Latest Mississippi River Delta News: June 11, 2013
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The Louisiana Coast: Last Call — Getting Involved By Bob Marshall, WWNO (New Orleans). June 10, 2013. “After interviewing nearly 20 people involved in the coastal restoration process and program — from scientists and engineers, to public officials leading agencies — one of the surprising findings was the consensus among them that people living inside these levees — who live in the most threatened spot in North America due to sea level rise, subsidence and coastal land loss — don’t …
Senate hearing reviews Gulf Coast oil spill restoration efforts
By Will Lindsey, Environmental Defense Fund The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation held a hearing Thursday (June 6) to review the progress that has been made to restore the Gulf Coast since the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. Senators Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) chaired the hearing, titled “Gulf Restoration: A Progress Report Three Years after the Deepwater Horizon Disaster.” The hearing came nearly a year after passage of the RESTORE Act, legislation that allocates …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: June 10, 2013
Congress needs to remedy its flood insurance mistakes: Editorial The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). June 7, 2013. “Thousands of Louisiana residents are still facing the prospect of dramatically higher flood insurance rates. But the fight in Congress to delay and reconsider those increases is intensifying, which offers some hope of a solution…” (Read more) Oyster shells to be recycled to provide fishing habitat, aid in coastal restoration By Andrew Canulette, Louisiana Sportsman. June 7, 2013. “For generations, oyster lovers have filed …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: June 7, 2013
Where the BP oil spill money is going Erin Burnett, CNN. June 6, 2013. “How the money BP is spending to restore the ecosystem along the Gulf Coast is really being used…” (Video) Progress slow in Gulf Coast oil cleanup as funding still uncertain By Kate Irby, McClatchy. June 6, 2013. “WASHINGTON — Three years after the infamous BP oil spill off the Gulf Coast, lawmakers are still trying to nail down the effectiveness of past, present and future relief …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: June 6, 2013
Don’t neglect protection of marshes, wetlands in RESTORE projects By Ben Raines, Executive Director, Weeks Bay Foundation, for The Press Register (Mobile, Ala.). June 5, 2013. “After months of deliberation, federal officials released a draft version of the “Initial Comprehensive Plan: Restoring the Gulf Coast’s Ecosystem and Economy,” which details how the RESTORE Act funds will be spent along the Gulf Coast…” (Read more) Coastal homeowners stagger under insurance rate hikes By Jeff Amy, The Associated Press, and Ted Griggs, …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: June 5, 2013
Coastal restoration urged with BP money By Eric Heisig, The Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal. June 3, 2013. “More than 100 residents, public officials, scientists and environmentalists showed up at a meeting Monday evening in Pensacola to discuss a comprehensive plan to put billions into oil spill restoration projects in Gulf Coast states…” (Read more) Rising sea levels, stronger storms fueled by climate change will threaten us through end of century, coastal panelists say By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: June 4, 2013
Senate committee to examine Restore Act progress By Bruce Alpert, The Times-Picayune. June 3, 2013. “WASHINGTON — A Senate committee this week will examine the status of Gulf restoration efforts three years after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster…” (Read more) Local flood protection levee system sound, fully functional WWL-TV (New Orleans). June 3, 2013. “In the eight years since Hurricane Katrina, billions of dollars have been spent to strengthen the local flood protection system and there’s no doubt we are …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: June 3, 2013
The goal of restoring the Gulf of Mexico has been lost amid bureaucratic squabbling over BP spill fines By Bob Graham and William K. Reilly for The Washington Post. May 31, 2013. “Almost daily, some mention is made of the billions of dollars in fines and penalties that might come from BP and its contractors in resolving the litigation that resulted from the April 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico…” (Read more) Restoring …
Hurricane Season 2013: Let’s prepare our coast!
By Rachel Schott, Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign Preparation for hurricane season is second nature to most Louisianans. From gathering supplies to boarding up windows to mapping out evacuation routes, coastal residents acknowledge their tenuous positioning on the Gulf and the uncertain weather conditions that come from June to November. Yet with all this preparation, a question remains: Is the Louisiana coast as prepared as its residents? With the beginning of another hurricane season, the need for restoring the Mississippi River Delta …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: May 31, 2013
Corps puts barge gate through its paces — successfully; agrees to operate it By Bob Marshall, The Lens (New Orleans). May 23, 2013. “With the June 1 opening of hurricane season just days away, metro area residents have gotten a double dose of good news from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers…” (Read more) New statues go up for evacuations at 17 New Orleans spots By Rob Masson, Fox 8 TV. May 30, 2013. “New Orleans, La.- With hurricane season …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: May 30, 2013
Gulf Coast States Get Creative With BP Oil Spill Money By Debbie Elliot, NPR All Things Considered. May 28, 2013. “Gulf Coast states are lining up to spend $1 billion from BP on coastal restoration. The money is part of BP’s legal responsibility to restore the Gulf of Mexico’s natural resources in the aftermath of the worst oil disaster in U.S. history…” (Read more) Ducks Unlimited project will increase freshwater flow near Terrebonne’s Liner’s Canal The Times-Picayune. May 29, 2013. …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: May 29, 2013
Corps of Engineers concludes $10.3 billion, 98-mile-long Morganza to the Gulf levee is ‘economically justified’ By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). May 28, 2013. “The Army Corps of Engineers has concluded that construction of a 98-mile-long, $10.3 billion Morganza to the Gulf hurricane levee system that will protect Houma and surrounding communities from storm surges “is economically justified, environmentally acceptable and engineeringly sound…” (Read more) LSU scientists warn: Don’t let nitrogen anxiety undermine fight to save coast By Paul …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: May 28, 2013
Louisiana missing its chance at federal money, Corps of Engineers officer says By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). May 24, 2013. “Louisiana is missing an opportunity to have the federal government pay 65 percent of the cost of several major coastal restoration projects that could represent an investment of close to $1 billion, according to the departing commander of the New Orleans District office of the Army Corps of Engineers…” (Read more) New post-oil spill restoration plan lacks requirements …
Press Release: Groups Urge Restore Council to Focus on Ecosystem Restoration
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Molly Moore, Environmental Defense Fund, 240.393.0686, molly@sandersonstrategies.com Erin Greeson, National Audubon Society, 503.913.8978, egreeson@audubon.org Lacey McCormick, National Wildlife Federation, 512.203.3016, mccormick@nwf.org Heather Layman, The Nature Conservancy, 703.841.3929, hlayman@tnc.org Shelley Sparks, Ocean Conservancy, 504.616.9150, ssparks@oceanconservancy.org Draft plan outlining objectives and criteria for implementing RESTORE ACT released, is a step forward but should prioritize large-scale conservation (WASHINGTON—May 24, 2013) Yesterday, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council released its draft plan for restoring the Gulf of Mexico following the 2010 BP oil …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: May 24, 2013
Gulf restoration draft plan lacks required priority list, spending allocation plan By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). May 23, 2013. “The federal-state body that will oversee the spending of billions of dollars in Clean Water Act fines resulting from the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill on Thursday released a “draft initial comprehensive plan” for spending the money on projects that will restore the coast’s natural resources and also benefit the Gulf Coast’s economy…” (Read more) Extremely active hurricane season …