State
Task force to monitor impact of Bonnet Carre Spillway opening on the Mississippi Sound
Sun Herald
Gov. Phil Bryant has created an intra-agency and university task force to monitor environmental conditions and measure the impacts of the Bonnet Carre Spillway on marine species in the Mississippi Sound.
Mississippi governor asks for federal fisheries disaster declaration
WLOX
BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - Gov. Phil Bryant is asking for a federal fisheries disaster declaration for Mississippi due to the Bonnet Carré Spillway opening. Such a declaration could help all those negatively impacted by the freshwater intrusion, including fishermen and related businesses, obtain financial assistance.
Steele Bayou floodgate closed again as flooding continues
AP
STEELE BAYOU (AP) — The floodgate at the Steele Bayou structure has been closed to prevent water from the Mississippi River from spilling back inland and worsening an already devastating flood in the Yazoo Backwater Area.
'He was an absolute monster': Researchers share alligator snapping turtle finds
Clarion Ledger
A pair of University of Southern Mississippi graduate students recently made headlines with the capture of a 62.8-pound alligator snapping turtle in Lamar County, but that turtle pales in comparison to a massive 117.6-pounder the researchers captured earlier in central Mississippi.
Tourism office adds EV charging station
Daily Corinthian
The installation of a EV charging station was recently completed in downtown Corinth and charges are free at the unit until further notice.
Regional
BTH: Protecting the Memphis Aquifer
WKNO
Memphis water is pumped from a vast aquifer that that stretches under eight states. Dr. Brian Waldron is the Director of the Center for Applied Earth Science and Engineering (CAESER) at the University of Memphis and is working with students to assess and find potential dangers to the water in the aquifer.
$1M fine for owner of unlicensed Fulton landfill that burned for months
AJC
A man who let a unlicensed landfill burn in a South Fulton neighborhood for eight months has been fined $1 million.
Neighborhood worries as city removes radioactive material below their street
WWL
NEW ORLEANS — Residents in the Gert Town neighborhood are expressing serious health concerns as crews block off a city street to dig up hazardous materials.
National
EPA curbs state power to deny permits for climate concerns
E&E News
EPA says it can issue federal permits for projects, including pipelines, regardless of whether states raise questions about impacts to climate change or air pollution.
Microplastics Have Invaded The Deep Ocean — And The Food Chain
NPR
The largest habitat for life on Earth is the deep ocean. It's home to everything from jellyfish to giant bluefin tuna. But the deep ocean is being invaded by tiny pieces of plastic — plastic that people thought was mostly floating at the surface, and in amounts they never imagined.
Big Mining Companies Disclose Questionable Stability of Dams
WSJ
Some of the world’s largest mining companies said more than a dozen dams under their authority have at times failed stability assessments by outside experts, some of them in locations where a dam break would pose a risk to lives.
Press Releases
EPA Issues Guidance on Clean Water Act Water Quality Certification
06/07/2019
(June 7, 2019) — WASHINGTON – As directed by President Trump, today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released guidance on Section 401 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) that provides recommendations to clarify and streamline the 401 certification process and to promote greater investment in and certainty for national infrastructure projects while continuing to protect local water quality.
EPA Prepares the Public for the 2019 Hurricane Season by Focusing on Waste Mitigation
06/07/2019
WASHINGTON (June 7, 2019) — The Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1 and ends November 30. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is calling on the public to prepare now for natural disasters to aid recovery efforts.
New online tool helps communities prepare for coastal flooding
Coastal Inundation Dashboard brings water level data from over 200 coastal stations to your desktop
NOAA
June 7, 2019
If you live along the coast, flooding can endanger lives, property, businesses, and even bring communities and commerce to a standstill. To help people prepare for and manage the effects of coastal flooding, NOAA has brought together data from its over 200 coastal water level stations into one easy-to-use web tool.
