State
Running a-fowl of the law
Board seeks AG’s opinion on zoning of poultry farms
Enterprise-Journal
Pike County supervisors decided to seek an Attorney General’s opinion Wednesday after learning that a proposed county zoning ordinance would have to exempt agricultural operations, according to state law.
Scenic Rivers seeks state status
Enterprise-Journal
The Scenic Rivers Development Alliance jumped another hurdle in fulfilling its longterm goals Wednesday when the House of Representatives approved a bill that would make the alliance a political subdivision of the state.
City of Meridian: Water quality gets perfect score
WTOK
The city of Meridian announced Thursday its drinking water has received a perfect score after an inspection by the Mississippi Department of Health, which monitors and grades systems in technical, managerial and financial operations.
State Government
Mississippi becoming dumping ground for flooded vehicles: senator
Clarion Ledger
Mississippi is becoming a dumping ground for flooded vehicles, but a Senate bill seeks to remedy the situation for unsuspecting buyers.
Lawmakers consider cutting income tax for higher fuel taxes
AP
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Leaders of the Mississippi House of Representatives are considering a plan to reduce income taxes in exchange for higher fuel taxes to raise money for roads and bridges.
National
EPA orders cleanup at St. Louis nuclear waste site. What does it mean for the nation’s other toxic messes?
Washington Post
The Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday ordered a long-awaited cleanup of a Superfund site northwest of St. Louis, saying residents living near the landfill contaminated with World War II-era nuclear waste deserve action after waiting 27 years for federal regulators to issue a decision.
EPA chief riles ethanol advocates with call for biofuels policy reform
Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday that the recent bankruptcy of a Pennsylvania oil refiner was evidence the nation’s biofuel policy needs an overhaul in comments that infuriated biofuels advocates.
Listen to ‘The Daily’: A Conversation with Scott Pruitt
NY Times
Mr. Pruitt, the E.P.A. chief, has been cast by environmentalists as an ideologue on a mission to destroy the very agency he runs. But he sees it differently.
10 U.S. states object to EPA reducing Harley-Davidson emissions penalty
Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Ten U.S. states and the District of Columbia said Thursday they are challenging a decision by the Trump administration to drop a requirement that Harley-Davidson Inc spend $3 million to reduce air pollution under settlement the Obama administration announced.
Hudson River remains contaminated with PCBs: new report
Poughkeepsie Journal
The Hudson River remains contaminated with levels of PCBs that don’t meet state and federal regulations and the river cleanup remains incomplete, according to an updated report issued by The Hudson River Natural Resources Trustees.
New York to sue EPA over Obama water rule delay
The Hill
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) pledged Thursday to lead a “multistate” lawsuit against the Trump administration for delaying a major water pollution rule.
Oklahoma Quakes Tied to How Deep Wastewater Is Injected
A new study finds how deep wastewater is injected is key to understanding the quake outbreak in Oklahoma.
AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new study finds that a major trigger of man-made earthquakes rattling Oklahoma is how deep — not just how much — fracking wastewater is injected into the ground.
Stadium hosting Super Bowl has a bird-killing problem, conservationists say
Morning Call
Amid the anticipation and exhilaration and possible exaltation this Super Bowl weekend, spare a moment to consider the fallen birds.
Opinion
COAST SHOULDN’T GET ALL BP MONEY
Northside Sun
Recently the Mississippi Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill dictating that nearly all of the $750 million the state will receive for economic damages caused by the BP oil spill in 2010 will go to Gulf Coast projects.
Press Releases
Working Lands for Wildlife Initiative Targets Yazoo Darter
Jackson, Miss. – The United States Department of Agriculture / Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications for the Yazoo Darter Initiative. Applications that are received by March 16, 2018 will be considered in the first ranking period.
The Yazoo Darter (Etheostoma raneyi) habitat is exclusively within the Yocona and Little Tallahatchie River watersheds. This small species of fish typically inhabit small streams with a variety of streambed types including silt, clay, sand and gravel. This project will allow Mississippi landowners in these watersheds located in portions of Benton, Calhoun, Lafayette, Marshall, Pontotoc Tippah, Union, and Yalobusha Counties to enhance and create habitat for the Yazoo Darter.
In recent years, Yazoo Darter populations have been in decline, bringing the long-term viability of the species to the concern of scientific experts. Population declines are thought to be the result of poor water quality and habitat modifications such as stream channelization and improper installation of culverts and other stream crossing structures. These serve as fish passage barriers that could significantly limit access to habitat needed for migration, breeding, spawning, feeding and sheltering.
The Yazoo Darter project is part of the Working Lands for Wildlife (WLFW) partnership between the NRCS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the landowner aimed to establish conservation practices that assist with the restoration of wildlife habitat for at-risk species.
“This WLFW partnership will assist landowners with planning and implementing a variety of conservation practices that will benefit the Yazoo Dater, as well as other local aquatic species close to being endangered,” stated Glynda Clardy, NRCS Wildlife Biologist.
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 Yazoo Darter initiative received by March 16, 2018 will be considered for funding in the first ranking period.
