State
County solid waste management plan may be amended
Picayune Item
The TransAmerican Waste Central Landfill may expand the geographic region in which it collects waste to include more locations outside of Pearl River County.
Lauderdale County supervisors approve asbestos removal contract for old mall
Meridian Star
The Lauderdale County Board of Supervisors voted Monday to hire D&H Construction & Cabinetry, Inc. of Meridian to remove asbestos from the old Village Fair Mall.
BROKEN SEWER LINE CLOSES TUPELO STREET
WCBI
TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – A broken sewer line has closed a street closure in Tupelo.
Jackson Street will be closed from Gloster Street to Robbins Street from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Monday for repairs.
State Government
Former Mississippi utility regulator Cochran dies at 78
AP
Nielsen Cochran, a Republican who served 24 years as a utility regulator on the Mississippi Public Service Commission, died Monday. He was 78.
Oil Spill
People unhappy about cost of memberships and tickets to Mississippi Aquarium
WLOX
GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - Some fans of the Mississippi Aquarium started second guessing their allegiance once the aquarium announced prices right before Thanksgiving.
Regional
The Water Wars that Defined the American West Are Heading East
Urban growth and surge in irrigation fuel fight between Georgia and Florida; soybeans or oysters?
WSJ
CAMILLA, Ga.—Water stress, a hallmark of the American West, is spreading east.
The shift is evident on Casey Cox’s family farm in Georgia’s agricultural heartland, where she turned on five giant rotating sprinklers to see her sweet corn through weeks of hot, dry weather last spring.
Fisheries And Fishermen Hard Hit By Decline Of Oysters On Gulf Coast
NPR
Typically, the week before Thanksgiving would mean a busy oyster shucking floor at Bon Secour Fisheries on the Alabama gulf coast. But this year just three shuckers are working to fill gallon tubs with oyster meat. There should be 20 more.
Grant to Gulf Coast group will boost study of elusive marsh bird under threat from rising seas
NOLA.com
A research effort that has revealed a trove of new information about one of the Gulf Coast’s least understood birds is getting a big boost from the federal government.
15 earthquakes in just two days shake a small Tennessee town, USGS reports
Charlotte Observer
A swarm of at least 15 earthquakes reaching up to 2.1 magnitude rattled Ridgely, Tennessee — a small town near the Mississippi River — over a two-day period, the U.S. Geological Survey reports.
National
EPA Science Advisers to Review Ozone, Particulate Pollution Limits
Bloomberg
The EPA’s clean air advisers today launch a review of whether federal caps on smog and haze-forming pollutants protect public health.
Air Force researchers develop new weapon to cleanse water
WHIO
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE — As the state gears up for wider testing of public water systems for potentially harmful chemicals, civilian researchers at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base believe they may be closing in on a new weapon in the battle against toxic water.
Ohio governor announces plan for toxic chemical testing
AP
Ohio's governor is announcing how the state will test for potentially harmful chemicals in the state's drinking water.
Senate confirms Brouillette to replace Perry as Energy secretary
The Hill
The Senate confirmed Dan Brouillette on Monday to lead the Department of Energy (DOE) as Rick Perry exits the agency amid questions over his dealings in Ukraine. Brouillette, the deputy secretary at DOE, was nominated to the top post after Perry announced in October he would be stepping down.
Environmental group slams decision to earmark Volkswagen settlement money for purchase of diesel buses
Hartford Courant
An environmental group is calling out the state’s decision to use part of its settlement with Volkswagen to purchase diesel-powered buses.
Safeguarding the seas, 1 protected area at a time
AP
From the surface, these 22 square miles of water are unexceptional.
But dip beneath the surface — go down 60 or 70 feet — and you'll find a spectacular seascape. Sponges, barnacles and tube worms cover rocky ledges on the ocean floor, forming a "live bottom."
Opinion
GUEST COLUMN/Proposed landfill is an environmental injustice
CYNTHIA MCGILBERY, Guest Columnist
Madison County Journal
There are times when you have to “take one for the team”. We are taught to put others’ needs before our own. These are good attributes, but there are also times when a community must stand up for itself.
Press Releases
EPA Celebrates 49th Birthday and Kicks Off Year-Long 50th Anniversary Celebration
12/02/2019
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) celebrates it’s 49th birthday and kicked off a year-long celebration leading up to the agency’s 50th anniversary on Dec. 2, 2020.
EPA Seeks Nominations for Environmental Financial Advisory Board
12/02/2019
WASHINGTON (December 2, 2019) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is seeking nominations of candidates for the Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB). Nominations are due no later than Jan. 6, 2020.
