High Waters Offer Sediment-Laden Lessons Amidst Flooding Tragedy [VIDEO]
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By Craig Guillot, National Wildlife Federation Read this story in its entirety on NWF.org. (NWF) – As the rising waters of the Mississippi River continue to impact communities along its banks, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and flood control managers are desperately trying to mitigate the impacts. In Louisiana, the solution has been to open spillways that relieve pressure on the levees and divert some of the river’s waters to the Gulf of Mexico. The human consequences of this …
Mississippi Floods Overwhelm Aging Control System
By Paul Kemp (National Audubon Society) and John Day (Louisiana State University) Special to CNN (CNN) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Monday opened the Bonnet Carré Spillway for the 10th time since 1932. This 7,000-foot structure of gates on the east bank of the Mississippi River, 30 miles above New Orleans, relieves pressure on levees protecting the city by shunting river water into nearby Lake Pontchartrain. As the crest of the historic 2011 flood rolls downriver from …
Gulf Coast Task Force Sets Restoration Goals, Creates Citizens Advisory Committee
By Derek Brockbank, Environmental Defense Fund/National Audubon Society/National Wildlife Federation On Friday May 6, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force held a public meeting in Mobile, Al. President Obama assigned the task force to come up with a strategy for restoring the Gulf to make it better than it was to before the BP oil spill. It was the third public meeting in the Gulf for the task force, which previously had been held in Pensacola, Fl. and New Orleans, La. …
National Wildlife Federation Marks One Year Oil Spill Anniversary By Hosting Restoration Projects Throughout Coastal Louisiana
By Ben Weber, National Wildlife Federation National Wildlife Federation’s longstanding volunteer program is working actively with agencies engaged in restoration of important wildlife habitat areas around coastal Louisiana. For the one year anniversary of the BP oil disaster, NWF has launched a partnership with local organizations to host several restoration projects throughout coastal Louisiana. httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_LYWCYHzhw&feature=youtu.be One of these projects is a marsh replanting in the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge. Partnering with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southeast Louisiana National Wildlife …
Gulf Groups Applaud Landmark Agreement for $1 Billion Down Payment of Restoration Funds
News broke yesterday that BP has agreed to provide $1 billion toward early restoration projects in the Gulf of Mexico under an unprecedented agreement announced today by the Natural Resource Trustees for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) down payment is a significant first step toward restoration in the Gulf. The Gulf Renewal Project – a coalition of environmental, economic and community groups – released the following statement: “This is a good day for the Gulf and …
New Poll: Gulf Restoration: Something Everyone Can Agree On
On the first anniversary of the start of the BP Gulf oil disaster, new polling released today shows that voters nationwide overwhelmingly support efforts to ensure that any fines paid by BP and others responsible for the spill are dedicated to restoring the region. Under the Clean Water Act (CWA), BP’s fines will be deposited into the Federal Treasury unless Congress takes specific action to direct the penalties to Gulf restoration. The bipartisan polling, conducted by Democratic polling firm Lake …
On BP Oil Disaster Anniversary, Groups Urge Congress to Use Fines to Restore Gulf Environment and Economy
On the first anniversary of the BP oil well blowout, regional and national leaders urged Congress to hold BP accountable by passing legislation to dedicate BP’s Clean Water Act (CWA) fines to restoring the Gulf’s damaged environment and economy. Under current law, fines paid by BP and others responsible for the spill automatically will be deposited into the Federal Treasury, instead of being used to help restore the Gulf region. U.S. Senators Mary Landrieu (D-La.) and David Vitter (R-La.), Sen. …
BP Oil Disaster 1st Anniversary Event to Urge Congress to Get Together and Get Gulf Restoration Done
MEDIA ADVISORY FOR APRIL 20 BP Oil Disaster 1st Anniversary Event to Urge Congress to Get Together and Get Gulf Restoration Done Guided Tours Will Show Oil Spill Damage to Degraded Wetlands, How to Revitalize Them What: News conference and guided boat tours one year after the BP oil disaster, which caused major damage to wildlife and the fishing and tourism industries in coastal Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, and Florida. The oil spill could cost the Gulf tourism industry alone …
Cornell Lab of Ornithology Tells Story of the Mississippi River Delta in New Video
Guest post by Marc Dantzker, Multimedia Producer – Cornell Lab of Ornithology httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWRGvGv1vps Soon after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded last year, I was part of a multimedia team from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that spent nearly three months documenting the resulting spill’s effects on bird life. While many months have passed, the experience is still fresh: the sight of beach-bound pelicans struggling against a blanket of heavy oil, the smell of newly surfaced oil pressing into pristine salt marsh, the …
As BP Oil Spill Anniversary Looms, Gulf Restoration Groups Laud Introduction of RESTORE Act
A coalition of environmental, economic and social equity organizations yesterday praised the Senate introduction of a bipartisan bill to ensure that 80 percent of the Clean Water Act (CWA) penalties to be paid by BP and others responsible for last year’s Gulf oil disaster will be used to restore the communities, economies and ecosystems of the Gulf region directly. Under current law, BP penalties for the oil spill will be deposited into the federal treasury instead of being used to …
Audubon Reports from the Gulf: Oil Persists, and So Do Concerns about Birds
One year after the BP oil disaster began in the Gulf of Mexico, Audubon experts report that oil can still be found in gulf marshes and beaches that provide critical habitat for at-risk birds. Recent trips through Louisiana’s Barataria Bay revealed tar balls on beaches and oil oozing through marsh grasses, a discouraging sight as the breeding season begins for dozens of Gulf Coast bird species. “One thing I’m very concerned about now, as we begin a new breeding season, …
One Year After the Gulf Oil Spill, Report Finds Wildlife and Wetlands Still Vulnerable Without Restoration
The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) issued a new report yesterday examining the health of the Gulf’s wildlife and wetlands one year after the spill. The findings show that while some species hit hard by the Gulf oil disaster show signs of recovery, others will need the combined efforts of scientists, policymakers and regulators to recover. The Long Road to Recovery: Wetlands and Wildlife One Year Into the Gulf Oil Disaster was written by NWF’s Senior Scientist Dr. Doug Inkley and …
Sen. Barbara Boxer Expresses Support for Dedicating Clean Water Act Penalties to Gulf Restoration
We are encouraged by Senator Barbara Boxer’s comments yesterday, reported in the Times-Picayune: Senate Environment and Public Works Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer said Wednesday she’ll quickly move legislation giving Louisiana and other Gulf states the vast majority of fines imposed on BP for last year’s massive BP oil spill. Boxer, a California Democrat, said she’s encouraged that Louisiana’s two senators, Democrat Mary Landrieu and Republican David Vitter, are working together on such legislation and plans to schedule a committee vote …
Wetland Scientists, St. Bernard Parish Landowners, and 27,000 Americans Weigh In on MRGO Restoration
By Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation The MRGO Must Go Coalition partnered with leading scientists and prominent landowners in St. Bernard Parish to submit detailed recommendations to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for review and incorporation into its final plan to restore massive ecosystem damage caused by the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet shipping channel. The recommendations were based on two prior reports released by the Coalition and reviewed over several months by a group of coastal scientists with expertise in …
Gulf Restoration Groups Praise Formation of House Gulf Caucus
A coalition of environmental, economic, and social equity organizations today celebrated the news that Reps. Kathy Castor (D-FL) and Steve Scalise (R-LA) have formed a bipartisan House Gulf Caucus to support restoration of the region’s environment and economy following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The coalition of groups support the Oil Commission’s recommendation that 80% of Clean Water Act (CWA) penalties to be paid by BP and other responsible parties go directly to Gulf restoration, to help the region recover …