Monday, July 30, 2018

News Clippings July 30, 2018

State

EPA celebrates Kerr-McGee clean-up in Columbus
Commercial Dispatch
 
Partnerships between local, state and federal governments was the theme at a celebration of clean-up at Superfund sites at the former Kerr-McGee site on 14th Avenue North on Thursday. 

New flood plan in Jackson could have dire effects on Coast’s oyster business, fishermen say
Sun Herald

The lake would be almost 200 miles, as the river flows, from the Mississippi Sound.
Still, the One Lake project in Jackson has the men and women who make their living harvesting oysters and environmental activists more than a little antsy.

Clear as mud: The search for clear water leads Saltillo to the river
Daily Journal

SALTILLO – While some people might take clear, odor-free drinking water for granted, the folks on the Saltillo water system are looking forward to this fall. By then, the city will likely have switched all its customers over to river water.

Air Liquide opens its first US biogas conversion plant
Southern Sentinel

WALNUT – Air Liquide’s first large-scale biomethane production facility in the United States opened in February, and officials recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The facility is located at the Northeast Mississippi Landfill in Walnut, which is owned by the Northeast Mississippi Solid Waste Management Authority.

Sea turtles released into the wild after weeks of rehabilitation
WLOX

GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) -It was a send-off fit for sea turtles on Saturday morning at Courthouse Pier in Gulfport.

IMMS: reports of manatee sighting in Bernard Bayou
WLOX

GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) -Experts with the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies say they are aware of reports of manatees in the Bernard Bayou area and are working to locate them.

ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS RAISE MONEY FOR PANAMA
WXXV

The Mississippi Gulf Coast chapter of Engineers without Borders hosted a fundraising event today.


State Government

State Personnel Board elects officers for Fiscal Year 2019
MBJ

Stephanie Cummins of Brandon has been elected chair of the Mississippi State Personnel Board for Fiscal Year 2019, and Donald Brown of Vicksburg has been elected vice chairman. Serving on the Board with Cummins and Brown are Col. Nick Ardillo, Jr. of Columbus; Alwyn Luckey of Ocean Springs, and Lee Yancey of Brandon.


Regional

Why the Red Tide Is Killing Florida’s Sea Turtles
Toxins from a prolonged algae bloom in the Gulf of Mexico are the culprit
WSJ

The number of dead or ailing sea turtles washing up on Florida’s southwestern coast has soared due to a prolonged algae bloom, raising concerns about the long-term impact on endangered turtle species.

EPA visits fields in Arkansas hurt by dicamba
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

KEISER -- Despite being banned for in-crop use this summer in Arkansas, dicamba is a suspect in damage to thousands of acres of soybeans and to vegetables, backyard gardens and trees.

Louisiana's bald eagle population soaring again after years on the brink
The Advocate

After many lean years, Louisiana's bald eagle population has clawed its way back from the brink, according to the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.


National

From Dow’s ‘Dioxin Lawyer’ to Trump’s Choice to Run Superfund
NYT

The lawyer nominated to run the Superfund toxic cleanup program is steeped in the complexities of restoring polluted rivers and chemical dumps. He spent more than a decade on one of the nation’s most extensive cleanups, one involving Dow Chemical’s sprawling headquarters in Midland, Mich.

EPA seeks dismissal of lawsuit over Colorado mine spill
AP

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants a federal court to toss a lawsuit filed by Utah, New Mexico and the Navajo Nation seeking the repayment of cleanup costs for a mine spill in Colorado that polluted rivers in three states.

EPA: Chesapeake Bay cleanup effort is mostly on track
AP

NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay are mostly on track, but challenges remain as farm manure and city stormwater continue to flow into the nation’s largest estuary, the Environmental Protection Agency said Friday.

EPA Proposes Excavating Soil From 26 Upstate New York Homes
AP

LOCKPORT, N.Y. (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing excavating soil at 26 homes near an upstate New York Superfund site.

Chip Gaines releases lead paint safety video following EPA violations, $40G fine
Fox News

Chip Gaines certainly knows how to shine in front of the camera, although the former HGTV star’s latest broadcast involves a more serious matter than shiplap or demo day: the dangers of lead paint.