State
LOOKING BETTER
Northside Sun
When Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba took office, the city of Jackson was facing a federal takeover of its sewer system for failing to follow through on consent decree mandates.
SLUDGE CONTRACT COMPLETED
Northside Sun
Jackson can finally put a controversial sludge-hauling program in the books.
The Jackson City Council recently approved the final payment to Partridge-Sibley Industrial Services and GA Transport (PSI-GA), the firm brought on to haul tons of sludge from the Savanna Street Wastewater Treatment Plant.
RIDGELAND EMBRACING RECYCLING
Northside Sun
The City of Ridgeland is making strides to become even more environmentally-friendly.
Ridgeland Mayor and Board of Aldermen voted to approve a three-year contract with Waste Management for their recycling pickup services for the city.
Trash and litter piling up again along the spillway and reservoir
WLBT
Litter and debris are causing some serious issues for those who love to fish along the spillway and the reservoir.
ONE LAKE CLOSER TO BECOMING REALITY
Northside Sun
The One Lake Project is a step closer to becoming a reality, but quite a few blocks will have to fall into place before the project is built on the Pearl River.
Is it safe to swim in Pass Christian? Depends on where you go.
Sun Herald
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality lifted a water contact advisory Thursday for Pass Christian West Beach.
Beach cleanup celebration a passion for those who want to leave footprints, not trash
WLOX
A group of residents took to the beaches to reduce trash and boost the Gulf's ecosystem.
Jonathan Streetman has been doing this kind of volunteerism since he was in fourth grade.
Saltillo votes to switch entire city to river water
Daily Journal
SALTILLO – Following a town hall meeting Thursday night that drew more than 200 residents, the Saltillo Board of Aldermen voted 3-2 to switch to river water.
EMA DIRECTORS BECOMING COMMON POSITIONS FOR UNIVERSITIES
WCBI
OXFORD and STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Emergency management directors are becoming more common for universities across the country, especially in the south.
Agriculture a vital cog in the economy of Mississippi
MBJ
Mississippi is a very rural state with some of the best farmland in the world.
Oil Spill
Beach restoration on track for Aug. 1 start
Port St. Joe Star
The final hurdle appears to be cleared to allow a long-awaited beach restoration project to begin next month.
Regional
Shell agrees to pay $3.8 million to U.S. government for 2016 oil spill
The Advocate
A subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell has agreed to pay $3.8 million to the U.S. government to settle a lawsuit over a 2016 oil spill that poured nearly 2,000 barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, court records filed Thursday show.
National
Ex-Coal and Energy Lobbyist Named Acting EPA Chief
Andrew Wheeler’s elevation from deputy administrator isn’t likely to bring big policy changes
WSJ
WASHINGTON—The new acting administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency is a former coal and energy lobbyist who has expressed skepticism about the human impact on climate change.
How Andrew Wheeler, the New Acting E.P.A. Chief, Differs From Scott Pruitt
NYT
WASHINGTON — The departure of Scott Pruitt, the scandal-plagued former head of the Environmental Protection Agency, means that the agency will be led in the coming months by Mr. Pruitt’s deputy, Andrew Wheeler, a former coal lobbyist who shares Mr. Pruitt’s zeal to undo environmental regulations.
New leader at EPA is former coal lobbyist, Senate staffer
AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — The new leader of the Environmental Protection Agency is a former coal industry lobbyist who helped lead an industry fight against regulations that protect Americans' health and address climate change.
Embattled Scott Pruitt Resigns as EPA Administrator
His resignation comes amid allegations involving ethics, spending
WSJ
WASHINGTON— Scott Pruitt, the embattled administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, resigned Thursday after allegations of ethical lapses and improper spending overshadowed his aggressive campaign to roll back Obama-era environmental rules.
Scott Pruitt steps down as EPA head after ethics, management scandals
Washington Post
Scott Pruitt, the former Oklahoma attorney general who relentlessly pursued President Trump’s promises of deregulation at the Environmental Protection Agency, resigned Thursday after controversies over his lavish spending, ethical lapses and management decisions eroded the president’s confidence in one of his most ardent Cabinet members.
E.P.A. Drafts Rule on Coal Plants to Replace Clean Power Plan
NYT
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has drafted a new proposal to regulate carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, one that is far less stringent than the climate plan finalized in 2015 by former President Barack Obama.
EPA rollbacks already touching Americans' lives
AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — For 37 mostly female farm-workers in California's Central Valley, U.S. policy under Environmental Protection Agency chief Scott Pruitt became personal not long after sunup one day in May 2017.
