State
Norfolk Southern could begin removing derailed freight cars Monday
WDAM
PETAL, Miss. (WDAM) - Petal Police say Norfolk Southern Railroad could begin removing some derailed freight train cars on Monday.
All roads back open after Petal train derailment, evacuees return home
WDAM
PETAL, Miss. (WDAM) - More than a dozen railroad cars derailed in Petal just after midnight Friday.
Clean-up efforts continue at site of train derailment in Petal
Hattiesburg American
Clean-up efforts are ongoing at the scene where a train derailed in Petal early Friday morning.
Crews respond to diesel spill in Jackson County
WLOX
JACKSON COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) - Crews were working in Old For Bayou in Jackson County Friday trying to clean up a diesel spill.
Robins Lake Road dam fix hits snag
Natchez Democrat
NATCHEZ — Newly elected officials hit a roadblock when it comes to finding a permanent fix for recurring flooding issues at Robins Lake Road.
BOARD WANTS NEEDS ASSESSMENT ON PROPOSED LANDFILL
Northside Sun
An updated needs assessment is all that stands between the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) permit board and voting on an issue that has been around for more than 15 years.
Board acknowledges landfill hearing and updates road index
Picayune Item
TransAmerican Waste wants to expand their service area for waste brought to Central Landfill in Millard to include the entirety of all counties and parishes within a 75-mile radius of the landfill.
Storm debris removal set to begin throughout Lee County
Daily Journal
After dealing with numerous natural disasters in recent months, debris removal is finally taking place throughout Lee County.
BILOXI MAYOR TO APPEAL TO COUNCIL TO APPROVE SPILLWAY EFFECTS RESOLUTIONS
WXXV
Mayor Andrew “FoFo” Gilich will be asking the City Council this week to approve four measures designed to help avoid a repeat of last summer’s disastrous Bonnet Carre Spillway openings.
BBC America comes to Mississippi to film what?: Fireflies star in documentary
Clarion Ledger
Sitting outside watching fireflies light up is a relaxing way to end a day. When they all glow in synch, it's even more special. So, BBC America came to northwest Hinds County last May to produce a documentary on them for its "Seven Worlds, One Planet" series because Mississippi is one of the few places that has synchronous fireflies.
Wesson forester steps up to state leadership
Daily Leader
Meet Richard McInnis of Wesson. A long-time employee of the Mississippi Forestry Commission, McInnis was chosen to be the Assistant State Forester in December.
Oil Spill
Public meeting to address concerns over land clearing along Turkey Creek
WLOX
GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - An informational meeting will be held this week to address residents’ concerns surrounding tree removal in Gulfport.
Deepwater Horizon settlement money to be used for new coastal land purchase
Austin American-Statesman
Using money from a settlement tied to a decade-old oil rig disaster, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission has approved purchasing 1,100 acres on Matagorda Peninsula as part of a wider nature preservation effort along the Gulf of Mexico.
Regional
Local groups give update on dead zone-related projects
Houma Courier
Representatives of several environmental groups shared updates Wednesday on projects aimed at shrinking the Gulf of Mexico’s annually recurring dead zone.
Towing vessels collide on Mississippi River; 3 people missing
WVUE
ST. CHARLES PARISH, La. (WVUE) -The Coast Guard is searching for three people in the Mississippi River after two towing vessels collided Sunday morning near Luling, according to the Coast Guard.
North Carolina’s environmental protection agency has lost 1/3 of its funding over ten years. How has it impacted our area?
Port City Daily
NORTH CAROLINA — The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is an agency that has received a lot of attention over the past few years in the Cape Fear region when the public became aware of GenX and other PFAS chemicals in the Cape Fear River.
Environmental group reports carcinogens in air near north Birmingham coke plant
Al.com
Environmental advocacy group Gasp says testing it conducted last year showed high levels of cancer-causing chemicals in the air in north Birmingham.
National
E.P.A. Is Letting Cities Dump More Raw Sewage Into Rivers for Years to Come
NYT
The Environmental Protection Agency has made it easier for cities to keep dumping raw sewage into rivers by letting them delay or otherwise change federally imposed fixes to their sewer systems, according to interviews with local officials, water utilities and their lobbyists.hat deal. “It’s our responsibility to the next generation,” Mr. Wells said.
Dicamba on trial: Peach farmer’s case against Bayer, BASF set to begin Monday
St. Louis Post Dispatch
ter five years of reported crop damage by the weedkiller dicamba, German agribusiness companies Bayer and BASF are heading to trial to defend themselves against charges that they intentionally caused the problem in order to increase their profits.
Court forces U.S. EPA to reconsider three refinery biofuel waivers
Reuters
A U.S. appeals court has ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency must reconsider three of the biofuel waivers it recently granted to small oil refineries, arguing the agency’s justification for approving the exemptions was flawed.
97K gallons of red wine spill into Sonoma County river in threat to fish population
The Hill
A vineyard in Sonoma County, Calif., spilled almost 100,000 gallons of red wine into the Russian River, posing a threat to the local fish population.
Press Releases
Wells Fargo Foundation and NFWF Announce Release of the Resilient Communities Program 2020 Request for Proposals
The Resilient Communities program will award up to $3 million in grant funding to prepare for future environmental challenges.
WASHINGTON D.C. (January 23, 2020) – The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and Wells Fargo today announced the release of the 2020 Request for Proposals for the Resilient Communities program, which provides grant funding to enhance community capacity to plan and implement resiliency projects, and improve the protections afforded by natural ecosystems, by investing in conservation and nature-based infrastructure.
