State
A court is forcing landowners to let companies search for oil, gas. Now 2 are fighting back.
Clarion Ledger
The family-owned land, for some, has been passed down from generation to generation.
Some live on the land, some till it.
County ordinance seeks to reduce litter problem
Vicksburg Post
A stronger county ordinance may curb the litter problem once and for all.
The Warren County Board of Supervisors passed a new ordinance Monday that incentivizes county residents to turn in those who litter with a reward up to $100.
County records high volume in waste day collection
DeSoto Times-Tribune
Homes, garages, and backyard sheds are a lot cleaner in DeSoto County once again, after county government hosted another Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day on Oct. 5.
MISSISSIPPI RURAL WATER ASSOCIATION HOSTING TRAINING SESSIONS
WCBI
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Residents across North Mississippi and the state often take clean, safe drinking water for granted. A staff of highly skilled professionals helps get drinking water and wastewater services to customers, many in rural areas.
Ecru takes sewer expansion bids
Pontotoc Progress
The Ecru board of aldermen took under advisement five bids for expanding their sewer facilities in the town.
Mississippi Welcome
Stone County Enterprise
A team of seven AmeriCorps volunteers is assisting the U.S. Forest Service in locating endangered species and identifying non-native invasive plants.
State Government
McCoy discusses PERS
Daily Times Leader
WEST POINT, MS Those working for the state of Mississippi have a vested interest in PERS, as that is where their income after retirement, that is not Social Security, will be coming from.
Randy McCoy, one of 10 members of the PERS Board of Trustees, spoke to the Clay County Retired Education Personnel of Mississippi Tuesday, about retirement.
Regional
TVA begins removing, treating water from coal ash ponds at Allen Fossil Plant
Commercial Appeal
Massive black pipes snake alongside the coal ash ponds at the Allen Fossil Plant.
Two weeks ago, the Tennessee Valley Authority began the process of dewatering the east pond where ash was stored: pumping out water, treating it and releasing it to a channel that leads into the Mississippi River.
Did Denka reduce emissions by 85%? State questions calculation method, seeks info
NOLA.com
The LaPlace-based Denka Performance Elastomer chemical plant says it has reduced by 86% its emissions of a compound federal regulators call a "likely carcinogen." Now state regulators are asking the plant to prove it.
'Kill it immediately': Invasive fish that can breathe air, survive on land found in Georgia
USA Today
An invasive fish has been marked for death in Georgia.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources' Wildlife Resources Division confirmed someone found a northern snakehead in a pond on private property in Gwinnett County, marking the first time the invasive fish has been found in the state, according to the DNR.
South Carolina: Google can pump drinking water for servers
AP
South Carolina is allowing Google to cool its servers by pumping nearly 550 million gallons of water annually from a declining aquifer.
National
EPA set to announce new standards for lead in water
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will announce new standards for lead in drinking water, Administrator Andrew Wheeler said in a radio interview Wednesday.
NJ is trying to get tough on PFAS. The EPA and DOD aren’t playing ball.
Burlington County Times
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is having a tough time getting the federal government to recognize clean water standards for toxic PFAS chemicals, according to a series of letters exchanged between regulators and a statement from the U.S. Air Force.
Climate change threatens hundreds of North American bird species with extinction, study says
CNN
Tampa, Florida (CNN)Nearly two-thirds of North American birds studied will go extinct if global warming hits 3 degrees Celsius (5.4˚F), a new report from the National Audubon Society finds.
California bans hotels from using tiny plastic bottles
AP
Hotels in the nation's most populous state will have to stop giving guests small plastic shampoo bottles under a new law set to take effect starting in 2023.
Press Releases
Landslide Risks Highlighted in New Online Tool
USGS
OCTOBER 9, 2019
The U.S. Geological Survey today unveiled a new web-based interactive map that marks an important step toward mapping areas that could be at higher risk for future landslides. In collaboration with state geological surveys and other federal agencies, USGS has compiled much of the existing landslide data into a searchable, web-based interactive map called the U.S. Landslide Inventory Map.
Service, Partners to Provide More Than $18 Million for Fish Habitat Conservation Projects in 34 States
More robust fisheries and improved recreational angling: the benefits of leveraged funding
USFWS
October 8, 2019
Through the National Fish Habitat Partnership program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and its partners are providing more than $18 million to support 83 fish habitat conservation projects in 34 states. The Service is providing $4 million this year, with nongovernmental organizations, state resource agencies, and other partners contributing an additional $14 million.
