Monday, May 10, 2021

News Clippings May 10, 2021

State

Nature’s power on display
Enterprise-Journal

The scene from Steve and Beverly Bankston’s back yard is one of nature’s power. Over the years the Bogue Chitto River has eaten away at 15-foot banks until it’s within 40 feet of Stallings Bridge Road in Walthall County and 60 feet of the Bankstons’ house.

Fish expected to all but jump in the boat when this Mississippi lake reopens
Clarion Ledger

A popular Mississippi lake has been closed for four years, but when it opens later this month anglers should expect fantastic fishing.

APPLYING FOR WATER LOAN
Northside Sun

The city of Jackson plans to apply for a $27.9 million loan to fund repairs at its two water treatment plants.

City fighting never-ending battle with trash
Vicksburg Post

Sitting on the roadside opposite a vacant house on Dewitt Street is a pile of trash that includes a dilapidated sofa, trash bags, the remnants of a table and other discarded items.

Spillway Fisherman Group thanks moms at Stewpot with 120 pounds of crappie
WLBT

BRANDON, Miss. (WLBT) - An act of kindness from a grassroots organization made for a few full bellies and hearts at Stewpot Community Services Saturday.


Oil Spill

$3.29 million awarded to Biloxi for upgrades on Point Cadet Marina
WLOX

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - Millions of federal dollars are on the way to Biloxi for upgrades to the city’s busiest marina. Mississippi’s Congressional Delegation announced the award of more than $3.29 million in RESTORE Act funding for infrastructure upgrades at Point Cadet Marina.

Investing in South Mississippi: Community Center of Hope hometown endowment
WXXV

The Salvation Army is taking another step in providing and securing the futures of South Mississippi families in need.

 
Regional

Europe’s appetite for wood is clashing with Black communities in South Carolina
The State

Europe’s effort to make energy from American wood pellets is drawing complaints from Black community leaders in South Carolina, where manufacturers are expanding to produce more of the tiny wood chips.

Florida weighs allowing limited harvest of goliath grouper
AP

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida may lift its three-decade ban on catching and killing goliath groupers, with wildlife officials saying the coastal fish’s numbers have rebounded from when they were driven to near-extinction by overfishing and environmental damage.

Prehistoric fish reeled in on Tennessee river after 30-minute battle, officials say
News Tribune

Two friends were out to catch striped bass in Tennessee but ended up reeling in something “unexpected.”

SC plant draws 17K complaints for ‘noxious’ odor
AP

CATAWBA, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina cardboard factory has found itself in the middle of a stinky situation as environmental regulators order it to lower emissions after receiving thousands of complaints relating to a “noxious,” rotten egg-like smell coming from the plant.


National

3M sues Michigan, seeks to invalidate PFAS drinking water rules
MLive

LANSING, MI — Minnesota chemical manufacturing giant 3M has sued the state of Michigan, claiming the state’s new drinking water limits for the toxic “forever chemicals” known as PFAS are flawed because they were created through a “rushed and invalid regulatory process.”


‘Forever chemicals’ found in more wells than first reported
AP

DOVER, Del. (AP) — The extent of contamination in some public drinking water supply wells in Delaware from certain manmade chemical compounds associated with cancer and other health problems is worse than what was discovered several years ago, but state and federal officials have not alerted the public to their findings.

Lightfoot halts General Iron permit after pressure from Biden’s EPA chief
Chicago Sun Times

President Joe Biden’s top environmental official told Mayor Lori Lightfoot he has serious concerns about a controversial car-shredding operation proposed for the Southeast Side, prompting the mayor Friday to indefinitely suspend the city’s permit review of the facility until a thorough pollution assessment can be completed to determine the health impacts on the community.

U.S. EPA to hand over biofuel exemption documents to GAO probe
Reuters

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is handing over to the Government Accountability Office information on oil refiners that petitioned for exemptions to biofuel blending mandates, in an effort to help the government watchdog investigate the exemption program.

Regional emergency declaration issued over pipeline shut down after cyberattack
The Hill

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Sunday issued a regional emergency declaration in 17 states and the District of Columbia in response to the shutdown of one of the largest pipelines in the U.S., which supplies around 45 percent of fuel consumed by the East Coast.


Press Releases

WICKER, HYDE-SMITH, PALAZZO ANNOUNCE $3.29 MILLION FOR POINT CADET MARINA UPGRADES
City of Biloxi Contributing to $5.47 Million RESTORE Act Infrastructure Project

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), and U.S. Representative Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) today announced the award of more than $3.29 million in RESTORE Act funding for infrastructure upgrades at Point Cadet Marina, including an estimated 52 new boat slips.