Archive for Media Resources


Conservation Groups Laud Funding for Restoration Efforts from Senate

April 26, 2012 | Posted by Elizabeth Skree in Congress, Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA), Media Resources, RESTORE Gulf Coast States Act, Senator Mary Landrieu

Federal funds will support critical restoration construction projects, jobs in Louisiana

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contacts:   
Elizabeth Skree, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, eskree@edf.org
Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org
Kevin Chandler, National Audubon Society, 202.596.0960, kchandler@audubon.org

(Washington, D.C.—April 26, 2011) Today, five national and local conservation groups praised the Senate Appropriations Committee for approving funding for critical restoration projects in Louisiana, including an effort to use sediment dredged from navigation waterways to recreate critical wetlands. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would receive $16.8 million for the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA) program to begin construction on LCA ecosystem restoration projects and $9.3 million to study future projects. This funding was part of President Obama’s budget request and was strongly supported by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.).

"This funding is an important step forward in helping restore critical wetlands around the Mississippi River Delta, as well as helping create new jobs in Louisiana. This is a win-win for the environment and the economy,” said the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Environmental Defense Fund, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, National Audubon Society and National Wildlife Federation in a joint statement. "Thanks to the Appropriations Committee and Sen. Landrieu, these restoration projects will put sediment from the Mississippi River back to use creating wetlands that act as a speed bump for hurricanes and a natural storm buffer for communities.”

“We hope Congress will include this funding in the final version of the Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill,” the groups continued. “Taking these preventative actions now will make these areas less vulnerable to future disasters."

Since the 1930s, Louisiana has lost more than 1,900 square miles of wetlands, an area roughly equivalent to the state of Delaware. The decline of the Mississippi River Delta’s wetlands has dramatically impaired protection from hurricanes and wiped out much of the buffer against future storms and disasters. The loss of wetlands also threatens:

  • One of our nation’s most important fisheries
  • One of our nation’s most significant port complexes and navigation systems
  • Wildlife, including tens of millions of migratory birds and waterfowl
  • Domestic energy production and processing
  • Communities all along the central Gulf Coast

The federal funding was provided in the Senate Appropriations Committee Report on the FY13 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill.

More restoration projects like the ones funded through this budget request would be possible with passage of the RESTORE Act. The legislation would dedicate 80 percent of oil spill penalties paid by BP and others responsible for the 2010 oil spill towards gulf restoration. The RESTORE Act has received strong bipartisan support in both the House and Senate.

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New NWF Report: A Degraded Gulf of Mexico

April 10, 2012 | Posted by Kevin Chandler in BP Oil Disaster, Media Resources, Reports, RESTORE Gulf Coast States Act
This story was originally posted by the National Wildlife Federation.

Wildlife and Wetlands Two Years into the Gulf Oil Disaster

By Jaclyn McDougal, National Wildlife Federation.

Dolphins in Gulf of Mexico, May 2010

As the two-year mark of the Deepwater Horizon blowout approaches, the National Wildlife Federation issued a new report today examining the health of the Gulf’s wildlife and wetlands. Impacts from the Gulf oil disaster will be unfolding for years, if not decades, and many species of wildlife in the Gulf of Mexico will need the combined efforts of scientists, policymakers and regulators to recover.

A Degraded Gulf Of Mexico: Wildlife and Wetlands Two Years into the Gulf Oil Disaster (pdf) was written by National Wildlife Federation Senior Scientist Dr. Doug Inkley. The report is also available as an interactive graphic at www.nwf.org/OilSpill

Major highlights include:

  • The poor health in dolphins in the most heavily oiled areas and the spike in dolphin deaths suggest possible ecosystem-wide effects of the oil.
  • The Gulf’s already-endangered sea turtle population has been dealt a severe blow by the oil disaster. Already strained bluefin tuna, deep sea coral, Gulf wetlands and coastal habitats were also impacted.

“It’s important to remember what we don’t yet know. Previous catastrophes like the Exxon Valdez have shown that impacts of oil disasters last many years or even decades,” Inkley said. “Little action has been taken to address the long-term species threats and wetlands habitat degradation exacerbated by the oil disaster. Much more needs to be done to ensure a complete recovery.”

