Meet Brian Jackson
Newer posts →Meet Brian Jackson
Brian is a Community Resiliency Specialist for Environmental Defense Fund’s Coastal Louisiana Restoration project. His work focuses not only on community resilience, but on nonstructural flood protection in southern Louisiana. Brian works closely with local community groups through an initiative called “How Safe, How Soon?“. He helps these communities identify and address their flood and storm risks – and future sustainability – in the vanishing Mississippi River Delta. Local partners include: the United Houma Nation, New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement …
Executive Director Named for Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force
On October 25 , U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lisa P. Jackson named John H. Hankinson, Jr. as executive director of the newly-established Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, which President Obama created through an executive order in October. Hankinson served until recently as board chairman of Audubon of Florida and as southeast regional EPA administrator from 1994 to 2001. Previously, Hankinson led land acquisition at the St. Johns River Water Management District and was a staff director for the Florida House of Representatives. A …
Groups Push Congress to Pass Gulf Restoration Legislation During Lame Duck Session
By Elly Pepper, Environmental Defense Fund Currently under the Clean Water Act (CWA), the financial penalties BP would pay for causing the Deepwater Horizon oil spill would be deposited into the Federal Treasury. However, the Treasury should not receive a windfall from a tragedy that severely damaged the Gulf region’s economy and environment. These funds belong in the Gulf. As such, our organizations are working to encourage Congress to pass legislation during the lame duck session that would devote a significant portion …
DELTAS2010: World Delta Dialogues Focuses on Mississippi River Delta Restoration
By Karen Gautreaux, The Nature Conservancy The inaugural DELTAS2010: World Delta Dialogues conference, held on October 17-21 in New Orleans, brought together approximately 450 participants from 15 countries to address the complex issues facing the world’s deltas. Representatives included government agencies, coastal scientists, environmental non-profits, and numerous stakeholder interests, such as energy, navigation and coastal community groups. The purpose of the conference was to foster cooperation among government and interest groups regarding the world’s deltas and to share information that will contribute …
Six Months Later, A Call to Action
By Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation On the six-month anniversary of the BP oil disaster, National Wildlife Federation partnered with dozens of organizations – including national environmental groups, local community associations and the fishing industry – to call for congressional action in response to the largest environmental disaster in U.S. history. At the rally in New Orleans, participants spoke in support of the Weeks Bay Principles, a set of response and recovery goals signed by 37 organizations across the Gulf in October at …