State
USDA, Miss. sign historic agreement to improve forest conditions on public, private lands
WLBT
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - USDA Under Secretary of Agriculture James Hubbard and Mississippi State Forester Russell Bozeman signed an agreement to improve the magnolia state’s public and private lands.
RESERVOIR OFFICIALS LOOK FOR ADDITIONAL REVENUE TO FUND FUTURE PROJECTS
Northside Sun
The Pearl River Valley Water Supply District (PRVWSD) has mapped out its budget for fiscal years 2021 and 2022. However, district officials are keeping the financial future of the PRVWSD on their minds, stretching well beyond the next two years.
State Government
Tate Reeves appoints MS Coast district attorney to appeals court; new prosecutor named
Sun Herald
Joel Smith, the district attorney for Harrison, Hancock and Stone counties, has been appointed to the Mississippi Court of Appeals, effective next week.
Oil Spill
Future of Dauphin Island’s Aloe Bay up for discussion Jan. 18-22
Al.com
A weeklong series of virtual and in-person events starting Monday offers members of the public a chance to help shape the way millions of dollars will be spent to develop Dauphin Island’s Aloe Bay.
Regional
Groups sue federal EPA to rescind Florida wetlands authority
AP
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Environmental groups filed suit in federal court Thursday to undo a decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last month that handed Florida officials primary regulatory authority over the state's wetlands.
National
Pandemic Causes Historic — But Fleeting— Drop In U.S. Climate Emissions
NPR
As commuters stayed home in 2020 and airplanes remained on the ground, the nationwide slowdown led to a sizable drop in heat-trapping emissions. U.S. greenhouse gas emissions fell by 10 percent, the largest annual drop since World War II, according to a report by the Rhodium Group.
Toyota to Pay $180 Million to Settle Complaint Over Delayed Emissions Defect Reports
WSJ
Toyota Motor Corp. will pay $180 million to settle a U.S. Justice Department complaint that the car maker violated reporting requirements of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Air Act for about a decade.
Opinion
WE LAW — Environmental policy under a new administration: U-Turn ahead?
Daily Journal
W. Abram Orlansky
When it comes to environmental policy and regulation, the United States has not seen a presidential transition between two more diametrically opposed administrations since…well, four years ago. The pendulum swing in 2017 from the Obama to the Trump administration is likely to be matched in magnitude by the 2021 shift from the Trump to the Biden administration.
Press Releases
Acting Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces $180 Million Settlement Of Suit Against Toyota Motor Corporation For Decade-Long Noncompliance With Clean Air Act Reporting Requirements
Toyota Admits Conduct and Accepts Responsibility in Consent Decree; Agrees to Injunctive Relief and $180 Million Penalty
Audrey Strauss, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jeffrey Bossert Clark, the Assistant Attorney General for the Environment and Natural Resources Division (“ENRD”) of the U.S. Department of Justice, and Susan Bodine, Assistant Administrator for Enforcement and Compliance Assurance of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”), announced today that the United States has filed and simultaneously settled a civil lawsuit against TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION, TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC., TOYOTA MOTOR SALES, U.S.A., INC., and TOYOTA MOTOR ENGINEERING & MANUFACTURING NORTH AMERICA, INC. (“TOYOTA”) for systematic, longstanding violations of Clean Air Act emission-related defect reporting requirements, which require manufacturers to report potential defects and recalls affecting vehicle components designed to control emissions.
EPA Completes First 10 Risk Evaluations, Reaching Major Chemical Safety Milestone
Agency releases final risk evaluation for PV29
01/14/2021
WASHINGTON (January 14, 2021) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) met a major chemical safety milestone by releasing the final risk evaluation for C.I. Pigment Violet 29 (PV29) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
EPA Takes Action to Investigate PFAS Contamination
01/14/2021
WASHINGTON (January 14, 2021) — As part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) extensive efforts to address PFAS, today the agency is making new information available about EPA testing that shows PFAS contamination from fluorinated containers.
