State
Natchez uses statute to keep details of waste proposals private
Natchez Democrat
NATCHEZ — Natchez is using part of the state code that came into effect just months ago to keep from disclosing proposals from waste collection companies to the general public.
Keep Tupelo Beautiful, local volunteer honored for beautification efforts
Daily Journal
TUPELO – Driving home from the Keep Mississippi Beautiful awards in Jackson Thursday, former Tupelo school board member and community leader Doyce Deas discussed her newest achievement in the area of beautification.
Noisy sewage pump poses nuisance to neighborhood
WJTV
JACKSON, Miss (WJTV) - It's a problem that offends nearly all the senses for people living on one street in Fondren. Eyes, ears and the nose can spot the offensive sewage pump on Pennsylvania Avenue.
MS Valley District works to tame the Mississippi
Vicksburg Post
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers performs a number of programs, from assisting with the Army’s mission in Afghanistan and performing public works projects in the U.S. to assisting Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands return to normal after Hurricane Maria.
REACTIVATION OF INGALLS SHIPBUILDING EAST BANK FACILITY
WXXV
The Jackson County Economic Development Foundation had Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias announce at their meeting the reactivation of the East Bank Facility.
State Government
Top Mississippi Lawmakers at Odds Over Increasing Gas Tax
Mississippi House leaders are proposing a new plan that could put hundreds of millions more dollars into highways and bridges.
AP
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi House leaders are proposing a new long-term plan to put hundreds of millions of more dollars into transportation, days after Gov. Phil Bryant ordered more than 100 locally maintained bridges to be closed because they are in dangerous condition.
Gov. Bryant Sets Special Election Date for House District 77
WLBT
Gov. Phil Bryant has set July 10, 2018, as the special election date for House District 77. The seat recently became vacant when Gov. Bryant appointed former Rep. Andy Gipson commissioner of agriculture and commerce.
Oil Spill
Mississippi Aquarium to open on Gulf Coast
WJTV
WJTV) -- The Mississippi Aquarium is scheduled to come to the Gulf Coast.
Regional
Diesel fuel spill visible along Mississippi River near French Quarter Fest
Times-Picayune
A cargo vessel crashed into a pier near the Nashville Wharf along the Mississippi River late Thursday morning (April 12), causing diesel fuel to leak into the river and flow past the French Quarter Festival.
National
Trump orders EPA to speed air quality permits to aid industry
Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the Environmental Protection Agency to speed up its decision-making on air quality permitting to make it easier for manufacturers to expand and open new plants.
Amid Pruitt controversy, Congress confirms EPA's No. 2
ABC
Amid Trade Feud, Recycling Is in Danger of Landing on Trash Pile
China’s planned tariffs on scrap aluminum, tougher quality standards squeeze market; ‘nobody has the capacity that China has’
WSJ
Chinese trade barriers are compounding the problems faced by companies that recycle scrap paper, plastic and metal.
Radioactive sludge barrel ruptures at Idaho nuclear site
AP
BOISE, Idaho (AP) - A barrel containing radioactive sludge ruptured at an Idaho nuclear facility, federal officials said Thursday, resulting in no injuries and no risk to the public but possibly slowing progress in shipping waste out of the state.
Zinke backs off plan for big national park fee increases
The Hill
Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke formally backed off from a plan for big increases to entrance fees for some national parks.
With new CEO, VW shifts focus from scandal to future tech
AP
FRANKFURT, GERMANY
Volkswagen's new CEO said Friday that the automaker must "significantly step up the pace" as it pushes into electric and self-driving vehicle technologies and shakes up its culture in the wake of a scandal over diesel emissions.
Press Releases
Presidential Memo on Implementation of Air Quality Standards Showcases EPA Progress on Promoting Domestic Manufacturing and Job Creation
Administrator Pruitt takes final action: no change to standards for nitrogen dioxide
04/12/2018
WASHINGTON – Today, President Donald Trump signed a Memorandum for the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), directing EPA to ensure efficient and cost-effective implementation of air quality standards under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) and regional haze programs of the Clean Air Act.
