Latest Mississippi River Delta News: July 23, 2013

Pump station to reduce risk south of Oakville
By Terri Sercovich. The Plaquemines Gazette (Plaquemines, La.). July 22, 2013.
“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District recently awarded a $29.5 million contract to Phylway Construction, of Thibodaux, to construct a new pump station with fronting protection features at the existing Wilkinson Canal Pump Station located near Myrtle Grove. This is the fifth New Orleans to Venice (NOV) / Non-Federal Levee (NFL)…” (Read more).

Deepwater Horizon and Deep South justice
Opinion Editorial. The Financial Times. July 22, 2013.
“Whatever one thinks of the corporate conduct that caused the Deepwater Horizon tragedy, BP has not shirked its responsibility to compensate the victims. Since 2010, the oil company has paid $11bn to those damaged by the spill.  Last year, it entered a settlement that will oblige it to pay billions more to business owners and individuals…” (Read more).

The unintended cost of insurance reform
By Xerxes Wilson. The Daily Comet (Thibodaux, La.). July 22, 2013.
“The Bayou Gauche neighborhood in St. Charles Parish resembles many in Terrebonne and Lafourche.  It’s near a small waterway with a larger lake nearby. It has a levee, though it’s not U.S. Army Corps of Engineers certified.  Unlike Terrebonne and Lafourche, Bayou Gauche residents have already received estimates…” (Read more).

Anglers see red with new snapper season
By Brian Albert Broom. The Clarion Ledger (Jackson, Miss.). July 20, 2013.
“From the coast to the Delta, changes in seasons should make hunters and fishermen happy this fall.  At the Wednesday meeting of the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council in New Orleans, coastal anglers and captains got the news they had hoped for: a fall red snapper season. Rumors had swirled for weeks and…” (Read more).

Oil-Spill Claims Saga: BP Keeps Paying, Corruption Probe Continues
By Paul M. Barrett. Bloomberg BusinessWeek. July 19, 2013.
“Here’s a law-school exam question:  A court-supervised multibillion-dollar pollution settlement leads to serious allegations of corruption. A federal judge appoints a former FBI director as “special master” to investigate. But the judge orders the defendant company to continue paying claims while the...” (Read more).