GULFPORT, Miss. (AP) โ Attorneys for Mississippi Power Co. and the Sierra Club spent nearly four hours in a Harrison County courtroom on Friday arguing about whether the economics of the power companyโs Kemper County lignite plant make sense right now. The Sierra Club is asking Chancery Court Judge Jim Persons to revoke the certificate the Mississippi Public Service Commission [...]
Cloudy creek water near Pearl River area gravel pits a big problem for neighbors
For the Harper and Salles families in St. Tammany Parish, the cypress swamp behind their homes is an idyllic outdoor playground for their children where they catch crawfish, throw out lines for catfish and splash around in Hickory Creek, a meandering stream that feeds into Old River and, eventually, the West Pearl. "A cypress swamp with that dark-brewed ice tea [...]
State board pushes companies to get local approval for ITEP changes if they fall short on jobs
By Kristen Mosbrucker (Originally published in The Advocate 4/28/21) Businesses that fall short on requirements for property tax breaks under a state program will have to get letters from local taxing bodies favoring any amendments to existing agreements, a state board voted Wednesday. With economic repercussions from the global COVID-19 pandemic forecast linger for years, businesses might need to change [...]
Community members say New Orleans company owes millions on years-old improvements
NEW ORLEANS, La. (WVUE) - A watchdog group and members of the community are asking why a major New Orleans employer is asking for a tax exemption on years-old additions made to their facilities. The watchdog group Together New Orleans says Folgers Coffee Company, with two locations in New Orleans East, should owe the city millions in taxes on additions [...]
Appellate ruling forcing Thermaldyne to disclose discharges into water upheld
A company that reclaims oil refinery waste may be required to identify the pollutants it wants to dump into the Intracoastal Waterway in West Baton Rouge Parish after the Supreme Court declined this week to hear an appeal from a lower court. The Intracoastal supplies drinking water to 10,000 people in nearby Iberville Parish and additional businesses. It ultimately flows [...]
Lousiana Supreme Court Refuses to Hear LDEQ Appeal
Thermaldyne is a new facility that reclaims oil from materials that are, in all but name, industrial hazardous waste. It applied to the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) for a permit to discharge the water that is leftover into the Intracoastal Canal, directly upstream of the intake for the drinking water of about 10,000 Iberville Parish residents. Its application [...]