Friday, November 30, 2018

News Clippings November 30, 2018

State

Costco war moves to yet another battlefield
MBJ

Opponents of the proposed Costco Wholesale store in Ridgeland are relentless in their effort to block developers.
...Now the action turns to the Madison County Chancery Court over a permit issued by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality for the bigger site.at their ‘private club station’ is not a ‘service station.’”

COSTCO
Northside Sun

Opposition alleges aldermen had conflicts when voting
The legal battle over the Ridgeland Costco gas station could come down to whether two Ridgeland aldermen had a conflict when voting to approve it.

A northbound lane of Hwy. 51 is closed as authorities work to right a leaning fuel tanker
Daily Leader

The state’s hazard experts are on scene at R.B. Wall Company Inc. to oversee the transfer of nearly 9,000 gallons of fuel from a tanker that nearly flipped over when a driver made a sharp turn into the parking lot earlier today.
...The tank holds 8,800 gallons of gasoline and Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and Lincoln County Emergency Management Director Clifford Galey are on hand as the fuel is offloaded.

20 minute trash pick up
Picayune Item

Thursday afternoon, a number of city employees and volunteers gathered at the intersection of West Canal Street and Main Street in Picayune to conduct a quick cleanup of the area.
The effort was part of the newly established Keep Picayune Beautiful Committee’s promise to keep the city clean.

Mississippi oyster season begins but doesn’t look good
WLOX

PASS CHRISTIAN, MS (WLOX) - Oyster season is finally here, but there are a lot of boats docked at the Pass Christian Harbor.

Engineer explores hydroelectric power at Lock and Dam
Commercial Dispatch
 
Although it's likely to be at least a half-dozen years away from reality, Columbus and Aberdeen may one day be home to hydroelectric power plants. 

A bridge to Deer Island is on FoFo’s wish list for Biloxi this Christmas
Sun Herald

While kids are busy writing to Santa, Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich is making his wish list for Biloxi — and he just added a pedestrian bridge to Deer Island.


Regional

Water woes killing Gulf Coast oyster industry
UPI

 In the middle of oyster harvesting season in Apalachicola Bay, Fla., there used to be as many as 600 boats with full crews on the water. But on a chilly morning this month, there was only one man aboard one boat.


National

Pruitt escaped multiple EPA IG investigations by resigning, report says
CNN

Scott Pruitt's resignation as Environmental Protection Agency administrator thwarted multiple investigations into his conduct in office, according to an inspector general report obtained by CNN.

EPA to boost mandate for some biofuels: report
The Hill

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to increase the federal mandate for certain biofuels.

Cost of keeping Asian carp from Great Lakes nearly triples
AP

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — Fortifying an Illinois waterway to prevent invasive carp from using it as a path to Lake Michigan could cost nearly three times as much as federal planners previously thought, according to an updated report.


Opinion

Overlapping environmental disasters put a strain on Gulf communities
Times-Picayune

Recent news suggests that the Deepwater Horizon oil spill will soon be eclipsed by the millions of barrels of oil leaking from the Taylor Energy platform since 2004. The Coast Guard this week ordered Taylor to contain the mess, or face massive fines. But cleanup alone may not fully mitigate the damage and effects may linger, as they did after the Deepwater Horizon spill.


Press Releases

MDMR to host open enrollment for oyster relay

BILOXI, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources will host an open enrollment period for oyster fishermen to take part in an upcoming oyster relay at the Pascagoula Causeway Reef in Jackson County.


EPA Signs MOU with the State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Regulations
11/29/2018

WASHINGTON (November 29, 2018) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the non-profit, multi-stakeholder, educational organization known as STRONGER. The name, STRONGER, is an acronym for State Review of Oil and Natural Gas Environmental Regulations.

EPA and Law Enforcement Partners Announce Sentencing in Louisiana Explosive Waste Disposal Case
11/29/2018

WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined law enforcement partners from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana, the Department of Defense, the U. S. Army, the Department of Transportation, the FBI, and the Louisiana State Police in announcing the sentencing of five defendants for their role in a case involving Explo Systems, Inc., a private company involved in the demilitarization of military munitions. Explo Systems’ mismanagement of military munitions resulted in a large detonation at a storage facility in Camp Minden, Louisiana, on October 15, 2012.

The Evolution of Deer Management in Mississippi
MDWFP

Mississippi established its first official deer season in 1905, and five years later, it set a bag limit of five deer. Fewer than 20 years later, the state’s deer herd had depleted to around 1,200.






Thursday, November 29, 2018

News Clippings November 29, 2018

State

MDEQ awards solid waste assistance grant to Monroe County
Monroe Journal

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) awarded Monroe County a solid waste assistance grant of $14,362 that will be used for a solid waste enforcement officer program.

Delivery of new garbage carts begins next week

Itawamba County residents should begin to receive their new trackable garbage bins, part of a $1.6-million upgrade to the county’s solid waste system, by the first week of December.

TEAM WASTE GETS CITY CONTRACT
South Reporter

Team Waste of Memphis, Tenn., was awarded the solid household waste collection and disposal contract at a recent Holly Springs Board of Aldermen meeting.

