State
Storm outfall project beginning to take shape
WLOX
BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - The redesigned beach outfalls are beginning to take shape in Biloxi as those old, unattractive storm pipes are being updated with a more modern look. Work continues just east of the Biloxi Small Craft Harbor on phase one of a $4.9 million project.
Algae bloom could have major impact on beach vendors
WLOX
GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - The flags are waving to attract customers to one Gulfport beach vendor, but there’s something missing.
Out-of-town fishermen taking a chance despite the toxic algae
WLOX
PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. (WLOX) - The beaches in Hancock and Harrison counties remain closed due to the toxic blue-green algae bloom, but some people could be seen casting their lines out into the Mississippi Sound on Saturday morning.
Despite fresh water and algae bloom, coast charters still putting clients on fish
Clarion Ledger
Trillions of gallons of fresh water diverted from the flooded Mississippi River have poured into the Mississippi Sound for months and with it came headlines about dead dolphins, dead sea turtles and population reductions of popular seafood such as crabs and oysters. As if the situation wasn't bad enough, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality recently announced numerous beach closures due to a toxic blue-green algae bloom.
Harmful Algal Bloom continues to grow
Sea Coast Echo
The Fourth of July weekend -- peak beach-time on the Mississippi Gulf Coast -- is just around the corner, but all of Hancock County's beaches, along with most of Harrison County's, are currently closed due to the lingering effects of a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB).
Beach at Flint Creek Water Park temporarily closed
WLOX
STONE COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) - Tourists looking to travel inland for some waterfront fun might have a bit more trouble finding safe waterways.
‘KEEP TUPELO BEAUTIFUL’ ORGANIZES ELECTRONICS RECYCLING DAY
WCBI
TUPELO, MISS. (WCBI) – People in the Tupelo area had an opportunity to properly dispose of old or unwanted electronic items.
A look at UM’s new $4,500 trash cans
DM
The University of Mississippi installed the solar-powered, network-connected trash cans that communicate with one another when they are full or nearing capacity in December.
The 12 compacting and 13 non-compacting BigBelly garbage bins are strategically located in high-traffic waste areas, including the Grove and the library.
State Government
3 longtime Mississippi lawmakers retiring before term ends
AP
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Three Mississippi lawmakers are retiring as of Monday, when the new state budget year begins.
HUD: Review of Port of Gulfport closed, MDA job requirements met
WLOX
GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - The Department of Housing and Urban Development has closed its review of the records of jobs created at the Port of Gulfport after Hurricane Katrina, saying the port met its obligation for creating jobs since the storm.
New state laws will affect school supplies, schools and rural internet
Daily Journal
When the state sales tax holiday rolls around in late July, parents will finally be able to buy pens, pencils and paper without forking over an extra 7 percent.
CHANGES COMING TO MISSISSIPPI’S “NO CALL LAW”
WCBI
NETTLETON, Miss. (WCBI)- Staffers at the Nettleton office of Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley routinely field phone calls from people who are targets of unscrupulous telemarketers.
Oil Spill
Gulfport’s USM Marine Research Center gets $2 million grant for upgrades
Sun Herald
The University of Southern Mississippi Marine Research Center is getting a $2 million grant from RESTORE Act funds connected to the BP oil spill, the state’s congressional representatives announced Friday afternoon.
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality was awarded $2,019,655 to make improvements to the newly constructed center in the Port of Gulfport.
Wicker, Hyde-Smith, Palazzo announce $2M grant for USM Marine Research Center
WLOX
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WLOX) - U.S. Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith and Congressman Steven Palazzo announced a $2,019,655 grant to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to make improvements to the University of Southern Mississippi Marine Research Center.
Regional
Surge in washed-up Gulf Coast dolphins could be dire sign of this 'larger issue,' experts say
The Advocate
As temperatures rise and New Orleanians head to Gulf Coast beaches, they could be greeted by an unsettling sight: the bodies of dolphins, dead or close to it, covered in brown prune-like lesions and washed ashore along the Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama coasts.
State's water adding to dead zone as nitrogen, other nutrients flow into Gulf, NOAA says
Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Historic flooding along the Arkansas River will cause environmental issues far away from the Natural State, a federal agency said.
Asian swamp eels could be coming to a bayou near you
Times-Picayune
They are a fish, but they don’t have fins and they breathe air. They are all born female. They’re about as long as a loaf of French bread. They hail from India, Pakistan and Myanmar, but according to a bulletin from The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, the Asian swamp eel has been found in a few locations in Bayou St. John, which courses through Mid-City, Gentilly and Lakeview.
