Latest news: August 10, 2012
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Sinkhole free of radiation but residents still mad The Associated Press. August 10, 2012. “BATON ROUGE, La. — As state scientists monitored the toxicity of naturally occurring radiation at a slurry hole in Assumption Parish, residents said Thursday they were furious with their public state officials because they think they have been withholding information…” (Read more)
Latest news: August 9, 2012
New BP claims boss is a stark contrast to Ken Feinberg By George Talbot, The Press-Register. August 8, 2012. “MOBILE, Alabama — “This is not the Feinberg operation.” So said U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, by way of introducing Patrick Juneau…” (Read more) EPA gives La grant to help fight dead zone, Vitter says The Associated Press. August 8, 2012. “U.S. Sen. David Vitter says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will award a $100,000 grant to the Louisiana Coastal Protection and …
Meet Alisha Renfro
Alisha Renfro is the staff scientist for the National Wildlife Federation’s (NWF) Mississippi River Delta Restoration program. Based in New Orleans, she provides accurate scientific information to help advocate for the best coastal restoration projects for Louisiana. She also helps translate scientific information for the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign’s public outreach and communication efforts. Prior to joining NWF, Alisha had been actively involved in research examining beach erosion in South Carolina, sediment transport in tidal riverine marshes and swamps …
Latest news: August 8, 2012
RESTORE Act Offers Influx of Cash to Gulf States By Michelle Berger, Audubon Magazine. August 7, 2012. “Eighty. For Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, that’s the magic number: the percentage of Clean Water Act fines BP will eventually pay that are now legally required to go to Deepwater Horizon oil spill restoration work…” (Read more) Dispersant suit filed By Amy Wold, The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.). August 8, 2012. “A group of national, Louisiana and Alaska environmental and wildlife …
Latest news: August 7, 2012
Environmental group sues EPA over dispersants used during Gulf oil spill By Bruce Alpert, The Times-Picayune. August 6, 2012. “WASHINGTON — Citing continued doubts about the effect of nearly 2 million gallons of chemical dispersants used during the 2010 BP oil spill, a coalition of environmental and public health groups filed suit Monday to force the Environmental Protect Agency to develop new standards for future use. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C…” (Read more)
Latest news: August 6, 2012
Disturbing example of why coast needs RESTORE money (editorial) By The Press-Register (Mobile, Ala.). August 4, 2012. “FOR YEARS, scientists will be pondering the various impacts from the 2010 BP oil spill. The latest piece of the puzzle — a study led by a researcher at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab — raises concerns that dispersants may have done damage to plankton and its role in the food chain…” (Read more) Former Interior official laments that public has forgotten about …
Latest news: August 3, 2012
Restore what MR-GO destroyed: Editorial The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). August 2, 2012. “Nearly three years ago, the final piling was placed to seal off the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet, an event that a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers official described as “driving the last concrete stake into the heart of MR-GO…” (Read more) Can’t save Louisiana coast without cutting emissions: Bob Marshall The Times-Picayune. August 2, 2012. “When history looks back on the outcome of efforts to prevent southeast Louisiana from …
Latest news: August 2, 2012
Army Corps of Engineers presents plans for West Bank wetlands projects By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). August 1, 2012. “The Army Corps of Engineers Tuesday night unveiled a variety of wetland-restoration projects that will serve as mitigation for the environmental impact caused by building levees along the West Bank in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina…” (Read more) ‘N.O. to Venice Project’ ro prepare Plaquemines for storms WWL-TV. August 1, 2012. “NEW ORLEANS – It doesn’t take a Category …
How much is a Louisiana oyster worth?
By Meg Sutton, Environmental Defense Fund Oyster reefs in coastal estuaries around the globe have been degraded for the past 100-200 years due to a combination of overfishing, harmful dredging practices, decreasing water quality, sedimentation and oyster diseases.1 Many formerly productive reefs are now functionally extinct, and it is estimated that 85 percent of reefs have been lost globally.2 The majority of commercial oysters are currently sourced from only five eco-regions in the world, concentrated on the east coast of North …
Tagged EconomicsLatest news: August 1, 2012
BP oil spill dispersants may have hurt Gulf of Mexico food chain, study finds The Associated Press. July 31, 2012. “A study on possible effects of the 2010 BP oil spill indicates dispersants may have killed plankton — some of the ocean’s tiniest plants and creatures — and disrupted the food chain in the Gulf of Mexico, one of the nation’s richest seafood grounds. Scientists who read the study said it points toward major future effects of the spill. One …
New online content illustrates economic benefits of environmental restoration
Did you know that coastal restoration helps not just the environment but also the economy? Restoration activities, like the construction of sediment diversions, coastal dredging and barrier island restoration, directly create jobs through the firms hired to carry out the projects. Additionally, Louisiana’s coast supports a $34 billion tourism industry, 33 percent of our nation’s seafood harvest, 10 of our 15 largest ports and 90 percent of our offshore crude oil and natural gas production.1 Coastal restoration protects these industries …
Tagged EconomicsLatest news: July 31, 2012
Welcome to a growing industry Editorial, The Daily Comet (Lafourche Parish, La.). July 30, 2012. “The word doesn’t roll off the tongue, but south Louisianans might just get used to geosynthetics as a growing local industry…” (Read more) Coastal restoration fuels emerging geosynthetics industry By Jeremy Alford, The Daily Comet. July 30, 2012. “BATON ROUGE — A new study published by Duke University predicts the oncoming wave of coastal restoration and protection work will help give rise to the geosynthetics …
Latest news: July 30, 2012
MR-GO restoration plan put on hold By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). July 27, 2012. “The chief of the Army Corps of Engineers has recommended a $2.9 billion plan to restore damage caused by the now-closed Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet navigation channel, but recommends no action be taken on the plan because the state won’t pay 35 percent of the cost…” (Read more) MRGO remediation plan released By Amy Wold, The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.). July 28, 2012. “A proposed …
Latest news: July 27, 2012
Protecting Louisiana By U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy, The Daily Comet (Lafourche Parish, La.). July 26, 2012. “We know the Gulf Coast is one of America’s most important assets. The energy, shipping, chemical, fishing and tourism industries on the coast generate economic activity that creates jobs throughout America…” (Read more) Spillways can divert sand from river to rebuild wetlands By Engineering at Illinois. July 26, 2012. “In the spring and summer of 2011, high floodwaters on the Mississippi prompted the corps …
Geosynthetics Industry Poised to Grow as Gulf Coast Restoration Ramps Up
NEWS RELEASE Contact: Elizabeth Skree, 202-553-2543, eskree@edf.org Geosynthetics Industry Poised to Grow as Gulf Coast Restoration Ramps Up RESTORE Act will increase environmental restoration, spur economic growth (Washington, D.C.—July 26, 2012) What are geosynthetics and why are they central to the creation of jobs and expansion of coastal restoration projects? A new Duke University study, “GEOSYNTHETICS: Coastal Management Applications in the Gulf of Mexico,” details how the emerging geosynthetics industry can create jobs benefitting nearly 200 employee locations in 36 states, …
Tagged Economics, Reports