Press Releases

Five Years Later: Gulf Oil Disaster’s Impacts to Habitat and Wildlife Still Evident

Five Years Later: Gulf Oil Disaster’s Impacts to Habitat and Wildlife Still Evident

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org Jacques Hebert, National Audubon Society, 504.264.6849, jhebert@audubon.org Elizabeth Van Cleve, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, evancleve@edf.org Five Years Later: Gulf Oil Disaster’s Impacts to Habitat and Wildlife Still Evident Leading Conservation Groups Highlight BP Spill’s Ongoing Effects, Continued Need for Restoration (New Orleans, LA—March 31, 2015) Five years after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, killing 11 men and spewing at least 3.19 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of …

Bayou Bonjour: Caernarvon Diversion Builds Land and Gives Birth to New Bayou

Straddling the border of Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes in Southeastern Louisiana is the Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion built by the Army Corps of Engineers and operated since 1992 to balance water salinity by funneling river water into coastal marshes. Lately, the diversion has had indirect effects that are raising eyebrows among scientists and those seeking to find solutions to address the crisis of Louisiana’s disappearing coast. The Caernarvon Freshwater Diversion is creating land at a rapid pace by delivering nutrient-rich river …

Survey Says Majority of Americans Believe BP Should Pay Maximum Gulf Oil Spill Fines

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org Elizabeth Van Cleve, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, evancleve@edf.org Jacques Hebert, National Audubon Society, 504.264.6849, jhebert@audubon.org Survey Says Majority of Americans Believe BP Should Pay Maximum Gulf Oil Spill Fines 70 percent say oil company should be fined the maximum allowed under the Clean Water Act (New Orleans – February 6, 2015) A new national survey reports that 70 percent of Americans polled nationwide believe “BP should be fined …

Conservation Groups React to Coastal Restoration Cuts in President’s Budget

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org Elizabeth Van Cleve, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, evancleve@edf.org Jacques Hebert, National Audubon Society, 504.264.6849, jhebert@audubon.org Conservation Groups React to Coastal Restoration Cuts in President’s Budget Proposed budget jeopardizes critical wetlands restoration (NEW ORLEANS – February 4, 2015) On Monday, President Obama unveiled a $4 trillion proposed budget that would tap more than $3 billion in future oil and gas revenues from Gulf Coast states to pay for other …

NEWS RELEASE: Louisiana Governor Cuts Coastal Funds, Jeopardizing Coast

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org Elizabeth Van Cleve, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, evancleve@edf.org Lauren Bourg, National Audubon Society, 225.776.9838, lbourg@audubon.org Jimmy Frederick, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, 225.767.4181, jimmy.frederick@crcl.org Louisiana Governor Cuts Coastal Funds, Jeopardizing Coast Budget cuts will impact restoration programs and raises question of how state will pay for Coastal Plan (New Orleans – January 21, 2015) On Wednesday, January 21, 2015, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal announced budget cuts including cuts …

Final Phase of BP Oil Spill Trial to Begin Next Week

Press Statement + Interview Opportunities Available Contact: Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org Elizabeth Van Cleve, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, evancleve@edf.org Lauren Bourg, National Audubon Society, 225.776.9838, lbourg@audubon.org Final Phase of BP Oil Spill Trial to Begin Next Week BP must be held fully accountable for its role in nation’s largest oil disaster (New Orleans – January 15, 2015) On Tuesday, January 20, 2015, the third and final phase of the BP oil spill civil trial will begin …

NEWS RELEASE: Conservation Groups Release Restoration Solutions for Mississippi River Delta

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org Elizabeth Van Cleve, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, evancleve@edf.org Lauren Bourg, National Audubon Society, 225.776.9838, lbourg@audubon.org Conservation Groups Release Restoration Solutions for Mississippi River Delta New report recommends a series of science-based restoration efforts to benefit coastal Louisiana (NEW ORLEANS – December 9, 2014) Today, leading national and local conservation groups released a report outlining 19 priority projects for restoring the Mississippi River Delta following the 2010 Gulf oil …

Media Advisory: Conservation Groups Release Priority Restoration Solutions for La and Gulf Coast

