Thursday, February 28, 2019

News Clippings February 28, 2019

State

Spillway opening could impact Coast seafood supplies
WLOX

For the first time in the 89-year history of the Bonnet Carré Spillway, it has been opened for a second consecutive year. That’s good news to ease flooding concerns along the Mississippi River in Louisiana and at points farther north, but it is not so good for the Gulf Coast.

CPU Detractors a No-show Second Time in a Row
Delta Daily News

The Clarksdale Public Utilities board met Monday and although Marvin Reddix and Stanley Clark were on the agenda, carried over from two weeks ago, they did not appear in person but delivered a memo to Clarksdale Press Register reporter Josh Troy. T

Columbus Avenue closed for sewer fix
Neshoba Democrat

Sewer line repairs that have caused a city street to be closed in Philadelphia are expected to be complete by the end of next week.

City litter ordinance explained
Chickasaw Journal

HOUSTON – Litter has a cost to every community and Houston will soon have the tools to make litterbugs share that burden and pay for their crime.

GOVERNOR PHIL BRYANT TOURS THE DEVASTATION
WCBI

Governor Phil Bryant toured the city of Columbus Wednesday to see the devastation.
He visited some of the hardest hit areas hit areas from Saturday’s tornado.

 
State Government

Gluckstadt’s future in judge’s hand
Madison County Journal

The Gluckstadt incorporation case now rests in the hands of a Madison County Chancery Court Judge following the conclusion of court proceedings shortly before noon last Friday. 


Regional

Federal judge: Why hasn't 15-year gulf oil leak been stopped?
WWL

As work crews arrived at the site of Taylor Energy’s 15-year-old oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, a federal judge in New Orleans repeatedly asked lawyers for both Taylor and the U.S. Coast Guard why it’s taken so long to act.

Navy hands out bottled water after Saufley Field well water tests show high levels of PFAS
PNJ

The Navy is distributing bottled drinking water to some residents who live on the west side of Saufley Field after initial well water testing exceeded levels set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.


National

Show Us Your Climate Risks, Investors Tell Companies
WSJ

Companies are under more pressure than ever to disclose their exposure to climate-change risks.

U.S. EPA 'very likely' to finish E15 gasoline rule by summer: Perdue
Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said on Wednesday he had been reassured by his counterpart at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the agency would “very likely” finish its rule allowing year-round sales of higher ethanol blends of gasoline in time for summer driving season.


Press releases

EPA Announces Development of Water Reuse Action Plan
EPA will work across the water sector to lead the development of an integrated management approach for our Nation’s water resources
02/27/2019

WASHINGTON — Today, at a summit in San Francisco, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the development of a Water Reuse Action Plan that will leverage the expertise of both industry and government to ensure the effective use of the nation’s water resources.

Vicksburg District Starts Daily Flood Fight Patrols
USACE

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District began daily patrols of flood control works, such as levees, floodwalls, relief wells, pumping stations and reservoirs, Feb. 25 due to forecasted high water on the Mississippi River and its tributaries.
Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality | 515 East Amite Street, Jackson, MS 39201
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Wednesday, February 27, 2019

News Clippings February 27, 2019

State

MEMA reports new data from last week's flooding, tornadoes
WTVA

New data shows the extent of damage the state suffered during last week’s severe weather.
North Mississippi was hit hard with flooding, and tornadoes swept through several local counties on Saturday, Feb. 23.

Citizens asked to put storm debris on curbside
Commercial Dispatch
 
As attempts to clean and repair homes and businesses continue in the aftermath of Saturday's tornado, the city of Columbus is asking residents to keep debris out of the roads. 

Recreational boating suspended on Mississippi River
WJTV

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks has temporarily suspended recreational boating on the Mississippi River.

MDWFP temporarily closes boat ramps
NewsMS

Heavy rainfall in north Mississippi has raised the water levels at State Lakes Lamar Bruce, Elvis Presley and Charlie Capps several feet above normal.

