State
Councilors concerned about proposed property donation due to potential hazards, contamination
Picayune Item
Picayune’s City Council is allegedly considering taking ownership of a now vacant industrial site that may be contaminated, which is also near an old Superfund site.
Shrimp boat stranded by Hurricane Zeta a headache for all
WLOX
ST. MARTIN, Miss. (WLOX) - An early morning fuel spill at a shrimp dock has made a bad situation worse for neighbors in St. Martin.
Could artificial oyster reefs help threatened Gulf sturgeon?
AP
Scientists in the Army Corps of Engineers and the University of Southern Mississippi are looking at a possible way to improve artificial oyster reefs and how such reefs affect threatened Gulf sturgeon - big, toothless fish that nose out worms, shrimp and other food from the mud and sand in the Gulf of Mexico and nearby estuaries.
MDEQ Issues Beach Water Contact Advisory in Long Beach
WXXV
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), through its Beach Monitoring Program, issued a water contact advisory Friday for Station 07A (Long Beach).
Commercial fishing season to open for Spotted Seatrout
WXXV
Officials with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources announce the opening of the commercial fishing season for Spotted Seatrout to begin February 1, 2021, at 12:01 a.m. in Mississippi territorial waters.
State Government
FEMA obligates $32 million to Mississippi for COVID-19 vaccination costs
WLBT
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - The Federal Emergency Management Agency has obligated $32 million to the State of Mississippi for costs for the COVID-19 vaccine mission.
Oil Spill
Iconic landmark, Gulf State Park Pier, reopens
Al.com
Gulf State Park Pier reopens to the public this morning.
Robinson Preserve reopens with redfish release, more native plants and new amenities
Bradenton Herald
The 135-acre heart of one of the Bradenton area’s most popular and scenic natural areas, Robinson Preserve, reopened Friday after being closed for eight months.
Regional
Massive, unexplained bivalve die-off sends many Louisiana oystermen back to square one
NOLA.com
Mitch Jurisich, a third-generation oysterman, dropped a long pair of oyster tongs into the Gulf of Mexico and lightly raked the water bottom.
National
Court strikes down part of rule easing pollution standard implementation
The Hill
A federal court in Washington, D.C., on Friday sided with environmentalists and struck down provisions relaxing requirements for areas that are not in compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s air pollution standards.
Judge blocks Trump rule to limit health studies in EPA regs
AP
WASHINGTON -- A federal judge has blocked a last-minute rule issued by the Trump administration to limit what evidence the Environmental Protection Agency may consider as it regulates pollutants to protect public health.
Congressional PFAS Task Force launches
Fox 17
WASHINGTON — Michigan Representatives Dan Kildee (D), Fred Upton (R) and other members of Congress held a press conference Friday outlining actions they say the Biden administration should take to deal with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) chemicals.
Exxon, Chevron CEOs Discussed Merger
WSJ
The chief executives of Exxon and Chevron Corp. spoke about combining the oil giants after the pandemic shook the world last year, according to people familiar with the talks, testing the waters for what could be one of the largest corporate mergers ever.
Polluting company agrees to buy $2M worth of cleaner buses for Utah schools
Deseret News
NORTH SALT LAKE — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Friday it has reached a settlement with a company incinerating medical waste in North Salt Lake that violated pollution laws, which led to an outcry from affected residents.
Press Releases
COVID-19 Press Conference (Video): Vaccine Supply and Distribution
MSDH
