State
Competitive Enterprise Institute blog
West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, nineteen other state attorneys general, and the head of the Mississippi department of environmental quality recently filed a superb comment letter on the Environmental Protection Agency’s advance notice of proposed rulemaking entitled “State Guidelines for Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Existing Electric Utility Generating Units.”
Kuhn Memorial Hospital to be demolished and property cleared
Vicksburg Post
The city of Vicksburg has entered into an agreement with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality for the demolition of Kuhn Memorial Hospital.
MDEQ LIFTS FIVE BEACH ADVISORIES
WXXV
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), through its Beach Monitoring Program, lifted water contact advisories Friday for Stations 1, 7, 7A, 10B, and 14. Three other advisories remain in effect.
Supervisors to form Lafayette County Utility Authority
Oxford Eagle
The Lafayette County Board of Supervisors has introduced local and private legislation that will allow for the creation of a county utility authority board.
Southaven to consolidate sanitation services
DeSoto Times-Tribune
Within the next 2-3 months, Southaven residents will have one company service its needs for sanitation services, including garbage, rubbish and recycling.
Sun Creek Water Association seeks funding for new well
Daily Times Leader
WEST POINT, MS
The Sun Creek Water Association (SCWA) held a public hearing Wednesday morning to discuss applying for a USDA Rural Development Grant.
Mississippi response plan meeting to be held on deer disease
AP
VICKSBURG, MISS.
Mississippi will hold a public meeting to discuss its response plan to a fatal infectious deer disease that has been confirmed in the state.
Mixed forecast for turkey season
Clarion Ledger
For hunters in much of the state, turkey season should be a loud one. For others, it may be a challenge.
Airbus lands big Army contract for Columbus, MS plant
WLBT
Governor Phil Bryant is calling it a big economic boost for Mississippi's economy. Friday Senators Thad Cochran, Roger Wicker and Congressman Trent Kelly announced a $273.2 million dollar Army contract to build helicopters at a Columbus plant in Lowndes County.
State Government
Bryant Names 4 More Members to College Board
AP
Gov. Phil Bryant is nominating four people to the board that oversees Mississippi's eight public universities, making him the first governor to appoint all 12 trustees.
Oil Spill
HOUSE BILL 1185 UPDATE
WXXV
This week, the Mississippi Senate passed a funding bill for BP settlement funding.
News 25’s Jaylon Morris gives us an update on the House bill and the next step toward the bill becoming a law.
Ivey: RESTORE Act money to be distributed equitably over time
WALA
MONTGOMERY, AL (WALA) -Alabama Governor Kay Ivey issued a statement about this week's passage of infrastructure, economic development and ecosystem restoration in Mobile and Baldwin Counties by the Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council (AGCRC).
$315 million awarded to Gulf Coast projects for BP oil spill recovery
WKRG
MOBILE, AL (WKRG) - Hundreds of millions of dollars is on its way to the Gulf Coast for dozens of projects as part of the recovery efforts in the aftermath of the BP oil spill in 2010.mong the projects being funded that have been in limbo for years.
Regional
Memphis will pump sewage into Mississippi River following water treatment plant failure
WMC
City of Memphis will be pumping sewage water into the Mississippi River temporarily.
Friday morning, sewage began flowing out of underground pipes north of Mud Island near General DeWitt Spain Airport.
Alabama Power to close ash facilities
Gadsden Times
In compliance with federal regulations, Alabama Power Company is planning to shut down all of its coal ash facilities.
'On a hot day, it's horrific': Alabama kicks up a stink over shipments of New York poo
The Guardian
New York City is the beating heart of global finance, a cultural behemoth, and home to more than 8.5 million people who create an enormous amount of poo. Some of this expelled waste has been causing a major stink 900 miles away, in Alabama.
$1.4 billion Everglades reservoir clears key hurdle. Is it enough to save the Glades?
Miami Herald
South Florida water managers signed off on a $1.4 billion reservoir Thursday, approving one of the costliest projects yet in the decades-long effort to stop coastal pollution and send clean water to the Everglades’ ailing marshes.
PINPOINTING A POLLUTANT
Greensboro links water contaminant to chemical foam used in PTI-area firefighting, training exercises
News & Record
Greensboro officials seeking the source of a potentially harmful, drinking water contaminant are focused on a relatively small area that includes Piedmont Triad International Airport and its immediate surroundings.
Outlook mixed as federal government prepares for Gulf offshore oil auction, billed as largest in history
The Advocate
WASHINGTON — Vast swaths of the Gulf of Mexico will go on the auction block for offshore oil and gas drilling in less than two weeks. But the 77-million-acre sale, billed as the largest in the country’s history, may not shake off the offshore oil industry's three-year slump.
