State
West Rankin Utility Authority to no longer use Jackson wasterwater plantWJTV
Hazardous waste disposal day scheduled for Hattiesburg, surrounding areas
WDAM
Community prepares for annual recycling, cleanup observance
Bolivar Commercial
AP
Bird flu surveillance zones lifted in western Kentucky
AP
The U.S. “needs to exit” the Paris climate pact, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said April 13, siding with those in the Trump administration who want complete withdrawal from the 2015 agreement reached among nearly 200 nations.
https://www.bna.com/us-needs-exit-n57982086707/ EPA moves to undo tougher pollution limits on coal plants AP
The Trump administration's hiring freeze meant more than 350 positions at the Environmental Protection Agency were left unfilled, newly released agency documents show, including more than 100 scientists in specialties like environmental science, life science, and physical science.
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/13/politics/epa-hiring-freeze/ Large-Scale Animal Farms Must Report Waste Releases Bloomberg
Large animal farms will be required to report more air pollution from animal waste after the D.C. Circuit April 11 vacated an Environmental Protection Agency rule (
Waterkeeper Alliance v. EPA , 2017 BL 117866, D.C. Cir., No. 09-1017, 4/11/17 ).
https://www.bna.com/largescale-animal-farms-n57982086729/ BP oil well leaking in Alaska's North Slope, no estimate on volume spilled yet Washington Post
Scott Pruitt, the climate-change denier charged by President Trump with making the Environmental Protection Agency less protective of the environment, traveled to Pennsylvania last week to kick off E.P.A.’s “back to basics” agenda and tell a group of worried coal miners that the Obama administration’s “war on coal” was over and that he and Mr. Trump would lead a revival of the industry.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/17/opinion/wrong-message-wrong-coal-mine.html?_r=0 Press Releases
USDA Invests to Improve Water Quality in High Priority Watersheds Jackson, Miss. – The United States Department of Agriculture / Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
will assist farmers and landowners in high-priority watersheds areas in Mississippi to improve water quality through
the National Water Quality Initiative (NWQI). Applications received by May 19, 2017, will be considered in the
first ranking period.
The NWQI assists farmers and landowners implement voluntary conservation practices, such as nutrient management,
cover crops, conservation cropping systems, filter strips, terraces, and buffers, which protect and improve water quality.
Conservation practices help to improve water quality by enhancing soil health, which in turn enhances agricultural
productivity and profitability.
“USDA is committed to working hand-in-hand with farmers and landowners to address water quality issues and
provide the tools necessary to ensure clean and safe water for communities and wildlife,” stated Kurt Readus,
NRCS State Conservationist in Mississippi.
The goal of the NWQI is to implement conservation practices within a local area to protect water bodies within
priority watersheds. NRCS works closely with conservation partners and State water quality agencies to select
watersheds where on-farm conservation can deliver the greatest benefits for cleaner water. State water quality
agencies also work to align U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funding with these priority watersheds.
Mississippi has three existing watersheds that are targeted for improving water quality. These watersheds are North
Tippah Creek in Tippah County, Porter Bayou Watershed in Sunflower County, and Chase Bayou-Sammy Creek in
Adams County.
Since 2009, USDA has invested more than $29 billion to help farmers and landowners make conservation improvements,
to protect over 400 million acres nationwide, boosting soil and air quality, cleaning and conserving water and enhancing
wildlife habitat.
Applications for all NRCS financial-assistance programs are accepted on a continuous sign-up process, however specific
sign-up deadlines are established to rank, contract and fund qualified tracts of land. Applications for the National
Water Quality Initiative received by
May 19, 2017, will be considered for funding in the first ranking period.
