News Clippings 3/30/17

State Starkville rubbish landfill reopening today Commercial Dispatch   The Starkville Sanitation and Environmental Services Department is expected to reopen the city- and county-operated rubbish landfill today after a new operating permit was approved by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.    http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=57229 City contracts CSL Services to provide flow monitoring for West Bank Interceptor Northside Sun The capital city continues to make progress on its $400 million sewer consent decree. Last week, the Jackson City Council approved entering into a roughly $363,000 contract with CSL Services to provide “flow monitoring” on the West Bank Interceptor. http://northsidesun.com/news/city-contracts-csl-services-provide-flow-monitoring-west-bank-interceptor#sthash.xeSbqTBl.dpbs Kick Butts Day To Help Rid The State Of Pollution, Preventable Death North MS Herald Walking along Mississippi’s roadways may remind pedestrians of an ashtray. Cigarette butts scattered over the state’s beautiful landscape are constant reminders of a sad statistic. More than 500,000 adults in Mississippi smoke cigarettes. Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States. http://yalnews.com/v2/content.aspx?module=contentitem&ID=421420&MemberID=1175&Title=kick-butts-day-to-helprid-the-state-of-pollution-preventable-death&Postback=1 Save Aberdeen Landmarks campaign trying to curtail litter bugs Monroe Journal ABERDEEN – With the Aberdeen Pilgrimage just more than a week away and back-to-back fishing tournaments in the midst, Save Aberdeen Landmarks (SAL) Chairman Dwight Stevens encourages residents to pick up roadside trash to put on a good image for out-of-town visitors.  http://djournal.com/monroe/2017/03/27/save-aberdeen-landmarks-encourages-litter-free-campaign/ Engineer sues Mississippi town for millions Clarion Ledger Local engineer Rudy Warnock is suing Canton Municipal Utilities for more than $6.3 million. David Humphreys of Carson Law Group, the firm currently representing the engineer, said Warnock is owed $6,329,974.87 under his contracts with CMU. http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/2017/03/28/engineer-sues-mississippi-town-millions/99729238/ Chemours to get huge new warehouse in Pass Christian Sun Herald InSite Real Estate has bought a 39-acre site in Pass Christian and will build a 300,000-square-foot building for The Chemours Company. http://www.sunherald.com/news/business/article141510759.html Study tracks turkey movement in Mississippi Clarion Ledger It sounds like the makings of a bad joke — a turkey with a backpack. But that's exactly what the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks has been placing on a number of turkeys. MDWFP Wild Turkey Program leader Adam Butler said the department, along with Mississippi State University wildlife ecology assistant professor Guiming Wang and the Mississippi Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation have joined forces to study habitat use by turkeys. http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/2017/03/29/study-tracks-turkey-movement-mississippi/99725444/ Lawmakers call it a session, sine die Clarion Ledger The House and Senate wrapped up a few final bills and left Jackson on Wednesday afternoon, ending the 2017 regular legislative session after passing more major budget cuts for most state agencies for the coming year. http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2017/03/29/lawmakers-end-session/99773478/ State to help capital city pay for road, infrastructure repairs around Capitol Clarion Ledger The Legislature passed a measure to divert state sales taxes to Jackson to help with infrastructure around the Capitol area — where tax-exempt buildings pose a drain on city coffers. http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/politics/2017/03/29/capitol-complex-bill-passes/99774004/ On the Move: New hires, promotions, recognition Clarion Ledger Balch & Bingham LLP Bradley Ennis has been named a partner in the firm’s Gulfport office and is a member of the Environmental & Natural Resources Practice. http://www.clarionledger.com/story/business/2017/03/29/move-new-hires-promotions-recognition/99413956/ Oil Spill WIN PRIZE FOR IMPROVING THE COAST’S WATER QUALITY WXXV The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality is offering up a monetary prize for a challenge aimed at cleaning up water here on the Coast. http://wxxv25.com/2017/03/29/win-prize-improving-coasts-water-quality/ Regional Good news: Air pollution in Baton Rouge area dips to acceptable level The Advocate Baton Rouge can breathe easier now that the region is officially compliant with federal clean air standards. http://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/environment/article_7f32138c-14b1-11e7-853a-8bfab0f5a5c4.html In St. Bernard Parish, fishers wary of Louisiana's plan to save coast Times-Picayune Along Louisiana 46 near Shell Beach, dead trees still line the old Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet, closed since 2009. