Latest Mississippi River Delta news: June 19, 2013

Surviving the Next Gulf Oil Spill
By Ben Raines, The New York Times. June 18, 2013.
“FAIRHOPE, Ala. — DOWN here on the Gulf of Mexico, the air is heavy with expectation as we await the arrival of billions of dollars in fines from companies involved in the BP oil-well blowout, which spewed millions of gallons of oil into the gulf…” (Read more)

Deepwater horizon’s effects three years later: Things are not fine
By Rev. Gordon C. Stewart, MinnPost (Minneapolis, Minn.) June 19, 2013.
“We just passed the third anniversary of the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.  The subsistence fishers who have inhabited Isle de Jean Charles since 1830 see things differently…” (Read more)

This Year’s Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone Could Be the Biggest on Record
By Bryan Walsh, TIME. June 19, 2013.
“The near record-breaking Midwestern drought of 2012 shriveled corn crops and toasted pasture land. But it did have one positive side effect. The drought significantly reduced the size of the seasonal Gulf of Mexico dead zone…” (Read more)

Levee district moving ahead with Morganza work
By The Associated Press. June 18, 2013.
“HOUMA, La. (AP) – The Terrebonne Levee District is gearing up for its busiest year of levee-building yet as its board plans to move ahead with millions of dollars in construction paid for with a new 1/2-cent sales tax…” (Read more)

St. Tammany linked to coastal parishes during hurricanes
By Bob Warren, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). June 18, 2013.
“If there’s one thing St. Tammany Parish residents have learned from the past handful of hurricane seasons it’s this: They might not be right on the Gulf of Mexico but they do live in a coastal parish.” (Read more)

Fishers, coastal restoration advocates debate diversion plan
By Carolyn Scofield, WVUE Fox 8 News, (New Orleans). June 18, 2013.
“CHALMETTE, La. – Some came in shrimp boots, many held signs that read “Fully United STOP Diversions” and most of the speakers said dredge, not divert…” (Watch video)