Thursday, October 24, 2019

News Clippings October 24, 2019

State

Supes take no action on 3rd landfill
Madison County Journal

The Board of Supervisors will not oppose a conglomerate of developers proposing to build a third landfill in Madison County just off of North County Line Rd. in the southeastern-most part of the county.

Algal bloom cost Mississippi Coast tourism $4.1 million in June, July
MBJ

Beaches on the Mississippi Gulf Coast reopened earlier this month after a summer-long shutdown due to a harmful algal bloom caused by an influx of fresh water from upstream flooding.

GOVERNOR BRYANT CUTS RIBBON ON WATER OUTFALLS
WXXV

Waves are hitting Harrison County now thanks to the first beach storm water outfalls on the Mississippi Gulf.

Sen. Wicker calls for comprehensive study of Lower Mississippi River flood controls
WLOX

WASHINGTON (WLOX) - U.S. Senator Roger Wicker wants the federal government to have a better plan the next time waters rise in the Mississippi River.

Gulfport students earn national award for invention to help oyster fishermen
WLOX

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - For a group of Gulfport High STEM students, a solution to help oyster fisherman raise and lower cages from the water has garnered a national award.

Asbestos affecting 2 city water lines
Madison County Journal

RIDGELAND — The Mississippi Department of Health has mandated waterline improvements to the tune of $200,000 due to asbestos.

Jackson County emergency officials will have live-streaming technology on drones
WLOX

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WLOX) - Sometimes, work actually can be fun. Just ask Anthony Johnson.

South Mississippi Strong: Plastic Free Gulf Coast takes action toward a sustainable future
WLOX

BAY ST. LOUIS, Miss. (WLOX) - Plastic Free Gulf Coast is on a mission to replace single-use plastics like straws and lids with more earth-friendly options.

Reward Offered For Info About Dump On CR 105
North Mississippi Herald

WATER VALLEY – A $500 reward has been offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of
the person or persons who dumped numerous bags of garbage and other items in a creek on County Road 105, west of the bypass outside Water Valley. The illegal dump was reported Tuesday morning by a citizen and the District 3 road crew spent several hours fishing the garbage out of the creek. The county’s environmental officer, Bill McMinn, also responded along with District 3 Supervisor Lee McMinn and supervisor elect Kenny Harmon. The group searched through the trash bags containing household garbage but were unable to find evidence linking the trash to a suspect. Lee McMinn is offering the $500 reward and urges anyone who has information to contact the Yalobusha County Sheriff’s Department at (662) 473-2722.

USDA offers funding for rural water project in Lamar Co.
WDAM

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith announced more than $4.13 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture grant and loan funding for water infrastructure projects in Lamar and Copiah counties on Wednesday.

The island life: What Mississippi has to offer may surprise you.
Clarion Ledger

Some of Mississippi's islands are well-known and draw thousands of tourists annually, but there are more islands located only a short sail away from the coast to explore, camp and enjoy.

Great Crappie on Grenada Lake
News 9

OXFORD, Mississippi — The first thing most people notice when the see Grenada Lake in Northwest, Mississippi is, "Look at all of the trees."

State Health Department ‘really, really concerned’ after seeing severe flu season in Australia
WLBT

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - It may not be chilly right now, but that doesn’t mean the flu isn’t lurking.


State Government

What you need to know as MDOT preps to close portions of I-20 West Friday
WJTV

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – More delays and detours are coming for drivers who take Interstate-20 West through Jackson. MDOT now turns their attention to the westbound lanes in the repair of the Lynch Creek bridge.


Oil Spill

How should the Coast spend millions in BP money? Here’s a list of winners, losers
Sun Herald

Gulfport, Ocean Springs and the University of Southern Mississippi were big winners Tuesday in the competition for BP oil catastrophe funding designated for economic development in South Mississippi.

GULF COAST RESTORATION ADVISORY BOARD MEETING
WXXV

The Gulf Coast Restoration Advisory Board is ready for the next step in regards to allocating BP oil spill funds to different projects on the Coast.


Regional

Why your next tasty Gulf Coast oyster could come from a cage
USA Today

Terry Shelley’s world has changed. Over his five decades in the Louisiana seafood business, he has too. He used to shrimp and crab, spending weeks on the water in a 72-foot double-rigger named The Second Chance.

Suppliers working overtime to keep up with oyster demand
WAFB

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - It’s prime oyster shucking season, and although the shellfish can be eaten just about any time of the year, “the colder the weather, the better oysters are,” says chef and part-owner of Phil’s Oyster Bar & Seafood Restaurant, Peter Sclafani.


National

EPA still plans to introduce PFAS limits for drinking water by year-end
MLive

Federal officials said during a visit to Michigan today that they are on track to meet a year-end deadline to propose regulatory standards for PFAS in drinking water.

Air quality in the US is getting worse and could be killing thousands, study finds
CNN

After improving for the better part of a decade, air quality in the US is worsening again -- and could be associated with nearly 10,000 premature deaths and billions of dollars in damages, according to a new analysis of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data.

Environmental Groups Sue Over Trump Rollback of Waters Rule
Bloomberg

Environmentalists have taken their first legal shot at the Trump administration’s repeal of a landmark Obama-era water regulation.

Fifteen State AGs Back Landowners in SCOTUS Superfund Case
Bloomberg

State attorneys general, national conservative groups, and local environmental advocates are throwing their support behind a group of Montana landowners in a Superfund case before the Supreme Court.

Lots of good terns: Bird ready to fly off endangered list
AP

After 34 years on the endangered species list, a tiny Midwestern bird is ready to fly free of federal protection.

438 hats pulled from Yellowstone hot springs — and 16,404 bits of litter, rangers say
Sun Herald

Hats off to this Yellowstone National Park clean-up crew.
Yellowstone’s Thermal Area Preservation Program, which dredges up litter stuck in the park’s iconic hot springs, pulled out an astounding 438 hats this summer alone — as well as 16,404 pieces of litter, park rangers said in a Facebook post Wednesday.


Press Releases

Miss. Senator Calls for Study to Improve Floodwater Management

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, today pushed representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to consider adjustments to flood control infrastructure to reduce the severity of impacts from the opening of the Bonnet Carré Spillway when waters rise in the Mississippi River.

EPA Enforcement Actions Help Protect Vulnerable Communities from Lead-Based Paint Health Hazards
10/23/2019

WASHINGTON (October 23, 2019) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced that it completed 117 federal enforcement actions from October 2018 through September 2019 to ensure that entities such as renovation contractors, landlords, realtors and others comply with rules that protect the public from exposure to lead from lead-based paint. Exposure to lead dust, chips or debris from lead-based paint can pose serious risks to human health, particularly for young children.

Recovery of America’s smallest tern prompts proposal to delist
Interior least tern stages remarkable comeback following decades of Endangered Species Act-inspired partnerships
USFWS
October 23, 2019

When the interior least tern was listed under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1985, there were fewer than 2,000 birds and only a few dozen nesting sites scattered across a once-expansive range that covered America’s Great Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley.

Secretary Bernhardt Applauds President Trump’s Intent to Nominate Lanny Erdos to Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
10/23/2019

WASHINGTON –– U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced his intention to nominate Lanny Erdos to serve as the Director of the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE).