Fairhope, Alabama: First stop on Mississippi River Fall Flyway Migration Tour
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By Kevin Chandler, Communications Coordinator, Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign Last week, the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign’s Fall Flyway Migration Tour touched down in coastal Alabama for the 9th Annual John L. Borom Coastal BirdFest. On October 4 and 5, we tabled at the 5 Rivers Delta Resource Center in the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta, the second largest delta in the United States. The 5 Rivers Center sits at the point where the Mobile, Spanish, Tensaw, Apalachee and Blakeley rivers meet to …
Statement: New BP Oil Slick Proof That 2010 Oil Spill is Not Over
Contacts: Elizabeth Skree, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, eskree@edf.org Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org Kevin Chandler, National Audubon Society, 202.596.0960, kchandler@audubon.org New BP Oil Slick Proof That 2010 Oil Spill is Not Over BP must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, groups say (Washington, D.C.—October 11, 2012) Today, a three-mile oil slick that was detected in the gulf last month was confirmed as oil from the 2010 gulf oil disaster. The slick illustrates that …
The People Have Spoken
By Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation On September 6, restoration along the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) passed another important milestone with completion of the final public comment period for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ planning process. It’s a milestone worth honoring, because almost 49,000 people commented on the plan and the need to prioritize restoration of the area. These comments were collected through nonprofit organizations affiliated with the MRGO Must Go Coalition, and since last year, over 75,000 …
Community Conversations on Coastal Restoration
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 …
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 EconomicsSeven Years Later: Hurricane Katrina and MRGO
Seven years ago today, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the coastlines of Louisiana and Mississippi, ripping a path of destruction and shattering the lives of countless coastal residents. Around the world, images of flooding and destruction were burned into the eyes of billions of people as they watched one the costliest, deadliest disasters in American history unfold before them. Today, seven years have passed, and as we speak, Hurricane Isaac is hovering over the coast. As Katrina continues to affect Louisiana …
Seven years later, a continued call for restoration
By Elizabeth Skree, Communications Manager, Environmental Defense Fund Hurricane Katrina made landfall in coastal Louisiana on August 25, 2012. The storm was one of the most-damaging hurricanes on record, taking nearly 2,000 lives and causing over $80 billion in damage. A nation watched in horror as the city of New Orleans was destroyed, residents were stranded and chaos ensued. No one will ever forget what happened that day, and every year as the anniversary approaches, we are reminded of the …
The 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 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, ReportsThe Next 50 Years: Climate change and the Coastal Master Plan: “Hope for the best but plan for the worst”
By Dr. Doug Meffert, Executive Director, Audubon Louisiana Louisiana’s 2012 Coastal Master Plan takes a realistic and critical examination of the effects of climate change impacts on the future of coastal Louisiana, both in terms of prioritization of restoration projects as well as risk reduction. In its “less optimistic scenario,” the master plan estimates 0.45 meters of sea level rise over the next fifty years. This is in addition to between zero and 25 millimeters per year of land subsidence, …