State
Starkville sees uptick in sewer calls from wipes, other non-flushable items
Starkville Daily News
The city of Starkville is asking its residents to be mindful of what they flush down the toilet with toilet paper being sometimes difficult to find during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Contractor continues debris cleanup
Daily Corinthian
Debris cleanup is in progress in the city and will ramp up in the next few weeks once the burn site is in operation.
SUPES PROBE ROADS, LITTER ISSUES
Bolivar Commercial
Supervisors Larry King and Olanda Morton expressed concern about litter and trash being thrown in storm drains and ditches.
COUNTY RAISES FINE FOR ILLEGAL DUMPING TO $500
Yazoo Herald
Yazoo County voted Friday to raise the fee for illegal dumping from $50 to $500.
District 1 Supervisor Lee Moore said he made the motion in response to constant complaints from residents.
COUNTY SUSPENDS PAYMENTS TO RUBBISH PIT
Yazoo Herald
The Yazoo County Board of Supervisors voted on Friday to suspend payments to the city for the rubbish pit until the county is able to use the facility.
Prescribed burn set for Wednesday in Jackson County
WLOX
JACKSON COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) - If you see smoke north of Interstate 10 near Gautier Wednesday, don't worry. It's a planned burn at the Mississippi Sandhill Crane National Wildlife Refuge.
State Government
A list of all businesses and operations that are considered essential in Mississippi
WLBT
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Tuesday, Gov. Tate Reeves signed an executive order calling for a statewide halt of gatherings of 10 or more people.
Coronavirus in Mississippi: What we know Thursday
Clarion Ledger
This story will be updated throughout the day with the latest news about coronavirus and its effects in Mississippi.
Regional
Cancer mystery continues in Cleburne County, Ala., following EPA testing
33/40
Cleburne County, Ala. — Last fall, EPA contractors took water and soil samples in Fruithurst and Muscadine . They're two small Cleburne County communities rocked by cancer.
Emergency order allows company behind cancer toxin leak to resume limited operations in Cobb County
11Alive
COBB COUNTY, Ga. — After its operations were deemed "crucial" in the fight against COVID-19, embattled Cobb County medical sterilization plant Sterigenics has been allowed to resume operations.
Despite health chief’s OK, state’s oyster season over
Al.com
Health officials say Mobile Bay-area waters are again safe for oyster harvesting -- but that doesn’t mean conservation officials have reopened them.
Jefferson Parish suspends curbside recycling in unincorporated areas because of coronavirus
NOLA.com
Curbside recycling in unincorporated Jefferson Parish and the Town of Jean Lafitte has been suspended indefinitely because of the spread of the coronavirus, according to a news release from parish government.
Officials: As Mississippi River drops, floods still a threat
AP
As the Mississippi River in New Orleans continues to drop, there is still a threat of flooding this spring across a third of the country.
National
Coronavirus package punts on environmental fights
The Hill
The Senate is positioned to move ahead with a coronavirus emergency aid package free of controversial efforts to bolster the oil industry or measures to reduce the carbon footprint of the airline industry that threatened to spark protests on both sides of the aisle.
Trump administration walks away from ethanol court battle, angering oil refiners
The Hill
The Trump administration has walked away from a chance to appeal a court decision on its refinery waiver program, delivering a win to ethanol producers while angering oil refiners.
In Coronavirus, Industry Sees Chance to Undo Plastic Bag Bans
NYT
They are “petri dishes for bacteria and carriers of harmful pathogens,” read one warning from a plastics industry group. They are “virus-laden.”
The group’s target? The reusable shopping bags that countless of Americans increasingly use instead of disposable plastic bags.
Social-distancing visitors flood national parks, creating new coronavirus concern
The Hill
Visitors are flooding national parks, forcing the closure of Yellowstone National Park and leading to worries that the areas could become breeding grounds for the coronavirus.
Press Releases
2019 MS State Expenditure Plan Amendment Recommended for RESTORE Council Chair Approval
On March 24, 2020, the Executive Director of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (Council) recommended the Council Chair, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, approve Mississippi’s 2019 State Expenditure Plan (SEP) Amendment. Under the Spill Impact Component of the RESTORE Act, commonly referred to as “Bucket 3”, 30 percent of the funds in the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund are disbursed to the five Gulf Coast States. Each state is required to develop SEPs and submit it to the Council Chairperson for approval, the same is true for SEP amendments. These projects, programs, and activities will be implemented in a manner consistent with the requirements of the RESTORE Act, as well as the goals and objectives of the Comprehensive Plan. States amend SEPs to increase funding for projects or programs in existing SEPs and/or to add new activities to the SEP.
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EPA Announces Plan to Reduce TSCA Fees Burden for Stakeholders
03/25/2020
WASHINGTON (MARCH 25, 2020) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing its plan to consider a proposed rule that would look at potential exemptions to the TSCA Fees Rule in response to stakeholder concerns about implementation challenges.
