Latest Mississippi River Delta news: Dec. 15, 2014

Opinion: Coastal restoration needs energy support now
By the Editorial Board, New Orleans CityBusiness. Dec. 12, 2014.
“Environmentalists and the energy sector typically don’t see eye to eye. Call it an oil-and-water relationship. But this week, the former took a stance that merits the support of the latter. Although it comes at the expense of a major player in oil and gas, their suggestions will help ensure the long-term prospect of the industry in south Louisiana…” (read more).

Post-BP Plans For Gulf Coast Restoration
By David Martin Davies, Texas Public Radio. Dec. 12, 2014.
“It’s been over 4 years since the Deepwater Horizon explosion and BP oil spill. The underwater gusher pumped crude into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days and is considered the worst maritime oil disaster in history. The US Government estimated the total discharge at 5 million barrels. But that number is uncertain and there are some reports that the well site continues to leak oil into the Gulf…” (read more).

Planning for future battles
By the Editorial Board, The Daily Comet (Thibodaux, La.). Dec. 14, 2014.
“At least one environmental group is recommending a set of local projects in the wake of the 2010 BP oil spill. The local work is among a set of projects the National Wildlife Federation is suggesting to be paid for with BP fine money…” (read more).

James Gill: Restoration races against time
By James Gill, The Advocate (Baton Rouge). Dec. 14, 2014.
“Louisiana’s $50 billion coastal restoration plan comes with two slight problems. It is not guaranteed to work, and we don’t have the $50 billion…” (read more).

Proposals being taken for coastal programs
By The Advocate (Baton Rouge). Dec. 14, 2014.
“The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, in collaboration with The Water Institute of the Gulf, is accepting submissions for its Applied Research and Coastal Innovation programs…” (read more).

Federal council faces tough choices on Gulf oil spill ecosystem restoration projects
By Dennis Pillion, al.com. Dec. 12, 2014.
“A great blue heron flies past the large window of a conference room in the 5 Rivers Delta Center in Spanish Fort, flapping its wings majestically and probably emitting a loud squawk at some perceived threat as it finds its next perch along the Blakeley River…” (read more).

Reporting From the Youngest Land in the World
By Al Shaw, ProPublica. Dec. 13, 2014.
“On October 13, we stepped off a boat in the middle of the Mississippi River Delta onto brand new land. The ground, about six months old, was a bit squishy but it held firm under our boots. It was put there by engineers working on a quixotic project to save Southeast Louisiana, which is sinking into the Gulf of Mexico at a rate of about a football-field every hour…” (read more).

Tête-à-Tête: Margaret Brown On The Factory Under The Gulf Of Mexico
By Laine Kaplan-Levenson, WWNO (New Orleans). Dec. 15, 2014.
“Margaret Brown directed and co-produced “The Great Invisible”, a new documentary about the 2010 BP Oil Spill that won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2014 South by Southwest film festival…” (read more).

Storm surge risks will be easier to understand with new Hurricane Center maps: Editorial
By the Editorial Board, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). Dec. 13, 2014.
“Ann George and Augustus “Gus” Saunders thought they would be safe in their Braithwaite home during Hurricane Isaac, which had Category 1 winds. But the slow-moving storm carried a wall of water with it that swamped their Plaquemines Parish community, and the couple drowned…” (read more).

Will Louisiana’s plan to stay afloat be worth it?
By Marissa Hall, Shale Plays Media. Dec. 15, 2014.
“Approximately a football field-sized piece of Louisiana land is reclaimed by the Gulf of Mexico every 38 minutes, resulting in the loss of up to 35 square miles of wetlands each year. Some even argue that the state should redraw its map to account for the drastic changes in the state’s landscape. And while Louisiana has a long-term plan to keep itself afloat, many are wondering if that plan to save the coast can even work…” (read more).