State
Approval of spending bill good news for future of backwater pumps
Vicksburg Post
WASHINGTON — The Senate voted to advance a $1.4 trillion government spending package in a last bipartisan burst of legislating before leaving for the holidays.
Memphis to stop treating sewage from Horn Lake and Southaven
Fox 13
Memphis, Tenn. — A 40-year-old contract with the city of Memphis to dispose of wastewater for Horn Lake and Southaven, Mississippi, is coming to an end.
Town Creek water district to pause tax collections
Daily Journal
Following a still-unresolved probe by the state auditor into alleged improper payments, the Town Creek Master Water Management District has agreed to at least temporarily stop collecting taxes and undertake a comprehensive review of its operations.
Jackson County woman found dead at old Mississippi Phosphates site
WLOX
PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WLOX) - The body of a Jackson County woman was found Thursday morning at the old Mississippi Phosphates site in Pascagoula.
State Government
Tate Reeves will keep Maj. Gen. Janson Boyles as leader of Mississippi National Guard
Clarion Ledger
Gov.-elect Tate Reeves announced Thursday the reappointment of Maj. Gen. Janson D. Boyles as adjutant general of the Mississippi Air Force and Army National Guard.
Mississippi Sets Rule on Pensions and Legislative Service
AP
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi government retirees can continue collecting pension benefits while also being paid to serve in the Legislature, under a rule finalized this week. The board of the Mississippi Public Employees Retirement System voted in February to draft the new rule. That was the first of several steps aimed at putting it into place by January, when the new four-year legislative term begins.
Regional
Does Louisiana undercharge polluters for air permits? Critics say yes
NOLA.com
One way observers say the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality could painlessly ramp up its oversight of air permitting would be to raise the fees it charges to major polluters.
EPA Signs Off On Georgia’s Plan To Regulate Coal Ash
WABE
The state of Georgia has the go-ahead from the federal government to regulate coal ash, a byproduct from burning coal for electricity that can contain contaminants like chromium, boron and mercury.
Lead testing of SCS students, staff underway
WMC
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Lead testing for students and teachers at Shelby County Schools is underway.
National
Recycling Rethink: What to Do With Trash Now That China Won’t Take It
WSJ
For decades, America and much of the developed world threw their used plastic bottles, soda cans and junk mail in one bin. The trash industry then shipped much of that thousands of miles to China, the world’s biggest consumer of scrap material, to be sorted and turned into new products.
US senator proposes money, oversight to boost dam safety
AP
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on Tuesday called for more federal money and oversight to shore up the nation’s aging dams following an Associated Press investigation that found scores of potentially troubling dams located near homes and communities across the country.
EPA says new testing will expand number of PFAS measured in drinking water
Star Tribune
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency validated new testing methods Thursday to measure the presence of widespread contaminates called PFAS in the nation’s drinking water.
EPA finalizes ethanol rule to chagrin of producers, oil industry
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Thursday finalized a controversial rule on ethanol, cementing a proposal that has been heavily criticized by the nation’s ethanol producers and the petroleum industry mandated to add the corn-based substance to their fuels.
After String of Rare Cancer Cases, Pennsylvania Investigates Potential Link to Fracking
WSJ
CECIL TOWNSHIP, Pa.—An increase in the number of teens and young adults diagnosed with a rare cancer in the southwest corner of Pennsylvania has caused the state to look for a link between fracking and the disease.
Environmental groups sue Trump administration over chemical disaster prevention rollback
The Hill
A coalition of environmental groups is suing the Trump administration over its easing of chemical plant safety regulations following a recent plant explosion in Texas that injured several people.
Press Releases
EPA Outlines Efficient Federal Coal Ash Permitting Program in New Proposal, Approves Second State Coal Ash Permit Program for Georgia
12/19/2019
WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing a streamlined, efficient, federal permitting program for the disposal of coal combustion residuals, commonly known as coal ash or CCR, in surface impoundments and landfills, which will also include electronic permitting.
EPA Fulfills Another Trump Administration Promise: Finalizes RFS Volumes for 2020 and Biomass Based Diesel Volumes for 2021
12/19/2019
WASHINGTON (Dec. 19, 2019) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized a rule that establishes the required renewable volumes under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program for 2020, and the biomass-based diesel volume for 2021.
EPA Offers Existing Owners of Upstream Oil and Natural Gas Facilities the Opportunity to Perform Self-Audits to Return to Compliance
New Temporary Program to Incentivize Compliance, Improve Environmental Outcomes in Communities
12/19/2019
WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) temporarily expanded its voluntary self-audit and disclosure program for upstream oil and natural gas facilities by giving existing owners the opportunity to find, correct, and self-disclose Clean Air Act violations. EPA believes this self-audit program will motivate facilities to participate and start making the necessary changes to their equipment to address violations and return to compliance, improving air quality in surrounding communities.
EPA Region 4 Smart Sectors program to engage businesses in achieving better environmental outcomes
EPA also hosted Smart Sectors roundtable with the chemicals manufacturing sector to launch a dialogue on collaboration
12/19/2019
ATLANTA (Dec. 19, 2019) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the launch of Region 4’s Smart Sectors Program. Building on the success of the EPA’s national program, Region 4’s Smart Sectors Program will meet with leaders from key southeastern trade associations and industries to engage in meaningful dialogue about improving environmental outcomes.
USDA Funds Conservation Innovation in Mississippi and Nationally with $12.5M in Grants for New Tools and Technologies
JACKSON, Miss., December 17, 2019 – USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is awarding about $12.5 million in grants nationally to support the development of innovative systems and technologies for private lands conservation, including a project in Mississippi.
Cloud platforms unleash full potential of NOAA’s environmental data
Easier accessibility promises scientific and economic benefits
December 19, 2019
NOAA’s vast collection of environmental data will be more accessible than ever before through new collaborations announced today with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, and Microsoft. Under these new agreements, commercial cloud platform providers will generate untold opportunities for scientific and economic advances by exponentially expanding, rapid and reliable, no-cost access to NOAA data for the public.
