Latest Mississippi River News: September 11, 2012

09.11.2012 | In Latest News, Uncategorized

Obama creates new council to oversee Restore Act ecosystem restoration
By Bruce Alpert, The Times-Picayune. September 10, 2012.
“WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama today signed an executive order setting up the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council to oversee restoration efforts funded under recent legislation designating 80 percent of fines from the 2010 BP oil spill to the five Gulf States…” (Read more)

Obama signs order to get RESTORE funds flowing
By Jordan Blum, The Advocate. September 11, 2012.
“WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama signed an executive order Monday allowing the RESTORE Act process to move forward that could ultimately send billions of dollars in BP oil leak fine money to Louisiana…” (Read more)

Landrieu says Obama must fund RESTORE act she helped pass
The Amite-Tangi Digest. September 10, 2012.
“WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order to implement key provisions of the RESTORE Act on Sept. 10. U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., said this is an important step, but that a swift resolution of the court case that holds BP fully accountable is necessary for full implementation of this historic legislation…” (Read more)

BP Sells Some Gulf of Mexico Assets for $5.55 Billion
The Associated Press. September 10, 2012.
“LONDON — Oil company BP (BP) said Monday it is selling some deep-water assets in the Gulf Mexico to Plains Exploration & Production Co. for $5.55 billion, a big step in the BP’s drive to cover the cost of its oil well blowout in the Gulf two years ago and concentrate investment elsewhere…” (Read more)

Transocean Seeks $1.5 Billion Settlement for Certain Macondo Claims
By Karen Boman, Rigzone. September 10, 2012.
“Houston-based drilling contractor Transocean reported Monday that it has been in discussions with the U.S. Department of Justice seeking to resolve certain civil and criminal claims related to Macondo for $1.5 billion over a period of years…” (Read more)

In Louisiana marshlands, ranchers struggle after losing hundreds of cattle to Hurricane Isaac
The Associated Press. September 11, 2012.
“CITRUS LANDS, La. — In August, the ranchlands spreading over the boot of Louisiana were dotted with hundreds of cows and calves grazing on a smorgasbord of tall marsh grasses…” (Read more)

Parishes flooded by Hurricane Isaac need better levees, leaders tell legislators
By Jeff Adelson, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). September 11, 2012.
“Leaders of three parishes hard-hit by Hurricane Isaac called for increased federal flood protection when discussing the impact of the storm’s surge with state legislators Monday. The need for more protection in Plaquemines, St. John the Baptist and St. Tammany parishes was the top issue local officials raised with members of the Legislature’s Select Committee on Hurricane Recovery…” (Read more)

Hurricane Katrina flooding in Lower 9th Ward, St. Bernard Parish heading to court
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune. September 10, 2012.
“It may seem like an academic question. But hundreds of millions of dollars may ride on the answer: Was the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans flooded during Hurricane Katrina simply because water overtopped floodwalls along the Industrial Canal, causing failures in two places, or had those walls been compromised by work on a nearby lock? That is the question at the heart of a federal trial beginning Wednesday…” (Read more)