Friday, September 28, 2018

News Clippings September 28, 2018

State

MYSTERY STILL SWIRLS AT EILAND MIDDLE SCHOOL
WCBI

LOUISVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Late Thursday afternoon, the National Guard rolled into Eiland Middle School in Louisville.

Lamar County upgrades with automated garbage truck
WDAM

Danny Young has been with the Lamar County Sanitation Department for about 20 years. He said the new automated garbage truck the county purchased a month ago was key to sanitation workers' safety.

Waste station sought for Lauderdale County landfill
Meridian Star

Harrison Cook, a father of three, told supervisors he wanted to leave something behind for his children and keep his wife proud of his waste management business. 
...Before the company can take its first steps in applying for permits with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, supervisors must amend their 20-year solid waste plan to allow for the construction of a transfer facility.


National

EPA to merge two key science offices and disband office focused on science grants
The Hill

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will merge two key science offices as part of an overhaul of the Office of Research Development (ORD), the EPA confirmed to The Hill Thursday.

House committee votes to relax Endangered Species Act
The Hill

A House panel passed four GOP-backed bills Thursday to amend the Endangered Species Act (ESA), making compliance easier for industries, states and landowners.

Trump officials ease offshore safety rule
The Hill

The Trump administration moved Thursday to ease provisions of a key safety rule for oil and natural gas production from wells drilled offshore, saying some of the Obama-era standards were unnecessarily burdensome on companies.

Boy Scouts of America neckerchief slides recalled due to high levels of lead
WVUE

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) -The Boy Scouts of America are recalling neckerchief slides due to high levels of lead being found in the products.


Opinion

Hurricanes show the benefits, limits of dams
News & Observer
BY BY MARTIN DOYLE AND LAUREN PATTERSON
September 27, 2018 11:19 AM

Over the past week, rivers in North Carolina have broken previous flood records, many of which were set by Hurricane Matthew just two years earlier.


Press Releases

Mississippi Celebrates National Hunting and Fishing Day
9/27/2018
From MDWFP

JACKSON, MS - The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) is proud to again take part in the National Hunting and Fishing Day.

PORT BIENVILLE RAIL-LINE EXTENSION PROJECT PUBLISHES ENVIRONMENTAL-IMPACT STATEMENT
September 27, 2018

(Hancock County, Mississippi) The Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission is working with the Federal Railroad Administration and the Mississippi Department of Transportation to extend the Commission’s Port Bienville Short Line Railroad by about 24 miles.



Thursday, September 27, 2018

News Clippings September 27, 2018

State

A MANUFACTURING PLANT GOES UP IN FLAMES, HUNDREDS LEFT TEMPORARILY JOBLESS
WCBI

PONTOTOC, Miss. (WCBI)- Fire erupting, heavy plumes of smoke billowing from the roof, and firefighters battling a large blaze. That was the alarming sight at Washington Furniture Wednesday morning when a fire broke out.

FIRE CREWS RESPOND TO FIRE AT PONTOTOC PLANT
WTVA

Fire crews responded to the scene a plant fire at Washington Furniture in Pontotoc. 
John Beard, Vice President of Sales, says there are no reports of injuries. 

Tanker truck spill shuts down DeSoto County road
WMC

 A tanker truck overturned in an Olive Branch neighborhood Wednesday night, causing a major traffic backup.

Clarksdale Utilities Board Fires the "CPU 3"
Delta Daily News

Clarksdale Public Utilities has announced the termination of General Manager Mark Johnson, CFO Steve Reed, and communications director Chris Campos.

Forestry Commission asks public to Stop the Pop
NewsMS

The Mississippi Forestry Commission is asking for the public’s help to Stop the Pop and report sightings of Chinese tallow, or popcorn trees.

Line Creek works brings back history
Daily Times Leader

A creek system that has drained forest and farm land along a large swath of western Clay County for a century or more is close to once again being able to do its job.

Volunteers clean De Soto Forest
Stone County Enterprise

Several organizations and individuals came together recently to assist in cleaning up the De Soto National Forest.


State Government

Hackers attempt cyber attacks on state voting system
WLBT

How safe is the ballot you will be casting during the November 6 election?


Regional

EPA tells SC woman to leave her home after finding industrial poisons post-Florence
The State

COLUMBIA 
The federal government has asked at least one Cheraw resident to evacuate her home after finding toxic chemicals have spread from a Superfund cleanup site into her house in the wake of Hurricane Florence, she said.

NAS Jacksonville Says Water Wells Near Base Are Within EPA Guidelines
WJCT

Private wells around Naval Air Station Jacksonville have been found to be within EPA guidelines. 

An airport in a wildlife refuge? State-backed plan shocks conservationists, scientists
Times-Picayune

The state of Louisiana has spent millions of dollars turning a sandy island in south Jefferson Parish into one of the Gulf Coast’s foremost refuges for birds and other wildlife. Now state leaders hope to do what conservationists say is unthinkable – pave over part of Elmer’s Island Wildlife Refuge to build a commercial airport servicing small jets and private planes. 


National

Portsmouth woman testifies at first U.S. Senate hearing on PFAS contamination
Andrea Amico testifies about how contaminated water affected her family
WMUR

WASHINGTON —Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan brought concerns from Granite Staters on Wednesday in the first-ever U.S. Senate hearing on PFAS contamination.

EPA to Announce Final Plans for West Lake Landfill Cleanup
Many residents want nuclear waste dug up and shipped out
KMOX

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is scheduled to announce Thursday its final plans for cleaning up the radioactive West Lake Landfill in Bridgeton.