Other oil disasters have taken years to reveal their full effects, and often recovery remains incomplete after decades.

“It will be critical to monitor these key species in the months and years ahead, especially given the unknown impacts of weathered and ‘dispersed’ oil remaining in the Gulf,” said Dr. George Crozier, retired director of Dauphin Island Sea Lab. “This disaster hit an ecosystem already weakened by years of wetlands degradation, including coastal areas around the Mississippi River Delta losing a football field worth of land every hour.”

The April 20, 2010 blowout on the Deepwater Horizon rig killed 11 workers and the Macondo well would eventually release nearly 206 million gallons of oil, providing a new setback to a Gulf ecosystem already struggling with years of wetlands degradation and the destructive power of Hurricane Katrina.

“It is essential for Congress to pass the RESTORE Act to reinvest penalties and fines to restoring the Gulf,” said David Muth, state director of NWF’s Mississippi River Delta program. “Without legislation to direct fines and penalties from the oil disaster to restoring the Gulf Coast’s wetlands and coastal ecosystems and a comprehensive Gulf Coast restoration program, the outlook for Gulf recovery will remain uncertain.”

Download the full report here: A Degraded Gulf of Mexico: Wildlife and Wetlands Two Years Into the Gulf Oil Disaster (pdf)

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86% of Louisiana voters support adoption of 2012 Coastal Master Plan

April 3, 2012 | Posted by Delta Dispatches in 2012 Coastal Master Plan, BP Oil Disaster, Media Resources, Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA), RESTORE Gulf Coast States Act

Overwhelming majorities agree coast vital to future and can be saved 

(Baton Rouge, La.—April 3, 2012) Eighty-six percent of Louisiana voters say they want their legislators to approve the state’s 2012 Coastal Master Plan, according to a new poll released today. The plan lays out a 50-year vision for protecting and restoring the coast, including increased hurricane risk reduction for coastal communities and reconnecting the Mississippi River with disappearing coastal wetlands. Overwhelming majorities of the voters surveyed in the poll believe the state’s coastal areas and wetlands are important to the state’s future and express optimism that the coast can be restored, despite decades of decline.

Nearly all respondents, both in coastal and non-coastal areas of the state, feel that Louisiana’s coastal areas and wetlands are very important to the future of Louisiana.

“This poll shows Louisiana voters feel strongly that our state’s coastal areas and wetlands are crucial to our future,” said Buster McKenzie, president of Baton Rouge-based Southern Media & Opinion Research, Inc., which conducted the poll. “An overwhelming majority of voters want their legislators to approve the 2012 Coastal Master Plan because they agree that coastal Louisiana can be saved if the projects in the master plan are implemented.”

The state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority unanimously approved the 2012 Coastal Master Plan Mar. 21 and sent it to the state legislature Mar. 26. The legislature must approve the plan for it to take effect.

The poll found extremely high agreement statewide that Louisiana’s coastal areas and wetlands are “very important” to the state’s future:

  • 91 percent of voters statewide,
  • 98 percent of coastal voters,
  • 87 percent of non-coastal voters (with an additional 11 percent saying “somewhat important”).

Additionally, the poll found that 88 percent of respondents express optimism that when adequate funding becomes available, coastal areas can in fact be saved. Two potential sources of funding include Natural Resource Damage Assessment dollars from the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster and legislation in Congress that would dedicate 80 percent of expected billions in penalties from the disaster to Gulf Coast restoration, including in Louisiana. Both houses of Congress have approved similar versions of the legislation, the RESTORE the Gulf Coast States Act. However, Congress still needs to resolve the differences between the two bills and get a final bill to the president’s desk before it can become law.

