Latest news: September 30, 2011
Restoring the Gulf involves more than mitigating effects of BP’s oil spill: An editorial
By Editorial page staff, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). September 29, 2011.
“Many Louisianians have advocated that recovery from the BP oil spill also must address other long-term threats, such as coastal erosion. Now a panel of nationally recognized scientists and engineers is urging officials to adopt a holistic approach as they decide how to use billions of dollars in mitigation funding, and that advice should be heeded…”
More help for Louisiana’s coast: An editorial
By Editorial page staff, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). September 29, 2011.
“Rebuilding Louisiana’s fragile coast is an urgent cause for this state, but coastal restoration also deserves to be a high national priority. After all, Louisiana’s wetlands produce a third of the nation’s seafood and supply much of this country’s domestic energy. Our coast also is home to the country’s largest port system…”
Troubling signs in the water
By the Daily Comet (Lafourche Parish, La.). September 29, 2011.
“Part of the news seems like it tells a good story: Louisiana’s marsh fish and water show low concentrations of oil toxins. That seems to reinforce the belief that most of the oil from last year’s catastrophic BP spill has dissipated or sunk to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico…”
Study: Locals unaware of coastal threat
By Nikki Buskey, The Daily Comet (Lafourche Parish, La.). September 29, 2011.
“Many Terrebonne and Lafourche residents are unaware of the risk local communities face as the coast continues to sink and sea levels rise. In addition, coastal-protection and restoration efforts don’t go far enough to save local communities, according to a new study from the America’s Wetland Foundation…”
Federal Oil Spill Probe Finds U.S. Regulations Lacking
By Jeremy P. Jacobs, Greenwire. September 29, 2011.
“An ongoing federal investigation into last year’s massive rig explosion and oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has found that a particularly lax U.S. regulatory regime was a significant factor in the events leading up to the disaster…”
Houma Tribe Wants Storm Protection For Its Coastal Towns
The Louisiana Weekly. September 26, 2011.
“The United Houma Nation, with its family tree firmly planted in Louisiana’s coastal parishes for the last 300 years, doesn’t want to see its centers drown as the wetlands shrink. The tribe plans to form a delegation soon to speak with Governor Bobby Jindal about needed protection, Houma Nation Principal Chief Thomas Dardar Jr. said last week…”