Latest Mississippi River Delta News: Dec. 17, 2013
Nature has a role to play in coastal protection
By Steve Cochran, Letter to the Editor, The Washington Post. Dec. 15, 2013.
“Regarding the Dec. 9 news article “Study says U.S. can’t keep up with loss of its wetlands”: Last year, as part of ongoing efforts to reverse losses in the Mississippi River Delta, Louisiana’s governor proposed and its state legislature passed a Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast…” (read more)
Less is more when restoring wetlands
By John Carey, Scientific American. Dec. 11, 2013.
“Joy Zedler carefully planned the three experimental wetlands at the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Arboretum to be identical: parallel marshes 295 feet long and 15 feet wide, carved by engineers into the green landscape…” (read more)
Cameron Parish coastal restoration project well underway
By KATC (Lafayette, La.). Dec. 16, 2013.
“A shoreline restoration project east of Holly Beach in Cameron Parish was discussed by Governor Bobby Jindal and local officials today. The project is restoring miles of eroded beach devastated over many years…” (read more)
Workers restore barrier island beaches
By Xerxes Wilson, The Houma Courier (Houma, La.). Dec. 14, 2013.
“The state is turning back the geological clock on the beach in south Lafourche Parish. Building land is a round-the-clock effort on Fourchon Beach as work continues on the Caminada Headland project…” (read more)
Louisiana Oil and Gas Assoc. sues state attorney general over approval of wetlands damages suit
By Mark Schleifstein, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). Dec. 16, 2013.
“The Louisiana Oil & Gas Association filed suit Friday against Attorney General Buddy Caldwell in an attempt to halt a wetlands damages lawsuit filed in July by the Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East against 97 oil, gas and pipeline companies…” (read more)
Lafourche Council may support levee sales tax
By Jacob Batte, The Houma Courier (Houma, La.). Dec. 16, 2013.
“If the North Lafourche Levee and Conservation District wants a new sales tax for increased flood protection, Lafourche Parish Council members said they support the effort…” (read more)
Oil group sues Louisiana AG over industry lawsuit
By Kevin McGill, Associated Press. Dec.16, 2013.
“An oil and gas association has filed a lawsuit against Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell, accusing him of illegally approving a New Orleans-area flood protection board’s contract with lawyers suing the industry over coastal wetlands loss…” (read more)
Court should weigh in on East Bank levee board suit against oil and gas companies, auditor says
By Lauren McGaoughy, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). Dec. 13, 2013.
“The Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority-East, which filed a historic lawsuit against 97 oil, gas and pipeline companies, should ask a court to weigh in on whether its legal action conflicts with state law, the state legislative auditor said Thursday (Dec. 12)…” (read more)
Where are the ducks? Aerial survey shows Louisiana marshes holding poor numbers
By Todd Masson, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). Dec. 16, 2013.
“Cold weather in November and so far in December hasn’t resulted in the boon duck hunters expected, according to the state’s official aerial survey, which was flown Dec. 10-12…” (read more)
EPA, Corps say benefits of protecting wetlands, streams far outweigh costs
By Amena H. Saiyid, Bloomberg BNA. Dec. 13, 2013.
“Subjecting an additional 3 percent of U.S. waters and wetlands to Clean Water Act regulation would yield nearly twice as much in benefits as it would cost affected industries, according to a cost-benefit analysis of a draft rule obtained by Bloomberg BNA…” (read more)
BP ad uses Emeril as example of abuses in oil spill settlement
By David hammer, WWL TV (New Orleans, La.). Dec. 13, 2013.
“In an ad that ran in national newspapers this week, BP used thinly veiled language to make celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse the poster-child of the hundreds of millions in “fictional losses” it says a federal court is incorrectly paying…” (read more)
Ex-BP engineer destroyed Gulf spill evidence, jury told
By Margaret Cronin Fisk and Daniel Lawton, Bloomberg. Dec. 16, 2013.
“A former BP engineer deliberately destroyed evidence sought by the U.S. for a probe of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico well explosion and oil spill, a federal prosecutor said at the end of a trial in New Orleans…” (read more)