Latest Mississippi River Delta News: January 22, 2013

Justice Department, BP defend $4 billion Deepwater Horizon criminal plea agreement
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). January 18, 2013.
“BP and the U.S. Justice Department filed a joint statement in federal court this week defending the plea deal reached to settle criminal charges stemming from the disastrous 2010 Gulf oil spill, saying the penalties amount to “severe corporate punishment” that will “deter BP and other deepwater drillers from permitting such a catastrophe in the future…” (Read more)

Researchers debate oil-spill remedy
By Mark Shrope, Nature. January 22, 2013.
“No aspect of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico was more controversial than the decision to pump massive doses of chemical dispersant into the oil gushing from 1,500 metres down (see ‘Deep cleaning’). Advocates said that the mixture of solvents and detergent would separate the deep oil plume into finer droplets, speeding its breakdown. Critics feared damage to deep-water ecosystems…” (Read more)

Scientists gather in New Orleans to discuss effects of BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune. January 21, 2012.
“More than 1,000 scientists and public officials gathered in New Orleans on Monday for the most comprehensive review of scientific information about the short- and long-term effects of the BP Deepwater Horizon accident and spill since it occurred in April 2010…” (Read more)