Latest Mississippi River Delta News: July 31, 2013
Louisiana’s Disappearing Islands
The Weather Channel. July 31, 2013.
“A string of uninhabited islands in the Gulf of Mexico have gone from teeming with wildlife to nearly non-existent thanks to constant pummeling from tropical systems, and according to some scientists, climate change is making matters far worse. Restoration efforts on the books to save the Chandeleur Islands, a 50-mile trail of atolls just off…” (Read more).
Coastal restoration underway near Myrtle Grove in Plaquemines Parish
By Amy Wold. The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.). July 31, 2013.
“MYRTLE GROVE — What the Mississippi River used to do naturally in flooding its banks and depositing sediment in the marsh areas of south Louisiana is now being done in a more concentrated way. Just south of Myrtle Grove in Plaquemines Parish, sediment is being dredged from the Mississippi River and transported by pipe…” (Read more).
Environmental groups support levee board’s oil and gas lawsuit
The Advocate New Orleans Bureau (Baton Rouge, La.). July, 31, 2013.
“Representatives from several local environmental groups on Tuesday spoke out in support of a lawsuit filed last week by levee board commissioners alleging about 100 oil and gas companies owe billions to restore coastal wetlands. The suit, filed last week by the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority – East, contends that the oil…” (Read more).
Swamp Thing: Lawsuit Blaming Oil Companies For Wetland Loss Might As Well Blame The Plaintiff
By Daniel Fisher. Forbes. July 30, 2013.
“The multibillion-dollar lawsuit that Louisiana plaintiff lawyers launched against the oil industry last week is based upon a compelling theory: In their century-long quest for oil and gas, drillers helped destroy the state’s protective wetlands by digging a network of canals that introduced “corrosive salt water” into the delicate ecosystem…” (Read more).
Shirking Responsibility in the Gulf
Opinion by Stephen Teague. The New York Times. July 30, 2013.
“BILOXI, Miss. — IF you don’t live near the Gulf Coast, you may have the impression that the area has fully recovered from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, the largest environmental disaster in American history. Sadly, that’s not the case for tens of thousands of gulf residents still trying to put their lives back together…” (Read more).
Charter fishing is seeing a rebound, boat captains say
By Chance Ryan. Houma Courier (Houma, La.). July 30, 2013.
“Local boat captains say charter fishing is showing signs of improvement after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill. Many charter boat captains saw fewer customers as a result of the spill, but they say the recovery has arrived — for now. Marty LaCoste, of Absolute Fishing Charters in Dularge, said this is the best year he’s ever had…” (Read more).
Lawsuits enrich lawyers, but can one save Louisiana’s coast?
Opinion by James Varney. The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). July 30, 2013.
“There is a scene in the movie ‘Liar Liar’ in which the great Jim Carrey, stretching to play a smarmy California lawyer, convinces Jennifer Tilley she should divorce her husband and mulct him for substantial money. All she and the law firm would be seeking, he insists, is a sum she has earned. “And just a little bit more,” Carrey adds in a quick, transparently false finish…” (Read more).
Relief drilling expected to take 35 days
By The Associated Press. July 30, 2013.
“NEW ORLEANS (AP) – Crews are expected to begin drilling a relief well Thursday at the site of a gas well that blew wild July 23 off the Louisiana coast but eventually was choked off by sand and sediment. The federal Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement said the Rowan EXL-3 rig has been moved to the site, about 55 miles southwest…” (Read more).
BP Sees No Quick Settlement in Oil Spill Case; Latest Cost Estimate at $42.4B
By Andrew Callus. Insurance Journal. July 30, 2013.
“BP is digging in for a long legal battle over the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Chief Executive Bob Dudley said on Tuesday after compensation costs soared for a second straight quarter. The payouts, the scale of which BP is disputing even though they are one part of the case that was settled last year, have been the focus of attention in recent…” (Read more).
BP CEO hits out at class action lawsuits
CNBC. July 30, 2013.
Class action lawsuits like the ones BP is facing in the U.S. are a “business model” that serve only to benefit attorneys, the chief executive of BP told CNBC. “The biggest beneficiaries that I can see broadly are plaintiffs’ attorneys themselves…” (Read more).
Natural Barriers Are What Prevent Coastal Cities From Being Destroyed
By Sydney Brownstone. Co.Exist Blog.
“Before industrial pollution began mucking up our waterways, New York City used to be surrounded by hundreds of millions of oysters clinging to peripheral reefs. The Florida Keys, meanwhile, had a wealth of coral–until it declined by 44% in the late ‘90s. East of New Orleans, canal dredging and construction destroyed…” (Read more).