Press Releases

Statement: Army Corps Should Act Quickly to Restore MRGO Damage

Statement: Army Corps Should Act Quickly to Restore MRGO Damage

Contacts: Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation, 504-442-2702 John Lopez, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, 504-421-7348 For Immediate Release: (September 26, 2012—New Orleans) The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed its March decision on Army Corps liability for catastrophic flood damage related to the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) during Hurricane Katrina, giving the Army Corps immunity under the discretionary-function exception of the Federal Tort Claims Act. Still, the Court acknowledged the MRGO “greatly aggravated the storm’s effects on the city” …

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, …

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 …

Geosynthetics 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, …

Senator Landrieu visits Louisiana coastal communities, celebrates passage of RESTORE Act

By Amanda Moore and Happy Johnson, National Wildlife Federation Yesterday (July 9), U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-La.) kicked off a five-stop Louisiana coastal tour to celebrate the historic passage and signing into law of the RESTORE Act. Stops included Jean Lafitte, Thibodaux, Lafayette, Lake Charles and Bell City. Staff from the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign were on hand in Lafitte as the senior senator from Louisiana thanked the crowd for the time and energy spent achieving this momentous victory for …

Groups Commend Louisiana Congressional Supporters on Passage of RESTORE Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Chris Macaluso, Louisiana Wildlife Federation, 225.802.4048, chris@lawildlifefed.org Elizabeth Skree, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, eskree@edf.org Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org Karen Gautreaux, The Nature Conservancy, 225.788.4525, kgautreaux@tnc.org Kevin Chandler, National Audubon Society, 202.596.0960, kchandler@audubon.org Scott Madere, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, 225.767.4181, scottm@crcl.org GROUPS COMMEND LOUISIANA CONGRESSIONAL SUPPORTERS ON PASSAGE OF RESTORE ACT Legislation restoring Gulf Coast ecosystems and economy included in Transportation Bill (Baton Rouge, La. – June 29, 2012) Today, local and national …

Groups Commend Congress on RESTORE Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:  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 Heather Layman, The Nature Conservancy, 703.475.1733, hlayman@tnc.org David Willett, Ocean Conservancy, 202.351.0465, dwillett@oceanconservancy.org Mary Babic, Oxfam America, 617.517.9475, mbabic@oxfamamerica.org GROUPS COMMEND CONGRESS ON RESTORE ACT Legislation restoring Gulf Coast ecosystems and economy included in transportation bill  (Washington, D.C. – June 28, 2012) Local and national conservation groups have issued the following joint statement in response to the Senate and House …

Conservation groups laud funding for restoration efforts from U.S. House

Federal funds will support critical restoration construction projects, jobs in Louisiana FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (Washington, D.C. — June 1, 2012) Today, local and national conservation groups applauded the U.S. House of Representatives for approving $10 million in new funding for critical Louisiana coastal restoration projects. Passed as an amendment to the Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act, the measure was sponsored by Louisiana Representatives Steve Scalise (R-La.) and Cedric Richmond (D-La.) and directs $10 million to the U.S. Army Corps …

More than 100 Gulf Coast cities, municipalities, economic development groups and chambers of commerce urge Congress to pass RESTORE Act

Yesterday, 118 leaders representing cities, municipalities, economic development groups and chambers of commerce from all five gulf states sent a joint letter to House and Senate leadership urging them to pass the RESTORE Act. If passed, the RESTORE Act would direct the majority of fines paid by those responsible for the 2010 gulf oil spill back to Gulf Coast communities. Both the Senate and House have passed versions of the RESTORE Act as part of their transportation bills. The legislation …

Restoring the Lower 9th Ward: A resilient vision for New Orleans

This post was originally published on the National Wildlife Federation’s Wildlife Promise blog. By Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation’s Coastal Louisiana Organizer in New Orleans What would you do if, in one day, you lost everything? I’m not just talking about your personal possessions; I’m talking about your entire community — your church, your grocery store, your school. The folks you meet in the video below, Warrenetta Banks and John Taylor, have lived out this scenario every day since Hurricane …

Conservation Groups Laud Funding for Restoration Efforts from Senate

Federal funds will support critical restoration construction projects, jobs in Louisiana FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 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 (Washington, D.C.—April 26, 2011) Today, five national and local conservation groups praised the Senate Appropriations Committee for approving funding for critical restoration projects in Louisiana, including an effort to use sediment dredged from navigation waterways to recreate critical wetlands. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would …

New NWF Report: A Degraded Gulf of Mexico

This story was originally posted by the National Wildlife Federation. Wildlife and Wetlands Two Years into the Gulf Oil Disaster By Jaclyn McDougal, National Wildlife Federation. As the two-year mark of the Deepwater Horizon blowout approaches, the National Wildlife Federation issued a new report today examining the health of the Gulf’s wildlife and wetlands. Impacts from the Gulf oil disaster will be unfolding for years, if not decades, and many species of wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico will need …

86% of Louisiana voters support adoption of 2012 Coastal Master Plan

Overwhelming majorities agree coast vital to future and can be saved  (Baton Rouge, La.—April 3, 2012) Eighty-six percent of Louisiana voters say they want their legislators to approve the state’s 2012 Coastal Master Plan, according to a new poll released today. The plan lays out a 50-year vision for protecting and restoring the coast, including increased hurricane risk reduction for coastal communities and reconnecting the Mississippi River with disappearing coastal wetlands. Overwhelming majorities of the voters surveyed in the poll …

Hill ads praise 76 senators for passing gulf restoration amendment

Groups pledge to work with senators to ensure final passage of legislation News Release (Washington, D.C.—March 27, 2012) Capitol newspapers will run full-page color ads this week by six Gulf restoration advocacy groups thanking the 76 Senators who approved legislation to dedicate 80 percent of the Clean Water Act fines from the parties responsible for the Gulf oil spill to restoring the Gulf. The ad copy says: “On behalf of our members nationwide, we thank the 76 Senate leaders who voted …