Latest Mississippi River Delta News: August 28, 2012
← Older posts Newer posts →Latest Mississippi River Delta News: August 28, 2012
Caution reigns along Gulf Coast as Katrina’s lessons in play By Rick Jervis, USA Today. August 28, 2012. “NEW ORLEANS – Levees are stronger, flood walls higher and residents and cities better prepared…” (Read more) Sen. Vitter says focus should be on restoring wetlands WWL-TV. August 28, 2012. “NEW ORLEANS — Lafitte Mayor Tim Kerner has voiced his displeasure with the Corps of Engineers and the fact that, for decades, his town has been kept out of the levee protection …
Seven Years Later: Hurricane Katrina and MRGO
Seven years ago today, Hurricane Katrina slammed into the coastlines of Louisiana and Mississippi, ripping a path of destruction and shattering the lives of countless coastal residents. Around the world, images of flooding and destruction were burned into the eyes of billions of people as they watched one the costliest, deadliest disasters in American history unfold before them. Today, seven years have passed, and as we speak, Hurricane Isaac is hovering over the coast. As Katrina continues to affect Louisiana …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: August 27, 2012
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu declares state of emergency By Richard Rainey, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). August 27, 2012. “With Tropical Storm Isaac expected to strengthen, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu has declared a state of emergency and urged residents to begin preparing their homes as shelters through the storm. Landrieu said the storm is moving along at about 16 miles an hour, and if it stays at that pace, it could reach the city in the next 34 hours, …
Seven years later, a continued call for restoration
By Elizabeth Skree, Communications Manager, Environmental Defense Fund Hurricane Katrina made landfall in coastal Louisiana on August 25, 2012. The storm was one of the most-damaging hurricanes on record, taking nearly 2,000 lives and causing over $80 billion in damage. A nation watched in horror as the city of New Orleans was destroyed, residents were stranded and chaos ensued. No one will ever forget what happened that day, and every year as the anniversary approaches, we are reminded of the …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: August 23, 2012
Corps of Engineers, state confrontation turns tense at meeting Wednesday By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). August 22, 2012. “A running confrontation between state officials and the Army Corps of Engineers over the construction of a saltwater-blocking underwater dam in the Mississippi River turned tense Wednesday at the monthly meeting of the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority…” (Read more) GoCoast 2020 group will advise on utilizing RESTORE Act Funds on Mississippi Gulf Coast By Susan Ruddiman, The Mississippi …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: August 22, 2012
Restore Act is the first win in a long season to save Louisiana’s coast By Bob Marshall for The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). August 21, 2012. “If you listen to the comments of NFL coaches who win their first regular-season game, you’ll hear a string of clichés that Louisiana’s political leaders should have hanging on the wall — right next to the photos of them standing with President Obama as he signed the Restore Act…” (Read more) Don’t squander this chance …
The Next 50 Years: Implementation of Coastal Master Plan projects
By David Muth, Louisiana State Director, National Wildlife Federation Now that Louisiana’s 2012 Coastal Master Plan is law, it is critical that the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) moves the process forward as quickly as possible. While the plan lays out a series of projects for over its fifty-year timeframe, the actual sequence of projects has not yet been completely planned. The sooner CPRA can finalize this project list and timeline, the sooner vital construction and restoration can …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: August 21, 2012
Restore Act process still unclear By Nikki Buskey, The Houma (La.) Courier. August 20, 2012. “With billions of dollars for coastal restoration projects expected to come to the Gulf Coast after passage of the Restore Act, state, local and environmental officials are trying to get their plans in place to secure coastal money…” (Read more) Letters: Building our coastal workforce By Scott Kirkpatrick, Coastal Builders Coalition, to The Advocate. August 20, 2012. “An Aug. 13 article in The Advocate highlighted …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: August 20, 2012
Duck hunting season looks good this year, the future is a different matter By Bob Marshall, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). August 18, 2012. “Here’s the good news for the local duck season: There’s record drought gripping states to the north of us. Here’s the bad news: There’s record drought gripping the states north of us…” (Read more) BP oil spill cleanup report expected at U.S. Senate committee hearing By Bruce Alpert and Jonathan Tilove, The Times-Picayune. August 18, 2012. “Sen. …
Mississippi River’s newest distributary: Mardi Gras Pass gets a tour
At just five months old, Mardi Gras Pass is the newest distributary of the Mississippi River — a modern addition to an ancient system. Located about 50 miles south of New Orleans on the east bank of the river, the pass was discovered by Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation (LPBF) staff on Mardi Gras Day 2012. The natural flow of the Mississippi River had cut a continuous channel through the river’s bank and into the Bohemia Spillway, creating a new distributary and …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: August 17, 2012
Coalition wants Restore funds for restoration By Nikki Buskey, The Houma (La.) Courier. August 16, 2012. “Louisiana lawmakers and environmental advocates are teaming up to ensure that hard-won oil spill fine money will be used for coastal restoration projects…” (Read more) Sill operations on the Mississippi River By David Grunfield, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). August 16, 2012. “From the sight of the barrow spot on the Mississippi River, Michelle Spraul, Operations Manager for the Mississippi River, New Orleans District for …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: August 16, 2012
Saving the Delta By Marc Airhart, University of Texas. Gumbo and jazz, beignets and accordions, tipsy revelers festooned with plastic beads. The city of New Orleans evokes zesty images. Add to your mental slideshow two more images: that of a major economic crossroads — it’s part of the largest port complex in the country, handling more cargo than the next two largest ports, Houston and New York, combined — and that of a thriving coastal fishery that supports a $3.5 …
Latest Mississippi River Delta News: August 15, 2012
State, Corps spar over efforts to fight saltwater in Mississippi River By John Snell, WVUE-TV (New Orleans). August 15, 2012. “New Orleans, La. — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers method for dealing with saltwater creeping up the Mississippi River has sparked a dispute with the State of Louisiana over a nearby coastal project…” (Read more) Mary Landrieu Tells Coast Guard to Get Back to the Beach NOLA Defender. August 14, 2012. It’s more than two years since the Deepwater …
The RESTORE Act: Past, present and future
By Whit Remer, Policy Analyst, Environmental Defense Fund It’s been an exciting year for Louisiana and the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign. In July 2011, nine gulf senators banded together and introduced the RESTORE Act – legislation that would ensure penalties paid by BP and others responsible for the gulf oil spill would be used to restore the gulf region’s environment and economy. In September, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee approved the bill and in October, Representative Steve …
Tagged EconomicsLatest Mississippi River Delta News: August 13, 2012
Here’s hoping the new oil spill claims czar will do better (editorial) The Press-Register (Mobile, Ala.). August 11, 2012. “WHILE THEY are both accomplished trial lawyers, the two men chosen as administrators of the BP oil spill claims process are a study in contrasts…” (Read more) State lacks plan for RESTORE Act projects By Jordan Blum and Amy Wold, The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.). August 13, 2012. “WASHINGTON — With the federal RESTORE Act now law, state officials, environmental groups …