Latest Mississippi River Delta News: September 17, 2012
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Time for BP’s Fantasy to Turn Into Payback for the Gulf By David Yarnold, president of the National Audubon Society, for the Huffington Post. September 14, 2012. “What’s the difference between BP paying $5.4 billion to repair the epic mess it created along the Gulf Coast and the $21 billion check it should write? Two words: “grossly negligent…” (Read more) L.A. Times editorial missed the point; we need oil royalties to save the coast Editorial, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). September …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: September 14, 2012
Survey reveals problems in local estuaries By Nikki Buskey, The Daily Comet (Lafourche Parish, La.). September 11, 2012. “An aerial survey of the coast after Hurricane Isaac found significant erosion of coastal marshes. But it may have also unveiled another ongoing problem in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes that dates back further…” (Read more) La. fights for coastal funding By Jordan Blum, The Advocate. September 10, 2012. “WASHINGTON — With another hurricane having battered Louisiana’s coast, leaving thousands with flooded homes, …
Hurricane Isaac Batters Louisiana Marshes, Uncovers Oil
This story was originally published by the National Wildlife Federation. By Craig Guillot, National Wildlife Federation When Hurricane Isaac struck Louisiana on the seven-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, its winds and tidal surge caused four deaths and at least $1.5 billion in insured damages. For many residents around the Mississippi River Delta, Isaac brought back memories of two recent disasters to hit the coast — Katrina and the 2010 Gulf oil disaster. Before the storm even hit land, residents in some …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: September 13, 2012
Flood protection system worked, but it remains incomplete By Tim Toody, president of the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority, for the Times-Picayune (New Orleans). September 13, 2012. “Hurricane Isaac proved to be a much larger storm than expected. Each hurricane is unique, and Isaac’s slow-moving, coast-hugging personality presented its own set of challenges…” (Read more) Officials to US government: Speed up coastal work By Deborah Barfield Berry, Gannett. September 13, 2012. “WASHINGTON — The federal government should do more to …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: September 12, 2012
BP proposes deep cleaning of Louisiana beaches in aftermath of Hurricane Isaac By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). September 11, 2012. “BP wants to “deep clean” the sand on beaches along the Louisiana coastline where tar balls and tar mats from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico were uncovered by Hurricane Isaac, BP Gulf Coast Restoration Organization President Mike Utsler said Tuesday…” (Read more) Gulf of Mexico coastal restoration needs investment of billions, foundation …
Latest Mississippi River News: September 11, 2012
Obama creates new council to oversee Restore Act ecosystem restoration By Bruce Alpert, The Times-Picayune. September 10, 2012. “WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama today signed an executive order setting up the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council to oversee restoration efforts funded under recent legislation designating 80 percent of fines from the 2010 BP oil spill to the five Gulf States…” (Read more) Obama signs order to get RESTORE funds flowing By Jordan Blum, The Advocate. September 11, 2012. “WASHINGTON — …
Conservation Groups Praise White House for Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Executive Order
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: Elizabeth Skree, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, eskree@edf.org Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org Brian Moore, National Audubon Society, 202.386.1516, bmoore@audubon.org Conservation Groups Praise White House for Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Executive Order Order demonstrates continued commitment to restoration; eyes turn to BP to make things right in gulf (Washington, D.C. — September 10, 2012) Today, local and national conservation organizations thanked President Obama for issuing an executive order reinforcing the White House’s commitment to Gulf Coast restoration in …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: September 7, 2012
Feds Leave Door Open To Hit BP With Top Penalties For Gulf Spill By Susan Cosier for Forbes. September 6, 2012. “More than two years after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, which spewed 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. government has cast a jaundiced eye on BP’s estimates of recovery in the area…” (Read more) Isaac washes BP oil onto Louisiana beaches, tests reveal The Associated Press. September 6, 2012. “NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Laboratory …
Time for BP to Make Things Right in the Gulf
By Elizabeth Skree, Environmental Defense Fund In the wake of Hurricane Isaac, 12 miles of Louisiana coastline have been closed because of newly washed up tar balls. Though the oil still must be analyzed, many — including BP — say that these tar balls could be leftovers from the 2010 BP oil disaster. (Update: Tests taken today confirm that the oil is from the 2010 BP spill) At the same time, the Department of Justice has filed a memo blasting BP and underscoring the federal …
Tagged EconomicsLatest Mississippi River Delta News: September 6, 2012
Hurricane Isaac is a reality check for Louisiana’s shrinking coast By Bob Marshall, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). September 6, 2012. “I wish most of metro New Orleans had been with me Friday as I talked with marina owners in southeast Louisiana. The conversation with Jack Payne at his Sweetwater Marina in Delacroix was typical…” (Read more) Feds accuse BP of gross negligence in 2010 Gulf oil spill By Bruce Alpert, The Times-Picayune. September 5, 2012. “WASHINGTON — In a legal …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: September 5, 2012
Old oil washes up on some Louisiana beaches after Isaac; tests to see if it’s from BP spill The Associated Press. September 5, 2012. “NEW ORLEANS — Old oil has washed up on some Louisiana beaches after Hurricane Isaac and officials are testing whether it’s left over from BP”s Deepwater Horizon spill in 2010…” (Read more) La. officials close 12 miles of coastline after Isaac washes up tar balls, oil from BP spill hotspot By Bob Marshall, The Times-Picayune (New …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: September 4, 2012
Hurricane Isaac lays bare the painful economics of flood protection By Bob Marshall, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). September 2, 2012. “As thousands of southeastern Louisiana residents watched flood water from Hurricane Isaac invade their homes and make a soggy, expensive mess of their lives, the terms “benefit-cost analysis” and “relative sea level rise” probably didn’t enter their minds. But in the days ahead, as they wonder why New Orleans sat mostly dry behind a $14 billion federal system while they …
The Next 50 Years: Redefining what is possible
By Alisha Renfro, staff scientist, National Wildlife Federation The high rate of land loss in coastal Louisiana requires restoration efforts of the same large scale. To formulate Louisiana’s 2012 Coastal Master Plan, researchers and coastal managers used a series of models to examine the ability to build and sustain land using both mechanical and natural methods that use the power of the river. Included in the analysis were eight channel realignment projects that would reroute the Mississippi River’s flow through …
Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Faces Big Challenges
By Jim Wyerman, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Communications, Environmental Defense Fund Several hundred leaders of the navigation sector met last week in New Orleans to discuss the future of the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway (GIWW), a 3,000-mile navigation canal which connects all of the major gulf ports from Brownsville, Texas to Fort Myers, Florida. Begun in 1905, and completed in 1949, the GIWW is essential to the nation’s shipment of energy products, chemicals and other commodities. Its continuance, however, depends …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: August 29, 2012
Isaac storm surge overtops hurricane levee in Plaquemines Parish, flooding homes By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). August 29, 2012. “Hurricane Isaac’s storm surge has overtopped an 18-mile stretch of East Bank hurricane “back” levee in Plaquemines Parish, flooding an unknown number of homes with 9 to 12 feet of water, a parish spokeswoman said…” (Read more) With Isaac, change is in the air By Rick Jervis, USA Today. August 28, 2012. “NEW ORLEANS — Levees are stronger, flood …