Monday, June 6, 2016

News Clippings 6/6/16

State
Recovery of buried Copiah County workers continues
Clarion Ledger


Recovery efforts at the scene of a gravel pit landslide in Copiah
County Friday that buried two workers and the equipment they were
operating in gravel and sand continued over the weekend under
difficult conditions.


http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/2016/06/05/recovery-buried-copiah-workers-continues/85451016/



State refutes report Jackson cheated in lead water test
Clarion Ledger


An international newspaper claims that Jackson and Southaven
"cheated" on lead-in-water tests, but Mississippi health officials
disagree.


http://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/local/2016/06/03/mississippi-changes-lead-testing-better-epa-compliance/85310430/





New Rate Structure was Required to Keep Landfill Open


Picayune Item


http://www.picayuneitem.com/2016/06/new-rate-structure-was-required-to-keep-landfill-open/





Regional


Alabama Landfill Activists Seek Dismissal of Slander Suit


AP


Four activists from one of Alabama's poorest communities asked a federal
judge Thursday to dismiss a $30 million slander suit filed by Georgia
companies that claim they were maligned by complaints about a landfill that
accepted tons of coal ash from a Tennessee Valley Authority spill.


http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/alabama-landfill-activists-seek-dismissal-slander-suit-39556864





National


Week ahead: Ozone rule, chemical safety top agenda
The Hill




The House is likely to take up a trio of bills to fight Democratic
environmental priorities, and the Senate could vote on a chemical safety
bill overhaul as lawmakers return from a weeklong recess.


http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/282161-week-ahead-ozone-rule-chemical-safety-top-agenda





Court upholds storage of nuclear waste at power plants, rebuffing states
The Hill




A federal appeals court Friday rejected a plea from four liberal states to
overturn a regulation allowing long-term storage of spent nuclear fuel at
power plants.


http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/282107-court-upholds-nuclear-plant-waste-standards





Hawaii's beaches are covered in huge amounts of plastic, survey says


Washington Post



A new study of the Hawaiian Islands has made a disturbing, if not entirely
surprising, discovery: Hawaii's paradisal beaches have a major plastic
problem. The results of an aerial survey, released this week by the state's
Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), identified more than
20,000 bits of debris on the main Hawaiian islands -- and most of it is
plastic, a form of waste that's considered particularly harmful to marine
life.


http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2016/06/hawaiis_beaches_are_covered_in.html#incart_river_index





Opinion



Spend BP money to restore Mississippi Sound


Letter to the Editor


Sun Herald


Beach advisories, dead baby dolphins, flesh-eating disease and now scores
of stinky dead menhaden along the shores of Jones Park.

http://www.sunherald.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article81851557.html

Friday, June 3, 2016

News Clippings 6/3/16

State
Lake levee work
Webster Progress-Times



Brant Avent of B&B Dirt Service clears land at the Whites Creek Lake dam
for the city of Eupora.


…The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has found the dam to
be in compliance with its regulations regarding periodic inspections for
high-hazard dams.


http://websterprogresstimes.com/2016/06/02/lake-levee-work/




1 swimming warning lifted for Mississippi Sound, 1 remains


WLOX


GULFPORT, MS (WLOX) -There is now only one swimming warning in place for a
section of the Mississippi Sound. The Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality's water contact advisory for Gulfport Central Beach
from Alfonso Dr. east to Arkansas Ave. remains in effect.
http://www.wdam.com/story/32126526/one-swimming-warning-lifted-for-mississippi-sound-in-gulfport-and-one-remains


Approved


Northside Sun


Renaissance site plans get go-ahead from review board
It's looking more and more likely a Costco Wholesale Warehouse is coming to
Highland Colony Parkway in Ridgeland, despite objections from residents.
…Approximately 2,400 people have signed a petition in opposition of the
project, and that petition has been submitted to the mayor, the board of
aldermen and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).
Because of the impact the store could have on two nearby streams and
wetlands, developers must obtain a water quality certification from the
state's environmental regulatory agency before the work can move forward.
http://northsidesun.com/front-page-slideshow-news/approved#sthash.GAwW4cvE.dpbs

Engineers preserve shared history with Miss. River
Vicksburg Post


It was during the American Revolution that George Washington appointed the
first engineer officer to the Army June 16, 1775. Now, the U.S. Army Corps
of Engineers is made up of more than 37,000 civilian and military personnel
working together in public works, most commonly known for dams, canals and
flood protections.




http://www.vicksburgpost.com/2016/06/02/engineers-preserve-shared-history-with-miss-river/





Oil Spill


BP Reaches Tentative $175 Million Settlement in Securities Litigation

WSJ


BP PLC has reached a tentative $175 million settlement to resolve a set of
legal claims over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion, which killed 11
workers and resulted in the largest oil spill in U.S. waters.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/bp-reaches-tentative-175-million-settlement-in-securities-litigation-1464917178





Regional



Mississippi River coalition gains pledges to protect rivers


AP


NEW ORLEANS
A coalition of mayors of cities and towns along the Mississippi River says
it has added new organizations to an international pledge to protect the
world's rivers in the face of threats from climate change and population
growth.http://www.sunherald.com/news/state/mississippi/article81528582.html



