Latest Mississippi River Delta news: Sept. 10, 2013

09.10.2013 | In Latest News, Uncategorized

EDITORIAL: BP oil spill needs correct estimate
By editorial staff, Beaumont Enterprise. Sept. 9, 2013.
“While BP continues to slog through thousands of civil court cases from the disastrous 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a curious side issue has developed: Exactly how much oil did ooze out before the leak was plugged?…” (read more).

BP negotiated the settlement it’s trying to disown: Keith Jones
Op-Ed by Keith Jones, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). Sept. 6, 2013.
“As an attorney, I am dismayed to see the ease with which many in the media have blindly bought into BP’s latest round of misleading advertisements and take its propaganda for gospel…” (read more).

James Gill: BP’s money drowns integrity
By James Gill, The Advocate (Baton Rouge). Sept. 10, 2013.
“Nobody denies that BP is paying hundreds of millions, or more, to settle claims brought by businesses that suffered no losses whatsoever from the Deepwater Horizon leak in 2010…” (read more).

BP’s traveling a different road to redemption
By Talia Buford, Politico. Sept. 10, 2013.
“Three years after the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, BP’s post-disaster demeanor has gone from contrite to combative…” (read more).

John Barry, On Why The Levee Board Has Sued The Oil And Gas Companies
By Bob Marshall, WWNO 89.9 (New Orleans). Sept. 9, 2013.
“In July a landmark lawsuit was filed against the oil and gas industries for their role in the destruction of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands — a lawsuit that many people have been waiting decades to see…” (read more).

Honore backs lawsuit against oil companies
By Kevin McGill, Associated Press. Sept. 9, 2013.
“NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Army general who won acclaim for helping restore order in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina is backing a flood control board’s lawsuit against oil and gas companies…” (read more).

Judge asks to expand probe into oil spill claims payment program
By David Hammer, WWL-TV (New Orleans). Sept. 9, 2013.
“A federal judge responded to an investigation into BP claims fraud by asking former FBI Director Louis Freeh to expand his probe of the oil spill claims payment program…” (read more).

GNO, Inc. Water Plan Envisions Canals And Detention Ponds
By Eileen Fleming, WWNO 89.9 (New Orleans). Sept. 9, 2013.
“Business and political leaders joined with Dutch water experts in recommending a plan that revamps the way the New Orleans region deals with storm water. It requires a major shift in how residents see water inside the levee system…” (read more).

John Barry, Tim Doody should remain on the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East
Op-Ed by Ruthie Frierson, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). Sept. 8, 2013.
“In the terrible days after Katrina, the greatest challenge facing our citizens to rebuild our city was the need for enhanced flood protection – the levee system had failed. Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans was formed with a single focus to reform and consolidate levee boards in Southeast Louisiana…” (read more).

BP can take solace from disaster payment report
By Ed Crooks, Financial Times (London). Sept. 8, 2013.
“In BP’s battle to limit the cost of its compensation settlement for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, the independent investigation into allegations of misconduct in the claims process has failed to deliver the best outcome for the company: a call to stop payments…” (read more).

Hurricane season a dud despite dire preseason forecasts
By Doyle Rice, USA Today. Sept. 7, 2013.
“The preseason predictions were all dire, using words like “extremely active” and “above-normal” to describe the forecast for the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted that seven to 11 hurricanes would form, while AccuWeather predicted eight…” (read more).

Water in New Orleans: pushing a new approach to old problem
By Richard Rainey, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). Sept. 6, 2013.
“Eight years ago, 25 acres in Gentilly that an order of Catholic nuns called a sanctuary became a danger zone as the floodwaters that followed Hurricane Katrina quickly inundated its grounds…” (read more).

Some corruption in BP oil spill settlement program, Freeh says, but not on part of claims administrator
By The Associated Press, Sept. 6, 2013.
“An independent probe by former FBI director Louis Freeh has concluded that several private plaintiffs’ attorneys worked together to corrupt a settlement process designed to compensate victims of BP’s 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico…” (read more).

BP cuts estimate of oil spilled in Gulf ahead of court battle
By Emily Gosden, The Telegraph. Sept. 6, 2013.
“The oil major is preparing to return to court in New Orleans later this month for the second phase of the trial into civil penalties for the disaster, which killed 11 men and caused the worst offshore spill in US history…” (read more).

Pearl River project would threaten wetlands and marine life, officials say
By Kim Chatelain, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). Sept. 6, 2013.
“The resurrection of a plan to dam the Pearl River in Jackson, Miss., to alleviate flooding and create a lake there has drawn opposition from the St. Tammany Parish government and environmental leaders, who fear the project would damage Louisiana wetlands and threaten marine life…” (read more).