State
MDEQ continues water sampling in Mississippi Sound
WLOX
GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) -The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality continues testing local waters from the harmful algae bloom. Right now, all 21 swimming stations on the Gulf Coast are under swimming advisories due to the blue-green algae.
MDEQ SAMPLING COAST WATER
WXXV
As we enter August, all 21 Coast beaches still remain closed. On June 22nd, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality began issuing water advisories due to the presence of a blue-green algae bloom.s.”
Fourth Coast child diagnosed with rare brain cancer DIPG. She’s 2.
Sun Herald
Debris pick up finishes in Hamilton
WTVA
HAMILTON, Miss. (WTVA) - The Monroe County road department has finished the street debris pick up months after a tornado left damage in Hamilton.
Flooding threatens hunting season in Delta
Starkville Daily News
Parts of the Delta have been underwater for the last eight months, and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks is asking the public how it should respond to the flooding.
Mississippi Wildlife Extravaganza boycott results in low attendance
WLBT
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Guests enjoyed the Mississippi Wildlife Extravaganza this year but noticed there were less people in the room than usual.
https://www.wlox.com/2019/08/04/mississippi-widlife-extravaganza-boycott-results-low-attendance/
Forest pest population declines after two years of outbreak
Daily Journal
After two years of having the insects destroy thousands of acres of pine stands on national forest lands, the National Forests in Mississippi reports that the southern pine beetle population is finally declining.
Oil Spill
Waveland seeking funding to construct a small craft marina
Sea Coast Echo
The Waveland Board of Mayor and Aldermen during a special meeting on Wednesday approved a resolution to submit a project, the Waveland Marina and Boat Launch Project, to the Gulf Coast Restorations Fund.
Regional
State departments describes floodwater impacts on LA seafood as 'extreme'
WDSU
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries examined the impact of freshwater floods on saltwater fishing grounds at its monthly meeting in New Orleans on Thursday.e federal aid did not advance through Congress during the summer session.
Louisiana's Shrimp Season Starts Monday: 3 Zones, 2 Times
AP
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — THE Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission has set shrimp season to open Monday, but at two different times.
DEQ: Fans to spray, evaporate contaminated acid water at Mosaic in St. James must have full permit review
The Advoate
State environmental regulators won't allow Mosaic Fertilizer to use an abbreviated review process as it seeks to install 12 high-powered fans to evaporate hundreds of millions of gallons of radioactive and acidic water laced with heavy metals from the company's complex in eastern St. James Parish.
Concerns increase over swimming and brain-eating parasites
WVUE
NEW ORLEANS, La. (WVUE) - Summertime increases concerns about swimmers potentially inhaling freshwater filled with life-threatening parasites known as brain-eating amoebas.
Medical professionals say swimmers should wear nose clips when swimming in bodies of freshwater or hold their noses.
State offers assurance over toxic emissions, but residents want action
AJC
GOP Florida governor enlists new officer to prepare state for rising sea level
The Hill
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced Thursday that he was enlisting a chief resilience officer (CRO) to help the state prepare for rising sea levels.
Snakebites Hit Record Highs in Southern States as Suburbs Expand
Rapid urbanization and heavy rains lead to more copperhead attacks
WSJ
RALEIGH, N.C.—Venomous snakebites are on the rise in the Sunbelt this summer, with North Carolina, Georgia and Texas on track to set records.
National
Despite less farming this season, bad algae blooms expected on Lake Erie
Columbus Dispatch
Researchers who monitor algae blooms on Lake Erie face an interesting scenario this year.
Normally, farmers in the western basin have thousands of acres of corn and soybeans planted by now. Because of excessive rains from last fall through early summer, that’s not the case this year, so the farmers likely didn’t fertilize their fields as much.
Scientists Search for Best Way to Restore Oysters in Chesapeake Bay
WSJ
Scientists are racing to stem a rapid decline in the oyster population in Chesapeake Bay.
The number of oysters, a valuable part of the shellfish industry in the region, has fluctuated and been unreliable since the 1980s. The amount of market-size mollusks harvested in the Maryland stretch of the bay fell from about 380,000 bushels in the 2015-16 season to 180,000 bushels in the 2017-18 season, according to state data.
Should Rivers Have Same Legal Rights As Humans? A Growing Number Of Voices Say Yes
NPR
Press releases
MISSISSIPPI SETTLES WITH FIAT, BOSCH FOR CURBING EMISSIONS STANDARDS
August 2, 2019
Mississippi will receive a total of $770,540 from two separate multistate settlements reached between Attorney General Jim Hood, 51 attorneys general, Fiat Chrysler, and engineering company Bosch over the companies’ alleged undermining of auto emissions regulations for more than a decade.
Service Announces Recovery Plan Revisions for 53 Species, To Assist in Measuring Progress and Addressing Threats
Additions part of comprehensive effort to ensure all Endangered Species Act recovery plans contain quantifiable recovery goals
August 5, 2019
As part of an agency-wide effort to advance the recovery of our nation’s most imperiled species, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has made publicly available draft revisions for 28 Endangered Species Act (ESA) recovery plans that provide a recovery roadmap for 53 federally protected species.
Number of U.S. fish stocks at sustainable levels remains near record high
August 2, 2019
Today, NOAA released the 2018 Status of U.S. Fisheries Annual Report to Congress that details the status of 479 federally-managed stocks or stock complexes in the U.S. to identify which stocks are subject to overfishing, are overfished, or are rebuilt to sustainable levels.
