State
Will 2020 be a turnaround year for the Coast, or could another spillway disaster set us back?
Sun Herald
They’ve survived hurricanes, the Great Recession, the BP oil spill.
But nothing prepared Mississippi Coast businesses for what happened this year, when all the beaches closed for a potentially toxic algae bloom during peak summer tourist season.
PRVWSD CONTINUES TO BATTLE INVASIVE PLANT
Northside Sun
In addition to continued efforts to eradicate Giant Salvinia from the Barnett Reservoir, Pearl River Water Supply District (PRVWSD) officials are also considering long-term strategies for preventing the spread of non-native, invasive plant.
Supervisors approve emergency resolution for 911 power system repairs
Monroe Journal
…Supervisors approved a grant extension with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality for a solid waste enforcement officer.
Claiborne County could get $1 billion liquefied natural gas plant
The Vicksburg Post
PORT GIBSON — If reports become reality, Claiborne County could be home to a new, $1 billion liquified natural gas facility in as soon as two years.
Board approves asbestos removal project
WTOK
MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) - Continual progress is being made at the site that will eventually house several county leaders.
MWF Hunter’s Harvest Program opens with deer season
WDAM
JACKSON, Miss. (WDAM) - The Mississippi Wildlife Federation’s Hunter’s Harvest Program has begun as deer hunting season is in full swing, allowing hunters to share their harvest with the state’s neediest families and children.
A CONVERSATION WITH SMITH ON THE MISS. WILDLIFE FEDERATION
Northside Sun
Ashlee Ellis Smith was recently named executive director of the Mississippi Wildlife Federation. Smith, a native of Nashville, is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and the University of Memphis School of Law. She and her husband Brad have four children. Smith joins the federation after serving as director of policy for Ducks Unlimited and after running Ellis Smith Policy Solutions, a governmental affairs group. She recently spoke to Sun Senior Staff Writer Anthony Warren about the federation and her plans as director.
State Government
Analysis: New leaders set course for Mississippi Legislature
AP
Mississippi lawmakers begin their new term Jan. 7, with Republicans maintaining large majorities in the House and Senate. Some leadership jobs will change hands, including chairmanships of important committees.
Regional
Proposed fish farm in Southwest Florida first of its kind in federal waters, draws some concern
Naples Daily News
A Hawaiian-based company is planning an offshore finfish farm in federal waters off the coast of Southwest Florida.
National
House-passed 'forever chemicals' regulations pulled from defense bill
The Hill
Democratic-championed provisions in the annual defense policy bill that would regulate cancer-linked “forever chemicals” have been pulled from the final version of the bill, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee confirmed Friday.
Public hearings set for Michigan PFAS drinking water limits
MLive
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) is holding three public hearings next month on its plans to regulate several types of fluorinated chemicals that may pose a health risk where they’re being found in public drinking water.
California is home to 15 of the 30 places in the US with the worst air pollution
USA Today
Air quality in the United States has been worsening over the last three years – and it’s killing people. While air quality had been improving since 2009, the trend reversed in 2016. Nearly 10,000 premature deaths have been attributed to this increase alone, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.
Plastic Backlash Leads to Bets on Old Recycling Technology
WSJ
Big makers and users of plastic packaging are betting on a recycling technology that has failed for decades to take off, as a public backlash and new rules push them to find ways to cut waste and greenhouse-gas emissions tied to plastic.
Trump calls for review of water efficiency standards, saying people flush the toilet '10 times, 15 times'
The Hill
President Trump on Friday said the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reviewing water efficiency standards, claiming that some people flush the toilet “10 times, 15 times” due to a lack of water pressure.
Tests show Detroit River safe after collapse of uranium-tainted site, regulators say
Detroit Free Press
No excessive radiation levels were detected in and along the Detroit River following a shoreline collapse at a bulk storage site that once housed atomic bomb and uranium development in the 1940s and 1950s, state regulators said Friday.
Is shale development worth the costs? A CMU study says no.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Although the massive shale gas build-out in the Appalachian Basin has produced significant economic benefits, a new Carnegie Mellon University study says all the drilling, fracking and cracking isn’t worth the environmental, health and climate damage.
Opinion
AN ABSURD LOCATION FOR A LANDFILL
Northside Sun
Allowing the construction of a new landfill in one of the most prosperous, fastest growing areas of our state makes zero sense.
PSC APPROVING BILLION DOLLARS IN GRID UPGRADES
Northside Sun
Since the demise of the Kemper boondoggle, the MS Public Service Commission (MPSC) has consistently voted in favor of utilities at the expense of ratepayers.
On October 1, the MPSC unanimously approved Entergy MS spending over $400 million to purchase an existing used natural gas plant.
