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.
