Monday, September 30, 2019

News Clippings September 30, 2019

State

Gov. Bryant announces $20.85 million for GOMESA projects
WLOX

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - Seventeen blue economy projects in South Mississippi will receive more than $20 million in funding, thanks to the latest Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act disbursement. Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant announced the GOMESA funding Friday afternoon.

Biloxi gets $5.9 million for a new beachside boardwalk, wave-shaped drainage outfalls
Sun Herald

The mayor hinted Tuesday that something big was coming, and on Friday the governor announced Biloxi will get $5.9 million for improvements on the beach in East Biloxi and on the Back Bay.

$1.25M to evaluate spillway effects on dolphins, sea turtles
AP

Mississippi will get $1.25 million to evaluate the effects of freshwater from a Louisiana spillway on dolphins and sea turtles in the Mississippi Sound.

Water contact advisory lifted for portion of Jourdan River
WLOX

HANCOCK COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) - The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality lifted a water contact warning Friday for a segment of the Jourdan River in Hancock County from the Interstate 10 bridge to the mouth of the river into St. Louis Bay.

MDEQ lifts water contact warning for Jourdan River
Sea Coast Echo

The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) lifted a water contact warning Friday for a segment of the Jourdan River in Hancock County from the I-10 bridge to the mouth of the river into St. Louis Bay. Recent water sampling results did not indicate the presence of a blue-green Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) at this location.

Restaurants hurting over lack of local oysters this season
WLOX

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (WLOX) - Even as the blue-green algae in the Mississippi Sound is beginning to clear, it’s still not completely fine for everyone.

Tishomingo County lock reopens after earlier oil spill
WTVA

TISHOMINGO COUNTY, Miss. (WTVA) - The Jamie Whitten Lock has reopened after an oil spill earlier this month, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 
There is a significant backlog of traffic. 

VOLUNTEERS CLEAN UP AROUND TOMBIGBEE NATIONAL FOREST
WCBI

ACKERMAN, Miss. (WCBI) – Saturday is National Public Lands Day.
The National Environmental Education Foundation said it’s the largest single-day volunteer effort for America’s public lands.

Wildlife commission adopts changes to proposed hunting rules: What you need to know
Clarion Ledger

In its September meeting, the Commission on Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks adopted changes to deer hunting regulations, including a revised deer season in the South Delta Zone.


Oil Spill

Sloth, penguin makes waves at Splash Bash as Gulfport aquarium opening date announced
Sun Herald

About 2,000 people filled The Barksdale Pavillion for the second annual Splash Bash to support the Mississippi Aquarium.

Environmental group sues over exemptions to safety rule put in place after Deepwater Horizon
The Advocate

The nonprofit group Healthy Gulf filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Thursday against two federal agencies and their directors for allowing offshore drillers to waive safety protocols put in place after the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe.

BP CEO Dudley draws up plans to step down: sources
Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - BP Chief Executive Officer Bob Dudley is drawing up plans to step down next year, ending a tumultuous decade at the helm of the oil and gas company that swung from near collapse in 2010 to rapid growth today, sources close to the company said on Monday.

 
Regional

$2.3M fine set for Arkansas oil spill in '13
NW Arkansas Democrat Gazette

A Tennessee oil company faces a $2.3 million fine for spilling crude oil into waters that eventually drain into the Ouachita River, more than six years after the spill.

Conservation group files suit in DeKalb over sewer spills
AJC

DeKalb County has not done enough to stop repeated sewer spills that allow human waste to contaminate streams and rivers, a new lawsuit alleges.


National

States Demand Wheeler Explain EPA’s Stance on Federalism
Bloomberg

State regulators have taken the unusual step of requesting a meeting with EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler to talk about what they see as an eroding relationship between federal and state agencies.

DeWine orders analysis of PFAS in Ohio drinking water
WTAP

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WTAP) - Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has directed the state environmental protection agency and the state health department to analyze drink water in the state for the prevalence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

Drinking Water Serving 7.5 Million Californians Contaminated With ‘Forever Chemicals,’ New Report Says
KTLA

Chemical contaminants were detected in water sources serving more than 7 million Californians, according to a new report by the Environmental Working Group.

EPA denies New York's smog petition, despite concerns for Adirondacks
Post Star

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will not assist New York with smog pollution from upwind states, it announced on Sept. 20.

Shale Boom Is Slowing Just When the World Needs Oil Most
WSJ

The American shale boom is slowing as innovation plateaus—and just when shale’s importance in global markets has reached new highs following an attack on the heart of Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure.


Opinion

ROGER WICKER: Disaster relief secured to help restore Gulf Coast
Daily Journal

Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross recently sent welcome news to Mississippi’s fishing communities. The declaration of a federal fisheries disaster for our state at the end of September will open up relief for those affected by the ongoing crisis on the Gulf Coast.


Press Releases

Gov. Phil Bryant announces GOMESA projects
September 27, 2019

JACKSON, Miss. – Gov. Phil Bryant announced today 17 projects totaling more than $20.85 million that will be funded through the most recent Phase II Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) disbursement.

South Delta Deer Season Set
9/26/2019
MDWFP

During spring and summer 2019, extensive flooding occurred in the South Delta region. Data collection, including hunter observation and harvest data, will be imperative over the next two to three years to properly assess the full impacts of the prolonged flooding.