“Voters clearly realize that the state master plan is critically important to saving Louisiana as we know it because it will protect jobs, communities, fisheries and wildlife.  That’s why it’s no surprise that such an overwhelming majority of voters in the state believe that coastal areas and wetlands can — and must — be saved,” said a joint statement by the Coalition To Restore Coastal Louisiana, Environmental Defense Fund, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, Louisiana Wildlife Federation, National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation and The Nature Conservancy. “The message is clear: Let’s pass the 2012 Coastal Master Plan and get this vital work underway as soon as possible.”

The statewide telephone poll was conducted between Mar. 23 and Mar. 27, 2012. It sampled 801 registered, likely Louisiana voters, based on previous voting patterns.

The poll was funded by the National Audubon Society and has a margin of error of ± 4.0 percent.

Contacts:
Buster McKenzie, Southern Media & Opinion Research, 225-383-4509, mckenzie@smor.com
David J. Ringer, National Audubon Society, 601-642-7058, dringer@audubon.org
Scott Madere, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, 225-767-4181, scottm@crcl.org
Sean Crowley, Environmental Defense Fund, 202-550-6524, scrowley@edf.org
John Lopez, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, 504-421-7348, johnlopez@pobox.com
Chris Macaluso, Louisiana Wildlife Federation, 225-344-6707, chris@lawildlifefed.org
Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225-253-9781, guidrye@nwf.org
Karen Gautreaux, The Nature Conservancy, 225-788-4525, kgautreaux@tnc.org

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Hill ads praise 76 senators for passing gulf restoration amendment

March 27, 2012 | Posted by Delta Dispatches in BP Oil Disaster, Clean Water Act, Congress, Media Resources, RESTORE Gulf Coast States Act

Groups pledge to work with senators to ensure final passage of legislation

News Release (Washington, D.C.—March 27, 2012) Capitol newspapers will run full-page color ads this week by six Gulf restoration advocacy groups thanking the 76 Senators who approved legislation to dedicate 80 percent of the Clean Water Act fines from the parties responsible for the Gulf oil spill to restoring the Gulf.

The ad copy says:

“On behalf of our members nationwide, we thank the 76 Senate leaders who voted in favor of restoring the ecosystems and economies of the Gulf region by passing the RESTORE Act as an amendment to the transportation bill.

The RESTORE Act will help repair and strengthen the environment, communities and businesses in the Gulf still suffering nearly two years after the unprecedented Gulf oil disaster.

We look forward to working with you to ensure final passage of RESTORE into law.”

The ads are paid for by: National Wildlife Federation, Environmental Defense Fund, National Audubon Society, Oxfam America, and Ocean Conservancy. The ads will run on the following dates in the following newspapers:

The House already has approved a similar RESTORE Act amendment sponsored by Congressman Steve Scalise (R-La.) as part of the House transportation bill.

Contacts:
Sean Crowley, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.572.3331, scrowley@edf.org
David J. Ringer, National Audubon Society, 601.642.7058, dringer@audubon.org
Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org
David Willett, Ocean Conservancy, 202.351.0465, dwillett@oceanconservancy.org
Laura Rusu, Oxfam America, 202.496.1169, lrusu@oxfamamerica.org

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Gulf ads thank gulf senators for passing gulf restoration amendment

March 23, 2012 | Posted by Delta Dispatches in BP Oil Disaster, Clean Water Act, Congress, Media Resources, RESTORE Gulf Coast States Act

62 Gulf businesses, business groups, restoration advocacy groups sign ads

News Release

(Washington, D.C.—March 23, 2012) Five Gulf state newspapers will run full-page color ads starting today thanking the nine Gulf senators who recently voted in favor of legislation to dedicate 80 percent of the Clean Water Act fines from the parties responsible for the Gulf oil spill to restoring the Gulf ecosystem and economy.

The ads features a “thank you” from 62 Gulf businesses, business groups and restoration advocacy groups to the nine Gulf senators who “led an overwhelmingly bipartisan group of 76 senators to pass the RESTORE the Gulf Coast States Act [to] help repair and strengthen the communities, businesses and environment…still suffering nearly two years after the unprecedented Gulf oil disaster.”

