State
Keystone plan gets MDEQ approval
Daily Leader
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has given its OK for a corrective action plan for the Keystone property and Lincoln County supervisors are hopeful the MDEQ’s Board of Commissioners will sign off on it as well despite a small amount of contaminated groundwater beneath the surface.
GROUNDWATER CONTAMINATION AT FOUR COAL SITES
MPB
A new report on toxic coal ash pollution shows groundwater contamination at four Mississippi sites. As MPB's Jasmine Ellis reports one site in South Mississippi ranks ninth worst in the U.S. for coal contamination.
...The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality says they haven't had a chance to thoroughly research the report's findings to compare it to the data they already have on file.
Mississippi coal power plant one of the nation’s top groundwater polluters, report finds
Mississippi Today
A coal-fired power plant in Purvis is one of the top groundwater contaminators in the country, according to a report published Monday. As a result of coal ash being dumped into landfills, groundwater near the R.D. Morrow, Sr. Generating Station contained nearly two hundred times the safe amount of lithium, among other pollutants, the analysis found.
Invasive aquatic plant found in another Mississippi lake
AP
Officials report that an invasive aquatic plant has been found in another Mississippi lake.
A plant is affecting waters in North Mississippi; Here's what you need to know.
Daily Journal
A recent report from the Mississippi Department of of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks’ Fisheries Bureau states that Giant Salvinia has now been found in Pickwick, Bay Springs, Columbus and Aberdeen lakes, Ross Barnett Reservoir and the Pascagoula River marsh. Most recently it was found at Lake Okhissa, a US Forest Service lake near Bude.
TENN-TOM WATERWAY CLOSED DUE TO SANDBARS
WCBI
Most people go to sandbars along the Tenn-Tom Waterway during the summer.
Now, high flood waters have brought the sandbar to the river.
Yazoo River Level Raises Concerns: Greenwood in Good Shape
Delta News TV
With the heavy rainfall that the Delta endured last week, concerns were raised about the rising river level of the Yazoo River.
AUDITOR WANTS MORE THAN $500,000 BACK FROM N MISS. WATER DISTRICT
WCBI
Today at a press conference State Auditor Shad White announced he has issued demand letters to each current member of the Town Creek Master Water Management District Board of Commissioners for approving unlawful per diem payments to themselves.
Possible solar energy agreement in works for Forrest County School District
WDAM
One of the schools within the Forrest County School District could be going green.
MSU donates bus to Oktibbeha County EMA
Commercial Dispatch
Oktibbeha County Emergency Management Agency is closer to having a mobile command center after receiving a bus from Mississippi State University.
Regional
Florida, Georgia Square Off Again in Water War
Tallahassee, Fla. - (The News Service of Florida) Florida says the case is the “last, best hope” to save the Apalachicola River region from destruction.
Georgia says Florida’s arguments threaten to cause hundreds of millions of dollars in “real harm” to the Peach State.
Whitehaven residents fight trash facility expansion
WMC
MEMPHIS, TN (WMC) - There’s a heated debate in Whitehaven over a proposed waste facility expansion.
National
Widespread contamination at coal ash sites: report
Washington Post
WASHINGTON - The majority of ponds and landfills holding coal waste at 250 power plants across the country, including several in Louisiana, have leaked toxic chemicals into nearby groundwater, according to an analysis of public monitoring data released Monday by environmental groups.
Watchdog report indicates political appointees at EPA delayed assessments of toxic chemicals
ABC
Frustrated by EPA, states blaze ahead on PFAS
E&E
EPA's action plan on toxic chemicals found in drinking water did not satisfy several states that plan to push forward with their own policies.
Legislation introduced would declare PFA's hazardous chemicals
Chemicals would be considered hazardous under Superfund Law
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says this year it will begin the process of setting boundaries on two man-made chemicals that are linked to cancer and other illnesses.
U.S. EPA sends proposed rule for higher ethanol-blend gasoline to White House
Reuters
WASHINGTON, March 4 (Reuters) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday said it had sent a draft of its proposed rule allowing year-round sales of higher ethanol blends of gasoline to the White House Office of Budget for final review.
EPA regional administrator Benevento leaving for new post
Montana Standard
Doug Benevento, Environmental Protection Agency Region 8 administrator, is leaving his job for a higher-ranking EPA post at EPA headquarters, but he will remain based in Denver.
Big Oil Moves to Tighten Its Grip on Fracking
WSJ
Chevron Corp. CVX 0.07% plans to significantly ramp up production in the oil field at the heart of the American fracking boom, the latest sign that the next era of shale drilling is likely to be led by the major oil companies.
Regulators Target Energy-Efficient Home Improvements Loans
WSJ
WASHINGTON—Federal regulators are preparing to clamp down on a popular loan program used to finance solar panels and other energy-saving home improvements.
22 of the top 30 most polluted cities in the world are in India
CNN
India accounts for seven of the world's 10 cities with the worst air pollution, according to a new report, but previously smogbound Chinese cities have seen a marked improvement. Gurugram, a suburb of the Indian capital New Delhi, is the world's most polluted city, according to Greenpeace and AirVisual, which found it had an average air quality index of 135.8 in 2018 -- almost three times the level which the US Environmental Protection Agency regards as healthy. https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/04/health/most-polluted-cities-india-china-intl/index.html
Opinion
Chronic wasting disease: Lessons from the first year
MSU Extension Service
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A year after chronic wasting disease was found in Mississippi, my deer season was very different than those in the past.
Press Releases
EPA Announces 2018 Annual Superfund Accomplishments
03/04/2019
ATLANTA (March 4, 2019) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is releasing Superfund’s annual report covering major accomplishments and environmental progress during fiscal year 2018.
Administrator Wheeler Announces New Staff Additions and Updated Assignments
Opens First Week as Administrator by Adding Two New and Promoting Two Senior Staff
03/04/2019
WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler announced new additions and assignments for EPA staff as he begins his first full week as Administrator following his Senate confirmation last Thursday.
Officials concerned as Giant Salvinia spreads to more lakes
MDWFP
JACKSON – The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks’ Fisheries Bureau (MDWFP) reports that Giant Salvinia, an aggressive, invasive nonnative plant, has now been found in Pickwick, Bay Springs, Columbus, and Aberdeen Lakes, Ross Barnett Reservoir and the Pascagoula River marsh. Most recently it was found at Lake Okhissa, a US Forest Service lake near Bude, MS.
