Habitat Restoration Can Drive Economic Recovery
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By Ben Weber, National Wildlife Federation. This article was originally posted on the Vanishing Paradise blog. After years of habitat loss and abuse, the story of the Mississippi River Delta is starting to look a bit different. Following the 2010 Gulf oil spill, a monumental piece of legislation called the RESTORE Act is providing a rare opportunity to address decades of mismanagement and habitat degradation. Among other things, the RESTORE Act created the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, which is …
Analysis: Judge poses questions to better understand BP’s liability in Gulf oil disaster
By Whit Remer, Policy Analyst, Environmental Defense Fund Though Phase I of the BP trial may be complete, both parties have a mountain of follow-up work, analysis, and then preparation to do for Phase II, which starts in September. Phase I of the trial covered the events leading up to the spill while Phase II will look at the explosion and response. When both phases are complete and after weighing all the evidence, Judge Carl Barbier will apportion liability between …
Louisiana’s compounding coastal threats
By Alisha A. Renfro, Ph.D., Staff Scientist, National Wildlife Federation Worldwide, rising global temperature is a threat to coastal communities in the form of rising sea levels and stronger hurricanes. Last week, the Louisiana State Museum in New Orleans hosted a presentation by Virginia Burkett, Ph.D., Chief Scientist for Global Climate and Land Use Change at the United States Geological Survey. In Dr. Burkett’s presentation, “Climate Change and Sea Level Rise: Implications for New Orleans,” she discussed the science of …
May 3 Telebriefing: Next Steps for Increased Funding for Coastal Restoration
Coast Builders Coalition and the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign will host a telebriefing on Friday, May 3, 2013 at 11 a.m. EST. Businesses and business associations seeking an update on the RESTORE Act, Deepwater Horizon settlement and the Gulf Council are encouraged to register. These issues will impact a wide range of businesses, from the coastal restoration companies that can expect to see increased demand for their services to the tourism companies that depend on a healthy Gulf ecosystem. …
Tagged Economics$320 Million of BP Money Released for Barrier Island Restoration in Louisiana
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACTS: Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org Erin Greeson, National Audubon Society, 503.913.8978, egreeson@audubon.org Elizabeth Skree, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, eskree@edf.org $320 Million of BP Money Released for Barrier Island Restoration in Louisiana Early Natural Resource Damage Assessment funding will restore areas hurt by Gulf oil disaster (Lafitte, LA—April 30, 2013) Today, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal announced that BP has agreed to fund approximately $320 million in barrier island restoration projects in Louisiana. This funding …
Questions remain as phase I of BP trial ends
By Whit Remer, Policy Analyst, Environmental Defense Fund Testimony in the first phase of the BP oil spill trial wrapped up last week, but it could be at least a year before a decision is made in the case. On Wednesday, the court issued an order seeking clarity on critical issues in the case relating to gross negligence, and with millions of pages of evidence for the judge to consider, many questions remain unanswered. During the eight grueling weeks of …
Secretary Salazar: Putting Restoration on Steroids
By Amanda Moore, Greater New Orleans Program Manager, National Wildlife Federation On Wednesday, U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar visited Big Branch Marsh National Wildlife Refuge in Lacombe, La. for what possibly could be his last public meeting outside of Washington, D.C. Salazar said he was proud to hold the meeting in the Mississippi River Delta, adding that it is “a world-class conservation area for hunting and fishing.” State and local government officials, fishermen and women, and non-profit leaders turned out …
City of New Orleans, National Wildlife Federation host coastal restoration public forum
By Amanda Moore, Greater New Orleans Program Manager, National Wildlife Federation Last Thursday evening, the City of New Orleans hosted their 2nd in a series of coastal restoration public forums. Community members came to hear Drue Banta, Counsel to the Louisiana Governor’s Office of Coastal Activities, talk about ways to advance coastal restoration in Louisiana through use of BP oil disaster funds. Ms. Banta spoke to a crowd of about 75 people, including neighborhood leaders, parish officials, landowners, fishermen, legislators, …
BP oil spill trial: Week two
By Whit Remer, Policy Analyst, Environmental Defense Fund As week three of the BP trial continues, observers are seeing trends emerge from inside the courtroom. The plaintiffs are focusing on two primary causes of the massive 2010 Deepwater Horizon drilling rig explosion and ensuing oil spill: lack of adequate safety measures and aggressive cost cutting by BP. The defendant oil companies, namely BP, contend that while mistakes were made, their liability is offset by the negligence of subcontractors who were …
Special to CNN: Make BP pay to restore Gulf
This story was originally posted on CNN. By David Yarnold, President, National Audubon Society Special to CNN Updated 8:01 AM EST, Tue March 5, 2013 (CNN) — BP showed up in court last week, finally, nearly three years after the Deepwater Horizon disaster and the hell it unleashed on the Gulf Coast. It’s a huge, high-stakes trial, and BP is taking the beating it’s earned. Here’s what’s at stake for America if there is a judgment: potentially tens of billions of dollars that …
BP’s Gulf Oil Spill Trial 101: A Primer
This was originally posted on the National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Promise blog. By Sara Gonzalez-Rothi, National Wildlife Federation This week was the start of the Deepwater Horizon disaster trial. Remember the start of the disaster itself? Initially, BP was downplaying, denying, and hiding the awful truth: that crude oil, natural gas, and methane hydrates were gushing into one of the most productive ecosystems in the world. For 87 days, I watched as the oil flowed unabated, afraid of what this meant for my …
Send a message to BP: flood their inbox!
Contrary to BP’s PR campaigns, the Gulf is still reeling from the impacts of the oil spill. To make matters worse, BP is trying to dodge accountability. As we enter day 2 of the BP trial, it’s important to keep the pressure on BP to ensure they are fined the maximum penalties possible. We can make that happen by generating thousands of messages from concerned citizens across the country. Flood their inbox! Facebook Go to the BP America Facebook page and click ‘message.’ …
A recap of day 1 of the BP oil spill trial
By Whit Remer, Policy Analyst, Environmental Defense Fund Today, I watched opening statements from inside the courtroom of one of the most complex and high stakes trials in this nation’s history. The first day of the BP trial consisted of nearly six and a half hours of opening statements by both sides of the litigation. Opening statements allow each party the opportunity to present an overview of their case. On the plaintiffs’ side, attorneys represented citizens who lost income as …
Joint Statement on Upcoming BP Oil Spill Trial and Settlement Reports
Contact: Elizabeth Skree, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, eskree@edf.org Erin Greeson, National Audubon Society, 503.913.8978, egreeson@audubon.org Lacey McCormick, National Wildlife Federation, 512.203.3016, mccormick@nwf.org Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org Oil Spill Case: BP Needs to Be Held Accountable Washington, D.C. (February 22, 2013) BP is facing tens of billions of dollars in penalties as the U.S. Department of Justice and the British oil giant get ready to start trial Monday over civil charges stemming from the 2010 gulf oil disaster. However, a …
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council Louisiana public meetings: Feb. 19-21
The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council is holding public meetings to get public opinion on how RESTORE Act dollars should be spent, and we invite you to attend and be a voice for environmental restoration. The Restoration Council is looking for public input on their draft Comprehensive Plan for Gulf Coast restoration which will outline how RESTORE Act dollars from the BP oil spill will be translated into restoration projects. To make the gulf whole, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council must make a concerted …