State
How the Mississippi Gulf was impacted by the spillway openings
Mississippi Department of Marine Resources Executive Director Joe Spraggins joins us to look back on the impact of the Bonnet Carre Spillway openings in 2019.
WLOX
Video
Supervisors, county faced with hefty debris cleanup costs
Vicksburg Post
The final meeting of the Warren County Board of Supervisors was scheduled to be last Monday, but an item — that came with a bit of sticker shock — will require the current supervisors to come together at least one more time.
SHRIMP SEASON TO CLOSE NORTH OF INTRACOASTAL WATERWAY ON JAN. 1, 2020
WXXV
BILOXI, Miss. — Officials with the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources announced Friday that all waters north of the Intracoastal Waterway will close to shrimping at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2020.
FOREST INDUSTRY COULD SEE GROWTH AT END OF YEAR
WCBI
STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Mississippi’s forestry industry could see some growth to end 2019.
State Government
GOVERNOR-ELECT TATE REEVES APPOINTS NEW MEMA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
WXXV
Governor-elect Tate Reeves visited the coast today and he came with exciting an announcement. Around 2 P.M. Reeves announced Greg Michell as his appointment for Executive Director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) at the Emergency Operations Center in Harrison County.
Analysis: Hosemann says he's ready to work as lt. governor
AP
JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi's incoming lieutenant governor is setting an ambitious agenda for his first year in office.
Regional
EPA begins setting standards for PFAS groundwater investigations
WHNT
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -- For a second straight day, the Environmental Protection Agency announced new steps it is taking regarding PFAS chemicals.
Corporate desires or environmental protection: In Louisiana one takes a back seat to the other
NOLA.com
Five years ago, the owners of the Noranda Alumina plant on the border of St. John and St. James parishes discovered a big problem: They were emitting more than half a ton of mercury, a heavy metal that is toxic to humans and animals even in trace amounts, into the air each year. And the plant had likely been doing it for decades, in violation of its permit.
Large 'fish farm' in Woodville sparks concern among residents, environmental advocates
Tallahassee Democrat
A large aquaponics facility is under construction in Woodville amid concerns about its potential effects on the Floridan aquifer, the source of drinking water for thousands of residents.
DNR settles with Honeywell on LCP cleanup
The Brunswick News
Honeywell International agreed to pay $4 million to the state Department of Natural Resources, in a consent decree filed with the federal district court in Atlanta, for cleanup costs related to the LCP Chemicals Superfund site and compensation for lost recreational fishing opportunities because of chemical pollutants released into the marsh and nearby waterways.
Groups ask court for haze-plan look
Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Two environmental groups have petitioned an appeals court to review a federally approved plan to reduce haze in Arkansas.
Will lawsuit over old Jacksonville landfill site still mention landfill?
Florida Times-Union
Homeowners in Jacksonville’s Fairway Oaks development have sued and carried signs declaring their Habitat for Humanity houses are cracking because they’re built on trash from a closed landfill.
National
Air pollution cuts lead quickly to large health benefits
Reuters
Reducing air pollution at its source can substantially improve health within a few weeks, and the savings from reduced death and disease exceed the costs, according to a review of existing research.
14 states sue EPA over rollback of Obama-era water rule
The Hill
A coalition of 14 states sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Friday over its rollback of a landmark Obama-era rule stipulating which waterways are regulated by the federal government.
Trump Administration Waives Tighter Rules for Less Efficient Lightbulbs
WSJ
WASHINGTON—The Trump administration is intervening to protect old-fashioned incandescent lightbulbs from rising energy-efficiency standards, part of a deregulatory push that 16 states have already challenged to uphold their efforts to fight climate change.
Mysterious greenish-yellow liquid gushing from walls on I-696 identified
Detroit Free Press
The mysterious, greenish-yellow liquid that ran onto I-696 in Madison Heights on Friday came from a closed electroplating business whose owner is serving a year in federal prison for operating an unlicensed hazardous waste storage facility.
Michigan chemical firm fined $1.45M, owner sent to prison
Detroit Free Press
A Michigan chemical plating firm shut down by state regulators three years ago has been ordered to pay nearly $1.5 million and its owner sent to federal prison for illegally storing dangerous chemicals in leaky containers.
For The 1st Time In SW Minnesota, Invasive Silver Carp Is Confirmed
AP
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Two invasive silver carp have been caught in southwestern Minnesota after essentially sneaking into the state through the back door, marking the first confirmed discovery of the jumping fish in that area.
Federal appeals court orders EPA to create plan to lower water temperatures on Columbia River
Seattle Times
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Friday ordered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to create a plan to limit water temperatures on the Columbia and Snake rivers, which could intensify the debate over breaching or removing the Lower Snake River dams, and others, too.
After Deadly Dam Spills, Miners Seek a Better Way—It Isn’t Working Out
Companies hope to develop technology that makes storing waste less dangerous, but it hasn’t been easy
WSJ
SYDNEY—Global miners searching for new ways to handle mining waste following deadly spills in Brazil in recent years are reaching a frustrating conclusion: Many promising options aren’t proven at large scale.s national science agency. “Everybody understands moving a lot of rock,” he said.
A gigantic Asian hornet just showed up in Washington. And that’s bad news, experts say
Sun Herald
Gigantic, invasive hornets could be a big headache for Washington residents — but not for the reasons you might expect, state agriculture experts say in a release.
Opinion
ALEX LITTLEJOHN: The Nature Conservancy
Daily Journal
I was about five years old when my Dad took me hunting for the first time. The magic of those mornings sitting with him in the “hickory stand’ looking at the towering trees above and the sound of woods waking up around us still resonate with me today. As do the drives to my grandparents in Marks, as we’d pass fields of ducks and geese, only to hear them flying over the Coldwater River behind their house once we arrived.
Press Releases
EPA Releases PFAS Groundwater Guidance for Federal Cleanup Programs, Fulfilling PFAS Action Plan Commitment
12/20/2019
WASHINGTON (Dec. 20, 2019) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued Interim Recommendations for Addressing Groundwater Contaminated with Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA) and Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) under federal cleanup programs, a priority action under EPA’s PFAS Action Plan.
EPA Finalizes List of Next 20 Chemicals to Undergo Risk Evaluation under TSCA
12/20/2019
WASHINGTON (Dec. 20, 2019) — Today, after reviewing input from stakeholders and the public, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the next 20 chemicals to undergo risk evaluation under the amended Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).