Recreationists, environmentalists wary of EPA's cleanup plan for rivers in Old Lead Belt
KWMU

About 55 miles southwest of St. Louis, Steven Anderson — who owns an outfitter called Cherokee Landing in Bonne Terre — routinely takes his customers to St. Francois State Park.


EPA Agrees to Stop Grants for Non-U.S. Researchers
Bloomberg

The EPA will only provide research dollars and opportunities to U.S. citizens and permanent residents and will no longer support work in its labs by foreign nationals.



Wednesday, September 26, 2018

News Clippings September 26, 2018

State

Jail site might be cleared by end of the year
Vicksburg Post

The Warren County Board of Supervisors is hoping the site for a new jail can be cleared of structures by the end of the year.
...George added that contact has also been made about the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality removing a pond on the site.

Pearl River County residents can attend private well workshop, bring water samples for testing
Picayune Item

Private well owners will soon be able to benefit from free water testing offered by the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Lambert out as public works director
Enterprise-Journal

The latest meeting of the McComb Board of Selectmen was no Tuesday night massacre, but one employee was given his walking papers.

Belhaven Heights and Belhaven residents meet to discuss how to preserve the "urban forest"
WJTV

A group of homeowners in Jackson's Belhaven Heights neighborhood are working to preserve, what they call, the urban forest.

Keep Tupelo Beautiful plans planting day Saturday
Daily Journal

Bob Marion at Mid-South Nursery discovered recently his nursery had a surplus of trees and plants indigenous to Mississippi.

Mississippi Choctaw tribe receives grant to buy buses
AP

The Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is receiving federal money to replace some buses.
The tribe is getting $857,700.

Results in for Mississippi alligator season
NewsMS

Alligator hunting season in Mississippi is officially over and according to the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks the current total of alligators harvested is 856.


State Government

MDOT RELEASES NEW GAME DAY FRIENDLY APP
WCBI

As football season kicks off, the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) has relaunched a free mobile app with new and updated features to help fans get their game on.
MDOT Traffic gives users real-time access to tools that show road conditions and traffic alerts.


Regional

Giant logjam cleared on Pearl River
Times-Picayune

Crews have cleared a "significant'' portion of a giant log and debris jam in the Pearl River south of Bogalusa, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Former Brusly mayor to Baton Rouge aquifer commission: We must fight water waste
The Advocate

The capital area takes its drinking water so much for granted that some residents would rather leave a running hose in a leaky pool than repair the crack, would prefer to turn their sprinklers on a brick house to cool the masonry instead of turning on the air conditioning, Joey Normand said.

Vehicle emissions tests no longer required in 26 NC counties
WRAL

Annual vehicle inspections in 26 North Carolina counties will no longer include emissions tests, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Next Gulf of Mexico oil lease sale to offer 78M acres
AP

The U.S. Interior Department says the next Gulf of Mexico oil and gas lease sale will offer about 78 million acres (31,565,480 hectares)— about the same amount as the sale in August.


National

E.P.A. Places the Head of Its Office of Children’s Health on Leave
NYT

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency on Tuesday placed the head of its Office of Children’s Health Protection on administrative leave, in an unusual move that several observers said appeared to reflect an effort to minimize the role of the office.

Trump’s EPA Makeover Could Put Regional Offices on Shorter Leash
Bloomberg

The EPA’s regional offices could see structural changes by year’s end, but the trickle-down effects—on enforcement, staff levels, and leadership—are already raising alarms among current and former workers.

Testimony set for Senate committee hearing on federal role in PFAS contamination crisis
WWMT

WASHINGTON D.C. — The Senate Homeland Security Committee will talk about the federal government role in the growing PFAS contamination crisis Wednesday.

Colorado wildlife refuge at old nuclear plant is open - for now
Reuters

ROCKY FLATS, Colo. (Reuters) - Less than two miles (3 km) from where triggers for thermonuclear weapons were once manufactured and against the backdrop of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, a bull elk bugles as he defends his harem of cows from rival males.

Report: Great Lakes cleanup program boosts region’s economy
AP

A newly released analysis says a federal Great Lakes cleanup program is good for the region's economy.


Press Releases

Register for Tomorrow’s (Today) Public Webinar- Funded Priorities List 3- A Look Ahead

The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (RESTORE Council) is beginning the process to develop the next Funded Priorities List (FPL), targeted to be finalized in mid-2020. The FPL is a vehicle through which funds from the Council-Selected Restoration Component, commonly referred to as “Bucket 2”, are approved for specific ecosystem restoration activities in the Gulf Coast region. The RESTORE Council is hosting two public webinars to provide Gulf stakeholders with an overview of the path forward to the next Funded Priorities List. During each live webinar, questions related to process, schedule, and next steps will be answered. Both webinars will be recorded and posted on www.restorethegulf.gov.
You may register for these webinars in advance. Once registered, a link to access the webinar will be sent to the email address provided during registration. Please forward this invitation to others interesting in the RESTORE Council’s activities. 
If you would like to learn about who the RESTORE Council is and our efforts since the RESTORE Act was signed into law on July 6, 2012, view our Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Restoration Opportunities webinar at your convenience.
 
Learn more about


EPA Recognizes Supermarkets Across America for Smart Refrigerant Management
09/25/2018

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recognized 13 organizations in the supermarket industry for their achievements in protecting human health and the environment under its GreenChill Partnership Program.