Army Corps opens 13 more bays on Bonnet Carre' Spillway
Times-Picayune
The Army Corps of Engineers opened 13 additional bays on the Bonnet Carre' Spillway on Friday (March 9) as the Mississippi River continued to rise. That brings the total number of bays opened to 21.
National
The E.P.A Chief Wanted a Climate Science Debate. Trump’s Chief of Staff Stopped Him.
NY Times
John F. Kelly, the White House chief of staff, has killed an effort by the head of the Environmental Protection Agency to stage public debates challenging climate change science, according to three people familiar with the deliberations, thwarting a plan that had intrigued President Trump even as it set off alarm bells among his top advisers.
Blowing hot air: Farms could be required to report emissions data the EPA says it doesn't need, can't act on
Rushville Republican
The EPA says it's useless. Farm advocates call it burdensome. But a court has ordered the data be reported anyway.
Opinion
Biofuel Mandates Are a Bad Idea Whose Time May Be Up
There’s bipartisan support for relaxing the 2005-07 mandate. It’ll have to get past Iowa’s GOP senators.
WSJ
By Thomas Landstreet
The political tide may be turning against the corn ethanol mandate. The Renewable Fuel Standard, which forces oil refiners to mix corn-based fuel into gasoline, is one of history’s great policy boondoggles. Even ex-Rep. Henry Waxman of California, a key sponsor of the original legislation establishing the standard, said Thursday that he favors phasing out the mandate.
Press Releases
*Fish and Wildlife Service Conducts Five-year Status*
*Reviews of Eight Southeastern Species*
The public is invited to provide information and comments concerning these species on or before May 11, 2018.
These five-year reviews will ensure listing classifications under the ESA <https://www.fws.gov/southeast/endangered-species-act> are accurate and recommend changes in status where appropriate based on the latest science and analysis. In addition to reviewing the classification of these species, a five-year review presents an opportunity to track the species’ recovery progress. It may benefit species by providing valuable information to guide future conservation efforts.
Information gathered during a review can assist in making funding decisions, consideration related to reclassifying species status, conducting interagency consultations, making permitting decisions, and determining whether to update recovery plans, and other actions under the ESA.
This notice announces our active review of eight species listed here that are currently federally listed as endangered:
*Amphibians:*
Coqui llanero;
*Clams:*
Carolina heelsplitter;
*Crustaceans:*
Hell Creek cave crayfish;
*Plants:*
Aristida chaseae;
Pelos del diablo;
Smooth coneflower;
Cooley’s meadowrue;
Louisiana quillwort
The five-year reviews seek information on: (1) species biology, including population trends, distribution, abundance, demographics, and genetics; (2) habitat conditions, including amount, distribution, and suitability; (3) conservation measures that have been implemented; (4) threat status and trends; and, (5) other new information, data, or corrections, including taxonomic or nomenclatural changes; identification of erroneous information contained in the ESA list; and improved analytical methods. Comments and materials received will be available for public inspection by appointment.
Written comments and information about them should be e-mailed, faxed, or sent via regular mail to:
*Fish and Wildlife*
Coqui llanero: Jan Zegarra, by mail at the Caribbean Ecological Services Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Road 301, Km. 5.1, P.O. Box 491, Boquerón, PR 00622; by fax at 787–851–7440; by phone at 787–851–7297, ext. 220; or by email at caribbean_es@fws.gov .
Carolina heelsplitter: Morgan Wolf, by mail at the South Carolina Ecological Services Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 176 Croghan Spur Road, Suite 200, Charleston, SC 29412; by fax at 843–727–4218; by phone at 843–727–4707, ext. 219; or by email at charleston_recovery@fws.gov <morgan_wolf@fws.gov>.
Hell Creek Cave crayfish: Mitch Wine, by mail at Arkansas Ecological Services Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 110 South Amity Road, Suite 300, Conway, AR 72032; by fax at 501–513–4480; by phone at 870-269-3228; or by email at arkansas-es_recovery@fws.gov .
*Plants*
*Aristida chaseae* and Pelos del diablo: Carlos Pacheco, by mail at the Caribbean Ecological Services Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Road 301, Km. 5.1, P.O. Box 491, Boquerón, PR 00622; by fax at 787–851–7440; by phone at 787–851–7297, ext. 221; or by email at caribbean_es@fws.gov.
