Latest Mississippi River Delta News: April 11, 2013

Neil Shaw, BP Executive, Takes The Witness Stand In Gulf Spill Trial
By Michael Kunzelman, The Associated Press. April 9, 2013.
“NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A BP executive who oversaw the company’s Gulf of Mexico operations testified Tuesday that he he led a push to improve safety when he started the job more than two years before an April 2010 rig explosion killed 11 workers and led to the nation’s worst offshore oil spill…” (Read more)

New science shows Mississippi River water could kill marshes, not grow them
By Eve Troeh, WWNO Radio (New Orleans). April 11, 2013.
“The centerpiece of Louisiana’s Master Plan to stem coastal erosion is this: divert the Mississippi River to let it flow over the marsh. Sediment in the river is supposed to stick and build up the wetlands, keeping more Louisiana land above water as sea levels rise…” (Read more)

New research indicates Mississippi River diversions could harm marshland
By Bob Marshall, The Lens (New Orleans). April 10, 2013.
“For decades, those leading the life-and-death struggle to keep southeast Louisiana from being swallowed by the Gulf of Mexico have had a battle cry: “Put the river back into the marsh.” The thinking is that the river should be allowed to build new land, just as it had done for millennia before flooding was controlled…” (Read more)

Murky Dealings: Bill makes for fisheries furor
By John DeSantis, The Tri-Parish Times (Houma, La.). April 10, 2013.
“Two bills filed in the Louisiana House and Senate that would radically change the status of the board that markets the state’s seafood are whipping up a maelstrom within the $2.4 billion industry it serves…” (Read more)

Morganza levee bond sale a milestone
By John DeSantis, The Tri-Parish Times. April 10, 2013.
“You can personally own a piece of the biggest investment Terrebonne Parish has ever made to protect itself from floods, for as little as $5,000…” (Read more)

Report rates Gulf wildlife and wetlands since oil spill
WWL-TV. April 10, 2013.
“PLAQUEMINES PARISH, LA (WWL-TV) – It’s been almost three years since the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and many are still concerned about the health of the wildlife and wetlands…” (Read more)

Oiled, emaciated brown pelicans in Cypress Cove Marina investigated by Louisiana wildlife officials
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). April 10, 2013.
“A dozen or more brown pelicans have been found dead in the Cypress Cove Marina harbor in Venice, according to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Several other pelicans have been found alive, but emaciated and covered in oil…” (Read more)

Three years after BP oil spill, new report rates health of Gulf of Mexico ecosystem
By Maya Rodriguez, WWL-TV. April 9, 2013.
“BAY JIMMY, La. — Charter fishing boat captain and marina owner Chad Daigle grew up maneuvering around the waters of coastal Louisiana, including the marshes that eventually lead into Bay Jimmy in Plaquemines Parish…” (Read more)

Gulf health questions linger after oil leak
By Kari Dequine Harden, The Advocate. April 10, 2013.
“Myrtle Grove — Gone are the thick black globs of oil covering the marsh grass. Gone are the white cords of absorbent boom and blasting cannons used to scare birds away. Gone are the teams of workers — charged with cleaning the marshes without accelerating the already rapid erosion…” (Read more)

Something is killing dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico
By John Snell, WVUE-TV. April 10, 2013.
“Barataria Bay, La– Scientists continue to be puzzled by high mortality rates of bottlenose dolphins in the Gulf of Mexico…” (Read more)