Latest Mississippi River Delta News: Nov. 4, 2013

Stronger efforts needed to reduce nitrate pollution in Mississippi River basin
By Sandra Postel, National Geographic. Nov. 1, 2013.
“Despite growing concern over the last two decades about the low-oxygen “dead zone” that emerges each summer in the fisheries-rich Gulf of Mexico, the nitrate pollution at the root of the problem continues to rise…” (read more)

New techniques speed oyster growth, harvests
By Xerxes Wilson, The Houma Courier (Houma, La.). Nov. 1, 2013.
“As oil began to coat the Louisiana shoreline in summer 2010, 30-year oysterman Jules Melancon was on the edge of abandoning the industry he joined as an 11-year old…” (read more)

US has authority to probe Deepwater spill, 5th Circ. told
By Keith Goldberg, Law 360. Nov. 1, 2013.
“The U.S. Chemical Safety Board told the Fifth Circuit on Thursday that it was well within its authority to subpoena Transocean Ltd. for information related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, subpoenas that were upheld by a Texas federal judge in March…” (read more)

Federal appeals court to hear dueling arguments on judge’s approval of BP oil spill settlement
By Michael Kunzelman, Associated Press. Nov. 4, 2013.
“A federal appeals court is set to hear dueling arguments on whether a judge should have approved BP’s multibillion-dollar settlement for compensating victims of its 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico…” (read more)