State
Jackson to spend $8.7M in Siemens settlement funds to update billing software
WLBT
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Jackson’s water billing software is out of date, and the council is spending nearly $8.7 million in Siemens settlement funds to update it.
$7.6M in CARES Act money distributed to Miss. farmers
WLBT
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - More than $7 million was paid out to Mississippi agriculture providers as part of the CARES Act.
State Government
Governor extends mask mandate to all but 4 counties
WLBT
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Seventy-eight of Mississippi’s 82 counties are now under a mask mandate, as of Governor Tate Reeves’ newest updated executive order.
Dobbs urges virtual, outdoor worship services in wake of rising COVID-19 cases
WLBT
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - With Christmas days away, Dr. Thomas Dobbs continues to urge people to skip large gatherings, including worship services, to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Dobbs, the state health officer, hosted a Zoom meeting Tuesday evening with members of the clergy.
Oil Spill
The first sand is being pumped on North Breton Island, a 'vital' barrier island for birds
NOLA.com
Work has begun to save one of the state's top brown pelican rookeries and seabird habitats from slipping into the Gulf of Mexico.
Regional
DHEC picks military man to run SC health agency as disease sweeps through the state
The State
The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control board chose a Navy officer and doctor to become its next director after months of searching for a leader during the coronavirus pandemic, a lethal disease outbreak unlike any South Carolina has experienced in a century.
National
Critics say EPA allowing more time to fix lead-tainted water
AP
The Trump administration overhauled the country’s widely criticized, 29-year-old framework to eliminate toxic lead from drinking water on Tuesday, but critics charge that the new rule gives utilities far more time than before to finally replace old, lead-contaminated pipes.
Wildfires fueled by climate change threaten toxic Superfund sites
NBC
For Jake Jeresek, a leader of the U.S. Forest Service’s firefighting operation in the Kootenai National Forest of northwest Montana, blazes in the woods 4 miles east of the town of Libby demand the most urgent response. But, before his crew can snuff any flames in those woods, they must recite a poem.
Big Oil Evaded Regulation And Plastic Pellets Kept Spilling
NPR
Look on the side of a highway sometime and you might see them. Or along the railroad tracks or a stream. Maybe even between your toes at the beach. Tiny pearl-shaped pieces of plastic, known as pellets, are the building blocks for almost everything plastic, and they're everywhere.
Press releases
Governor Tate Reeves Announces Additional COVID-19 Measures
JACKSON — Today, Governor Tate Reeves announced additional COVID-19 measures in an effort to keep Mississippians safe during this holiday season. The Executive Orders that are in place are set to expire on Friday, January 15th, 2021.
EPA Finalizes Historic Action to Better Protect Children’s Health
The first major update in 30 years strengthens every aspect of the Lead and Copper Rule
12/22/2020
WASHINGTON (December 22, 2020) — Today, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler was joined by U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson, Flint, Mich. Mayor Sheldon Neeley, Springfield, Ill. Mayor Jim Langfelder, Wisconsin State Senator Robert Cowles, Pennsylvania State Senator Camera Bartolotta, and Jefferson County, Colo. Commissioner Libby Szabo to announce the first major update to the agency’s Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) in nearly 30 years.
EPA Finalizes Action Protecting Americans from PBT Chemicals
12/22/2020
WASHINGTON (December 22, 2020) — As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pursues its mission to protect human health and the environment, today the agency released final rules under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that will reduce exposure to five chemicals that are persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT). PBT chemicals are of particular concern not only because they are toxic but also because they remain in the environment for long periods of time and can build up or accumulate in the body.
MDMR Marine Information Calendars available coastwide
December 22, 2020
BILOXI, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources’ 2021 Marine Information Calendars are now available at locations along the Coast.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Finalizes New Special Permit for Cormorant Management in Lower 48 States
December 22, 2020
Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announced a final rule and final environmental impact statement (EIS) to responsibly manage conflicts associated with double-crested cormorants in the United States.
