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 million in hazard mitigation money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, nearly a 30 percent increase in funding designed to reduce future flooding damage in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita…”

County supports Gulf RESTORE act

By Jessi Stone, Navarre Press (Navarre, Fl.). November 14, 2011.

“The Santa Rosa County Board of County Commissioners passed a joint resolution last week between the eight coastal counties most affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill to support the federal RESTORE the Gulf Coast Act…”

Coast Guard official chosen to police offshore drilling

By Ben Geman, The Hill (Washington, DC). November 14, 2011.

“U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. James A. Watson IV, who played a key role in the BP oil spill response, is moving to the Interior Department to run the newly launched Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE)…”

Exclusive: Aboard Weatherbird, a team of scientists studies oil spill’s effects

By Kevin Lollar, News-Press (Southwest Fl.). November 14, 2011.

“As the 115-foot Research Vessel Weatherbird II rolled in 4-foot seas 120 miles west of Tampa Bay, the call went out: “Fish on.” Excitement was tangible; scientists hauled the 300-pound monofilament line, working the fish to the surface of the startlingly blue Gulf of Mexico…”