Latest news: June 27, 2012
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Deal tying BP oil spill fines to transportation bill getting close By Bruce Alpert, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). June 26, 2012. “WASHINGTON — Senate and House negotiators are nearing agreement on a two-year transportation bill that includes key components of legislation that would funnel billions of dollars in fines from the 2010 BP oil spill to the five Gulf States…” (Read more) Restore Act will help rebuild gulf ecosystems By David White, National Wildlife Federation, for the Tampa Bay (Fla) …
Latest news: June 26, 2012
Time for Congress to act is now Editorial, The Houma (La.) Courier. June 23, 2012. “To many along the Gulf Coast, the question is a no-brainer: Most of the money BP ends up paying in fines related to its 2010 catastrophic oil spill should go to help the states and communities most affected by the spill…” (Read more) State Of The Coast Conference gives reasons for optimism By Paul Murphy, WWL-TV (New Orleans). June 25, 2012. “Louisiana is losing about …
Latest news: June 22, 2012
More than the Restore Act: An editorial By Editorial page staff, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). June 22, 2012. “Interior Secretary Ken Salazar says that President Barack Obama is firm in his commitment to use a large share of fines from the BP oil spill to restore Louisiana’s coast, and that’s certainly reassuring…” (Read more) Landry move would bring La. more revenue By Jordan Blum, The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.). June 22, 2012. “WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Jeff Landry, R-New …
Latest news: June 21, 2012
No deal has been struck on sending BP oil spill fines to Gulf Coast By Bruce Alpert, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). June 20, 2012. “Washington — With time running out, House-Senate negotiators still haven’t reached a deal on a transportation spending bill that Louisiana lawmakers hope will designate 80 percent of BP oil spill fines to the Gulf Coast. Both House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid offered a bit of bipartisan advice this week to the …
Profiles in Resilience: Biohabitats, Inc.
This piece builds on the “Profiles in Resilience” series started on Environmental Defense Fund’s Restoration and Resilience blog. Please check back here for future installments. By Audrey Payne, Environmental Defense Fund “Restoring the earth, one community at a time.…” This tagline appears on the website of Biohabitats, Inc., an ecologically-driven company based in Baltimore, Md. Biohabitats specializes in conservation planning, ecological restoration and regenerative design and does restoration work in the Everglades, Big Cypress and Tampa Bay, Fla.; Texas and …
Tagged EconomicsLatest news: June 20, 2012
Congress should come to senses and pass RESTORE Editorial, The Tampa (Fla.) Tribune. June 19, 2012. “Congress can show that it’s not hopelessly dysfunctional by adopting the RESTORE Act, smart legislation that would use fines from the BP oil spill to revitalize the environment and the economy in states along the Gulf of Mexico…” (Read more) Soil dredged from Mississippi River may be used to rebuild marsh By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). June 18, 2012. “Amid plans to …
The Next 50 Years: Sediment diversions as a necessary restoration tool
This is the second post in our “The Next 50 Years” Coastal Master Plan series. Check back as we continue diving into the master plan and what it means for the people and environment of the Mississippi River Delta. By Alisha A. Renfro, Ph.D., Staff Scientist, National Wildlife Federation Since 1932, coastal Louisiana has lost almost 1,900 square miles of land and if bold action is not taken, another 1,700 square miles could be lost by 2060. Louisiana’s 2012 Coastal …
The Next 50 Years
By Kevin Chandler, Communications Coordinator, Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign Last month saw the passage of Louisiana’s 2012 Coastal Master Plan. This 50-year, $50 billion blueprint for a sustainable coast represents the most ambitious effort yet to tackle Louisiana’s coastal crisis. As the plan moves from ratification to implementation, it remains as important as ever to apprehend just what the plan contains and what it means for Louisiana and the nation. Over the next several weeks, the Mississippi River Delta …
Latest news: June 18, 2012
Restore Act options needed: An editorial The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). June 17, 2012. “Congress has a June 30 deadline to pass a transportation spending bill, and the Restore Act, which would send most of the fines from the BP spill to the Gulf Coast states, is riding on that legislation…” (Read more) Gulf Coast deserves piece of penalties from oil spill By Michael C. Bolton for the Press-Register (Mobile, Ala.). June 17, 2012. “Have you ever seen one of those …
Latest news: June 14, 2012
Pipeline won’t yet restore Lafourche By Nikki Buskey, The Daily Comet (Lafourche Parish, La.). June 13, 2012. “A first-of-its-kind long-distance pipeline project that local residents hoped could use Mississippi River sediment to nourish disintegrating wetlands won’t make it to Lafourche Parish…” (Read more) We’ve read the reports, now let’s get to work Over the last two years, many reports have been released showing the value of coastal restoration to the ecosystems, the communities and the economy of the Gulf Coast. …
Latest news: June 13, 2012
BUZZ WORTHY: Coastal job creation The Political Desk. June 12, 2012. “Beginning Aug. 1, contractors overseeing major developments along the coast will be required to take steps to bring on local workers to complete their projects if they’re funded using certain state or federal monies…” (Read more) Bill aims to change mitigation standards By Eric Besson, The Tri-Parish Times (Houma, La.). June 12, 2012. “The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will have to shelve its Modified Charleston Method for calculating …
NRDA Trustees should consider long-term sustainability of wetland creation projects
By Whit Remer, Policy Analyst, Environmental Defense Fund In late April, the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Trustees finalized the first phase of projects to address Gulf Coast environmental damage caused by the 2010 oil disaster. The trustees are a group of federal and state representatives charged with overseeing environmental restoration following the oil spill. The project document, known as the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Phase I Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment (ERP/EA), comes on the heels …
Job opening: Tom Graff Fellow, Environmental Defense Fund
With world attention focused on both the environment and the economy, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is where policymakers and business leaders turn for win-win solutions. This leading green group, with programs from Boston to Beijing, has tripled in size over the past decade by focusing on strong science, uncommon partnerships and market-based approaches. You can be part of a vibrant workplace that welcomes diverse perspectives, talents and contributions, where innovation and a focus on results are a way of life. Position Description: The …
Tagged EconomicsCoastal restoration as a climate change adaptation strategy
By Meg Sutton, Environmental Defense Fund Global climate change has induced an increase in global mean sea level with a 3.1 mm/year average rate of increase since 1991[1]. Climate projections indicate a widespread increase of more intense precipitation events, with an associated increased risk of flooding. Similarly, climate scientists also predict an increase in hurricane wind speed and total volume. The low lying, coastal Mississippi River Delta region is particularly vulnerable to the climate change threats of sea level rise, …
Latest news: June 12, 2012
RESTORE Act creates jobs along ailing Gulf Coast By Zoe Sullivan, The Louisiana Weekly. June 11, 2012. “Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.), released a study last week on the job opportunities in wetlands restoration. The study, commissioned by the Walton Family Foundation and conducted by Mather Economics, found that the potential positive impact of RESTORE Act funding would be substantial. The RESTORE Act is an amendment attached the transportation bill currently being discussed in conference committees between the U.S. …