State
Brandon residents staring down property tax, utility rate increases
Clarion Ledger
Brandon residents learned Monday night that they are not only facing increasing property taxes, but water, sewer and sanitation rate hikes as well.
...Less federal funding is also available from agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency. That means state agencies like the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality have less to offer, Lee said.
HARVEY LEADS TO HIGHER PRICES AT THE GAS PUMP
MPB
Mississippians won't see skyrocketing gas prices because of Tropical Storm Harvey according to an analyst. But, it will cost more to fill the tank.
Lake in south Mississippi temporarily closed for upkeep
AP
MONTICELLO, MISS.
A lake in south Mississippi is being closed so workers can repair piers and other structures.
The state Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks says in a news release that Lake Mary Crawford has been drained.
This stinks! Invasive stink bugs plaguing Mississippi
AP
NEW ORLEANS — The Deep South's nastiest soybean pest is marching north, and Mississippi and Arkansas are facing their worst invasion ever.
State pension fund's future is still uncertain
WLBT
JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) -The fate of Mississippi's pension fund is once again in the spotlight.
National
In Releasing Water from Houston Dams, Army Corps Picks Least Bad Option
Controlled releases seen as prudent choice in face of risk that reservoirs could overrun the barriers
WSJ
With Tropical Storm Harvey dumping record rainfall on Houston, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers faced a dilemma as water volumes rose to perilous levels in its two reservoirs west of the city center.
Harvey’s Toll on Energy Industry Shows a Texas Vulnerability
NY Times
HOUSTON — For years, much of the nation’s refinery capacity and chemical production have been concentrated along the swamps and narrow inlets of the Gulf of Mexico, risking devastation in a monster storm.
EPA taps climate change doubter to lead Midwest office
The Hill
The Trump administration has named Wisconsin’s top environmental regulator to lead the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Midwest regional office.
WOTUS PUBLIC MEETINGS SCHEDULED
KTIC
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers Monday announced a series of teleconferences regarding the repeal and revision of the Waters of the U.S. rule.
9th Circuit upholds EPA consent decree on air sulfur levels
Reuters
A divided federal appeals court on Monday upheld a consent decree that gives the Environmental Protection Agency until 2020 to determine which geographic areas are violating health standards for air pollution from sulfur dioxide.
Icahn Sees Biofuels Fight Deepening as Refinery Losses Mount
Bloomberg
Billionaire Carl Icahn says an oil industry push for structural changes to the U.S. biofuels mandate will persist, even if the Environmental Protection Agency rebuffs requests from refiners to relieve them of the regulatory burden.
Press Releases
EPA Approves Emergency Fuel Waivers for Texas and Georgia
08/29/2017
Contact Information:
WASHINGTON -- Following Hurricane Harvey’s landfall, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt has approved emergency fuel waiver requests from the Texas Comptroller and the Georgia Environmental Protection Division.
EPA has waived the highway diesel fuel red dye requirements to allow the use of non-road diesel fuel for on-highway vehicles involved in emergency response and disaster recovery in Texas as a result of Hurricane Harvey, though September 15.
EPA has also waived the requirement for low volatility gasoline for 13 counties in the Atlanta Metro Area, as a result of the disruption in the supply to that area caused by Hurricane Harvey. The waiver will allow the higher volatility fuel to be sold in the Atlanta area through September 15.
The waiver authority was exercised under the Clean Air Act and was granted by EPA Administrator Pruitt, in coordination with the U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. The requests were made by Texas Comptroller Glenn Hegar on behalf of Governor Greg Abbott and Georgia Environmental Protection Division Director Richard E. Dunn on behalf of Governor Nathan Deal.
As required by law, EPA and the Department of Energy (DOE) evaluated the situation and determined that granting a short-term waiver was consistent with the public interest. EPA and DOE are continuing to actively monitor the fuel supply situation as a result of Hurricane Harvey, and will act expeditiously if extreme and unusual supply circumstances exist in other areas.
To mitigate any impacts on air quality, the Clean Air Act provides strict criteria for when fuels waivers may be granted, and requires that waivers be limited as much as possible in terms of their geographic scope and duration.