National


Environmental, Industry Groups Disagree on Haze Air Rule

Bloomberg


Environmental groups urged the Environmental Protection Agency to not
follow through on an April proposal that would delay submittal deadlines
for state regional haze plans by three years, while power generators called
the proposal an "extension" that would enable them to comply with the
rule's requirements.


http://www.bna.com/environmental-industry-groups-n57982073463/




How a Park Bench Monitors Air Quality on Chicago's Southeast Side


WTTW


The Environmental Protection Agency recently installed a park bench
equipped with air pollution sensors at a CPS elementary school. It's one of
just seven such benches in the U.S. and the only one installed at a school.
http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2016/06/02/how-park-bench-monitors-air-quality-chicago-s-southeast-side


Widely used U.S. farm chemical atrazine may threaten animals: EPA

Reuters


One of the most popular herbicides in U.S. agriculture can be dangerous to
animals and fish and leaves behind worrisome residue levels, the
Environmental Protection Agency said on Thursday in a draft report that
sparked outrage among farmers.
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-epa-atrazine-idUSKCN0YO2X9





Renewables Have Environmental Justice Benefits: Advocates

Bloomberg


Government officials, energy companies and others should consider the
co-benefits of renewable energy use and energy efficiency as part of their
planning process, environmental justice advocates said June 1.


http://www.bna.com/renewables-environmental-justice-n57982073462/





Partnership to create largest artificial reef in Texas


Ambitious plan will create habitat for marine life on 381 acres


Houston Chronicle


A public/private partnership between the Texas Parks and Wildlife
Department and a trio of conservation groups plans to sink $1 million in
private donations and 500 specially designed concrete pyramids into the
state-controlled water of the Gulf of Mexico in the initial phase of what
will be the state's largest, most ambitious artificial reef project.
http://www.chron.com/news/article/Partnership-to-create-largest-artificial-reef-in-7958234.php






Scientists say they've one-upped photosynthesis with a 'bionic leaf'


Washington Post


When visitors come to Pamela Silver's Harvard lab, they always ask to see
the "bionic leaf."

http://www.sunherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article81509122.html



Opinion


Thanks to EPA and Army Corps of Engineers, American farmers are a newly
endangered species


Fox News


It is getting harder and harder, and in legal terms more dangerous, to be
an American farmer these days, thanks to the aggressive behavior of the
federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers.
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/06/02/thanks-to-epa-and-army-corps-engineers-american-farmers-are-newly-endangered-species.html?intcmp=latestnews

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

News Clippings 6.1.16

State
Public meeting set on city's brownfields program


Daily Corinthian


A talk on the brownfields grant program Monday will report on what has been
done thus far and allow citizens to offer input.
http://www.dailycorinthian.com/view/full_story/27197761/article-Public-meeting-set-on-city-s-brownfields-program
?


Shrimp season will open in MS waters Monday


WLOX


SOUTH MISSISSIPPI (WLOX) -The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources
announced Tuesday the 2016-2017 shrimp season will open in state waters
Monday. That means fresh gulf shrimp will soon be available.
http://www.wlox.com/story/32106273/shrimp-season-will-open-in-ms-waters-monday





Regional


Woman gets flesh-eating bacteria while fishing near Grand Isle
Doctors say bacteria found in area waterways can cause serious illness

WDSU


NEW ORLEANS —Health officials are offering a word of caution about
flesh-eating bacteria for those planning to head to the water this Memorial
Day. It is often found in warm, salty brackish waters and in shellfish
during the summer months.
http://www.wdsu.com/news/local-news/new-orleans/woman-gets-flesheating-bacteria-while-fishing-in-the-gulf/39784474



State backs off long-running egg farm dispute


News & Observer


After 12 years of fighting over pollution controls between a massive egg
farm near a national wildlife refuge and state environmental regulators,
the state has reversed course.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/under-the-dome/article80952442.html



National


Supreme Court Allows Challenges to Clean Water Act Restrictions

Case involves company seeking to harvest peat from Minnesota wetlands
WSJ


WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court on Tuesday made it easier for landowners to
contest the federal government's ability to regulate their property under
the Clean Water Act.


http://www.wsj.com/articles/supreme-court-allows-challenges-to-clean-water-act-restrictions-1464705519





Supreme Court makes it easier for landowners to challenge environmental
decisions


Washington Post


The Supreme Court on Tuesday made it easier for landowners to challenge the
decision of federal regulators that the use of property is restricted by
the Clean Water Act.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-makes-it-easier-for-landowners-to-challenge-environmental-decisions/2016/05/31/42c62b28-275d-11e6-b989-4e5479715b54_story.html





High Court Sides With Property Owners in Wetlands Case


AP


The Supreme Court is making it easier for landowners to bring a court
challenge when federal regulators try to restrict property development due
to concerns about water pollution.


http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/high-court-sides-property-owners-wetlands-case-39503527




Former top Obama energy official calls EPA's Clean Power Plan 'all pain, no
gain'

Washington Times


A former top Obama administration energy official characterized the Clean
Power Plan last week as "all pain, no gain," saying it will do almost
nothing to reduce global emissions while fueling double-digit hikes in
electricity costs.

http://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/may/28/former-top-obama-energy-official-calls-epas-clean-/



Greens score win in case against Exxon
The Hill




A federal appeals court gave environmental groups a win in their case over
a Texas Exxon Mobil Corp. refinery, potentially opening the company to new
emissions penalties.




http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/281760-greens-score-win-in-case-against-exxon