State
Riverfront Park repairs completed after being closed for 10 months
Vicksburg Post
It is Vicksburg’s most used park, but from December 2017 until September, Riverfront Park off Washington Street was closed to the public while city and county officials dealt with a series of problems while trying to repair a landslide in the south end of the park.
...Work began in late December 2017, but was halted Jan. 4, when a track hoe for Central Asphalt removing soil dug up a scoop of dirt containing oil believed to have been left over from a former tank farm that was in the area, and Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality Officials were called to evaluate site.
Okhissa land purchase enters first phase
Daily Leader
A six-month clock is ticking for a regional economic development group’s plan to purchase and develop national forest land around Okhissa Lake in Franklin County.
Officials take action as Chronic Wasting Disease cases grow just north of Miss. state line
Clarion Ledger
With a growing number of chronic wasting disease cases near the Mississippi and Tennessee state line, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks has expanded the northern CWD Management Zone to include all or parts of 11 counties.
Poachers suspected in deaths of 2 university research deer
AP
Two deer that were a part of a Mississippi State University and Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks study are dead and poaching is suspected to be the cause.
Waveland approves additional sewer work on Edna St.
Sea Coast Echo
In a separate matter, the board discussed Change Order No. 3 from DNA Underground for an increase in the contract price regarding an expanded scope of work for the Herlihy Street Area Sanitary Sewer Improvements project in the amount of $234,410.
Christmas tree recycling begins Wednesday
WLOX
When you get ready to put away your Christmas decorations, don’t throw away your trees. Instead, drop them off at one of the recycling stations in Harrison and Jackson Counties.
Post-holiday recycling programs kick off Wednesday in Hattiesburg
WDAM
In the days following Dec. 25, seeing streets lined with empty gift boxes and unwanted Christmas trees is common. Every year, the City of Hattiesburg offers an environmentally friendly way for you to dispose of your post-holiday rubbish.
State Government
Analysis: Pension plan outlook rosier with funding increase
AP
After mandating an increase in employer contributions to Mississippi's public pension system, projections reported to the Public Employees Retirement System show its finances look to be in good shape — at least for now.
Mississippi senator’s arrest could create leadership fight
AP
A leadership showdown is developing in the Mississippi Senate after its second-ranking official was arrested this week for the third time on suspicion of drunken driving.
Bryant talks 2020 budget recommendations
NewsMS
Governor Phil Bryant recently outlined his budget priorities and recommendations for 2020. Among a long list of items was a teacher pay raise, increasing public safety funding and pay raises for the MDOC, as well as, protecting the state’s retirement system.
Oil Spill
Louisiana island important for pelican recovery slated for restoration
Times-Picayune
A small Louisiana island that played a big role in the brown pelican’s recovery is slated for a $19 million restoration project.
Regional
Environmental regulators take to the skies with unmanned drones
The Advocate
Drone aircraft are starting to monitor chemical leaks from the skies above Louisiana.
The state Department of Environmental Quality bought its first unmanned helicopters last year and began sending the equipment skyward in October, once the first five pilots completed training.
Ex-workers at Florida State Fire College file suit
Ocala Star Banner
Six former employees of the Florida State Fire College and two of their spouses have filed a class-action lawsuit against manufacturers of firefighting suppressants used at the college, which they claim led them to develop various cancers and diseases from exposure.
National
EPA braces for onslaught of lawsuits in 2019
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is confident that its prospects in federal court are about to change for the better when it comes to fights over regulatory rollbacks.
State attorneys general add dire national climate study to comments challenging EPA climate rollbacks
The Hill
A coalition of 29 state attorneys general are using the text of the Trump administration’s National Climate Assessment to back their claims that two recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rollbacks are out of step with reality.
Experts: Dicamba Will Come For Trees, Specialty Crops In 2019
KUNC
Dicamba, the controversial herbicide used on soybeans and cotton, is responsible for thousands of acres of damaged crops in recent years.
Experts say that despite new federal rules that go into effect in 2019, the drift will continue but the victims will be different.
New Local Buses Part Of $28.4 Million VW Settlement
KXRO
Millions from the Volkswagen settlement is going toward electric transit buses and low-emission school buses, and that includes vehicles locally.
Missourians want action over too-high Illinois levee
AP
Missouri landowners and environmentalists are urging a federal agency to sanction a levee district on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River, arguing that the earthen barrier has been built above its authorized height, worsening flooding for its neighbors.
Opinion
Why Your Next Home Might Not Need Any Energy at All
A bevy of new technologies, construction techniques and a movement to make buildings more livable and efficient have led to a tipping point in how new buildings use energy—or don’t
WSJ
Homes and commercial buildings consume 40% of all energy used in the U.S., according to the Department of Energy. What if we could build structures that don’t draw any power from the grid, or use any natural gas, at all? And what if the materials and techniques required were no more expensive than conventional construction, or added at most a 10% premium to building costs?
Press Releases
EPA Plans to Award Nearly $6 Million to Protect, Restore and Maintain the Health of the Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem
12/21/2018
ATLANTA (December 21, 2018) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to award nearly $6 million in total to 15 universities and organizations to develop projects that address the health, productivity and restoration of the Gulf of Mexico watershed and the communities that rely on this national resource.
