Latest Mississippi River Delta News: Nov. 12, 2013

Washington Briefs: Vitter introduces sequestration bill
By Jordan Blum, The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.). Nov. 12, 2013.
“U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., teamed with U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., to introduce the new Return Our State Shares Act to exempt certain programs, including the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund, from being impacted by the ongoing sequestration budget cuts…” (read more)

Morganza process is still alive
By The Daily Comet (Lafouche Parish, La.). Nov. 9, 2013.
“The movement of the Morganza-to-the-Gulf hurricane protection project from idea to reality has been a long, frustrating series of steps forward and back…” (read more)

For strengthening levees, Bermuda grass is hard to beat
By Bob Marshall, WWNO (New Orleans, La.). Nov. 11, 2013.
“The idea that grass can armor anything is hard to believe. But on a recent visit to the Lake Pontchartrain levee, LSU agronomist Jeff Beasley explained how plain old, garden variety grass has earned a reputation with the US Army Corps of Engineers as one of the best armoring materials to keep the huge mud walls of a levee from collapsing during a storm…” (read more)

Judge: Chief coastal adviser’s emails are public records
By Joe Gyan Jr., The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.). Nov. 9, 2013.
“The state Division of Administration has until Jan. 15 to hand over to a New Orleans environmental activist thousands of emails that Gov. Bobby Jindal’s chief coastal-protection adviser sent and received during an eight-month span, a judge ruled Friday in Baton Rouge…” (read more)

Some in Congress are finally paying attention to sportsmen
By Bob Marshall, Field & Stream. Nov. 11, 2013.
“It’s hard to believe after events of the last few months but this is just in: Congress deserves sportsmen’s praise! Well, maybe that’s a little over the top…” (read more)

Morganza to the Gulf levee project could be decided in upcoming House-Senate negotiations
By Bruce Alpert, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). Nov. 5, 2013.
“Eight senators — five Democrats and three Republicans — were appointed Tuesday to represent the Senate in upcoming negotiations with the House of Representatives on a new water resources bill…” (read more)

Oil companies go deep
By Benoit Falcoun, The Wall Street Journal. Nov. 12, 2013.
“After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010, the largest in U.S. history, there was a lot of talk about the possibility of offshore drilling being scaled back. Instead, the opposite has happened…” (read more)