Latest Mississippi River Delta News: Oct. 14, 2013

Voice of the Wetlands Festival will showcase culture, promote awareness
By Rachel Warren, The Houma Courier (Houma, La.). Oct. 10, 2013.
“The annual Voice of the Wetlands Festival will celebrate its 10th year this weekend, and organizers expect as many as 10,000 people to attend the party on the grounds of Southdown Plantation in Houma…” (read more)

Karen pushes more oily debris onto La. beaches
By Amy Wold, The Advocate (Baton Rouge). Oct. 14, 2013.
Even though Tropical Storm Karen was blown apart by upper level winds before it could reach the Gulf Coast, the storm did push hundreds of pounds of oily debris ashore…” (read more)

Editorial was unfair to BP
By Jason Ryan, press officer for BP America, published by The Daily Comet (LaFourche, La.). Oct. 12, 2013.
“Your editorial, “Cleanup is still necessary,” is full of erroneous information that misleads your readers and paints a false picture of the true state of the Louisiana coastline. Your readers should know the facts…” (read more)

Engineering firm seeks to expand coastal project work
By Ted Griggs, The Advocate (Baton Rouge). Oct. 12, 2013.
“Baton Rouge engineering firm GEC Inc. has acquired Noble Consultants, a California engineering company that specializes in coastal, harbor and water projects…” (read more)

BP settlement review further delays payouts; RD Legal offers accelerated attorney settlement funding
By PR Newswire. Oct. 11, 2013.
“On October 3rd, BP was granted an injunction in the case regarding the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Explosion and the subsequent oil spills…” (read more)

‘Water Like Stone’ filmmaker Zack Godshall finds inspiration in Louisiana’s inherent tensions
ByChelsea Brasted, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). Oct. 11, 2013.
“The Baton Rouge-based filmmaker continues his effort with “Water Like Stone,” a documentary portrait of Leeville, a small fishing town slowly being eaten away as the surrounding wetlands vanish…” (read more)

Garrison Keillor celebrates rhyme and laughter at Saenger and New Orleans JCC
By Chris Waddington, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). Oct. 8, 2013.
“Garrison Keillor brings his public radio show to the Saenger Theatre on Saturday (Oct. 12), letting New Orleans fans add to a trove of sweet memories that date back nearly four decades…” (read more)

Feds and BP clash over barrels spilled at Macondo trial
By Susan Buchanan, Huffington Post Green. Oct. 13, 2013.
“At the Macondo spill trial, number crunching or quantification of the oil flow started Monday in U.S. District Court in New Orleans, with Judge Carl Barbier presiding…” (read more)

Louisiana to sue over flood insurance reform
By Xerxes Wilson, The Houma Courier (Houma, La.). Oct. 11, 2013.
“Louisiana plans to sue the federal government to delay or block potentially unaffordable price increases tied to reform of the National Flood Insurance Program…” (read more)

Federal judge orders BP, private plaintiffs to hammer out changes to business claims rules
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans). Oct. 11, 2013.
“Attorneys for BP and private plaintiffs who entered into a multibillion-dollar settlement of economic claims from the 2012 Deepwater Horizon accident and oil spillhave been given until 5 p.m. Tuesday (Oct. 15) to recommend new language to govern the way “business economic claims” are paid under the settlement…” (read more)

Louisiana shrimp red-flagged
By John DeSanti, The Tri-Parish Times (Houma, La.). Oct. 9, 2013
“A Seafood Watch assessment of the U. S. shrimp fishery in the Gulf of Mexico has for the first time listed all Louisiana wild-caught shrimp as “red” and warned seafood consumers to “avoid” eating or buying it due to its harm to endangered sea turtles…” (read more)

Senate clears bill to implement drilling pact
By Ben Geman, The Hill (Washington, D.C.). Oct. 13, 2013.
“The Senate approved legislation Saturday to implement a U.S.-Mexico pact that would enable offshore drilling cooperation along a maritime boundary in the Gulf of Mexico…” (read more)

Government shutdown may impact multibillion-dollar energy industry
By Deon Daugherty, Houston Business Journal (Houston, Texas). Oct. 11, 2013.
“As the U.S. government shutdown heads into a second week, the oil and gas industry is taking notice…” (read more)

Shutdown delays BP lawsuit over federal contracts freeze
By Ben Geman, The Hill (Washington, D.C.). Oct. 13, 2013.
“A federal court has extended the Environmental Protection’s Agency’s (EPA) looming deadline to respond to BP’s lawsuit challenging the freeze on winning new federal contracts that EPA imposed over the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill…” (read more)