Friday, June 29, 2018

News Clippings June 29, 2018

State

SUPERVISORS TO MULL OVER OPTION FOR LONGLEAF ACRES DAM
Hub City Spokes

Although the dam in the Longleaf Acres subdivision in Petal is functioning fine, members of the Forrest County Board of Supervisors are looking over options to either raise the dam, lower the spillway or lower the water level in the lake in the face of new regulations from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.

Aldermen attend MML, forming plan of action for road repairs
Picayune Item

Each year the Mississippi Municipal League holds a convention for elected officials in the state where they can attend workshops and gather ideas for future projects.
...Additionally, Smith said she received some information that could identify avenues to address blighted properties, possibly with grant funding through the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.

Swimming advisories issued for certain beaches in Pass Christian
WLOX

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality through its Beach Monitoring Program issued water contact advisories Thursday for certain areas in Pass Christian.

NEEDS HELP
Northside Sun

Jackson just approved spending $10 million on emergency water and sewer repairs.
Now officials have to find the money to pay for them, and they’re hoping at least one of those sources will be the one-percent oversight commission.

Sewer repairs ongoing, UA approves city contract
Picayune Item

Repairs to Picayune’s wastewater system are still underway, with current work taking place along Sheppard Boulevard and in the Westchester subdivision.

Mississippi seeks to remove invasive aquatic plant from lake
AP

Officials say they'll try to remove an invasive aquatic plant from one of Mississippi's most popular lakes.

SALTILLO RESIDENTS WANT RELIEF FROM BROWN WATER
WTVA

SALTILLO, Miss. (WTVA) - Some people west of Highway 45 in Saltillo are dealing with brown water in their homes and are looking for a solution.

What’s the bottom line on bottomland hardwood forests?
MBJ

Anderson-Tully Co. produced hardwood lumber for about 129 years at the port city of Vicksburg.

MS Supreme Court denies request by City of Ridgeland in Costco project
WLBT

The Mississippi Supreme Court is denying an appeal filed by the City of Ridgeland in the Costco case.


State Government

UMMC AND BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD GO TO MEDIATION OVER CONTRACT DISPUTE
MPB

A contract between Mississippi's largest hospital and private insurer is due to end this weekend. As MPB's Desare Frazier reports, the state's insurance department has stepped in to encourage the parties to hash out an agreement.  


Oil Spill

Deepwater Horizon disaster altered building blocks of ocean life
The Guardian

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster may have had a lasting impact upon even the smallest organisms in the Gulf of Mexico, scientists have found – amid warnings that the oceans around America are also under fresh assault as a result of environmental policies under Donald Trump.

New floating dock home to Governor Stone, transient boat slips
WJHG

ST. ANDREWS, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Those with disabilities can now get an up close and personal look of a 140-year-old vessel in St. Andrews.

Ft. Morgan fishing pier to be rebuilt after 4 year closure
WKRG

FT. MORGAN, Ala, (WKRG) - The Baldwin County Legislative Delegation announced Thursday that the fishing pier on Ft. Morgan is scheduled to be rebuilt.


Regional

Environmental groups sue Interior to reinstate black bear protections
The Hill

A coalition of animal rights and environmentalist groups on Thursday filed a joint lawsuit against the Interior Department challenging a 2016 decision to delist black bears from the Endangered Species Act (ESA).


National

Kennedy’s Retirement Could Clear Path for Trump’s Environmental Rollbacks
NYT

WASHINGTON — The retirement of Justice Anthony M. Kennedy from the Supreme Court could significantly reshape environmental law in the decades ahead and potentially make it easier for the Trump administration to roll back Obama-era climate change policies in the coming years, legal experts said.

Trump’s Supreme Court Candidates Leave Environmental Paper Trail
Bloomberg

Speculation about who could replace retired Justice Anthony Kennedy began seconds after the 30-year U.S. Supreme Court veteran announced his departure June 27.
Of President Donald Trump’s 25 judicial candidates that could replace Kennedy, several have extensive environmental records, and many interpret the law to limit federal environmental policy.

EPA, States Differ On New Rules For Nonstick Chemicals In Drinking Water
WBUR

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has called it a "national priority" to regulate some nonstick chemicals that used to be used on military bases and in Teflon, Scotchguard and firefighting foam. New Jersey wants even tougher standards.

Plastics sweep top 10 list of trash collected in world's oceans
Times-Picayune

For the first time, all of the top 10 items collected during an annual multi-country coastal cleanup were made of plastic, edging out glass, paper and other common beach trash materials. 

The Texas Well That Started a Revolution
Two decades ago, an engineer tried a new way to get gas out of the ground. Energy markets and global politics would never be the same.
WSJ

DISH, Texas—Twenty years ago this month, a well was drilled here that changed the world.
Nothing at the time suggested the unassuming well in this rural town north of Fort Worth would hobble OPEC, the powerful oil cartel that had governed prices of the world’s most important commodity for more than a generation. Or that it would help turn the U.S. into a global energy exporter, or shuffle the geopolitical deck.

This concrete can trap CO2 emissions forever
CNN

Concrete is the most abundant man-made material on earth. There's a good chance you're standing on it right now, and it's holding up the buildings around you.

Growing marijuana could make these furry creatures an endangered species
CNN

They're furry, part of the weasel family, and may become endangered -- partly because of marijuana.


Press Releases

MDWFP Finds Invasive Plant at Ross Barnett Reservoir
6/28/2018
From MDWFP

JACKSON - Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks, (MDWFP) aquatic plant control personnel found Giant Salvinia, an aggressive invasive plant, in Ross Barnett Reservoir recently.