State
Kerr-McGee cleanup could feature ‘green’ component
Commercial Dispatch
Until now, most of the cleanup at the former Kerr-McGee creosote plant in the Memphistown area of Columbus has focused on excavating and removing contaminated soil near the surface at the portion of the 90-acre property north of 14th Avenue.
Jackson city leaders say they’ll build a new water treatment plant, if it’s funded
WLBT
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Jackson city leaders say they’ll build a new water treatment plant if the feds come up with the funds to help pay for it.
River to crest Wednesday and fall, but remain above flood stage
Vicksburg Post
The Mississippi River is expected to crest at Vicksburg at 45.5 feet on Wednesday and begin a slow fall, but it will remain above flood stage until after April 12, a hydrologist for the National Weather Service Office in Jackson said.
State to absorb most of the $225k increase in Museum Trail costs
WLBT
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Months after the first phase of the project was completed, the price of the Museum Trail has gone up by more than six figures.
State Government
Gov. Tate Reeves extends Safe Recovery Order for another month
WLOX
BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - Even though Mississippi has seen a consistent decline in COVID-19 cases, Gov. Tate Reeves announced on Wednesday that the state’s former Safe Recovery Order will remain in place for another month.
Oil Spill
BP money heading to 18 South Mississippi projects
WLOX (video)
A bill to send almost $53 million in BP settlement money to projects in South is on the governor's desk. 18 proposals made the cut, and like last year, many were not on the list sent to lawmaker the advisory board set up to review the requests. Joining us to talk about the projects and how the BP money is being spent is Ashley Edwards, one of the members of that advisory board.
$1.9M in BP funds to improve Friendship Park in Picayune
WXXV
The flagship park for the City of Picayune will see major upgrades over the next few years after grant money was awarded to the city.
Regional
NC fines Chemours $200,000, says company isn’t keeping ‘forever chemicals’ out of river
Star News
North Carolina regulators fined The Chemours Co. nearly $200,000 on Wednesday for violations related to the company’s failure to properly construct and install water treatment measures at its Fayetteville Works plant on the Cape Fear River.
Florida Manatees Face A New Threat: Weed Killer
WJCT
A group of Florida scientists published a study that shows the state's manatees are chronically exposed to a chemical in herbicides, like Roundup. The research concluded that the constant contact could affect the immune and urinary systems of manatees.
USDA invests $28 million in new wetland projects
Delta Farm Press
USDA and the Natural Resources Conservation Service will be investing $28 million into wetland projects across the country, three of which are focused on the Lower Mississippi River and will return critical wetland functions to agricultural landscapes according to the acting chief of NRCS, Terry Cosby.
Lawsuit filed against City of Memphis, MLGW amid trash pickup problems
WMC
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Memphis trash troubles have now led to a class-action lawsuit against the city filed on behalf of citizens in what is known as Area E including Cordova, Hickory Hill, Windyke and parts of East Memphis.
Early morning earthquake reported in Caddo Parish
KSLA
CADDO PARISH, La. (KSLA) - The United States Geological Survey is reporting a Magnitude 3 earthquake in Caddo Parish on the morning of April, 1.
National
AP Interview: EPA head removes Trump-era science advisers
AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — In a move he said would help restore “scientific integrity,” the new head of the Environmental Protection Agency is removing dozens of scientists and other experts from key advisory boards named under President Donald Trump, saying they were overly friendly to industry.
Watchdog: EPA does not always follow internal rulemaking process
The Hill
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) inconsistently followed its own internal rulemaking process, with adherence varying widely from office to office, according to a report released Wednesday by the agency’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).
Biden plan would spend $16B to clean up old mines, oil wells
AP
Biden’s Big Infrastructure Plan Would Further Boost Renewable Energy
WSJ
President Biden’s $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan would supercharge an already booming clean-power sector by expanding subsidies and addressing key bottlenecks impeding the shift to a greener grid.
Biden infrastructure plan includes billions for electric vehicles, building retrofitting
The Hill
President Biden's $2 trillion infrastructure proposal unveiled Wednesday includes a suite of measures to fight climate change, including billions to transition to electric vehicles (EVs), retrofit buildings, replace lead pipes and modernize the nation’s electrical grid.
Lawmakers call on Biden to put $10 billion toward coastal restoration
The Hill
Carbon Labels Are Coming to Your Shampoo Bottle
WSJ
Shoppers have long been able to use nutrition labels to choose low-salt meals or reduced-sugar cereal. Now some companies want to use labels to help them pick everything from shampoo to milk, based on products’ carbon emissions.
EPA to start environmental justice training program in Dayton
WDTN
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced an agreement made with the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission to co-sponsor the Miami Valley Regional Environmental Justice Academy in Dayton.
Judge: US agency illegally paid for Colorado predator hunt
AP
DENVER (AP) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service illegally helped pay for a Colorado program to kill dozens of mountain lions and black bears in an experiment to determine if the predators were partly responsible for declining mule deer populations, a federal judge has ruled.
Press Releases
ALTMAN NAMED ACTING DIRECTOR OF MDOT
Below is a press release from the Mississippi Department of Transportation:The Mississippi Transportation Commission (MTC) named Jeffrey C. Altman, P.E., acting executive director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT).
