State
MISSISSIPPI’S INFRASTRUCTURE SYSTEMS RECEIVE LOW RATING
WCBI
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI)- Schools may be closed due to the coronavirus, but the state of Mississippi got a big report card on Tuesday.
Overall, the state received a D plus for its infrastructure systems.
Fire spanning 460 acres in east Jackson County now 98% contained
WLOX
JACKSON COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) - A brushfire spanning over 400 acres across part of East Jackson County is now mostly contained but state officials say it could re-ignite.
Reduce waste or garbage pickup could run behind, says Brandon Mayor
WLBT
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Brandon Mayor Butch Lee is asking residents to hold off on putting yard waste and other non-perishable items in their trash until the shelter-in-place order is lifted.
DeSoto County spring cleanup
DeSoto Times-Tribune
In an effort to keep DeSoto County clean and beautiful, even in the midst of a pandemic, county officials have declared this week to be Spring Cleanup Week. While still allowing for social distancing, the effort has involved placing 14 dumpsters at locations across the county for residents to dump items no longer needed as they have more time to work around the house.
Corps expected to reopen Steele Bayou this weekend
Vicksburg Post
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Vicksburg District is expected to reopen the Steele Bayou Control Structure gates this weekend, according to information from the District.
State Government
Mississippi schools will remain closed for rest of semester due to COVID-19, Reeves says
Sun Herald
Gov. Tate Reeves announced Tuesday that Mississippi classrooms will remain closed through the rest of the school year as the state continues to grapple with the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Reeves creates commission for economic recovery
WLOX
JACKSON, Miss. (WLOX) - Governor Tate Reeves is turning to business leaders around the state— charting a course for economic recovery in what is called “Restart Mississippi.”
Oil Spill
Feelings are still raw over the BP settlement payout 10 years after the Gulf spill
APR
This month marks 10 years since the BP Gulf oil spill along the Alabama coast. The Deepwater Horizon disaster generated fines and lawsuit settlements that brought hundreds of millions of dollars to Alabama in the wake of the oil spill. How that money was spent, however, still rankles some Gulf Coast residents. They feel the money was intended for areas directly affected by the disaster.
Regional
Florida looks to U.S. Supreme Court in water war
12 News
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (News Service of Florida) — Warning that a special master’s recommendation would “spell doom” for the Apalachicola River, Florida wants the U.S. Supreme Court to require Georgia to share more water in a river system that links the two states.
Toxic blue-green algae bloom at Lake Okeechobee: Could it get into St. Lucie River?
TC Palm
The bad news: Blue-green algae blooms, at least one of them toxic, are being reported in Lake Okeechobee and the canal leading from the lake to the St. Lucie River.
National
EPA retains Obama-era air quality standards despite staff questions of adequacy
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed to make no changes to certain air quality standards even though members of its staff raised questions about whether one of the standards is adequate.
States go their own ways on environmental enforcement during crisis
Roll Call
Some state environmental regulators have decided not to follow the Trump administration’s lead in easing enforcement of environmental rules for companies adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Upper Mississippi River is the nation's 'most endangered river' of 2020
USA Today
The Upper Mississippi River is the nation's "most endangered river" of 2020, according to a report released Tuesday by the environmental advocacy group American Rivers.
EPA signs $2.9 million deal for Detroit River cleanup
Detroit News
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has signed a $2.9 million agreement to tackle contaminated sediment along the Detroit River, U.S. Rep. Brenda Lawrence announced Tuesday.
Press Releases
Mississippi Infrastructure Receives a “D+” in 2020 Infrastructure Report Card
Bridge closures, aging drinking water systems and severe weather events have threatened the state’s infrastructure
JACKSON, Miss. — Today, the Mississippi Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) released the 2020 Report Card for Mississippi’s Infrastructure, giving 12 categories of infrastructure an overall grade of a ‘D+.’ Graded categories include aviation (C), bridges (D-), dams (D), drinking water (D), energy (C), inland waterways (D), levees (D), ports (B-), rails (B-), roads (D-), solid waste (C) and wastewater (D+).
EPA Proposes to Retain NAAQS for Particulate Matter
04/14/2020
WASHINGTON (April 14, 2020) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing its proposal to retain, without changes, the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for particulate matter (PM) including both fine particles (PM2.5) and coarse particles (PM10).
EPA Continues Efforts to Increase the Availability of Disinfectant Products for Use Against the Novel Coronavirus
04/14/2020
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took additional actions to assure that safe and effective disinfectant products are available to the American public to help combat the spread of COVID-19.