Oyster season now open for the next seven days
WLOX

Oyster fishermen were out on the water bright and early Thursday morning after marine officials opened the season back up for a seven-day harvest.


State Government

3 members of Mississippi House are elected to judicial posts
AP

Three Mississippi legislators have won judicial posts, so special elections will be held to fill their state House seats.


Oil Spill

State eyes Deepwater Horizon money for land deal
Daily Commercial

TALLAHASSEE — Florida officials are looking at using money from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill to help shield timber land in Dixie County from future development.


Regional

This town is like thousands that are vulnerable to contaminated water, with no fix in sight
CNN

Virginia Tech engineering Professor Marc Edwards watched as water flowed from a garden hose in Enterprise, Louisiana. As he moved a jar to catch a sample, the color changed from clear to brown.

Researchers suddenly see alarming spike in dolphin deaths across southwest Florida
WFLA

SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) - Over the past few days, an alarming number of dead dolphins have washed ashore along southwest Florida beaches, including in the Tampa Bay area.
If you spot a dead or injured dolphin, immediately call a wildlife rescue expert. 


National

The Energy 202: Trump's EPA chief said there was 'no political review' of climate report.
Washington Post

By all accounts, the Trump administration took a hands-off approach in crafting a recent major climate report that outlined the dire economic effects to come from climate change in the United States.

EPA chief criticizes climate report over ‘worst-case scenario’
The Hill

Acting Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler joined others in the Trump administration Wednesday in criticizing last week’s major climate change report for describing a “worst-case scenario.”

World's largest pork producer to harness methane gas to fight climate change
The Hill

The world's largest pork producer Smithfield Foods will work with Virginia-based Dominion Energy to harness methane gas from the thousands of pigs Smithfield rears each year.

Incoming Oklahoma governor picks Pruitt ally for top environment post
The Hill

Oklahoma Gov.-elect Kevin Stitt (R) on Wednesday tapped a close ally of former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruittto be the state’s top environmental official.


Press releases

For Immediate Release
For More information contact:
Keala J. Hughes, Director of External Affairs & Tribal Relations
Direct: 504-717-7235

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service has begun planning the Bayou DuLarge Ridge, Marsh and Hydrologic Restoration project, funded by the RESTORE Council. This $5.2 million planning project is one of the projects funded from the Council-Selected Restoration Component’s Initial Funded Priorities List. Ridge, Marsh and Hydrologic Restoration Projects such as this one have been instrumental in preserving and restoring critical habitat along the coast of Louisiana. The project's location provides a unique opportunity to manage salinity intrusion into a vast area where salinity was historically and naturally moderated through intact land features. By restoring natural salinity levels, the project can help protect and restore certain types of wetlands that are harmed by the intrusion of high salinity waters. The project will benefit a total 540 acres of habitat restoration.
For more information on this project, contact Britt Paul at britt.paul@la.usda.gov

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

News Clippings November 28, 2018

State

Tests confirm Mississippi’s third case of deer disease
AP

Officials say a third case of a debilitating deer disease has been confirmed in Mississippi.

DMR moves forward with plans to open seven-day oyster season
WLOX

The Department of Marine Resources moved forward with plans to open oyster season in Mississippi.

County hopes garbage situation is resolved
Natchez Democrat

NATCHEZ — Adams County leaders said the county’s new garbage collection service provider would begin collecting garbage today to help alleviate a backlog of garbage that has gone uncollected for weeks in some areas of the county.


State Government

Election Results
WLBT



Regional

Supreme Court gives landowners another chance in fight over critical habitat for tiny frog
The Hill

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered a federal appeals court to take a new look at a fight over private land in Louisiana that’s been designated a critical habitat for a tiny frog.


National

Bipartisan group of lawmakers propose landmark carbon tax
The Hill

A bipartisan group of lawmakers is introducing a landmark bill that would charge fossil fuel companies a tax for their carbon dioxide emissions.

Could California’s ocean ranches solve a global food shortage and fix the seafood trade deficit?
Washington Post

ABOVE THE SAN PEDRO SHELF — The Pacific Ocean is mountain-spring clear here six miles off the coast of Huntington Beach, Calif., where Phil Cruver has been ranching for a few months now.


Opinion

Supreme Court Sides with Landowners in Dispute over Frog Habitats
National Review

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ruled in favor of Mississippi landowners who were prevented from clearing timber on their land due to state environmental laws designed to protect the habitat of a certain species of frog that has never been spotted on the land in question.


Press releases

Band Aid: Banding Migratory Game Birds in Mississippi Provides a Wealth of Information
MDWFP

Many wing-shooters, especially those with years of hunting experience, would likely share the story of harvesting a banded bird as one of hunting’s greatest memories. Some hunters might pursue doves, ducks, or other game birds their entire lives without ever holding an aluminum leg band in their hands. Still, others may be fortunate enough to have a lanyard covered with these trophies. In addition to becoming prized possessions, bands serve an important role by providing a wealth of information about the birds that wear them and the hunters who pursue them.