State
City officials approve application for loan to improve sewer system
Vicksburg Post
City officials are hoping Vicksburg is one of the communities qualifying for a low-interest state loan to repair and upgrade its sewer system.
The Board of Mayor and Aldermen Monday approved an application to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality seeking priority ranking for a $27.76 million water pollution control revolving fund loan that is expected to be used over time to repair and upgrade the city’s 110-year-old sewer system.
Demolitions delayed
Cost, environmental regulations cause city to put off clean-up work
Enterprise-Journal
McComb officials had to drop back and punt on efforts to demolish a number of rundown homes around the city.
...He said state Department of Environmental Quality rules also played a role in the city’s retreat and retry.
“You have to test every building for asbestos, unless you follow certain procedures,” Lambert said.
Anticipation grows for start of 2018 shrimp season
WLOX
All eyes are on the Department of Marine Resources as the agency considers when to open the 2018 shrimp season.
County Road 11: Noxubee Co. Wildlife Refuge Part 1
WTOK
NOXUBEE COUNTY, Miss. (WTOK) -- The Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge was established in June of 1940 with the purpose of being a refuge and breeding ground for migratory birds and wildlife. It's considered one of the top refuges in the country, though many in our area don't know a lot of about it.
Scenic Rivers set to take over water park
Agency still talking to state about golf course; sports park plans on hold
Enterprise-Journal
Scenic Rivers leader Joseph Parker said Tuesday that he expects the regional organization will take over management of the Bogue Chitto Water Park by July 1.
JUNIOR DUCK STAMP WINNERS
Northside Sun
The Junior Duck Stamp Program and Contest provides students an opportunity to artistically express their knowledge of the diversity, interdependence, and beauty of wildlife.
State Government
Mississippi judge won't order governor to reopen bridges
AP
A Mississippi judge says he will not order the governor to reopen local bridges that are in poor condition.
Oil Spill
$9.8 million upgrade is unlike any other family-friendly attraction on the Coast
Sun Herald
If you haven't been to Infinity Science Center before, or haven't visited in awhile, there's now more wow for families looking for summer fun. ..."I know the kids are going to love it. The adults are going to love it," Gary Rikard, director of Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality said at the May 16 ribbon cutting for the Earth Gallery.
Dive into the "new" Infinity Science Center
Video
Alabama unveils its 'gateway' into Gulf State Park
Al.com
Alabama unveiled on Thursday the first of several portions of a massive $140 million beachside enhancement project at Gulf State Park.
The odyssey of an unhatched loon and the Deepwater oil disaster
Minnesota loon lovers have egg that could figure in the study of birds effected by Gulf oil disaster.
StarTribune
As they’ve done every year since 2003, Bob and Carole Otto approached a spring day in 2017 with the same mission. A couple of days after ice-out, on April 5, they launched a loon nesting platform onto Eagle Lake in Crow Wing County.
Regional
EPA lauds Slidell's conversion of Superfund site into marina
Times-Picayune
Slidell's new marina, which combined federal and local money to build new floating and fixed dock space at what was once an area fouled by a creosote plant, has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Alabama Power long paid PR firm tied to fake crowd scandal
AP
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Documents filed with federal regulators show a California public relations company that hired people to attend public hearings on a New Orleans power project was paid millions by Alabama Power Co. dating back to the 1990s.
National
EPA grapples with potential health threat in drinking water
The Hill
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) chief Scott Pruitt is starting to grapple with a class of chemicals used in manufacturing that has been found in drinking water in recent years.
Could Your Shampoo Be the New Car Exhaust?
Bloomberg
Shampoo. Air freshener. Countertop cleaner. Nearly everything in your medicine cabinet or under your kitchen sink is a source of air pollution.
Pressured by industry, U.S. EPA slows formaldehyde study release: documents
Reuters
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under pressure from the chemical industry, has delayed release of a study detailing cancer risks from formaldehyde, according to internal communications seen by Reuters, potentially keeping important health information from the public.
U.S. regulator raps VW's culture change: Handelsblatt
Reuters
BERLIN (Reuters) - A U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official said he is not satisfied with Volkswagen’s (VOWG_p.DE) efforts to improve accountability after its diesel emissions fraud, German newspaper Handelsblatt reported on Thursday.
Proposed U.S. Steel consent decree brings questions from environmentalists
Chicago Tribune
Green groups sue Interior over bird protection rollback
The Hill
Conservation groups sued the Interior Department Thursday to overturn a policy that holds “incidental” killings of certain birds are not illegal.
Wisconsin frack sand sludge spill reaches Mississippi River
AP
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Wisconsin officials were testing for environmental and health hazards Thursday after an accident at a frack sand mine sent millions of gallons of sludge into waterways, tinting them orange as the thick plume traveled downstream into the Mississippi River.
Can seaweed make cow farts less potent? These California scientists hope to find out
Sacramento Bee
Early indications of a University of California, Davis, study show that feeding dairy cows seaweed may reduce methane emissions caused by their defecation, belching and flatulence, the university announced Thursday.
Press releases
Trump Administration Announces Assistance to Support Community Revitalization in Duck Hill, Mississippi through Local Food Enterprises
05/24/2018
ATLANTA (May 24, 2018) – In support of the Trump Administration’s Executive Order on Promoting Agriculture and Rural Prosperity in America, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined other federal partners in announcing assistance to help Duck Hill, Miss., along with 15 other communities nationwide to revitalize downtowns, boost the local economy, improve public health, and protect the environment through local food enterprises.
EPA Announces Extended Comment Period and Public Hearing on Proposed Rule to Strengthen Science Transparency in EPA Regulations
05/24/2018
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an extension of the comment period on the proposed rule, “Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science.” EPA is also announcing a public hearing for the proposed rule, which will be held on July 17, 2018, in Washington, D.C.
HYDE-SMITH INTRODUCES BILL TO EXTEND FEDERAL DUCK HUNTING SEASON CLOSING DATE
Miss. Senator’s First Bill Would Give States More Power, Establish Special Hunting Days for Veterans, Active Military, National Guard & Youths
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Legislation authored and introduced today by U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) would answer the call of sportsmen in Mississippi and around the country to allow states to extend duck hunting season to January 31.
Forecasters predict a near- or above-normal 2018 Atlantic hurricane season
New satellite data and model upgrades to give forecasts a boost
May 24, 2018
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is forecasting a 75-percent chance that the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season will be near- or above-normal.
Better Together: How Ecosystem Services and Adaptive Decision-Making Can Improve Land Management
USGS
An ecosystem services approach combined with adaptive decision-making can aid land and resource managers in administering their regions for the benefit of communities and stakeholders, according to a recent report by the U.S. Geological Survey and Resources for the Future
