Latest news: January 4, 2012
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Kenneth Feinberg freezes payments from BP oil spill fund By Rebecca Mowbray, The Times-Picayune. January 4, 2012. “The Gulf Coast Claims Facility has halted all payments for oil spill damage in the wake of a ruling by U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier last week that 6 percent of all settlements reached after Nov. 7 be set aside to finance the work of plaintiff attorneys in the oil spill litigation in New Orleans. The move means that thousands of people and …
Latest news: January 3, 2012
RESTORE Act is unfinished business for the Gulf Coast (editorial) By Press-Register Editorial Board, Mobile Press-Register. January 1, 2012. “IN THE category of Unfinished Business of 2011, one matter stands out among the rest: Congress has yet to give final approval to the RESTORE Act, which would direct 80 percent of the BP fines under the Clean Water Act to the Gulf Coast…” Our Opinion: Spend it here By Tallahassee Democrat Editorial Board, The Tallahassee Democrat. January 1, 2012. “When …
Latest news: December 30, 2011
Corps to get $802M for repairs on Mississippi By Cain Burdeau, Associated Press. Dec. 29, 2011. “NEW ORLEANS— The Army Corps of Engineers said on Thursday it’s getting $802 million to repair levees damaged by the historic flooding on the Mississippi River this year — work considered urgent before the next spring flood season starts…” Friday’s letters: The gulf needs the Restore Act Letter to the Editor by Dr. William Hogarth, Tampa Bay Times. Dec. 30, 2011. “We recently read …
Latest news: December 29, 2011
A Year of Coastal Questions By Gambit (New Orleans, La.). Dec. 27, 2011. “The future of the Gulf Coast following the BP oil disaster is in the hands of congress, but will there be any help in 2012? This year, both chambers of Congress successfully drafted near-identical bills that dictate where fines against BP will go. They argue the bulk of the fines, which BP will pay for numerous Clean Water Act violations, should go to the Gulf states…” Plan …
Grand Isle Christmas Bird Count keeps watchful eye on bird populations
Below is an excerpt from an account of the Grand Isle Christmas Bird Count, which took place Dec. 21, 2011. Audubon’s Christmas Bird Count is the longest-running citizen science effort of its kind in the world. Nearly 30 counts occur in Louisiana each season. Read the full account on the Audubon magazine blog. “Grand Isle: the only inhabited barrier island in Louisiana. A narrow wisp of sand marking the gulf-most extent of an old and withered Mississippi River Delta lobe. …
Latest news: December 23, 2011
Gulf of Mexico needs bipartisan help By Tampa Tribune Editorial Staff, The Tampa Tribune. December 23, 2011. “The Restore Act is the rare piece of congressional legislation that is receiving bipartisan support during these political divisive days — with good reason…” Restore Act: Gulf’s Crime Victim Compensation By Debbie Williams, WKRG-TV. December 22, 2011. “GULF SHORES, Alabama — Consider the Deepwater Horizon disaster a crime. The victim: the Gulf of Mexico, it’s back bays and estuaries, beaches, businesses and an …
Latest news: December 22, 2011
Firm hired to evaluate Ken Feinberg’s oil spill claims process By David Hammer, The Times-Picayune. December 21, 2011. ” The U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday selected a New York consulting and investigations firm to evaluate Kenneth Feinberg’s oil spill claims process. Assistant U.S. Attorney General Thomas Perrelli sent a letter Wednesday to BDO Consulting’s offices in New York and Houston urging the firm to immediately begin its review and report its findings by March…” Auditor to look at oil spill …
Latest news: December 21, 2011
Projects given corps’ approval for development By Mike Nixon, Tri-Parish Times. December 21, 2011. “State officials and representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers inked agreements Friday for the development and pre-construction engineering of flood control and coastal restoration projects with a price tag that totaled $20 million…” Shrimp season worst in recent history By Nikki Buskey, The Daily Comet. December 20, 2011. “Today’s sunset will bring an end to what many fishermen have called the worst fall white-shrimp …
Latest news: December 20, 2011
Rebuilding the Gulf Coast: State’s congressional delegation should support critical act By the Anniston Star Editorial Board, The Anniston Star (Anniston, AL). December 20, 2011. “After the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill, BP established a $1 billion pool that would serve as a good-faith down payment on fines and penalties anticipated from the laws that were broken and the damage that was done…” Will Congress Vote to Restore the Gulf Coast? By Allysa Battistoni, Mother Jones. December 14, 2011. “It’s been …
Latest news: December 19, 2011
Obama administration plays coy on money for Gulf of Mexico coastal restoration By Times-Picayune Staff, the Times-Picayune. December 17, 2011. “Is the Obama administration supporting legislation to direct 80 percent of Clean Water Act fines for the BP oil spill to the five Gulf states to help finance coastal restoration efforts? Administration officials aren’t answering that question directly…” Oil spill restoration projects promise both environmental and economic impacts By K. A. Turner, The Press-Register (Mobile, AL). December 18, 2011. “The …
Latest news: December 16, 2011
Pass RESTORE Act Sen. Coburn! By Editorial staff, The Louisiana Weekly. December 15, 2011. “Walking the beaches of Grand Isle, one is amazed how much has been achieved since the Horizon/BP Oil Spill over a year ago. The beaches are wider and cleaner than ever before, open to tourists year wide. But, a keener observer will note that every few yards, a strange frothy substance seems to emanate from the surf. It’s not wave action on saltwater, but something else. …
Latest news: December 15, 2011
BP well blowout showed oil industry is not set up for safety, scientist panel finds By David Hammer, The Times-Picayune. December 14, 2011. “The offshore oil and gas industry is too fractured and compartmentalized to safely manage complex deepwater wells like BP’s ill-fated Macondo, according to a third investigative report into the causes of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The National Academy of Engineering report released Wednesday hewed closely to the findings of other government-authorized investigations by a …
Latest news: December 14, 2011
Invest more in renewable energy — Clinton By Binsal Abdul Kader, Gulf News. December 14, 2011. “Abu Dhabi: If the wetlands had been in the same state as 30 years ago in New Orleans [in US], it would have cut the speed of the water by half and damage by 90 per cent when Hurricane Katrina hit there, former US president Bill Clinton said here yesterday…” Restoring the Gulf: difficult and expensive By Editorial staff, Houston Chronicle. December 13, 2011. …
Latest news: December 13, 2011
Poll Finds Florida Voters Overwhelmingly Back RESTORE Act By Kevin Derby, Sunshine State News. December 12, 2011. “A poll unveiled on Monday at a media event in Tallahassee by Hamilton Campaigns and Ayres McHenry & Associates revealed that Floridians from both parties and all parts of the Sunshine State overwhelmingly wanted to see monies collected from the federal government in penalties from the BP oil spill stay on the Gulf states instead of going to Washington…” Pensacola mayor announces Restore …
Latest news: December 12, 2011
Rescue for the Gulf Editorial, New York Times. December 9, 2011. “The Obama administration this week officially began what it hopes will be a sustained push to reverse decades of man-made degradation in the Gulf of Mexico. The trigger for this effort is last year’s disastrous BP oil spill. But the administration’s strategy goes beyond repairing immediate damages, to the task of restoring the entire ecosystem to good health…” Matt Reed: BP fines should aid coasts, not congressional spending By …