crops against natural disasters that result in lower yields, crop losses or prevented planting. USDA encourages farmers and ranchers to contact their local FSA office to learn what documents can help the local office expedite assistance, such as farm records, receipts and pictures of damages or losses. Producers should use form FSA-576, Notice of Loss, to report prevented planting and failed acres in order to establish or retain FSA program eligibility. Prevented planting acreage must be reported no later than 15 calendar days after the final planting date as established by FSA and USDA Risk Management Agency (RMA). Producers must file a Notice of Loss for failed acres on all crops including grasses in a timely fashion, often within 15 days of the occurrence or when the losses become apparent. Producers of hand-harvested crops must notify FSA of damage or loss within 72 hours of when the date of damage or loss first becomes apparent. Producers with coverage through the RMA administered federal crop insurance program should contact their crop insurance agent. Those who purchased crop insurance will be paid for covered losses. Producers should report crop damage within 72 hours of damage discovery and follow up in writing within 15 days. Community Recovery Resources For declared natural disasters that lead to imminent threats to life and property, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) can assist local government sponsors with the cost of implementing recovery efforts like debris removal and streambank stabilization to address natural resource concerns and hazards through the Emergency Watershed Protection Program. NRCS staff is coordinating with state partners to complete damage assessments in preparation for sponsor assistance requests. NRCS also can help producers with damaged agricultural lands caused by natural disasters such as floods. The NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) provides financial assistance to repair and prevent excessive soil erosion that can result from high rainfall events and flooding. Conservation practices supported through EQIP protect the land and aid in recovery, can build the natural resource base, and might help mitigate loss in future events. USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture provides support for disaster education through the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN). EDEN is a collaborative multi-state effort with land-grant universities and Cooperative Extension Services across the country, using research-based education and resources to improve the delivery of services to citizens affected by disasters. EDEN's goal is to improve the nation's ability to mitigate, prepare for, prevent, respond to and recover from disasters. , EDEN equips county-based Extension educators to share research-based resources in local disaster management and recovery efforts. The EDEN website offers a searchable database of Extension professionals, resources, member universities and disaster agency websites, education materials to help people deal with a wide range of hazards, and food and agricultural defense educational resources. For complete details and eligibility requirements regarding USDA's disaster assistance programs, contact a local USDA Service Center (http://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app). More information about USDA disaster assistance (http://www.usda.gov/documents/fact-sheet-usda-programs-assist-individuals-small-businesses.pdf) as well as other disaster resources is available on the USDA Disaster Resource Center website. In a continuing effort to better serve the public, USDA has developed a new and improved central resource for disaster related materials. In partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other disaster-focused organizations, USDA created a Disaster Resource Center (http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome?navid=disaster-help) website, utilizing a new online searchable knowledgebase. This knowledgebase is a collection of disaster-related resources that are powered by agents with subject-matter expertise. The Disaster Resource Center website and web tool now provide an easy access point to find USDA disaster information and assistance. # |
