Latest news: January 4, 2012
By Rebecca Mowbray, The Times-Picayune. January 4, 2012.
“The Gulf Coast Claims Facility has halted all payments for oil spill damage in the wake of a ruling by U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier last week that 6 percent of all settlements reached after Nov. 7 be set aside to finance the work of plaintiff attorneys in the oil spill litigation in New Orleans. The move means that thousands of people and businesses waiting to be compensated outside of court for harm they endured when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and sank in April 2010 will have to wait longer for their money…”
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune. January 3, 2012.
“A $1 million donation from Shell will be used by the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program to rebuild a tiny patch of sand in Barataria Bay that reporters covering the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill dubbed Pelican Island. The isle in Plaquemines Parish is one of several just north of East Grand Terre Island that will disappear in the next few years without restoration, said Richard DeMay, senior scientist with the estuary program. The islets are used as nesting rookeries by at least 11 important seabird and shorebird species…”
By Editorial Page Staff, The Times-Picayune. January 4, 2012.
“Pines, firs and spruces used as Christmas trees aren’t wetland species, but they still have a place in Louisiana’s marshes, in cribs where they are stacked to break wave action and trap sediment. That’s a far better fate for a used Christmas tree than being incinerated or placed in a landfill. Instead of adding to the waste stream, Louisiana residents who use live trees can become a small part of coastal recovery efforts…”