State
Hancock County takes ‘adamant opposition’ to Louisiana’s river diversion plans. Here’s why.
Sun Herald
Hancock County supervisors expressed “adamant opposition” to Louisiana’s plans to add another Mississippi River diversion and asked the governor and the Coast’s congressional delegation in Washington to join their fight.
https://www.sunherald.com/news/local/counties/hancock-county/article235879497.html
MDEQ LIFTS WATER CONTACT WARNINGS FOR COAST BEACHES
WXXV
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality through its beach monitoring program lifted water contact warnings on Friday for all beaches along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
But does that mean everyone is ready to jump in just yet?
https://www.wxxv25.com/2019/10/07/mdeq-lifts-water-contact-warnings-coast-beaches/
After Federal Fisheries Disaster Declaration, what happens next
WLOX
DMR Executive Director Joe Spraggins joins us to talk about the Federal Fisheries Disaster Declaration, and his recent testimony on the topic in Washington.
Board discusses Hazardous Waste Day
Picayune Item
During Monday’s meeting the Pearl River County Board of Supervisors acknowledged setting a date to hold a household hazardous waste collection day.
https://www.picayuneitem.com/2019/10/board-discusses-hazardous-waste-day/
Lauderdale County hires solid waste enforcement officer
Meridian Star
The Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors voted Monday to hire a solid waste enforcement officer as part of an effort to stop illegal dumping.
Officials remind public of statewide burn ban as Fall temperatures descend upon South
WLBT
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Mississippi’s drought is now in the ‘severe’ range, according to state experts. We don’t just need rain, we need a lot of rain.
Flooding And Chronic Waste Disease Top the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Parks and Fisheries Concerns for the 2019 Hunting Season
Delta Business Journal
Mother Nature has not been too kind to some farmers this past year and with the Mississippi River and South Delta area flooding, the impact to wildlife has been significant.
https://deltabusinessjournal.com/flooding-and-chronic-waste-disease/
Oil Spill
GULF COAST RESTORATION FUND ADVISORY BOARD MEETING
WXXV
The Gulf Coast Restoration Fund Advisory Board is meeting today to have what could possibly be their final meeting.
https://www.wxxv25.com/2019/10/07/gulf-coast-restoration-fund-advisory-board-meeting/
Navarre Beach land, once potentially a marina, to be donated to county for park, conservation
PNJ
A 5-acre parcel of pristine soundside land on Navarre Beach, which was once the subject of heated debate over the possible construction of a marina and RV park, is slated to be given to Santa Rosa County as a $2 million donation from the Tallahassee-based Trust for Public Lands.
Regional
Thousands of Southside Chattanooga homes still need testing for toxic lead
Chattanooga Times Free Press
Thousands of properties within Chattanooga's Southside Lead Superfund Site — an area listed among the nation's most toxic places — still need to be tested for lead contamination due to hazardous waste dumped by industrial companies in the past.
National
EPA chief in North Dakota visit vows new Waters of the US definition to 'stand the test of time'
Bismarck Tribune
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Andrew Wheeler during his visit to Bismarck on Monday heard plenty of praise for his effort to replace the 2015 Waters of the U.S. rule with a "commonsense" definition.
'Zombie' deer disease: States issue new warnings, confirmations of chronic wasting disease
USA Today
As deer hunting seasons across the nation ramp up, wildlife officials are issuing new warnings and confirmations of chronic wasting disease, the brain-wasting animal disease informally called "zombie" deer disease.
Attaining Carbon-Neutral Shipping Is a Herculean Task
WSJ
Anyone buying ships over the next few years will have to think green.
The international shipping industry has committed to lower greenhouse-gas emissions by half come 2050, but there is a big catch. Neither the engines nor the fuels are there to back the ambitious target, and tens of billions of dollars must be invested as stricter emissions rules kick in.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/attaining-carbon-neutral-shipping-is-a-herculean-task-11570183200
Baltimore County to sue Monsanto for alleged water contamination
Baltimore Sun
Baltimore County is going to ask a federal judge to force agriculture chemical company Monsanto to pay for the cleanup of environmental toxins submerged in the county’s water bodies.
Is pollution causing childhood cancers in Canon-McMillan?
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Environmental organizations on Monday called for studies to determine whether environmental exposures may have caused multiple cases of Ewing sarcoma and other cancers among children and young adults in the Canon-McMillan School District in Washington County.
US official: Research finds uranium in Navajo women, babies
AP
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — About a quarter of Navajo women and some infants who were part of a federally funded study on uranium exposure had high levels of the radioactive metal in their systems, decades after mining for Cold War weaponry ended on their reservation, a U.S. health official Monday.
http://www.startribune.com/us-official-research-finds-uranium-in-navajo-women-babies/562479892/
Opinion
LAW ELEVATED: PFAS – More than just another acronym
MBJ
Trudy Fisher
So, what is PFAS? Simply put, PFAS (per and polyfluoronalkyl substances) is the term used for a family of approximately 5,000 individual man-made fluorinated chemical compounds that are used in our everyday lives. We have been using products containing older and newer versions of PFAS chemicals since the 1940s.
https://msbusiness.com/2019/10/law-elevated-pfas-more-than-just-another-acronym-2/
Press Releases
Trump Administration Partners with Rural Communities to Grow Outdoor Recreation Economy
10/07/2019
WASHINGTON (October 7, 2019) — Today, in support of the Trump Administration’s Executive Order on Promoting Agriculture and Rural Prosperity in America, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service and the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) are announcing that they have selected 10 communities under the Recreation Economy for Rural Communities assistance program to help revitalize their Main Streets through outdoor recreation.
Interior Proposes Region-Wide Oil and Gas Lease Sale for Gulf of Mexico
Proposed Notice of Sale Outlines All Available Areas in Federal Waters
10/7/2019
WASHINGTON - In support of the Administration’s America-First Offshore Energy Strategy, Department of the Interior’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Casey Hammond and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Acting Director Dr. Walter Cruickshank today announced that BOEM proposes to offer approximately 78 million acres for a region-wide lease sale scheduled for March 2020.
https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-proposes-region-wide-oil-and-gas-lease-sale-gulf-mexico-0
