Community Conversations on Coastal Restoration
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By Happy Johnson, National Wildlife Federation Louisiana is facing a coastal crisis. We lose one football field of wetlands every hour. 1,900 square miles of land has been lost already since the 1930s, and another 1,800 square miles are expected to be lost within the next 50 years unless we implement significant coastal restoration projects. Coastal land loss has strong, direct impacts on all communities, especially Black and Vietnamese fishing populations in the Mississippi River Delta. Without urgent restoration of …
Poll: Hunters and Anglers Overwhelmingly Support Gulf Clean-up
Sportsmen and women want fines from 2010 gulf oil disaster used to restore critical coastal ecosystems. This was originally posted on VanishingParadise.org. A new national poll released yesterday shows that hunters and anglers prioritize protecting the gulf ecosystem and using fines paid by BP and other parties responsible for the 2010 Gulf oil disaster to be used for gulf restoration. The poll conducted by Chesapeake Beach Consulting shows threats to America’s conservation heritage are priority issues for sportsmen and women, …
Tagged ReportsUpping the Ante: How the Department of Justice May Help Save Louisiana’s Coast
By Whit Remer, Policy Analyst, Environmental Defense Fund There has been a lot of media attention surrounding a recent court filing made by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in the BP 2010 oil spill private plaintiffs’ settlement. (For more information on the difference between the private plaintiffs’ case and the government’s case, click here). The filing is relevant and important for Gulf Coast restoration for two reasons. First, the brief slams BP for the company’s carelessness during operation of …
The Next 50 Years: Transition for Coastal Communities
By Maura Wood (National Wildlife Federation) and Brian Jackson (Environmental Defense Fund) For decades, the people of southern Louisiana have gradually struggled with the collapse of the Mississippi River Delta. Land that once provided shelter from hurricanes, space for agriculture, a basis for livelihoods and a source for recreation has — sometimes in one generation — disappeared. This slow-motion crisis has forced communities and economies along Louisiana’s coast to adapt to collapse. Large-scale restoration of the delta provides new hope …
Hurricane Isaac Batters Louisiana Marshes, Uncovers Oil
This story was originally published by the National Wildlife Federation. By Craig Guillot, National Wildlife Federation When Hurricane Isaac struck Louisiana on the seven-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, its winds and tidal surge caused four deaths and at least $1.5 billion in insured damages. For many residents around the Mississippi River Delta, Isaac brought back memories of two recent disasters to hit the coast — Katrina and the 2010 Gulf oil disaster. Before the storm even hit land, residents in some …
Conservation Groups Praise White House for Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Executive Order
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Elizabeth Skree, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, eskree@edf.org Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org Brian Moore, National Audubon Society, 202.386.1516, bmoore@audubon.org Conservation Groups Praise White House for Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Executive Order Order demonstrates continued commitment to restoration; eyes turn to BP to make things right in gulf (Washington, D.C. — September 10, 2012) Today, local and national conservation organizations thanked President Obama for issuing an executive order reinforcing the White House’s commitment to Gulf Coast restoration in …
Time for BP to Make Things Right in the Gulf
By Elizabeth Skree, Environmental Defense Fund In the wake of Hurricane Isaac, 12 miles of Louisiana coastline have been closed because of newly washed up tar balls. Though the oil still must be analyzed, many — including BP — say that these tar balls could be leftovers from the 2010 BP oil disaster. (Update: Tests taken today confirm that the oil is from the 2010 BP spill) At the same time, the Department of Justice has filed a memo blasting BP and underscoring the federal …
Tagged EconomicsThe Next 50 Years: Implementation of Coastal Master Plan projects
By David Muth, Louisiana State Director, National Wildlife Federation Now that Louisiana’s 2012 Coastal Master Plan is law, it is critical that the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) moves the process forward as quickly as possible. While the plan lays out a series of projects for over its fifty-year timeframe, the actual sequence of projects has not yet been completely planned. The sooner CPRA can finalize this project list and timeline, the sooner vital construction and restoration can …
The RESTORE Act: Past, present and future
By Whit Remer, Policy Analyst, Environmental Defense Fund It’s been an exciting year for Louisiana and the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign. In July 2011, nine gulf senators banded together and introduced the RESTORE Act – legislation that would ensure penalties paid by BP and others responsible for the gulf oil spill would be used to restore the gulf region’s environment and economy. In September, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved the bill and in October, Representative Steve …
Tagged EconomicsNew online content illustrates economic benefits of environmental restoration
Did you know that coastal restoration helps not just the environment but also the economy? Restoration activities, like the construction of sediment diversions, coastal dredging and barrier island restoration, directly create jobs through the firms hired to carry out the projects. Additionally, Louisiana’s coast supports a $34 billion tourism industry, 33 percent of our nation’s seafood harvest, 10 of our 15 largest ports and 90 percent of our offshore crude oil and natural gas production.1 Coastal restoration protects these industries …
Tagged EconomicsGeosynthetics Industry Poised to Grow as Gulf Coast Restoration Ramps Up
NEWS RELEASE Contact: Elizabeth Skree, 202-553-2543, eskree@edf.org Geosynthetics Industry Poised to Grow as Gulf Coast Restoration Ramps Up RESTORE Act will increase environmental restoration, spur economic growth (Washington, D.C.—July 26, 2012) What are geosynthetics and why are they central to the creation of jobs and expansion of coastal restoration projects? A new Duke University study, “GEOSYNTHETICS: Coastal Management Applications in the Gulf of Mexico,” details how the emerging geosynthetics industry can create jobs benefitting nearly 200 employee locations in 36 states, …
Tagged Economics, ReportsCoastal NOLA: City of New Orleans and NWF Forum
By Amanda Moore, Greater New Orleans Program Manager, National Wildlife Federation Despite torrential rains and flooded streets, well over 100 residents in the Greater New Orleans area ventured out on the evening of July 18th to engage in a discussion about coastal restoration. National Wildlife Federation was proud to partner with the City of New Orleans as forum hosts and welcomed speakers Wes Kungel of Senator Mary Landrieu’s office, Garret Graves of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, and …
Video: Two sides of the river
This was originally posted by Vanishing Paradise. By Chris Macaluso, Louisiana Wildlife Federation When you invite staff from two of the most prominent outdoors publications in the country to experience south Louisiana’s tremendous fishing, you cross your fingers that the weather will allow you to show off everything the Mississippi River Delta has to offer. Unfortunately, when the staff from Field & Stream and Outdoor Life magazines came to Buras, La., they were greeted by a stiff 20-25 knot wind …
The Next 50 Years: Funding features for the Louisiana Coastal Master Plan
By Cynthia Duet, Director of Governmental Relations, National Audubon Society Louisiana’s recently passed 2012 Coastal Master Plan contains an ambitious mix of risk-reduction and restoration projects spread across the entire Louisiana coastal area. Such ambition does, however, come with a price — costing an estimated $50 billion over 50 years, and so the plan is also frank in its account of the uncertainties and complexities of funding and creating a sustainable coastal Louisiana ecosystem. To reverse generations of massive and …
RESTORE Act: A momentous victory for conservation
By Brian Moore, Legislative Director, National Audubon Society Last Friday (July 6), President Obama signed into law the Surface Transportation Extension Act that included the RESTORE Act. This landmark legislation will direct 80 percent of the Clean Water Act penalties paid by BP and others responsible for the 2010 gulf oil spill to the Gulf Coast states to use for restoration. The House and Senate passed the bill on June 29. This legislation is truly historic – the RESTORE Act …