State
MILLER RESIGNS AS PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
Northside Sun
Jackson Public Works Director Robert Miller resigned as public works director today. He announced the decision on social media. He has been on leave for several weeks.
Ecru seeking grant to complete sewer project
The opening business for the July meeting of the Ecru Board of Aldermen was a public hearing on the Comprehensive Plan and the Zoning Ordinance for the town of Ecru presented by Chris Watson.
Ship Island reopens after Tropical Storm Cristobal damaged pier
Sun Herald
'Oh boy, another monster': Rare, 147-pound alligator snapping turtle caught in Mississippi
Clarion Ledger
Four years of trapping produced only one alligator snapping turtle over 100 pounds until July 10. That's when University of Southern Mississippi graduate students captured 10 of them over 100 pounds in three days in the South Delta, including a massive 146.6-pounder they nicknamed Goliath.
State Government
White House COVID-19 Task Force Coordinator Dr. Birx meets with Mississippi leaders
WLBT
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - White House Coronavirus Task Force Coordinator Dr. Deborah Birx spent about an hour-and-a-half meeting with Mississippi political, medical and business leaders at the Governor’s Mansion Wednesday.
Closing bars in MS a ‘definite possibility’ as COVID-19 cases rise, Reeves says
Sun Herald
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves appears to be moving closer to shutting down at least some bars in the state after hearing concerns in person Wednesday from Dr. Deborah Birx, who is helping lead the White House response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Need PPE? Here’s where to get Mississippi-made masks, hand sanitizer and more
Sun Herald
Businesses, schools, churches and other groups that need personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic can shop Mississippi-made products on an internet hub the state created.
Reeves chooses senator to lead Mississippi utilities staff
AP
Gov. Tate Reeves has appointed a third-term Republican state senator to be the new director of the Mississippi Public Utilities Staff, a group that analyzes proposals and provides advice to the three elected members of the Public Service Commission.
Reeves names ex-state Sen. Gray Tollison as circuit judge
AP
A former lawmaker who served six terms in the Mississippi Senate has been appointed as a state circuit court judge.
Despite pandemic, state ends budget year with an estimated $56 million surplus in funds
MS Today
Despite the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, it appears the state collected enough revenue, primarily from tax collections, to have ended the last fiscal year on June 30 with a surplus.
Oil Spill
Here’s an exclusive look inside the Mississippi Aquarium Research Center
WLOX
GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) - The Mississippi Aquarium was busy collecting and caring for animals, prior to introducing them to their habitats once the aquarium opens.
Regional
Tiger Shark Habitats Revealed as Biologist Claims Species Is Getting Bigger
Newsweek
Researchers have revealed new insights into the movements of tiger sharks and their favorite hangouts in the Gulf of Mexico.
National
Trump Overhauls Key Environmental Law To Speed Up Pipelines And Other Projects
NPR
In Atlanta today, President Trump announced a "top to bottom overhaul" of the regulations that govern one of the nation's most significant environmental laws.
States Look to Dispose of Nearly 1 Million Gallons of PFAS Foam
Bloomberg
States across the U.S. are deciding to dispose of nearly 1 million gallons of toxic firefighting foam outside their borders, opting to send the waste to other states to be incinerated or dumped in a landfill.
EPA Scales Back Requirements for Pesticide Testing on Fish
Bloomberg
The EPA announced Wednesday it will allow pesticide producers to forego certain tests on live fish, which can indicate whether the chemicals accumulate in their bodies and enter the food chain.
Pandemic delays use of water plant's algae-fighting weapons
Toledo Blade
Each summer since Toledo was upended in 2014 by an algae-driven water crisis that poisoned the metro system’s tap water for nearly three days, the city’s Collins Park Water Treatment plant has fortified its defenses against those billions of microscopic algal toxins in western Lake Erie that endanger public health this time of year.
Press Releases
EPA Adds New PFAS Treatment Options and Scientific References to Drinking Water Treatability Database
Update advances Trump Administration’s aggressive plan to address PFAS, provides tools to state and local governments to help address PFAS
07/15/2020
WASHINGTON (July 15, 2020) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an update to its Drinking Water Treatability Database with new treatment options and scientific references for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).
EPA Continues Efforts to Reduce Animal Testing, Announces Guidance on Fish Testing
Guidance expected to save 240 test animals annually
07/15/2020
NFWF Announces More Than $120,000 in Grants to Collect and Dispose of Derelict Fishing Gear Along U.S. Coastlines
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 13, 2020) — The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced 14 grants totaling $121,700 to prevent the accumulation of derelict fishing gear – lost, abandoned or discarded in the marine environment – in port communities in U.S. coastal waters.