The full-page color ads, which cost a total of $45,000, are paid for by: National Wildlife Federation, Environmental Defense Fund, National Audubon Society, Oxfam America, and Ocean Conservancy. The ads will run on the following dates in the following newspapers:

*Cosponsored and voted for RESTORE Act
** Voted for RESTORE Act

The House already has approved a similar RESTORE Act amendment sponsored by Congressman Steve Scalise (R-La.) as part of the House transportation bill.

The Gulf businesses, business groups and restoration advocacy groups signing the thank you ads include:

  1. Alabama Coastal Foundation
  2. Alabama Forest Resources Center
  3. Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce
  4. Alabama Wildlife Federation
  5. American Shore and Beach Preservation Association
  6. American Shore and Beach Preservation Association – Texas Chapter
  7. Apalachee Land Conservancy
  8. Baton Rouge Audubon Society
  9. Biohabitats, Inc.
  10. Birmingham Audubon Society
  11. Canal Barge Company, Inc.
  12. Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana
  13. Coast Builders Coalition
  14. Coastal Bend Audubon Society
  15. Coastal Resiliency Coalition
  16. Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast
  17. The Conservation Fund
  18. Dauphin Island Bird Sanctuary
  19. Dredging Contractors of America
  20. Environmental Defense Fund
  21. Florida’s Nature Coast Conservancy
  22. Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
  23. Florida Wildlife Federation
  24. Francis M. Weston Audubon Society
  25. Galveston Bay Foundation
  26. Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, LLC
  27. Greater New Orleans, Inc.
  28. Gulf Intracoastal Canal Association
  29. Gulf Restoration Network
  30. Gulf United Metro Business Organization
  31. Houston Audubon Society
  32. Houston Wilderness
  33. Keith and Schnars, P.A.
  34. Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation
  35. Land Trust Accreditation Commission
  36. Land Trust Alliance
  37. Land Trust for the Mississippi Coastal Plain
  38. Louisiana Restaurant Association
  39. Louisiana Wildlife Federation
  40. Mississippi Coast Audubon Society
  41. Mississippi Hospitality & Restaurant Association
  42. Mississippi Wildlife Federation
  43. Mobile Bay Audubon Society
  44. Mobile Baykeeper
  45. National Audubon Society
  46. National Parks Conservation Association
  47. National Wildlife Federation
  48. The Nature Conservancy
  49. New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau
  50. Ocean Conservancy
  51. Oktibbeha Audubon Society
  52. Orleans Audubon Society
  53. Oxfam America
  54. Partnership for Gulf Coast Land Conservation
  55. South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce
  56. St. Bernard Parish Government
  57. Texas Conservation Alliance
  58. Tierra Resources LLC
  59. Weeks Bay Foundation
  60. Weeks Marine
  61. Weston Solutions, Inc.
  62. Women of the Storm

Contacts:
Sean Crowley, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.572.3331, scrowley@edf.org
David J. Ringer, National Audubon Society, 601.642.7058, dringer@audubon.org
Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org
Heather Layman, The Nature Conservancy, 703.475.1733, hlayman@tnc.org
David Willett, Ocean Conservancy, 202.351.0465, dwillett@oceanconservancy.org
Laura Rusu, Oxfam America, 202.496.1169, lrusu@oxfamamerica.org

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NWF tour finds BP oil still soaking Louisiana marshes, menacing wildlife

March 22, 2012 | Posted by Delta Dispatches in Birds, BP Oil Disaster, Media Resources, RESTORE Gulf Coast States Act, Science, Wildlife

This story was originally posted on the National Wildlife Federation's Wildlife Promise blog.

By Miles Grant, National Wildlife Federation

Tar mat coats marsh in Bay Jimmy off Louisiana's Barataria Bay, March 2012 (NWF staff photo)

The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) this week led a boat trip to Louisiana marshes hit hard by the Gulf oil disaster. The trip made depressingly clear that while national attention has moved on and Congress still hasn’t passed legislation to restore the Gulf, much BP oil remains, it’s easy to find and it’s never far from the Gulf’s wildlife.