Cooley’s meadowrue and Smooth coneflower: Dale Suiter, by mail at the Raleigh Ecological Services Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
551 Pylon Drive, #F, Raleigh, NC 27606; by fax at 919–856–4556; by phone at 919-856-4520, ext. 18; or by email at raleigh_es@fws.gov .
Louisiana quillwort: Scott Wiggers, by mail at the Mississippi Ecological Services Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6578 Dogwood View Parkway, Jackson, MS 39213; by fax at 601–965–4340; by phone at 228-475-0765; or by email at Mississippi_field_office@fws.gov .
Governor Phil Bryant Announces Appointments to the College Board
Jackson, Miss. – Gov. Phil Bryant announced today he has made four appointments to the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning.
Dr. Steven Cunningham, Jeanne Luckey, Bruce Martin and Powell “Gee” Ogletree, Jr., will begin their 9-year terms on May 8. Rotating off the Board are trustees Alan W. Perry, Christy Pickering, Dr. Doug W. Rouse and Board President C.D. Smith.
“As the governing authority for our public institutions of higher learning, the College Board serves a critical role in Mississippi,” Governor Bryant said. “I am grateful these four highly qualified individuals have agreed to take on that responsibility by accepting these appointments.”
Cunningham, who will represent the Second Supreme Court District, practices radiology in Hattiesburg, where he serves as president of Comprehensive Radiology Services. He is affiliated with multiple hospitals in the area, including Forrest General Hospital and Merit Health Wesley. Cunningham received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Jackson State University and his medical degree from University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He did his internship and residency in diagnostic radiology at Oakwood Hospital in Dearborn, Mich.
Cunningham is a deacon at West Point Baptist Church and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He serves on the board for the Forrest General Hospital Foundation and on The First Bank’s Community Advisory Board.
“It’s an honor to be appointed to this position by Governor Bryant,” Cunningham said. “Higher education is a priority in my family and an expectation my wife Lakeisha and I have of our daughters. I realize how important our universities are to their alumni, their surrounding communities and the future of our state. I look forward to working with my fellow trustees to make sure that all of our institutions continue to flourish.”
Luckey, who will also represent the Second Supreme Court District, resides in Ocean Springs, where she is the owner of JCL LLC, a real estate holding company, and Magnolia State Development Group. Active in her community, Luckey has served on the Board of Directors of the Gulf Coast Debutante Society for 12 years, is a member of the Advisory Board of the Gulf Coast Salvation Army and the Coastal America Insurance Company Board of Directors. She has held leadership positions in the Junior Auxiliary, Children’s House School Board, Walter Anderson Museum Board and the Gulf Coast YMCA.
She is married to her high school sweetheart, Alwyn, and is the proud mother of two daughters, Laurel and Taylor. Luckey graduated from the University of Mississippi with a degree in special education and received her masters in special education from the University of Southern Mississippi.
“I am honored Governor Bryant has chosen to nominate me to the Board of Trustees of the IHL,” Luckey said. “Education has long been considered to be one of the most important factors in the success and quality of life for a state and its citizens. I am looking forward to serving on the IHL Board with the other distinguished members and staff to ensure our Mississippi universities continue to make improvements to meet the needs of our diverse population.”
Martin, who will represent the First Supreme Court District, was appointed to the Mississippi Community College Board by former Gov. Haley Barbour in 2006. He received his bachelor’s degree in finance and insurance from Mississippi State University. Martin serves as the president of insurance firm Meyer & Rosenbaum, Inc., in Meridian. He is also on the Mississippi Manufacturing Association's W. C. Advisory Board and is a board member of the MSU Insurance Department.
“I am honored and appreciative of Governor Bryant’s faith in my service to the IHL Board,” Martin said. “I look forward to this chance to serve the citizens of this great state as we work to provide more opportunity for the generations of the future.”
Ogletree joined the lawfirm of Adams and Reese in 1997. From the Jackson office, he coordinates the firm’s real estate work throughout Mississippi. He practices primarily in the areas of real estate, title insurance, economic development, forestry, natural resources, zoning, environmental and business matters. Ogletree is the founding partner and leader of the firm-wide Forestry Team.
He received a bachelor’s of science degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and a juris doctorate from the University of Mississippi School of Law. He is admitted to practice law in Mississippi and Alabama.
“I am honored to be asked by Governor Bryant to serve on the Board of Trustees for the Institutions of Higher Learning in the State of Mississippi,” Ogletree said. “Our state’s eight distinct, mission-driven universities create a strong public university system designed to meet the higher education needs of Mississippians and enhance their quality of life. I look forward to working collaboratively with the board members and IHL staff in pursing excellence in quality instruction, research and service as we continue to improve affordable higher education in Mississippi.”
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