Latest news: November 30, 2011
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Gulf harvesters offered more money for BP damage By Cain Burdeau, Associated Press. November 30, 2011. “NEW ORLEANS — Gulf of Mexico shrimpers and crabbers, who’ve reported diminished catches since the BP oil spill, are being offered a more generous settlement package due to lingering uncertainties over seafood…” Gulf’s salt water threatens rice, crawfish farmers By Cain Burdeau, Associated Press. November 29, 2011. “NEW ORLEANS — A rice and crawfish farming region on the low-lying southwest Louisiana coast has declared …
Tonight: Documentary Examines Solutions to “Turning the Tide” on Mississippi River Delta Collapse
Tonight, Nov. 30 at 8 p.m., Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) premiers Turning the Tide, a powerful new documentary about restoring America’s disappearing Mississippi River Delta. The film includes many voices, including experts from the organizations collaborating in the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign. Tune in tonight to this must-see film. Here’s more from LPB’s announcement: “Turning the Tide, a new 90-minute documentary from Louisiana Public Broadcasting, presents an in-depth examination of proposed solutions, proven strategies and bold engineering that can …
Louisiana Seafood Reveals New Look and Marketing Strategy to Boost Brand Post-Oil Spill
By Chris Pulaski, National Wildlife Federation Louisiana seafood is getting a whole new look. On November 16, the Louisiana Seafood Promotion & Marketing Board (Louisiana Seafood) held a stakeholder summit in Houma, LA to update the region’s producers, distributors and retailers on the state of Louisiana seafood 18 months after the BP oil spill. Representatives introduced Louisiana Seafood’s new branding and marketing strategy—developed as part of BP’s $30 million payment for the promotion of Gulf seafood—as well as the new …
Latest news: November 29, 2011
Companies will face new spill allegations By Jennifer A. Dlouhy, The Houston Chronicle. November 28, 2011. “WASHINGTON – The federal government is set to impose new penalties against BP, Transocean and Halliburton for alleged safety and environmental violations in connection with the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill, an Obama administration official said Monday…” Briefing highlights importance of ecosystem services in Gulf of Mexico By the Ecological Society of America. November 28, 2011. “On November 16, the Consortium for Ocean …
Latest news: November 28, 2011
No easy answers, but status quo just won’t do for Gulf By Editorial page staff, American Press (Lake Charles, La.). November 28, 2011. “The federal government appears to be getting serious about a problem that has plagued Gulf of Mexico fishermen for decades. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resource Service is overseeing a five-year, $320 million project to reduce upstream agriculture runoff that flows down the Mississippi River and eventually winds up in the Gulf with alarming results…” Feds …
Restore the Mississippi River Delta Campaign Launches New Website
By Elizabeth Skree, Environmental Defense Fund Welcome to the new home of Delta Dispatches! Today, five national and local conservation organizations launched www.MississippiRiverDelta.org, a new site focused on efforts to restore and revitalize one of America’s greatest natural resources: the Mississippi River Delta. Here, visitors can find scientific information about the delta, public policy analysis, cultural and historical summaries, as well as Delta Dispatches: a news blog about restoration efforts in the delta. “MississippiRiverDelta.org is a one-stop shop for news, …
NWF Releases Comprehensive Guide to Louisiana Nonstructural Programs
Over the past few months, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has contracted the National Hazard Mitigation Association (NHMA) to develop a white paper report that captures the state of nonstructural mitigation in Louisiana. The report, “Safe, Secure, and Sustainable: Advancing Nonstructural Hazard Mitigation in Coastal Louisiana,” describes the challenges and impediments that have plagued the nonstructural programs of the past and provides recommendations to improve programs at both the local implementation and national policy levels. Report appendices include a 300-page comprehensive …
Tagged ReportsNew Orleans Restoration Project Will Increase Resiliency, Create Jobs