Floodwaters create dangerous situation
Wildlife pushed out of their habitat, ground saturated
WJTV

The state is soaked, quite literally, from heavy rains and flooding. It’s creating a potentially dangerous situation involving wildlife. 

Scenic Rivers bond bill gets OK in House
Enterprise-Journal

The Scenic Rivers Development Alliance could be on its way to receiving more than $1 million in state bond funds to go to maintaining various recreational facilities and buying land and building a conference center near Okhissa Lake.  


State Government

Lottery could be in Mississippi by the end of the year
WJTV

The countdown is on for when you will see the lottery in Mississippi 


Regional

10 things to know about the Bonnet Carre Spillway before it's opened Wednesday
Times-Picayune

The Mississippi River is rapidly rising, as it generally does each spring, fed by rain and snow farther north. To reduce water levels and lessen the strain on New Orleans’ flood walls, and to prevent possible flooding in the city and other downriver communities, like St. Bernard Parish, the Army Corps of Engineers plans to open the Bonnet Carré Spillway structure on Wednesday (Feb. 27). 

Fight against wetland pest gets $1 million boost from Congress
Times-Picayune

The fight against a wetland-eating bug is getting another boost from the federal government.
An appropriation bill passed by Congress last week includes $1 million to research ways to combat an Asian scale insect that has invaded south Louisiana and is devouring roseau cane, a tall and sturdy marsh grass that resists erosion and sea level rise.


National

EPA enforcement chief defends agency’s record
Washington Post

A top Environmental Protection Agency official on Tuesday defended the Trump administration’s approach to enforcing the nation’s environmental laws, despite figures that show civil penalties for polluters and inspections of industrial facilities have dropped significantly.

US keeps air pollution standard established under Obama
AP

U.S. environmental regulators on Tuesday announced they are leaving intact an air quality standard for power plant pollution that can worsen asthma in children, despite calls by health advocates for a tougher rule.

Will An Appeals Court Make The EPA Ban A Pesticide Linked To Serious Health Risks?
NPR

Eric Perez and his wife, Mari, live with their five children in the Wenatchee Valley in central Washington state. Their house is just feet from an orchard. A couple of years ago, the kids were having an Easter egg hunt in the yard when they smelled something "plasticky," Perez remembers — like "rotten eggs."

Bayer Faces Mounting Weedkiller Lawsuits Amid Sweeping Restructuring
Chemicals and pharmaceuticals company faces 11,2000 plaintiffs over Roundup, the world’s most widely used herbicide
WSJ

LEVERKUSEN, Germany—Bayer AG said the number of plaintiffs suing over its weedkillers had risen by another 1,900 over the last three months—adding legal pressure on the German pharmaceuticals and chemicals company as it navigates a broad restructuring of its businesses.

House Passes Public Lands Funding Package
WSJ

WASHINGTON—The House of Representatives passed a broad-based lands package Tuesday, designating more than one million acres in the U.S. as wilderness and permanently reauthorizing a lapsed funding source for public parks across the country.


Press releases

EPA Retains National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Sulfur Dioxide
02/26/2019

WASHINGTON (February 26, 2019) - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing its final decision to retain without changes to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for sulfur dioxide (SO2). This decision comes after carefully reviewing the most recent available scientific evidence and risk and exposure information and consulting with the agency’s independent science advisors.

EPA Partners with Second Helpings Atlanta to Reduce Food Waste and Fight Hunger at Super Bowl LIII
02/26/2019

Washington — Move over, Belichick-Brady. Super Bowl LIII had an even bigger save with the EPA-Second Helpings Atlanta partnership that prevented 17,044 pounds of food from going to waste.


Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality | 515 East Amite Street, Jackson, MS 39201
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Tuesday, February 26, 2019

News Clippings February 26, 2019

State

Hattiesburg recycling program continues to grow
WDAM

The city of Hattiesburg created its curbside recycling program back in 2015 and relaunched in October 2017 with a goal of gaining 25 signups a month.