Texas judge finds Formosa 'serial offender' as environmentalists fight plans for Louisiana
The Advocate
A Texas federal judge has found a huge Formosa plastics complex northeast of Corpus Christi to be a "serial offender" with a history of allowing plastic pellets to wash into wetlands and bays along the Gulf of Mexico, and said that the company has committed "enormous" violations of state law and the U.S. Clean Water Act.
National
US Senate Panel Takes Up What To Do With Nuclear Waste
AP
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — It's been more than a decade since the U.S. government was supposed to begin moving spent nuclear fuel that has been piling up at dozens of commercial reactors around the country to a repository in the Nevada desert.
EPA to test new cleanup method for former chemical plant
AP
The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to test a new method to remove soil contaminants in flood plains downstream from a former chemical plant in central Michigan.
The war on Southern California smog is slipping. Fixing it is a $14-billion problem
LA Times
The war on smog has been called one of America’s greatest environmental successes. Decades of emissions-cutting regulations under a bipartisan law — the 1970 Clean Air Act — have eased the choking pollution that once shrouded U.S. cities. Cleaner air has saved lives and strengthened the lungs of Los Angeles children.
Harris County Plans Lawsuit Against Valero for Houston Refinery Pollution
Reuters
HOUSTON (REUTERS) - Harris County in Texas plans to sue Valero Energy Corp for pollution from its Houston refinery, the head of the county's environmental law department said on Friday.
New Jersey Warns: Don’t Swim in Lake Hopatcong — Don’t Even Touch the Water
NBCNY
New Jersey environmental officials say people shouldn't swim in Lake Hopatcong or even touch the water because aerial surveillance confirms the presence of an extensive harmful algal bloom.
2nd Hunterdon County lake plagued with harmful algae blooms
News12 (NJ)
CLINTON - Another lake in Hunterdon County is under a warning from the Department of Environmental Protection due to an algae bloom.
Residents with PFAS-contaminated private well water in limbo as DEP investigates cause
WHYY (PA)
Jodi Cutaiar starts every other Friday the same way: with a delivery from “The Water Guy.” The delivery truck backs into her driveway in Sellersville, Bucks County, while her 2-year-old dog, Henre, barks wildly and paces across the front lawn. The driver parks and unloads five 51-pound boxes of bottled water onto a dolly that he wheels to her side door.
Denver is rounding up geese to be killed and donated as meat to needy families
KUSA
DENVER — Denver Parks and Recreation has a new strategy for controlling the city's goose population. According to the city’s newly released goose management plan, crews are rounding them up to be killed and given as meat to families in need.
40 tons of fishing nets recovered in Pacific Ocean cleanup
AP
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In a mission to clean up trash floating in the ocean, environmentalists pulled 40 tons (36 metric tons) of abandoned fishing nets this month from an area known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
CDC issues warning on 'crypto' fecal parasite that can live for days in swimming pools
CNN
Health officials are asking Americans to take precautions over reports that "crypto," a fecal parasite that can be transmitted via swimming pools, is on the rise.
Pepsi to sell Aquafina in cans to reduce waste
CNN
Pepsi wants less plastic filling up landfills.
The beverage company is ditching some plastic bottles in favor of more aluminum cans, and the move includes its water brand Aquafina.
The Best Apps for Instantly Identifying Birds and Beasts
These three free apps help birdwatchers and other nature fans find out exactly what they’re looking at...fast
WSJ
If you’ve ever hiked through the woods with one of those savants who can identify every plant, every tree, every berry, bug and birdsong, you know it can be a revelation. When we’re alone in the trees with our ignorance, however, nature remains an inscrutable beauty.
Press Releases
RESTORE Act Funding to Support Upgrades for Oceans Research
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., and Congressman Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., today announced a $2,019,655 grant to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to make improvements to the University of Southern Mississippi Marine Research Center.
New Federal Duck Stamp and Junior Duck Stamp Soar Into Their Debut by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
June 28, 2019
Hunters, birders and stamp collectors celebrated as the 2019-2020 Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp – commonly known as the Duck Stamp – went on sale. The new Federal Duck Stamp and its younger sibling, the Junior Duck Stamp, debuted at a special event hosted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Bass Pro Shops flagship store in Springfield, Missouri.