By Elizabeth Skree, Environmental Defense Fund On Nov. 10, the City of New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish broke ground on the important and innovative $10 million Central Wetlands Assimilation Project. On hand for the ceremony were New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro, members of the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board and approximately 75 others representing community organizations, environmental non-profits and other interested parties. All agree the project is a critical first step towards …
Tagged EconomicsLatest news: November 21, 2011
Rep. Steve Scalise’s bill to give BP fines to Gulf states picks up steam By Times-Picayune Staff (New Orleans, La.). November 19, 2011. “Supporters of legislation to give the five Gulf states 80 percent of any Clean Water Act fines paid as a result of last year’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster got another co-sponsor last week: Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska. That brings the number of co-sponsors to 27…” Helping us prevent flooding: An editorial By Editorial page staff, The …
Nutria Festival Showcases New Uses for Louisiana’s Most-Infamous Rodent
By Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation Nutria. Marsh-muncher. Coypu. Swamp rat. “That critter with the big orange teeth.” Call it what you want, but this invasive, semi-aquatic rodent has been dining on Louisiana’s precious wetlands since the 1930s. And although the State of Louisiana pays a bounty of five dollars per tail, nutria still managed to destroy over 6,000 acres of Louisiana wetlands last year alone. So on November 5th, Righteous Fur celebrated its 3rd annual “Nutria-Palooza! on the Bayou” in …
Latest news: November 18, 2011
One piece at a time, Louisiana chalks up a rare victory protecting coastline Reported by John Snell, Fox8TV (New Orleans, La.). November 16, 2011. “Maurepas, LA– On the shores of Lake Maurepas, giants rise to dominate the landscape. Jurassic-like, they will grow to become the largest and oldest living things east of the Mississippi River– if only given the chance…” District commander says corps is doing ‘less with less’ By Cara Bayles, Daily Comet (Lafourche Parish, La.). November 16, 2011. …
Latest news: November 16, 2011
Protecting the environment and jobs: Bob Marshall By Bob Marshall, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). November 15, 2011. “They say there’s truth in numbers. Let’s start with these: 2.7 billion — That’s how much energy industries spent gaining access to Congress since 1998, according to the authoritative Web site OpenSecrets.org. 40,000 — That’s how much the Outdoor Industry Association says its political action committee has raised…” BP loses 2 big Gulf oil spill rulings By Harry R. Weber, Associated Press. …
Gulf Oil Spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment Provides Restoration Opportunities
By Whit Remer, Environmental Defense Fund Policymakers, scientists, and environmental advocates gathered earlier this month in Baltimore, Md. to explore the long-term impacts that oil from BP’s Deepwater Horizon may have on natural resources in the Gulf of Mexico. The symposium titled, “NRDA for the Gulf: Improving Our Ability to Quantify Chronic Damages,” highlighted both the challenges and opportunities of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA). NRDA is the scientific and legal process used by the government to restore natural …
Latest news: November 15, 2011
Coastal project building new land may be shut down Reported by: John Snell, Fox8TV. November 14, 2011. “Venice, LA— Near the mouth of the great American river, Earl Armstrong walks on land that did not exist last spring. As he surveys the West Bay River Diversion, Armstrong confidently declares, “it’s proving itself right now.”…” Louisiana will get an extra $390 million from FEMA By Bruce Alpert, Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). November 14, 2011. “WASHINGTON — Louisiana will get an additional $390 …
Study Analyzes Damaging Impacts of Hurricanes on Louisiana’s Coastal Wetlands
By Alisha Renfro, Ph.D., National Wildlife Federation Hurricanes are powerful storms that have the ability to alter coastal landscapes in a few hours. The wetlands of coastal Louisiana are similar to wetlands elsewhere, but they are often more susceptible to storm impacts due to their low elevation and the thick, organic-rich soil (and the lack of mineral sediment) that dominates much of the region. In a new study, “Hurricane Impacts on Coastal Wetlands: A Half-Century Record of Storm-Generated Features from …
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