MEDIA ADVISORY for Tuesday Dec. 9 Louisiana telepresser – 10 am CT Gulf-wide telepresser – 11 am CT Conservation Groups Release Priority Restoration Solutions for Louisiana and Gulf Coast Two new reports outline path toward comprehensive Gulf Coast ecosystem restoration following oil disaster The 2010 Gulf oil disaster dumped more than 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, affecting hundreds of miles of coastline along the five Gulf states, with Louisiana’s coast receiving the greatest damage. BP …

Conservation Organizations Respond to RESTORE Council Release of Gulf Coast Restoration Project Proposals

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACTS: Elizabeth Van Cleve, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, evancleve@edf.org Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org Lauren Bourg, National Audubon Society, 504.264.6862, lbourg@audubon.org Conservation Organizations Respond to RESTORE Council Release of Gulf Coast Restoration Project Proposals Council should select projects that provide maximum benefit to Gulf Coast ecosystem (New Orleans—December 1, 2014) Today, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (Council) released its list of project and program proposals to be considered for funding with select penalty money from the 2010 …

New Website Tracks Impacts of Coastal Restoration On Businesses and the Gulf Economy

This post originally appeared on the website OurCoastOurEconomy.org. Environmental Defense Fund today launched a new business-focused website, OurCoastOurEconomy.org, which provides comprehensive information and data on the direct links between Louisiana coastal restoration and the survival and growth of business sectors in the state, Gulf region and nation. The website offers resources on the economics of restoration, policy updates on the RESTORE Act and other restoration funding, a map of businesses poised to grow with increased funding for coastal restoration, news updates and reports. Who would find this website …

Conservation Groups React to Ruling that BP Grossly Negligent in 2010 Oil Disaster

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org Elizabeth Skree, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, eskree@edf.org Erin Greeson, National Audubon Society, 503.913.8978, egreeson@audubon.org Conservation Groups React to Ruling that BP Grossly Negligent in 2010 Oil Disaster Today’s ruling a vital step toward holding BP accountable, restoring the Gulf (September 4, 2014 – New Orleans) National and local organizations working on Mississippi River Delta restoration – Environmental Defense Fund, National Wildlife Federation, National Audubon Society and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation – released the following …

Risk and Resilience: Society of Environmental Journalists hosts annual conference this week in New Orleans

By Elizabeth Skree, Communications Manager, Environmental Defense Fund This week, along the Mississippi River at the Hilton Riverside in New Orleans, hundreds of environmental journalists, reporters and bloggers; journalism students and professors; communications professionals; and NGO and government expert presenters and panelists are gathering for the annual Society of Environmental Journalists Conference. The conference brings together environmental journalists from around the world to learn about emerging environmental issues, meet new sources and experts, learn about new tools and programs, network …

New study of storm and flooding mitigation recommendations released today

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org Elizabeth Skree, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, eskree@edf.org New study of storm and flooding mitigation recommendations released today As Katrina anniversary nears, conservation groups share study of ‘nonstructural measures’ (August 27, 2014 – New Orleans) As Hurricane Katrina’s ninth anniversary approaches this week, a new study released today provides key recommendations to assist coastal residents and businesses in building safe and more resilient communities. The report, entitled “Achieving Resilience in …

You’re invited: Join experts to talk about cost of restoring Louisiana's coast and who will pay

The Lens, with sponsorship from the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Coalition, is hosting a panel discussion on the financing of Louisiana’s $50-billion Coastal Master Plan at Loyola University this Wednesday, Aug. 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. This event is designed to send the audience home with a solid understanding of how to restore our coast. An example of questions The Lens plans to address include the following: How far can we go on the current master plan with the funding in …

Groups Praise Release of Gulf Restoration Guidelines

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org Elizabeth Skree, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, eskree@edf.org Erin Greeson, National Audubon Society, 503.913.8978, egreeson@audubon.org  Groups Praise Release of Gulf Restoration Guidelines “Today’s regulations are a vital step forward on the long road to restoring the Mississippi River Delta” (August 13, 2014—Washington, DC) This morning, the Treasury Department released an Interim Final Rule describing how RESTORE Act funds can be spent. The Restore the Mississippi River Delta Campaign – a coalition of …