Latest news: March 26, 2012

Adopt Louisiana’s coastal restoration blueprint: An editorial
Editorial, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). March 26, 2012.
“The state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority spent nearly three months listening to public input on its coastal master plan and making changes before voting unanimously this week to adopt it. Now the 50-year, $50 billion plan, which addresses both hurricane protection and coastal restoration, heads to the state Legislature, and lawmakers should adopt this important road map for our future…” (Read more)

Louisiana and other Gulf states need Congress to pass the Restore the Gulf Act: An editorial
Editorial, The Times-Picayune. March 25, 2012.
“Legislation to dedicate 80 percent of BP oil spill fines to the Gulf Coast states was on an encouraging upswing earlier this month, when the Senate adopted a transportation bill that included what’s known as the Restore Act. But the momentum gained with the Senate vote — and earlier House action to include Restore Act provisions in its version of the transportation bill — has now slowed…” (Read more)

Don’t let the RESTORE Act die in House
Editorial, The Press-Register (Mobile, Ala.). March 25, 2012.
“IT MAY have suffered a setback, but the RESTORE Act is too important to the Gulf states for the region’s congressional delegations to give up on its passage…” (Read more)

Our Opinion: RESTORE Act
Editorial, The Tallahassee Democrat. March 23, 2012.
“Nearly two years ago, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, sparking an environmental disaster that touched every Gulf state…” (Read more)

Louisiana lawmakers continue to press for passage of Restore Act
By Bruce Alpert and Jonathan Tilove, The Times-Picayune. March 24, 2012.
“Louisiana lawmakers are continuing efforts to pass the Restore Act, which would funnel 80 percent of Clean Water Act fines from the 2010 BP oil spill to the five Gulf States. Last week, the House, on a mostly party-line vote, rejected a Democratic move to pass a two-year $109 billion Senate transportation bill, which includes the Restore Act…” (Read more)

Dolphins in Barataria Bay are severely ill, NOAA says
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune. March 23, 2012.
“Bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay are showing signs of severe ill health, according to NOAA marine mammal biologists and their local, state, federal and other research partners, NOAA announced today. Barataria Bay received heavy and prolonged exposure to oil during the 2010 Gulf spill after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded…” (Read more)

Study: Oil from Deepwater Horizon spill entered Gulf food chain
EarthSky. March 22, 2012.
“A new study confirms that oil from the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon spill made it into the Gulf’s food chain through the tiniest of organisms, zooplankton…” (Read more)

Environmental groups thank Gulf senators
By Walter Pierce, The Independent Weekly (Lafayette, La.). March 23, 2012.
“First it was via an advertising barrage by BP in 2010 and 2011 as the oil giant tried to restore its reputation among consumers in the region following the April 2010 spill. Now select Gulf Coast newspapers’ bottom line is getting a boost in the form of full-page color ads purchased by a group of environmental groups in a “thank you” campaign..” (Read more)