State
‘One Lake’ project revived by House vote
Clarion Ledger
On a second try, the House mustered the needed votes to pass $50 million in bonds for the One Lake flood control project for Hinds and Rankin counties.
Residents say sewage backs up into some homes in Greenville
AP
GREENVILLE, MISS.
People in one Mississippi city say sewage is backing up into their homes.
State Government
Rumors in state House have Gunn replacing Cochran
Daily Journal
JACKSON – Speculation in the Mississippi House is that Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, is in line to be appointed by Gov. Phil Bryant to replace U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran.
Keith Davis declines opportunity to become next police chief in Moss Point
Mississippi Press
MOSS POINT, Miss. -- The City of Moss Point is again searching for a police chief after Keith Davis declined to accept the position in an announcement on Friday.
Instead, Davis will remain the Chief of the Marine Patrol division of the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.
Oil Spill
Do you know the Mississippi Coast’s slogan? Hint: You won’t ‘get it’
Sun Herald
We know “Virginia is for lovers” and “I ♥ New York.”
They are the top two state tourism slogans in the country, but do you know the slogan for Mississippi? How about the Mississippi Coast?
Regional
Samples confirm DEQ suspicions about GenX in rainwater
Star News
BLADEN COUNTY -- Rainwater samples recently taken near the Chemours’ facility on the Bladen-Cumberland county lines have confirmed regulators’ suspicions that GenX is being transported via wind and brought to the ground by precipitation, according to a Friday release from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).
DEQ's Coal Ash Pitch Does Not Impress Residents
WHQR
Duke Energy operated the coal-powered Sutton Plant off U.S. 421 from 1954 until 2013. They then replaced it with a natural gas facility. But coal ash still has a place at the plant. It gets stored there. Now the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality is looking into re-writing the rules for coal ash disposal.
EPA illegally lowered allowed oxygen content of North Shore rivers: suit
Times-Picayune
The federal Environmental Protection Agency illegally approved the lowering of the required amount of dissolved oxygen in 31 segments of mostly North Shore bayous and rivers, a consortium of environmental groups charge in a lawsuit announced Friday (Feb. 23).
Judge Suspends Construction of Louisiana Oil Pipeline
Energy Transfer Partners, which built the Dakota Access pipeline, is helping to build the 162-mile Bayou Bridge line
AP
Insects feast on Louisiana wetlands, inviting the Gulf in
Times-Picayune
Louisiana's coast was already facing deadly threats: drowning from rising seas, beatings from hurricanes, poisoning from oil spills. Now it is being eaten alive.
National
Pruitt Vows to Repeal ‘Prohibition’ on U.S. Energy Resources
Bloomberg
The Obama administration effectively imposed “Prohibition” on U.S. energy and natural resources development through policies meant to address climate change and water protection, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt said on Friday night.
Court: Trump admin must enforce Obama methane leak rule
The Hill
The Trump administration must start enforcing an Obama administration rule limiting methane leaks from oil and natural gas drilling on federal land, a court ruled.
EPA scientists find black communities disproportionately hit by pollution
The Hill
A study conducted by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientists found that minority and poorer communities are disproportionately affected by air pollution relative to the overall population.
Volkswagen settles U.S. diesel owner lawsuit on eve of trial
Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Volkswagen AG’s (VOWG_p.DE) U.S. unit on Friday resolved a lawsuit brought by a North Carolina man whose diesel emissions case was set to be the first go to trial on Monday.
Zinke tweaks Interior reorganization maps after governors’ criticisms
The Hill
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has tweaked his maps proposing a reorganized regional structure for his department following criticisms from western-state governors.
Would you buy a poisoned Superfund site? He just did
Philadelphia Inquirer
Jon Wybar stands two stories high on a conveyor overlooking his recycling business along the Delaware River waterfront in Philadelphia. Mansions dot the banks just across the channel in New Jersey.
Released ammonia leads to criminal investigation
KOIN
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) - Dyno Nobel, Inc., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon to one count of violating section 103(b) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) on Friday morning.
The charge stemmed from allegations that employees failed to follow procedures after 13,200 pounds of ammonia was released into the air.
Press Releases
Secretary Zinke announces $60 million cooperative agreement to promote fishing and boating and $14 million in Boating Infrastructure Grants
Funds come from taxes on fishing equipment and boating fuel
2/23/2018
WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke today announced a $60 million cooperative agreement with the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) to help retain and recruit recreational anglers and boaters of all ages. Zinke is also announcing $14 million in Boating Infrastructure Grants (BIG), which support water-related outdoor recreation and tourism by improving facilities for large transient recreational boats across the country.