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dug the channel in the 1960s as a shortcut for big ships between the Gulf of Mexico and the Industrial Canal, but St. Bernard Parish fishers blame it for killing cypress trees and speeding erosion of the marsh that historically buffered their communities from storm surge. http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2017/03/st_bernard_coastal_master_plan.html#incart_river_index National Trump lawyers ask court to halt climate rule case The Hill Trump administration attorneys are asking an appeals court to hold off on ruling on whether the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan is legal. http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/326271-trump-lawyers-ask-court-to-halt-climate-rule-case Is Pruitt’s 2014 Plan a Blueprint for Carbon Rule Replacement? Bloomberg A plan that Scott Pruitt floated when he was Oklahoma’s attorney general would provide only one-tenth of the carbon dioxide reductions envisioned in the EPA’s power plant rule—but it could form the basis of the Trump administration’s replacement as it dismantles Obama-era regulations. https://www.bna.com/pruitts-2014-plan-n57982085903/ House votes to restrict EPA’s use of science The Hill The House voted Wednesday to restrict the kind of scientific studies and data that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can use to justify new regulations. http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/326380-house-votes-to-restrict-epas-use-of-science Trump EPA declines to ban pesticide that Obama had proposed outlawing Washington Post The new head of the Environmental Protection Agency refused Wednesday to ban a commonly used pesticide that the Obama administration had sought to outlaw based on mounting concerns about its risks to human health. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/03/29/trump-epa-declines-to-ban-pesticide-that-obama-had-proposed-outlawing/?utm_term=.ae53a43097ca Interior secretary reopens federal coal mining The Hill Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has ended the federal government’s Obama-era moratorium on coal-mining leases on federal land. http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/326307-interior-secretary-reopens-federal-coal-mining EU Calls Trump’s Coal Move a ‘Global Disaster’ as Nations Renew Climate Vows Europeans call on U.S. to stick to Paris accord while Asian nations said president’s embrace of coal wouldn’t derail their efforts WSJ European officials issued rebukes and officials around Asia said they would continue their drive toward cleaner fuels after President Donald Trump laid the groundwork to reverse his predecessor’s climate-change policies. https://www.wsj.com/articles/asia-nations-say-trump-wont-derail-their-climate-change-efforts-1490792320 Volkswagen Says It Has EPA Approval to Sell Repaired Diesels Bloomberg Volkswagen AG will soon do what’s been impossible since its emissions crisis began: sell diesel-powered cars in the U.S. https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-03-29/volkswagen-says-it-has-epa-approval-to-sell-repaired-diesels Press releases RULE CHANGES PROPOSED FOR MDWFP LAKES JACKSON – The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) Fisheries Bureau announced proposed fishing regulations and the proposed opening date for Lake Monroe, which is located near Aberdeen The regulations include a slot limit of 14-22 inches for largemouth bass, with a daily creel limit of 10 bass per angler including one bass over 22 inches.  Daily creel limits of 20 crappie,100 bream, and 0 walleye have also been proposed.  “These regulations will help sustain high angler catch rates and protect the initial stock of largemouth bass,” said MDWFP Fisheries Biologist Trevor Knight.  Lake Monroe will host a youth fishing day on Saturday, June 3 and will open to the general public on Wednesday, June 7, 2017. Changes to regulations have also been proposed at several MDWFP lakes.  At Lake Tom Bailey in Lauderdale County, the proposed rule will remove the 15-inch minimum length limit on largemouth bass and increase the daily creel limit to 10 fish per angler.  The daily creel limit will be 10 bream and 5 crappie per angler at the Olive Branch City Park ponds.  In addition, at the McMillian Park pond in Carthage, the proposed rule will increase the largemouth bass daily creel limit to two fish per angler. Anyone wishing to comment on the proposed changes may do so in writing to the Executive Director, Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, 1505 Eastover Dr., Jackson, MS 39211, no later than April 26, 2017. Connect with us

Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality | 515 East Amite Street, Jackson, MS 39201 Unsubscribe oliver.paladin.2297348308@blogger.com Update Profile | About our service provider Sent by rwilbur@mdeq.ms.gov in collaboration with Try it free today