State
MDEQ: Illegal dumping meant to fix erosion issue
Meridian Star
An ongoing investigation from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality into an illegal dumping at the Meridian Public Training Facility revealed that CertainTeed Gypsum and Ceiling Manufacturing, Inc. had obtained permission to dump on the facility's grounds.
New grant program could increase Gulf aquaculture
WLOX
OCEAN SPRINGS, MS (WLOX) -A new method is being tried to increase seafood production through the use of aquaculture. The Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission is awarding grants totaling $450,000 for new and unique aquaculture projects in the Gulf of Mexico.
The projects will range in size from $50,000 to $100,000 and will be given out starting in April to qualified projects.
State Government
Bryant names judge for new court on Mississippi coast
Sun Herald
JACKSON, MISS.
Gov. Phil Bryant is naming a county court judge on the Mississippi coast
S. Trent Favre will take the bench on Jan. 1, the day Hancock County Court will first become active.
National
Greens, health groups sue Trump EPA over missed Obama smog rule deadline
The Hill
Environmental and health groups sued the Trump administration Monday because the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) missed a key deadline in enforcing a major air pollution rule.
Trump Disbands Group Meant to Prepare Cities for Climate Shocks
Bloomberg
The Trump administration has terminated a cross-agency group created to help local officials protect their residents against extreme weather and natural disasters.
Forget Paris: U.S. mayors sign their own pact after Trump ditches climate accord
USA Today
CHICAGO — President Trump ditched the Paris Agreement, but dozens of U.S. mayors are set to sign their own climate accord vowing to do their part in cutting the nation’s greenhouse emissions.
Ocean plastic a 'planetary crisis' - UN
BBC
Life in the seas risks irreparable damage from a rising tide of plastic waste, the UN oceans chief has warned.
Lisa Svensson said governments, firms and individual people must act far more quickly to halt plastic pollution.
Trump Orders Large Cuts to 2 National Monuments in Utah
Bears Ears, Grand Staircase-Escalante were established as protected lands by Obama and Clinton
WSJ
President Donald Trump signed orders Monday that significantly reduce the size of Utah’s Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, marking the largest ever withdrawal of federally protected lands in the U.S., experts say—an act already facing a legal challenge.
Press Releases
EPA Launches Cross-Agency Effort to Address PFAS
12/04/2017
WASHINGTON –Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing a cross-agency effort to address per and polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). PFAS, which includes PFOA, PFOS and GenX, are a diverse group of compounds resistant to heat, water, and oil that are persistent in the environment and resist degradation.
Avian Flu From Abroad Can Spread in North American Poultry, Wild Birds
USGS
Some avian influenza, or bird flu, viruses that are able to enter North America from other continents through migrating birds can be deadly to poultry and can infect waterfowl populations, according to a recently published U.S. Geological Survey study.
One Measure Would Help Expedite Implementation of ‘COASTAL Act’
The Atlantic hurricane season is officially over. November 30 marked the end of a particularly devastating season that produced six major hurricanes at a Category 3 level or higher. The National Hurricane Center has classified 2017 as one of its top seven most active hurricane seasons.
