State
So, what is a snakehead? Clarion Ledger
A northern snakehead fish was recently discovered for the first time in Mississippi. The fish was shot by bow fishers Brad Baugh and Bubba Steadman in Lake Whittington near Benoit.
So, what is a northern snakehead and where did it come from?
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/2017/06/15/so-what-snakehead/399032001/ Can Pass oyster reefs produce 1 million sacks per year? DMR has a plan. Sun Herald
Reservoir cracks down on trash
WLBT
Volunteers are now cleaning up a popular fishing spot along the Spillway Reservoir dam after the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District posted warnings of closure if fisherman and visitors continued to litter the area.
http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/35676480/reservoir-cracks-down-on-trash Contractors involved in deadly Petal incident, OSHA investigates Fox 23
Reviving southeast Louisiana's marshes with sediment diverted from the
Mississippi River might seem like a no-brainer. It was river sediment, after all, that largely kept the marsh alive before levees were built along the Mississippi to check natural flooding.
But diversions aren't without side effects. Reintroducing sediment will alter the coastal wetlands to which shrimpers, fishers and oyster farmers have become accustomed in recent decades, threatening their livelihood.
http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2017/06/scientists_back_slow_careful_a.html#incart_river_index Can New Reef Design Save Historic Shoreline? Coastal Review
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to propose renewable fuel use requirements for 2018 as soon as this week, five sources told Reuters this week, and traders expect no changes to conventional targets and modest increases to biofuel volumes.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-biofuels-expectations-idUSKBN1962BK 10 Things You Didn't Know About Susan Bodine Bodine is President Donald Trump's pick for a top position in the Environmental Protection Agency.
US News and World Report
North Salt Lake • State and local officials broke ground for Utah's first food digester Thursday morning in a project aimed at reducing landfill waste and harnessing unused renewable energy.
http://www.sltrib.com/news/5398548-155/new-utah-facility-will-be-able Big Oil Firms Are Exploring a New Frontier in Shale: Profits Chevron and other large companies want to turn West Texas, lately a sinkhole for cash, into a money maker WSJ
Scientists have identified three mutations that, if they occurred at the same time in nature, could turn a strain of bird flu now circulating in China into a potential pandemic virus that could spread among people.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-birdflu-mutations-idUSKBN1962ID Press Releases
Mississippi Awarded $2.15 Million EPA Grant for Environmental Programs
06/15/2017
Contact Information:
Davina Marraccini (
marraccini.davina@epa.gov)
404-562-8293, 404-562-8400
ATLANTA – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a $2,147,507 grant to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) to help protect human health and the environment. The amount is part of a performance partnership grant, which is given to states and other local governments that have authority to implement environmental programs. EPA has previously awarded MDEQ $9,724,156 in performance partnership grants this fiscal, bringing the total to $11,871,663 with the latest award.
“EPA is providing funds directly to Mississippi so that the state may determine how best to address its unique and critical environmental challenges,” said
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. “EPA grants to our partners like MDEQ give states the flexibility to protect their resources and grow their economy while solving real environmental problems in local communities.”
This grant will help protect citizens and the environment in Mississippi by supporting the state’s efforts to reduce air and water pollution, improve waste management, restore brownfields to productive use, and promote pollution prevention, sustainability and the conservation of natural resources. MDEQ will use a portion of the funds to ensure safe public drinking water supplies, address wastewater concerns and non-point sources of water pollution, and restore and protect wetlands. The grant will also aid in improving the accessibility of public environmental information.
Performance partnership grants are important tools for EPA to provide financial assistance to states and tribes. These grants allow recipients to use EPA awards with greater flexibility for priority environmental problems or program needs, streamline paperwork and accounting procedures to reduce administrative costs, and try cross-program initiatives and approaches that were difficult to fund under traditional category grants.
EPA’s foundational laws, including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, allow EPA to delegate authority to the States or local governments to implement and enforce those laws. These delegated entities may also develop their own regulations if they are more stringent than federal requirements.
