State
Conservational landscaping on Hwy. 603 offers style and substance while aiding the environment
Sea Coast Echo
The conservational landscaping on Hwy. 603 -- planted and maintained by volunteers and the city of Bay St. Louis -- is in full bloom and helping to both beautify the area and clean up the environment, according to Hancock County Beautification Chair Katharine Truett Ohman.
Jackson woman asks for help eliminating illegal dump
WJTV
A woman says she is reminded of her frustrations with the City of Jackson every time she opens her door.
State Government
State Auditor explains concerns with lack of oversight for small boards and commissions
WLBT
The State Auditor's office is looking into the finances of several small boards and commissions around the state. They've discovered a similar pattern that stems from a lack of oversight.
Gluckstadt inches closer to city status
Madison County Journal
A five-week trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 6 to determine whether or not Gluckstadt is allowed to incorporate and become Madison County’s fifth municipality after incorporators successfully won the jurisdictional hearings last week.
Oil Spill
BP money distribution continues to be debated after legislature adjourns
NewsMS
Legislators say they are looking for a special session to come to an agreement on setting aside money from the BP oil spill settlement. After the bill to do so died in a conference committee during the last few days of the session, legislators say there needs to be an agreement soon so that the money can start being used to benefit the state.
State Builds Barrier Islands To Protect, If Even For A Short Time
WWNO
Coastal scientists are almost finished rebuilding a barrier island that has been washing away for years. It’s one of several island projects in the state’s Coastal Master Plan. They’re big projects that state officials have planned for a long time, but only recently got money for.
Regional
Study: Mississippi River flood control work likely worsening Louisiana floods; some unconvinced
AP
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Flood control work in the Mississippi River and its tributaries has likely made floods worse in Mississippi and Louisiana, researchers say.
National
White House refuses to defend EPA chief's conduct
AP
In a marked change in tone, the White House says President Donald Trump is not OK with recent revelations involving the embattled head of the Environmental Protection Agency.
U.S. ethanol groups bristle as EPA frees refiners from biofuels law
Reuters
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved the request of 25 small refineries to be exempted from the nation’s biofuels laws, an agency source said on Wednesday, marking a big increase from previous years and triggering an outcry from farm groups worried the move will hurt ethanol demand.
A fierce critic of the Endangered Species Act is picked to oversee Interior's wildlife policy
Washington Post
WASHINGTON - Susan Combs, a former Texas state official who compared proposed endangered species listings to "incoming Scud missiles" and continued to fight the Endangered Species Act after she left government, now has a role in overseeing federal wildlife policy.
Michigan OKs Nestle permit to withdraw 400 gallons of groundwater a minute, despite 81,787 objections
Detroit Free Press
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality approved a controversial permit Monday for Nestle Waters North America to increase the amount of water it withdraws from the state’s groundwater table from 250 gallons a minute to 400 gallons.
"No Taste for Waste' campaign aims to reduce food waste
USDA estimates up to 40% of all food produced is lost to waste in the United States.
Delta Farm Press
A new collaborative effort to reduce food waste and loss, “No Taste for Waste,” has been launched.
In Footprints on Scotland’s Isle of Skye, Signs of a Dinosaur Playground
NY Times
Gigantic dinosaurs frolicked and splashed some 170 million years ago in the lagoons of what is now Scotland. That’s what a team of paleontologists has determined after discovering dozens of jumbo-sized footprints belonging to long-necked sauropods on the Isle of Skye. Mixed with the herbivores’ tracks were a few clawed impressions left behind by two-legged meat-eaters known as theropods.
Opinion
Are Electric Vehicle Charging Corridors The Best Way To Spend Volkswagen's Dieselgate Billions?
Mike O’Boyle
Forbes
Volkswagen is finally atoning for Dieselgate, investing $2 billion in electric vehicles (EVs) and other clean transportation across the United States as part of the massive settlement, along with $2.7 billion paid into a trust fund to help states reduce transportation emissions. This trust fund will be allocated based on the prevalence of illegal diesel engines in those states, and states can use 15% of it to directly fund EV charging infrastructure.
