Community Conversations on Coastal Restoration
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By Happy Johnson, National Wildlife Federation Louisiana is facing a coastal crisis. We lose one football field of wetlands every hour. 1,900 square miles of land has been lost already since the 1930s, and another 1,800 square miles are expected to be lost within the next 50 years unless we implement significant coastal restoration projects. Coastal land loss has strong, direct impacts on all communities, especially Black and Vietnamese fishing populations in the Mississippi River Delta. Without urgent restoration of …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: September 28, 2012
More controversy over proposed coal handling terminal By Sabrina Wilson, WVUE-TV. September 27, 2012. “Myrtle Grove, La. — There is a new controversy over a proposed coal-handling facility…” (Read more) After Isaac, oyster harvest struggles The Associated Press. September 28, 2012. “HOUMA, La. – Hurricane Isaac wiped out many adult oysters in Louisiana waters, another blow to an industry that has been struggling in the wake of BP PLC’s 2010 massive oil spill. But in a twist, the storm’s raging …
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” …
Latest Mississippi River Delta Delta News; September 27, 2012
Sen. Mary Landrieu pushes for levee that would have protected St. John from Hurricane Isaac’s surge By Matt Scallan, The Times-Picayune. September 26, 2012. “Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., told residents of storm-battered St. John the Baptist Parish Wednesday that it’s time to scrap the federal process that has delayed the construction of a levee that would have protected thousands of parish residents from tidal flooding brought on by Hurricane Isaac…” (Read more) Coal facility, Mississippi River diversion project planned for …
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, …
Tagged ReportsConference: Answering Fundamental Questions about Mississippi River Delta Restoration
By Shannon Hood, Environmental Defense Fund On October 9 and 10, the Mississippi River Delta Science and Engineering Special Team (SEST) will host its first conference, titled “Answering Fundamental Questions about Mississippi River Delta Restoration.” The SEST was convened over two years ago and is comprised of leading engineers, economists and scientists from around the country with specialties ranging from river engineering to coastal ecology to sociology. This team brings a new approach to Mississippi River Delta restoration, in that …
Tagged ReportsLatest Mississippi River Delta News: September 26, 2012
Residents baffled by ruling that lets Army Corps off the hook for flooding caused by Katrina By Cain Burdeau, The Associated Press. September 25, 2012. “NEW ORLEANS – A surprise ruling by a federal appeals court that lets the Army Corps of Engineers off the hook for paying compensation for Hurricane Katrina’s catastrophic flooding isn’t going over well on the streets of New Orleans…” (Read more) Officials go the extra mile to save La. coast By Casey Gisclair, The Tri-Parish …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: September 25, 2012
Hurricane Katrina damage judgment against Army Corps of Engineers is reversed by federal appeals court By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). September 24, 2012. “The Army Corps of Engineers is not liable for billions of dollars in flood damage in the Lower 9th Ward and St. Bernard Parish during Hurricane Katrina that a lower court said resulted from the agency’s failure to maintain the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet, a three-judge panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled …
Upping the Ante: How the Department of Justice May Help Save Louisiana’s Coast
By Whit Remer, Policy Analyst, Environmental Defense Fund There has been a lot of media attention surrounding a recent court filing made by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in the BP 2010 oil spill private plaintiffs’ settlement. (For more information on the difference between the private plaintiffs’ case and the government’s case, click here). The filing is relevant and important for Gulf Coast restoration for two reasons. First, the brief slams BP for the company’s carelessness during operation of …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: September 24, 2012
Our Views: Report urges coastal action The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.). September 23, 2012. “The flooding in LaPlace caused by Hurricane Isaac could be a preview of things to come in Baton Rouge as Louisiana continues to lose parts of its coastline, a spokesman for a coastal preservation group told the Press Club of Baton Rouge recently…” (Read more) Working for a more resilient Gulf Coast: Editorial The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). September 23, 2012. “For decades, Louisiana waged a lonely …
The Next 50 Years: Transition for Coastal Communities
By Maura Wood (National Wildlife Federation) and Brian Jackson (Environmental Defense Fund) For decades, the people of southern Louisiana have gradually struggled with the collapse of the Mississippi River Delta. Land that once provided shelter from hurricanes, space for agriculture, a basis for livelihoods and a source for recreation has — sometimes in one generation — disappeared. This slow-motion crisis has forced communities and economies along Louisiana’s coast to adapt to collapse. Large-scale restoration of the delta provides new hope …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: September 21, 2012
We all need to save the Gulf Coast By Bob Marshall, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). September 21, 2012. “As Louisiana begins asking the nation to save its southeast corner from inundation, each of its residents needs this indispensable survival tool: A mirror. Instructions for use in this crisis are simple: Stand in front of that mirror and ask the image looking back a list of questions…” (Read more) Another View: As Louisiana coast erodes, restoration tries to take hold The …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: September 20, 2012
Hundreds shout out frustrations over Hurricane Isaac damage at Braithwaite meeting By Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). September 19, 2012. “Eastern Plaquemines Parish residents hit hardest by Hurricane Isaac’s torrent stormed in by the hundreds on Wednesday to the first public question-and-answer session with state and parish officials. Many yelled at the top of their lungs, expressing rage over inadequate parish levees and expressing their feelings that they had been ignored…” (Read more) Louisiana, Coast Guard officials continue feud …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: September 19, 2012
Diversions present flood of concerns By Nikki Buskey, The Daily Comet (Lafourche Parish, La.). September 18, 2012. “State and environmental officials have long argued the only way to rebuild and restore coastal Louisiana is by re-plumbing the Mississippi with multiple river diversions. But as large-scale projects get underway, concerns about flooding and fisheries impacts are plaguing the process…” (Read more) No tidal flooding protection in store soon for vulnerable St. John neighborhoods By Matt Scallan, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). September …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: September 18, 2012
Louisiana coastal problems affect nation By Mike Hasten, The Advertiser. September 17, 2012. “BATON ROUGE – Louisiana’s disappearing coast is not just a state problem but one that has serious national implications, says the head of a movement to secure federal funds to fight erosion and rebuild barriers that once protected the state…” (Read more) Protecting the Gulf Coast By Paul Harrison, Environmental Defense Fund, to the New York Times. September 17, 2012. “In the coming weeks, the calls for …