Thursday, July 25, 2019

News Clippings July 25, 2019

State

Report: It's not just blue-green algae. Watch out for the poop in Mississippi beach waters.
Clarion Ledger

Water contact warnings are currently in place for all Mississippi beaches due to a harmful algal bloom of blue-green algae, but at other times water contact warnings and advisories are issued for another reason — poop.

As the Bonnet Carre closes, owners of Coast attractions speak out on losses
WLOX

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - The Gulf Coast has lots to offer, but according to owners of our local attractions, the negative publicity reaching out of town tourists is killing business and in some cases a way of life.

Local shrimpers, fishermen looking to the future after spillway impacts
WLOX

PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. (WLOX) - Local shrimpers and seafood businesses say even though the Bonnet Carre Spillway is closing, damage to their livelihood is already done.

MALL RETENTION POND NEGLECT PROBLEMATIC
Hub City Spokes

A water detention system just north of Turtle Creek Mall is giving Lamar County officials and residents headaches – to the tune of more than a dozen flooded homes that have had to be demolished and those residents rehoused – but Hattiesburg and mall officials say they are working quickly to correct the situation.
...“I’ve had the health department here, I’ve had the (Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality) here,” he said. “They’ve all been on site, just as we are today, and they all say that as far as getting anything done, it falls back on the city of Hattiesburg.

CONSISTENCY A CONCERN FOR COUNTY BOARD
South Reporter
 
...Then Ken Jones presented a request from Ricky Jones of Chulahoma Road who wants to apply for a Class 1 rubbish site. He would take wood chips from Northcentral Electric Power Association.
Taylor advised that Jones would have to go before the Marshall County Solid Waste Board to make a request.
“We (Marshall County) get a tipping fee on everything in the other one (Quad County Landfill),” Taylor said.
“He got an application from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and he is asking for permission to file,” Ken Jones said.

Coast Transit Authority to get first electric bus
WLOX

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - Coast Transit Authority (CTA) will soon add their first all-electric bus to their fleet.

MDOT CONTINUES TO MONITOR MISSISSIPPI RIVER FLOODING LEVELS
WXXV

Crews from the Mississippi Department of Transportation are continuing to monitor the condition of flooded highways throughout the Mississippi Delta region.

Officials urge patience in public meeting with flooded residents
Vicksburg Post

Floodwaters could be gone from the Eagle Lake community by the second week in August, the water management chief for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District said Tuesday.

Camp Shelby proposes new machine gun range in floodplain
WDAM

CAMP SHELBY, Miss. (WDAM) - The Camp Shelby Joint Force Training Center announced its hopes of constructing a Multipurpose Machine Gun Range on an existing range in order to meet training requirements for national defense.

Mississippi Manufacturers Association to partner with NEMCC
Daily Journal

The Mississippi Manufacturers Association Manufacturing Extension Partnership announced its partnership with the Northeast Mississippi Community College Workforce Training Program.


Oil Spill

Kids learn about the beauty of nature at Art and Ecology Camp
WLOX

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WLOX) - In Ocean Springs, young scientists and artists are learning about the beauty of nature. The campers are in the middle of the week-long camp at 12 Oaks Conservation Park aimed at teaching them more about wildlife, science and art.
One of the lessons Wednesday morning involved creating art from nature.
...“This is a week-long camp that’s part of a camp that we received from the Department of Environmental Quality and Restore Council to educate youth about the importance of water quality, conservation and ecology," said Johnny Marquez, Director of Coastal Programs for Mississippi Wildlife Federation.

MORE PROGRESS AT MISSISSIPPI AQUARIUM
WXXV

We are inching closer and closer to the opening date of the brand new Mississippi Aquarium.
Over at the construction site for the aquarium, lots of progress is being made. The three sails that will welcome people to the aquarium are going up.


Regional

Gulf state US reps back fisheries disaster request
AP

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- U.S. House members from three Gulf Coast states are backing their governors' request for a fisheries disaster declaration, saying freshwater flooding into saltwater ecosystems has killed oysters and hurt the fishing industry.

Scientists discover stunning 310-mile coral reef corridor in Gulf of Mexico
Fox News

Scientists have found five stunning new coral reefs that form a vast, 310-mile corridor in the Gulf of Mexico.


National

Military starts task force after spreading toxic "forever chemicals"
The Hill

Secretary Mark Esper created a task force to review the military’s obligation in cleaning up contamination of cancer-linked “forever chemicals” in his first act at the helm of the Department of Defense. 

State AGs say EPA violated law with fuel efficiency rollback
The Hill

Several state attorneys general said the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) violated the law by informing them as it planned to scale back fuel efficiency requirements for vehicles.


Press Releases

Recreational fishing season to open for Greater Amberjack

BILOXI, Miss. – Officials with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources announced today that recreational fishing season for Greater Amberjack (Seriola dumerili) will open in Mississippi territorial waters on Aug. 1, 2019, at 12:01 a.m.

EPA Administrator Wheeler Signs MOU with American Conservation Coalition to Enhance Environmental Education
07/24/2019

WASHINGTON (July 24, 2019) - U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler signed a first-time Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the American Conservation Coalition (ACC) to attract, educate, inspire and prepare students for careers and opportunities within today's various environmental fields.