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Reeves vetoes bills tied to home construction, removal of appointees | Mississippi

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Steve Wilson | The Center Square – 2023-04-24 12:49:00

(The Center Square) — Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves vetoed two bills and axed more than $23 million in local projects from a pair of spending bills this week.

The Republican governor, who'll battle Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley for a second term in November, vetoed a bill that would have ended some permitting requirements for home construction that were passed last year and another bill that would've provided another way to remove office-appointed public who serve on various boards and commissions.

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He also lined out $18.5 million of Jackson projects that included $13.5 million for the LeFleur's Bluff Otter Creek Golf Park and an associated connecter trail among the 15 projects he rejected in House bills 603 and 1089.

Those two bills would've appropriated $4 million for the Jackson Planetarium and $1 million to build a parking lot adjacent to the city's convention center.

“Even in times of plenty, I believe we're charged with the critical responsibility of properly stewarding taxpayer dollars,” Reeves in a release. “This funding includes proposals I vetoed last year, projects that are not within the proper role of state government and projects that I believe are not in the taxpayers' best interest. I will continue to be a watchdog on behalf of the taxpayers when it to their money.”

Also getting the ax was $1 million to the Scenic Rivers Development Alliance for various facility improvements golf cart path repairs and course equipment upgrades at Quail Hollow Golf Course at Percy Quinn State Park near Magnolia.

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Another $1 million appropriated for to renovate city offices was also crossed out.

As for the vetoed bills, Senate Bill 2054 would have the governor, the state auditor or lawmakers to remove an appointed state official by requesting the state to file a complaint of willful neglect.

In his veto message, Reeves said that there were already remedies for boards and commissions to remove and that putting a ban on further service by an official who was “would constitute a legislative constraint on executive appointment authority.”

In 2022, Reeves signed into law House Bill 1163, which requires contractors to obtain permits for projects in municipalities and unincorporated areas of counties. Senate Bill 2612 would have allowed under 7,500 population or a county with a population of less than 22,500 to opt out of the permitting requirement. In his veto message, the governor said that it was too soon to determine the or detriments of HB1163.

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Attorneys general say EPA water rule is costly and unlawful | Arkansas

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Kim Jarrett | – 2024-03-27 12:00:00

(The Center Square) – A proposed Environmental Protection Agency rule that would monitor indirect wastewater discharges from slaughterhouses is unlawful and would be costly to businesses, 27 attorneys general said in a letter to the agencies.

The EPA monitors wastewater discharge from 171 of the 5,055 meat and poultry product facilities in the United States, according to the letter led by Kansas Kris Kobach and Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin. The new rule would affect nearly 3,800 producers, some -owned farms in Arkansas, according to Griffin.

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Poultry generates the most cash receipts of any other agricultural product in Arkansas, according to information from the Arkansas Farm . One in four agrarian are in poultry production, according to the Farm Bureau.

“The EPA's proposed rule would add additional regulations on processing plants with indirect wastewater discharges—discharges that are already treated by a municipal or other wastewater treatment facility, which are themselves subject to EPA regulations,” the attorneys general said in the letter. “That's an extra layer of regulation that doesn't accomplish anything. And the EPA lacks the legal authority to impose such regulations.”

The rule is part of a settlement of a North Carolina filed against the EPA by several environmental groups of the discharge of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, into the .

“Under the consent decree, EPA has obligations to sign a notice of proposed rulemaking by December 13, 2023 and to sign a decision taking final action on the proposal by August 31, 2025,” the agency said in its filing.

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Some judges have questioned using a settlement as the basis of rulemaking, according to the attorneys general.

“Finally, it appears that EPA is relying primarily on data put together by the groups that were suing them to up with this rule,” the letter said. “This practice not only puts forward poor policy but also harms the integrity of our judicial system. This administration must stop abusing the legal system in order to achieve results it otherwise cannot get.”

The EPA said in its filing the rule would “improve water quality and protect human and the environment by reducing the discharge of nutrients and other pollutants to the nation's surface waters.” The agency met with the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, National Pork Producers Council, North American Meat Institute, the North American Renderers Association and the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association, the agency said.

“The preferred option is estimated to cost $232 million annually and reduce pollutant discharges by approximately 100 million pounds per year,” EPA said.

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16 states, led by Gulf states, sue Biden administration over LNG export ban | National

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Bethany Blankley | contributor – 2024-03-22 06:39:00

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Attorneys general coalition ask Ninth Circuit to intervene in Mayorkas asylum case | National

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Bethany Blankley | contributor – 2024-03-20 11:27:00

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