$350M One Lake Project still on drawing board
WAPT

Backers of the One Lake Project on the Pearl River say it could transform the river into a business and recreational hub for Jackson.

More cases of CWD were found. What will the management zones look like now?
Clarion Ledger

With four additional cases of chronic wasting disease, the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks is weighing its options on new management zones.

CDC concerned about zombie deer disease
WAPT

The Center for Disease Control is concerned about the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease in the deer population.

Governor declares state of emergency after storms
NewsMS

After tornados and severe storms hit Mississippi over the weekend, Governor Bryant has declared a state of emergency. 

Delta residents go from farming to flood control as river waters rise
WLBT

Flood warnings remain in effect for the Mississippi River in Vicksburg this week.
The river is expected to rise for the next couple of weeks, and crest at around 51 feet.

COLUMBUS, MISSISSIPPI TRYING TO REBUILD AFTER STORM DAMAGE
MPB

More than 35 counties in Mississippi are trying to recover from severe storms, tornadoes, and flooding that happened over the past week. So far, 500 residencies, 200 roads and bridges, and 30 businesses are affected statewide. MPB's Jasmine Ellis reports on storm damage in Lowndes County where one person was killed.


State Government

HOUSE PASSES BILL SOME SAY GIVES LANDOWNERS IMMUNITY
MPB

A bill is making its way through the Mississippi legislature could limit a landowners liability when someone is seriously injured on their property. 


Oil Spill

FSU Secures $8M From Triumph Board To Study Apalachicola Bay
WJCT

Florida State University is getting $8 million to study how to revive the Apalachicola Bay. The Board overseeing a settlement with BP from the 2010 oil spill approved the proposal Monday.

BP oil spill money to help counties battered by Hurricane Michael
PNJ

Money from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill will help governments in four storm-battered Northwest Florida counties with anticipated property-tax losses caused by Hurricane Michael.


Regional

Rising Mississippi prompts spillway opening near New Orleans
AP

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin opening a historic flood control structure upriver from New Orleans this week to divert water from a rain-swollen Mississippi River and ease pressure on the levees that protect the city, Corps officials said Monday.

Mosaic officials: Slowly but surely the risk is lowering of castrophic failure of acidic lake atop Convent gypsum pile
The Advocate

Officials with Mosaic Fertilizer, the operator of the slipping pile of waste phosphogypsum and its lake of acidic water, say they see encouraging trends in their efforts to halt a potential slow-moving environmental disaster in St. James Parish.

Red snapper giants honored as reef zone expands
Al.com

State officials honored three Alabama scientists for decades of groundbreaking work on red snapper by naming new artificial reef zones after them. Several conservation groups were also honored, making for a total of eight newly named reef zones.


National

CDC to test for carcinogens around eight U.S. military bases
UPI

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will begin testing humans for exposure to toxic fluorinated compounds surrounding eight former and current military bases in the United States.

New report from environmental group details reduced enforcement at EPA
CNN

There has been a drastic drop in the enforcement of environmental regulations by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Trump administration, an advocacy group will say in a report issued to Congress on Tuesday.

Man who suffered brain damage from lead paint wins $2M
AP

A Baltimore jury has awarded around $2 million to a man who has permanent brain damage from being exposed to lead paint as a child.


Press Releases


PEARL – The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency has received additional damage reports from more than 35 counties due to severe storms and tornadoes on February 23rd, along with flooding that started on February 19th and is currently ongoing throughout the state.

These damage reports serve only as initial assessments from the county emergency management offices and will change (either higher or lower) as additional reports and assessments are sent to MEMA.

So far, close to 500 residences, over 200 roads and bridges and over 30 businesses are affected statewide. 

