State
Ridgeland pulls out of MCWA
Madison County Journal
The City of Ridgeland is withdrawing from the Madison County Wastewater Authority, Mayor Gene F. McGee confirmed last week.
City to move wastewater plant, commission comprehensive plan
New Albany Gazette
It looks at though New Albany will get a new wastewater treatment plant, and the beginnings of a new comprehensive plan, but is still dealing with signage problems despite a reworked set of ordinances.
Lawmakers announce $14.1 million USDA Rural Development Award for New Albany wastewater plant
New Albany Gazette
U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and Representative Trent Kelly, R-Miss., this past week praised the approval of a $14.1 million loan and grant package from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that will allow the City of New Albany to replace its wastewater treatment system.
MDEQ GIVES SUMRALL CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH
Hub City Spokes
After some confusion regarding work and water testing near Sumrall Town Hall, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has closed out a Notice of Violation previously issued to the city.
Pile of tires along Pearl River concerning boaters
WLBT
Trash and litter have often piled up along, and in, the Pearl River, but one group went out of its way to clean up the waterway and its banks.
Supes demand cleanup of dirty apartments
Madison County Journal
Madison County supervisors have given low-income housing partnerships in Canton until January to clean up three different overgrown lots, some with trash and other debris.
Regional
State begins coast-wide effort to sustain fisheries hit by wetland erosion, restoration projects
Times-Picayune
State officials have embarked on a coast-wide effort to partner with the commercial and recreational fishing industry to find ways to make fishing more sustainable in the future, even as some state projects aimed at restoring coastal wetlands and land threaten fisheries and fishers.
State: Expect long wait on EPA answers regarding ending vehicle emissions testing in Hamilton County
Chattanooga Times Free Press
NASHVILLE — Tennessee environmental officials say they've been working for months to collect and analyze data to ensure a state law seeking to abolish mandatory vehicle emissions testing in Hamilton and other counties won't jeopardize their ability to comply with federal air quality requirements.
National
The Oil Industry’s Covert Campaign to Rewrite American Car Emissions Rules
NYT
When the Trump administration laid out a plan this year that would eventually allow cars to emit more pollution, automakers, the obvious winners from the proposal, balked. The changes, they said, went too far even for them.
USDA, EPA focus on market-based approach to reduce pollution
Delta Farm Press
USDA and the U.S. EPA are encouraging increased engagement and a reinvigoration of state, tribal and federal efforts to reduce excess nutrients in waterways, with a focus on market-based and other collaborative approaches.
Plastic Water Bottles, Which Enabled a Drinks Boom, Now Threaten a Crisis
WSJ
ÉVIAN-LES-BAINS, France—Bottled water, which recently dethroned soda as America’s most popular beverage, is facing a crisis.
EPA names Pennsylvania environmental official Dana Aunkst as director of Chesapeake Bay Program
Baltimore Sun
Pennsylvania environmental official Dana Aunkst will serve as the next director of the federal Chesapeake Bay Program, based in Annapolis.
Scientists think this exotic fish hitchhiked from Japan to California in tsunami debris
CNN
Divers swimming in the cold, murky waters of Monterey Bay, California, say they've spotted a fish that's a long way from home. It's called a barred knifejaw, and it's native to Japan, Korea and China.
Justice Department Closes Criminal Investigation of SeaWorld
WSJ
The Justice Department has closed a criminal investigation into SeaWorld Entertainment Inc. over its response to a 2013 documentary that criticized the company’s treatment of killer whales and caused its attendance and stock to drop.
Press Releases
EPA Streamlines Hazardous Waste Pharmaceuticals Regulations for Healthcare Sector
Rule Expected to Save Up to $15 million Annually
12/12/2018
WASHINGTON — U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler signed a final rule streamlining standards for managing hazardous waste pharmaceuticals in the healthcare sector. The final rule is expected to result in up to $15 million in costs savings annually.
NFWF and International Paper Mark Five-Year Anniversary,
$15 Million Invested to Conserve Southern Forests
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (December 12, 2018) — The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and International Paper today marked the five-year anniversary of the launch of their Forestland Stewards partnership, which continues to conserve and restore southern forests, some of the most biodiverse and productive landscapes in the United States.
