State
Governor’s signature stops dump
Madison County Journal
Ridgeland officials have been fighting big corporate garbage interests over a third landfill for more than two decades and have had a lot of help from their friends lately in a huge, successful bipartisan push to stop them.
Residents turn out to see Gov. Reeves sign landfill bill in Ridgeland
Madison County Journal
RIDGELAND- Years of tough fighting by local and state officials with corporate garbage interests came to an end Wednesday with a bill signed by Gov. Tate Reeves at City Hall.
Laurel mayor sends warning to litterbugs
WDAM
LAUREL, Miss. (WDAM) - Laurel Mayor Johnny Magee is tired of people trashing the City Beautiful and says litterbugs better beware. If caught, they can be fined $100 for throwing trash onto city streets.
Weekend community cleanups removing trash from Dist. 5 Covington roads
WDAM
COVINGTON COUNTY, Miss. (WDAM) - Two recent community cleanups have removed a lot of trash along roads in District 5 in Covington County.
Pike County under burn ban until end of March
WJTV
PIKE COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – Pike County has been placed under a burn ban, which will remain in effect until March 31, 2021.
Fire officials want grass fire numbers to decrease soon
WCBI
COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)- It only takes a spark. Dry ground and windy conditions create the set-up for fires. Fire crews are responding to more grass fires and are sending out a warning.
Senate passes amended bill to kickstart outdoor conservation effort
NewsMS
The Senate has passed its amended version of HB 1231, a bill to create the ‘Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund’ or ‘Conservation Trust Fund’ depending on which chamber’s bill you read.
PROJECTS COULD MEAN 20% OF STATE’S ELECTRIC GENERATION COULD COME FROM SOLAR POWER
Scott County Times
After a slow start, solar power in Mississippi is beginning to become a larger part of the state’s electric generation capacity.
Progressive Pipeline rebrands while renovating
WTOK
MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) - The construction and maintenance company, Progressive Pipeline rebrands as ‘Castle’ after more than 22 years.
Oil Spill
Louisiana's first line of defense against hurricanes is disappearing
WWL
COCODRIE, La. — All around Cocodrie, Louisiana the land is disappearing and with it perhaps a way of life. Protecting this town and so many others inland are a series of barrier islands vanishing into the water.
Regional
Sea turtles, too weak to swim, are coming ashore in Florida. Is this an 'unexplained mortality event'?
USA Today
VIERA, Fla. — Sea turtles along the Florida coast from Jacksonville to Brevard are falling sick and wildlife experts are trying to find out why.
Lake Okeechobee water release could curb toxic algae bloom
AP
The Army Corps of Engineers announced a plan to begin small releases of water from a bloated Lake Okeechobee in an effort curb the threat of a toxic algae bloom over the summer.
SCDNR receives $5M grant to protect coastal wetlands
WCBD
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) on Wednesday announced five grants worth a total of $5 million to be put towards protecting coastal wetlands in five Lowcountry counties.
‘Monster’ prehistoric shark tooth found buried in SC construction site. Take a look
Sun Herald
A fossil hunter searching a South Carolina construction site recently unearthed a massive, ancient shark tooth.
National
U.S. Senate votes to confirm Biden EPA pick Michael Regan
Reuters
The U.S. Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm Michael Regan as the next administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, which will play a central role in the Biden administration’s plans to slash greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, vehicles and oil and gas facilities.
Biden EPA to Reconsider Trump Rule on Lead in Drinking Water
AP
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The Biden administration said Wednesday it was delaying the effective date of a policy intended to prevent lead pollution of drinking water, continuing a decades-old debate over how to remove a serious health hazard to children.
EPA spent $52.5 million in taxpayer funds without proper approval, IG report finds
Fox News
An investigator general report found that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) "improperly" doled out and managed millions of dollars worth of taxpayer dollars in information technology contracts between 2017 and 2019.
Deep-sea ‘Roombas’ will comb ocean floor for DDT waste barrels near Catalina
LA Times
When Californians learned in October that the waters off Santa Catalina Island once served as a dumping ground for thousands of barrels of DDT waste, the ocean science community jumped into action.
Press Releases
EPA to Request Additional Input on the Lead and Copper Rule
This important step would ensure that EPA consults with stakeholders on protections from lead in drinking water.
03/10/2021
WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing that it is extending the effective date of the Revised Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) so that the agency can seek further public input, particularly from communities that are most at-risk of exposure to lead in drinking water.
JB Automotive in Iowa Settles with EPA After Allegedly Selling ‘Defeat’ Devices
03/10/2021
(Lenexa, Kan., March 10, 2021) - Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that JB Automotive, located in Iowa, has reached a settlement with the Agency regarding the alleged sale of devices designed to defeat required emissions controls on vehicles.
NFWF Announces Release of Walmart’s Acres for America 2021 Request for Proposals
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 10, 2021) – The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced the release of the 2021 Request for Proposals (RFP) for Walmart’s Acres for America program.
