Latest Mississippi River Delta News: July 10, 2013

07.10.2013 | In Latest News, Uncategorized

Louisiana, Gulf Coast wildlife tourism means billions of dollars, thousands of jobs, study says
By Mark Schleifstein. The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). July 9, 2013.
“Wildlife tourism in the five states that border the Gulf of Mexico — including wildlife watching and recreational fishing and hunting — is responsible for 2.6 million jobs, $19.4 billion in annual spending and $5.3 billion annually in federal, state and local tax revenue, according to a new report released Tuesday…” (Read more).

The RESTORE Act, one year later
By Leigh Isaacson. WVUE – Fox 8 News (New Orleans, La.). July 9, 2013.
“Terrebonne Parish, La. — Some Louisiana restoration projects are nearly shovel-ready, but the RESTORE Act money isn’t flowing in yet. The RESTORE Act has been law for one year, and it directs 80 percent of penalty money from civil trials related to the BP oil spill to restoration projects in the Gulf states…” (Watch news report).

Natural gas leaking from well off Louisiana coast
The Associated Press. USA Today. July 9, 2013.
“NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Natural gas leaked Tuesday from a well at a platform producing oil and gas in the Gulf of Mexico about 75 miles off the Louisiana coast after a crew working to temporarily plug the well lost control of it, the Coast Guard said…” (Read more).

Editorial: Preserving our paradise sound investment for state
By American Press Editorial Board (Lake Charles, La.). July 9, 2013.
“A recently completed study indicates that the wildlife tourism industry has an annual $19 billion impact on Louisiana and the other four Gulf of Mexico states.  The ‘‘Wildlife Tourism and the Gulf Coast Economy’’ report, conducted by Datu Research…” (Read more).

By the Numbers: The Oil Spill and BP’s Legal Troubles
By Murrey Jacobson. PBS Newshour. July 9, 2013.
“The Gulf Oil Spill of 2010 captured the world’s attention with the scale of its destruction. It polluted the waters of the Gulf of Mexico with millions of barrels of oil; shut down businesses, fisheries and beaches; and fouled marshes and wetlands. Eleven men were killed when the Macondo Well blew out some 45 miles off the coast of Louisiana…” (Read more).

Lake Boudreaux freshwater reintroduction moves forward
By Nikki Buskey. The Houma Courier (Houma, La.). July 8, 2013.
“A $25.7 million project that aims to reintroduce fresh water to the Lake Boudreaux basin is moving forward, according to local and federal officials. The long-stalled Lake Boudreaux freshwater reintroduction project would funnel fresh water from the Houma Navigation Canal into Lake Boudreaux…” (Read more).

BP, plaintiffs’ lawyers argue before 5th Circuit on challenge over oil spill payments
By Richard Thompson. The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). July 8, 2013.
“An attorney for BP told an appellate court panel Monday that a court-appointed claims administrator of a multi-billion-dollar settlement with Gulf Coast businesses that lost money in the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster is paying out ‘fictitious, exaggerated, and excessive awards…'” (Read more).