Initial damage reports by county (assessments ongoing):
  • Alcorn: Assessments ongoing, EF-0 and EF-1 tornado confirmed by National Weather Service – Memphis.
  • Calhoun: 54 homes, two businesses and 20 roads damaged.
  • Carroll: Assessments ongoing
  • Chickasaw: One home, one business and 14 roads damaged.
  • Clarke: Homes damaged, three businesses and two roads damaged.
  • Clay: 72 homes, 12 roads and five bridges damaged
  • Coahoma: Assessments delayed due to flooding
  • Grenada: 105 homes and 22 businesses damaged. seven roads damaged.
  • Humphreys: Assessments delayed due to flooding
  • Issaquena: One home and five roads damaged.
  • Itawamba: 41 roads damaged.
  • Lafayette: Seven homes, three business, and three
  • Lee: 60 homes damaged; some roads inaccessible.
  • Lincoln: One home damaged.
  • Lowndes: EF-0 Tornado in Artesia; EF-3 Tornado in Columbus, both confirmed by National Weather Service – Jackson
o  Close to 900 without power.
o  19 injuries reported.
o  141 homes damaged; 28 businesses damaged; roads/bridges assessments ongoing.
o  MEMA Personnel have been deployed to the city of Columbus and continue damage assessments.
o  To view MEMA Field Services drone footage of the city of Columbus, click here.
  • Madison: Assessments ongoing
  • Monroe: Assessments ongoing
  • Montgomery: Assessments ongoing
  • Noxubee: One home damaged
  • Pontotoc: Nine bridges damaged
  • Prentiss: 45 roads damaged
  • Quitman: Assessments ongoing
  • Rankin: One home damaged.
  • Sharkey: Three homes and 11 roads damaged.
  • Simpson: One business damaged.
  • Smith: Six roads and three bridges damaged.
  • Sunflower: Two homes and roads damaged or inaccessible.
  • Tallahatchie: 35 homes, nine businesses and 29 roads damaged.
  • Tishomingo: EF-2 Tornado confirmed by National Weather Service - Memphis; three homes, 36 roads and two bridges damaged
  • Tunica: Three roads damaged
  • Union: 22 roads damaged
  • Warren: Assessments ongoing
  • Washington: Assessments ongoing
  • Webster: Two homes and multiple roads damaged.
  • Yalobusha: Assessments ongoing
  • Yazoo: Assessments ongoing

  • Lowndes County: Townsend Community Center – 826 15th Street, Columbus, MS 39701
  • Tallahatchie County: National Guard Armory – 409 South Cossar Ave, Charleston, MS 38921

Volunteer Reception Center:
Unaffiliated Volunteers looking to serve in the Columbus/Lowndes County area should register with the Volunteer Reception Center in Columbus. The Center is operated by “Volunteer Columbus”.
  • Address - 223 22nd Street North, Columbus, MS 39701
  • Phone Numbers: 662-370-8600, 662-370-8602 and 662-370-8603
  • Residents in the Lowndes County area needing assistance are asked to use that same contact info.

MEMA Resources Deployed:
  • Personnel deployed to affected areas for damage assessments, staffing of county emergency management offices, resident assistance and asset delivery.
  • Drones with pilots to provide aerial capability in damage assessments, click here.
  • 70,000 sandbags delivered to more than 10 counties statewide
  • More than 200 tarps to Lowndes and Tishomingo Counties


The public is encouraged to report damage to homes or businesses to their county emergency management office. A directory of all the offices can be found at http://www.msema.org/county-ema/

MEMA will provide updates as information becomes available. The best way to get up-to-date information during this event is to “Like” MEMA on Facebook, or “Follow” us on twitter @msema.
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USACE

Vicksburg, Miss. – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Vicksburg District identified a landslide at Enid Lake in Mississippi Feb. 20 and detected additional movement on the landslide Feb. 22.

USACE

NEW ORLEANS – Increasing water levels as a result of heavy rain in the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys are prompting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to operate the Bonnet Carré Spillway to ensure safe passage of the Mississippi river through the greater New Orleans area. 


Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality | 515 East Amite Street, Jackson, MS 39201
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