State
VT Halter Marine cuts ribbon on $10 million facility
WLOX
PASCAGOULA, MS (WLOX) -VT Halter Marine's new $10 million blasting and painting facility was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
NEW TOOLS AT USM MARINE EDUCATION CENTER
WXXV
Today in Oceans Springs, a lucky group of kids got to be the first to lay their eyes on the USM Marine Education Center’s Science on a sphere system.
Oil Spill
Next step for new Biloxi hotel is county approval
Sun Herald
It's taken years to pull together an agreement and on Monday Matt McDonnell will ask the Harrison County Supervisors to approve construction of an Embassy Suites by Hilton or similar hotel at the Coast Coliseum & Convention Center.modate the additional convention business.
BP claims an oil spill off Australia's coast would be a 'welcome boost' to local economies
Sydney Morning Herald
Coastal towns would benefit from an oil spill in the pristine Great Australian Bight because the clean up would boost their economies, energy giant BP has claimed as part of its controversial bid to drill in the sensitive marine zone.
Regional
Fish bounties and fish cakes: Louisiana seeks answer for invasive carp
The Advocate
Skulking through the waters of Louisiana — and occasionally the air above — a notorious invasive fish that has ravaged the Upper Midwest has begun to turn from nuisance to threat.
In caviar battle Louisiana fisheries lets Russian fish through, but issue back in Legislature's hands
The Advocate
It's now up to the Louisiana Legislature and the governor to decide whether to allow farmers to raise non-native sturgeon for caviar or if they'll need to rely on getting the eggs of home-grown fish.
Louisiana constrictor snake granted protection under the Endangered Species Act
Times-Picayune
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the Louisiana pinesnake as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act this week. The pinesnake is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future, according to the service.
Florida readies for Volkswagen's dirty-diesel dollars
Orlando Sentinel
Volkswagen’s diesel scam has netted nearly $3 billion for states to spend on low- or no-pollution cars, buses, trucks, locomotives and other vehicles from forklifts to ships.
Florida’s share of VW’s penalty proceeds is $166.3 million and competition for the cash is fierce and diverse.
National
In His Haste to Roll Back Rules, Scott Pruitt, E.P.A. Chief, Risks His Agenda
NY Times
WASHINGTON — As ethical questions threaten the Environmental Protection Agency administrator, Scott Pruitt, President Trump has defended him with a persuasive conservative argument: Mr. Pruitt is doing a great job at what he was hired to do, roll back regulations.
FEMA maps lack up-to-date information on flood risk
WESA
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s “patchwork quilt” of flood maps has coverage gaps and is obsolete in places, according to a recent study by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Nature Conservancy charity and the University of Bristol.
Press Releases
Mississippi Longleaf Pine Initiative Continues
Jackson, Miss. – The United States Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has financial assistance available to qualified Mississippi landowners wanting to create or restore longleaf pine stands on their land. This Longleaf Pine Initiative (LLPI) is offered under the Environmental Quality Incentive Program (EQIP) to qualified landowners and forest managers in Central and Southern Mississippi working to restore longleaf ecosystems.
Longleaf pine forests nearly vanished, but a coordinated conservation effort led by NRCS and other conservation partners is helping this unique ecosystem of the Southeast recover. Longleaf pines provide valuable forest products, pine straw production, scenic beauty, good wildlife habitat and harbor many threatened and endangered species. There are 29 threatened and endangered species that depend on these forests for survival. Two specific species are found in Mississippi, the gopher tortoise and the black pine snake.
“NRCS is committed to working with land managers to help restore and expand this critical ecosystem,” stated Kevin Kennedy, acting NRCS state conservationist for Mississippi. “Longleaf pine forests provide vital habitat to a variety of species as well as valuable timber. We look forward to seeing what we can accomplish with our partners.”
NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to help landowners and land managers plant and manage longleaf forests. LLPI is in its eighth year and has helped restore more than 350,000 acres of longleaf forests.
Applications for all NRCS financial assistance programs are accepted on a continuous sign-up process with specific sign-up deadlines being established to rank, contract and fund qualified tracts of land. Applications for the Longleaf Pine Initiative received by May 18, 2018, will be considered for funding in the second ranking period.
