Latest news: December 20, 2011

12.20.2011 | In Latest News, Uncategorized

Rebuilding the Gulf Coast: State’s congressional delegation should support critical act

By the Anniston Star Editorial Board, The Anniston Star (Anniston, AL). December 20, 2011.

“After the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill, BP established a $1 billion pool that would serve as a good-faith down payment on fines and penalties anticipated from the laws that were broken and the damage that was done…”

Will Congress Vote to Restore the Gulf Coast?

By Allysa Battistoni, Mother Jones. December 14, 2011.

“It’s been more than a year and a half since the BP oil spill sent 4.9 million barrels of crude gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, and many of the communities and ecosystems affected by the spill are still struggling to recover. But there’s still a big wild card out there: Under the federal Clean Water Act, BP can be fined up to $4,300 per barrel of oil spilled, meaning the grand total BP will have to pay for Clean Water Act violations could be in the range of $5 to 20 billion…”

Drilling fluids spill from Shell site in Gulf of Mexico

By Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Fuel Fix. December 19, 2011.

“More than 13,000 gallons of drilling fluids — including about 7,500 gallons of synthetic materials — leaked from equipment at Shell’s Appomattox prospect into the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday…”

Once near extinction, La. alligators thrive

By Nikki Buskey, Daily Comet (Lafourche Parish, LA). December 19, 2011.

“You’ve seen them on television with shotguns, hooks and rotten chicken, brazenly hunting down the prehistoric beasts of Louisiana’s swamps. With the blast of a gun, a huge alligator is killed and hauled into their boats to be tagged and sold for its meat and skins…”

Indian Santa brings gifts, native pride to Dulac

By Cara Bayles, Houma Courier. December 19, 2011.

“Donning an enormous white headdress and traditional American Indian regalia in Christmas colors, Thomas Dardar Jr., principal chief of the United Houma Nation, spent some one-on-one time with each of the 250 children in attendance at Sunday’s annual toy giveaway…”