Latest news: February 8, 2012
Act now on RESTORE
Editorial. News Herald (Panama City, Fla.). February 7, 2012.
“Legal hearings on Justice Department charges against BP for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil disaster are scheduled to begin Feb. 27 in New Orleans. However, there are multiple reports that the company and the government are close to negotiating a settlement that would avoid court and result in BP agreeing to pay between $5 billion and $25 billion in damages…”
Two Years After Spill, BP Profits and Plans
By Clifford Krauss and Julia Werdigier, New York Times. February 7, 2012.
“HOUSTON — Less than two years ago, the British oil company BP was worried about its very survival as a seemingly unstoppable oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico threatened to destroy its finances and reputation…”
BP Profits Highlight Need for Congress to Pass RESTORE Act
By Jaclyn McDougal, National Wildlife Federation. February 7, 2012.
“Reports today indicate that BP made a major profit for 2011. BP announced that it made a profit of $25.7 billion during the 2011 calendar year. BP’s fourth-quarter profits alone reached $7.69 billion, up 38 percent from 2010. The company made $3 million every hour during 2011…”
Louisiana officials establish formula for anticipating sea-level rise
By Mark Schleifstein, Times-Picayune. February 7, 2012.
“State coastal restoration and levee projects should be designed to anticipate an average 3.3 feet increase in sea level over the next 100 years, according to a new Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority report. But the project designs must also consider whether changing circumstances, including a reduction in the speed in which coastal land is sinking or a possible catastrophic increase in atmospheric temperatures, could produce sea levels rises of only 1.6 feet or as high as 4.9 feet by 2112…”
Low-lying Louisiana prepares for sea level to rise
By Cain Burdeau, Associated Press. February 7, 2012.
“NEW ORLEANS (WTW) — A scientific report issued by Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration predicts that the Louisiana coast could see about 3 feet of sea level rise along the already low and vulnerable Louisiana coast by 2100 — a prediction that leaves this Cajun coast drowning and under siege from storm surge for decades to come…”
Sierra Club urges strong action on any oil spill settlement
By Rebecca Mowbray, Times-Picayune. February 7, 2012.
“On Monday, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune wrote a letter to President Barack Obama urging his administration to make sure that settlement over the oil spill take “strong action” to deter future bad behavior and ensure that adequate money is available to restore the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem…”
State Developing New Physical River Model
By Morgan Crutcher, Coastal Currents.
“In early February, state of Louisiana officials met with the public to talk about itsplans for a new small-scale physical model (SSPM) of the lower Mississippi River…”