Latest Mississippi River Delta News: July 1, 2013

07.01.2013 | In Latest News, Uncategorized

Terrebonne mulling sediment pipeline
By Xerxes Wilson. The Houma Courier (Houma, La.). June 30, 2013.
“As open water continues to encroach upon Terrebonne’s wetlands, contractors for the parish will soon begin to study a new solution.  The parish are planning a study into the cost and feasibility of building a pipeline from the Atchafalaya River to carry sediment to the parish’s starving wetlands…” (Read more).

Keeping watch over the Corps of Engineers: Editorial
The Editorial Board. The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). June 30, 2013.
“Flood victims’ best hope for holding the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers responsible for the agency’s disastrous mismanagement of theMississippi River-Gulf Outlet died quietly Monday (June 24) when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to take up the case…” (Read more).

BP heads to court as spill costs could reach ‘tens of billions’ more
By John Rees, Financial Mail (United Kingdom). June 29, 2013.
“BP’s bill for the costs associated with the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster in the Gulf of Mexico could reach tens of billions of dollars more than it has already spent, reckons a Gulf state official. Garret Graves, responsible for coastal affairs for Louisiana’s governor, Bobby Jindal, said BP’s eventual bill for the rig explosion in 2010, which cost the lives of 11 men and resulted in the leak of an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil…” (Read more).

Sen. Landrieu will push House-passed measure delaying some flood insurance hikes
By Bruce Alpert. The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). June 28, 2013.
“WASHINGTON — Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said Friday she will work with members of her Senate Appropriations subcommittee to add House-passed language that would block FEMA from using its 2014 budget to implement higher flood insurance premiums…” (Read more).

New Orleans’ Achilles Heel: a Storm Surge on the Mississippi River?
By Dr. Jeff Masters. Wunderground Blog. June 27, 2013.
“In the wake of the unthinkable devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005, Congress approved a $14.5 billion upgrade to the city’s flood defenses–the Hurricane and Storm Damage Risk Reduction System (HSDRRS), a 139-mile system of levees, walls and gates designed to protect against a 1-in-100-year storm surge…” (Read more).

Corps of Engineers won’t have to pay for its destructive MR-GO
By Jarvis DeBerry. The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.).  June 27, 2013.
“The United States government failed to protect many parts of New Orleans when the levees broke in August 2005. We can be angry with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for allowing that infiltration of water into our homes…” (Read more).

Local leaders incensed over BP’s latest move
By Sabrina Wilson. WVUE-Fox 8 News (New Orleans, La.). June 27, 2013.
“New Orleans, La. — Some local leaders in communities affected by BP’s 2010 oil spill are furious about the oil giant’s latest move relating to the spill.  BP ran ads in national newspapers this week about its legal fight over a settlement agreement, and also sent out letters warning lawyers for Gulf Coast businesses that it may try to get back some of the multi-billion dollar settlement funds…” (Read more).