Latest news: April 25, 2012

Congress headed to showdown over coastal restoration money
By Bruce Alpert, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). April 24, 2012.
“Washington– The Senate and House are heading for conflict over whether to release the first federal construction money for the Louisiana Coastal Area Program that Congress approved five years ago. A Democratic-controlled Senate appropriations subcommittee Tuesday voted to allocate $16.8 million for the work, as requested by President Barack Obama…” (Read more)

Fishing guides say their businesses are gasping for air two years after BP oil spill
By Bob Marshall, The Times-Picayune. April 24, 2012.
“The official history of the Deepwater Horizon disaster reports the oil spill ended when the Macondo well was plugged on July 15, 2010, after gushing 200 million gallons of crude into the Gulf of Mexico over 12 weeks. Ryan Lambert disagrees…” (Read more)

Brown pelicans rebounding, 2 years after Gulf oil spill
By Bob Marshall, The Times-Picayune. April 24, 2012.
“Last Thursday morning, the Cat Islands in Barataria Bay looked like a slice of brown pelican heaven. Every mangrove bush seemed crowned by a nest, and each nest was home to a group of youngsters, from the tiny, hairless newborns that resemble dinosaurs more than birds, to the gangly adolescents trying to test their emerging plumage. And each nest was guarded by at least one vigilant parent while other adults were wheeling across the blue sky hunting for finned meals in the sparkling green waters below…” (Read more)