State
Tourists visit Coast attractions for Labor Day weekend
WLOX
BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - Tourists are using the upcoming holiday weekend to explore the Gulf Coast.
Brookhaven utilities may go up
Daily Leader
Brookhaven residents can expect to see a $3 increase in monthly utility bills, but no additional taxes for the new fiscal year.
...“The cost to close the current landfill, which has almost reached its current capacity, and open a new landfill, will be very costly. However, this is a requirement of Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality,” she said.
It’s not known when this fiscal year the landfill will be closed.
To Seek Trail Bids
Northside Sun
A contractor could be in place by Christmas to construct the Museum Trail, more than eight years after the city of Jackson received funds to build it.
No significant changes in new flood maps
Picayune Item
Federal insurance rate maps have not changed significantly within the city of Picayune, said city floodplain administrator Ted Barze. The new maps will go into effect on Sept. 27.
Hunters nab giant minutes after alligator season opens
AP
GAUTIER, Miss. (AP) - Soon after alligator season opened at noon on Friday with favorable conditions, two hunters caught a giant that could break a state record.
DMR hoping to prevent tragedy with boating safety classes
WLOX
BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - While the number of boating fatalities are decreasing nationwide, they are actually going up in Mississippi.
$18.6 million approved to repair flood-damaged infrastructure
Vicksburg Post
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker announced Friday the approval of $18.6 million in emergency relief to repair or reconstruct flood-damaged transportation infrastructure.
Oil Spill
Trent Lott airport to receive nearly $7 million in RESTORE funds
Mississippi Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi and Rep. Steven Palazzo today announced the award of a $6.7 million grant to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) for the Trent Lott International Runway Improvements project.
Regional
Lake Pontchartrain algae levels are deemed safe for swimming, but officials still urge caution
The Advocate
The state Department of Health has issued an advisory that blue-green algae, which can be toxic to humans and pets, are at levels in Lake Pontchartrain deemed safe for swimmers by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Louisiana officials say they will conduct 'comprehensive study' of cancer risks near Denka plant
The Advocate
After years of outcry by some neighbors of the Denka neoprene plant in St. John the Baptist Parish, Gov. John Bel Edwards’ administration has promised to conduct a “comprehensive study” in conjunction with the state’s tumor registry to establish definitively whether people living in the vicinity of the plant have elevated rates of cancer.
National
Great Lakes freighters may have to treat ballast water
WRAL
MADISON, WIS. — More than $375 billion in cargo — iron ore, coal, cement, stone, grain and more — has flowed between Great Lakes ports and foreign nations since 1959. That is when Queen Elizabeth and U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower christened the St. Lawrence Seaway, heralding it as an engineering marvel.
Volkswagen pays out over second cheat device
AP
The US Environmental Protection Agency is making Volkswagen Group correct fuel economy labels for about 98,000 petrol-powered vehicles. The revisions of about 0.8L/100km cover VWs as well as affiliated brands Audi, Porsche and Bentley. All are from the 2013 to 2017 model years.
Opinion
GUEST VIEW: Opening Morganza Floodway in conjunction with Bonnet Carré Spillway necessary
Delbert Hosemann
Meridian Star
Last week, our Agency and the Department of Marine Resources, testified before the Mississippi River Commission on their annual Low-Water Inspection Trip. The Mississippi Coast has been devastated this year, effects which are sure to last for years to come, due to the repeated large volume opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway. The entire testimony is on our website (www.sos.ms.gov).
Press Releases
EPA Requires Audi, Bentley, Porsche and Volkswagen to Correct Fuel Economy Labels for a Number of 2013-2017 Gasoline Powered Vehicles
08/30/2019
WASHINGTON (August 30, 2019) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is revising estimates for a number of 2013-2017 Audi, Bentley, Porsche and Volkswagen vehicles to ensure consumers are given accurate fuel economy values. EPA is also requiring the Volkswagen Group to forfeit emissions credits under the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions standards for light duty vehicles to account for under-reporting emissions.
Secretary Bernhardt Expands Public Access to Hunting and Fishing on 1.4 Million Acres Nationwide
New Opportunities at 77 National Wildlife Refuges and 15 National Fish Hatcheries
August 30, 2019
WASHINGTON – Kicking off this year’s hunting season and continuing the Trump Administration’s efforts to increase recreational access on public lands, U.S. Secretary of the Interior David Bernhardt announced today new hunting and fishing opportunities on more than 1.4 million acres nationwide.
