ACROSS MISSISSIPPI — Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Lester Spell announced approval by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of an emergency exemption that will provide protection to corn producers throughout the state from blackbird predation of newly planted corn.
Mississippi corn growers throughout the state have suffered million dollar losses in recent years due to heavy blackbird [...] [...]
JACKSON — Gov. Haley Barbour has joined a bipartisan group of governors in asking Congress to stop a plan giving the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority to regulate greenhouse gases, a move that would potentially harm the competitiveness of the nation’s economy, he said.
In a letter to Congressional leaders, 20 governors expressed concern over an [...] [...]
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — A federal magistrate handling dozens of lawsuits that seek damages from the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA’s) coal ash spill has extended deadlines for some court filings.
The suits seek damages from the huge Dec. 2008 spill of coal ash at TVA’s Kingston plant.
With the lawsuits still in the discovery phase, U.S. Magistrate Bruce [...] [...]
KINGSTON, Tenn. — The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) will hold an informational public meeting March 16 in Kingston, Tenn., to receive comments on changing the handling and storage of wet coal ash to a dry system at the Kingston Fossil Plant.
TVA announced in July that it would change all of its wet coal combustion byproduct [...] [...]
LAFAYETTE, La. — A federal judge has shot down efforts by CITGO Petroleum to limit the fines and special conditions it could face in a federal Clean Water Act lawsuit over a June 2006 oil spill at the company’s Lake Charles refinery.
The ruling by U.S. District Judge Richard Haik comes in a lawsuit filed against [...] [...]
KNOXVILLE, TENN. — Attorneys for people seeking damages from the Tennessee Valley Authority’s coal ash spill have asked a federal judge in Knoxville to consolidate the pending cases.
Among the dozens of attorneys, Elizabeth Alexander of Nashville said the motion is “just a way to streamline” the case for those seeking [...] [...]
MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST — The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (DMR) has received a grant from the Gulf of Mexico Community-based Restoration Partnership (GCRP) to help fund a part of the Deer Island Restoration Project.
The GCRP is a multi-year, regional partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Community-based Restoration Program (CRP); the U.S. [...] [...]
HATTIESBURG — Mississippi officials have found creosote residue in a south Hattiesburg neighborhood but say there is no risk to local residents.
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has been at the site since December after community members reported seeing a rust-colored residue leaking from a monitoring well.
The area is the former site of a creosote [...] [...]
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) officials have assured state lawmakers that the cleanup of coal ash spilled into the Emory River in East Tennessee is not a health risk.
TVA officials addressed the Joint Conservation and Environment Committee yesterday.
In Dec. 2008, about 5.4 million cubic yards of coal ash laced with arsenic and potentially [...] [...]
OCEAN SPRINGS — The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), through its Beach Monitoring Program, has lifted its advisory for Station 15 in Ocean Springs, which is Shearwater Beach from Weeks Bayou to Ashley.
The MDEQ announced Feb. 16 that water samples show the area has attained acceptable bacteria levels.
The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, which performs [...] [...]
