Press Releases

Opening of Hurricane Season a Timely Reminder of Urgent Need for Coastal Restoration

Opening of Hurricane Season a Timely Reminder of Urgent Need for Coastal Restoration

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 Jimmy Frederick, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, 225.317.2046, jimmy.frederick@crcl.org Opening of Hurricane Season a Timely Reminder of Urgent Need for Coastal Restoration Leading conservation groups call for action as storm season commences (New Orleans, LA—May 28, 2015) Prior to the June 1 start of the 2015 Atlantic hurricane season, national and local conservation groups working …

Conservation Groups Commend Congressional Funding of Louisiana Coastal Restoration Projects

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 Conservation Groups Commend Congressional Funding of Louisiana Coastal Restoration Projects Funding will help advance crucial, long-needed Louisiana coastal restoration efforts (Washington, D.C.—May 21, 2015) Today, the U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations included critical funding for the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA) Program in its Fiscal Year 2016 (FY 16) Energy and Water Development Appropriations …

NOAA Study Confirms BP Oil Spill Led to Dolphin Deaths in Northern Gulf of Mexico

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 NOAA Study Confirms BP Oil Spill Led to Dolphin Deaths in Northern Gulf of Mexico  Leading Conservation Groups Call on BP to Accept Responsibility for Continued Environmental Damage (New Orleans, LA—May 20, 2015) Today, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released a peer-reviewed study confirming that the 2010 Gulf oil disaster contributed to …

Leading Conservation Groups Praise Passage of HCR1, Funding 2015-2016 Coastal Annual Plan

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   HCR1 Passes Legislature, Funding 2015-2016 Coastal Annual Plan Leading Conservation Groups Praise Passage as Recognition of Coastal Restoration Priorities (New Orleans, LA—May 19, 2015) Today, House Concurrent Resolution 1 (HCR 1) – the funding vehicle for the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s 2015-2016 annual plan for integrated coastal protection and restoration – made …

Restoration Groups Call on President Obama to Make Leadership on Gulf Restoration a Priority Issue

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 Jacques Hebert, National Audubon Society, 504.264.6849, jhebert@audubon.org Andrew Blejwas, The Nature Conservancy, 617.785.7047, ablejwas@tnc.org Rachel Guillory, Ocean Conservancy, 504.208.5816, rguillory@oceanconservancy.org RESTORATION GROUPS CALL ON PRESIDENT OBAMA TO MAKE LEADERSHIP ON GULF RESTORATION A PRIORITY ISSUE Five years after the start of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster, nation’s largest environmental groups ask the President to accelerate restoration (Washington, D.C. – April 17, 2015) Today, …

Five Years after BP Oil Spill: Focus Should Be on Continued Need for Restoration

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 after BP Oil Spill: Focus Should Be on Continued Need for Restoration   Leading Conservation Groups Challenge BP to Stop Campaign of Misinformation, Fund Restoration (New Orleans, LA—April 16, 2015) Monday, April 20, marks five years since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded, killing 11 men and spewing at least 3.19 million barrels …

City of New Orleans Christmas Tree Recycling Program Celebrates 20 Years of Protecting Wetlands

By Samantha Carter, National Wildlife Federation Where does your Christmas tree go when you leave it at the curb? If you participated in the New Orleans tree recycling program this year, then as of April 2nd your tree is now in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge.       After your tree was picked up off of the curb in January, it was sorted and bundled by the Department of Sanitation with help from the city’s Office of Coastal and …

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 …