The trip out of Myrtle Grove Marina with Captain Dave Marino was led by David Muth, state director of NWF’s Mississippi River Delta campaign, David White, director of NWF’s Gulf of Mexico Restoration campaign and Alisha Renfro, NWF coastal scientist.

“As they headed south to the corner of Barataria Bay called Bay Jimmy, the tide was high and winds were blowing strong at 20 miles an hour out of the southeast,” said NWF’s David White. “That drove water high up into the marsh, obscuring the oiled edges denuded of vegetation. With such a high water line, it was hard to determine exactly how much oil might remain.”

After finding a safe place to land, it became clear that despite BP’s efforts to mop and scrape marshes, oil remains in various stages of weathering and decomposition. On the surface, it’s now weathered into tar — some small clumps and other large mats — and it’s there for the long term.

“There were a few patches in the marsh that were completely devoid of vegetation. They smelled like asphalt,” said NWF’s Alisha Renfro. “Because it’s so thick, natural processes like sunlight and bacteria have a hard time breaking down the hydrocarbons. It ends up serving like a cap on the marsh surface — a hardened seal that blocks light and gas exchange, diminishes growth and creates a dead zone with little new life. However, baby fiddler crabs and other marsh invertebrates could be seen scuttling across the dead surface.”

Dead American White Pelican with oil on it in Louisiana's Bay Jimmy, March 2012 (NWF staff photo)

In the tar-covered marshes, NWF staff found a dead and decomposed American White Pelican. Liquid oil was visible on its wing feathers, its origin mysterious, until the staff made a new discovery.

“Wherever we stood in the marshes, liquid oil would squeeze out of the sediment. I probed the ground a little and didn’t see the oil right at the surface, so it was probably coming from several centimeters down,” said NWF’s Alisha Renfro. “During the winter, with cooler temperatures, this oil would be thicker and harder to see since it’s not at the surface, but as it has gotten warmer the oil is far less viscous and can seep back to the marsh surface.”

It’s impossible to know when the oil got on the pelican or contributed to its death. “A large flock of pelicans nearby had settled on another marshy shoreline that had been similarly oiled. They appeared healthy with no signs of oiling from a distance,” said NWF’s David Muth. “But the dead bird provided a stark reminder that nearly two years into the Gulf oil disaster, the BP oil remains a daily fact of life for the Gulf’s wildlife.”

American White Pelicans in Louisiana's Barataria Bay, March 2012 (NWF staff photo)

As you can see in additional photos from the trip at NWF’s Flickr page, marshes continue to show signs of degradation and retreat. That follows the trend NWF staff have witnessed in recent trips, like the collapse of Cat Island’s mangrove trees from a thriving rookery for Brown Pelicans and other birds in 2010 to a patch of brown lifeless sticks in 2011.

The trip was a reminder that Mississippi River Delta restoration is needed now more than ever. While the Senate passed the RESTORE Act as part of its transportation bill, the House has yet to act.

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RESTORE Act Fines Could Provide Job Opportunities in Gulf Coast, 32 Other States

December 5, 2011 | Posted by Delta Dispatches in BP Oil Disaster, Job Creation, Media Resources, Reports, RESTORE Gulf Coast States Act

Economic Study Released 2 Days Before House Hearing on RESTORE Act 

(Tallahassee, FL–December 5, 2011) The Clean Water Act penalties from last year’s BP oil disaster could kick start the launch of a long-term investment in ecosystem restoration and create jobs that would benefit at least 140 businesses with nearly 400 employee locations in 37 states, including more than 260 in the Gulf Coast and nearly 60 in Florida, according to a new Duke University study. The report—“RESTORING THE GULF COAST: New Markets for Established Firms,” funded by Environmental Defense Fund—is based on a sample of 140 firms linked to coastal restoration projects already undertaken or completed.

“Long-term ecosystem restoration would be an economic grand slam because it both protects current jobs in key Florida industries—like fishing, tourism, and shipping—and creates new jobs,” said Jackie Prince Roberts, director of sustainable technologies for Environmental Defense Fund. “A study of Everglades restoration by Mather Economics—based on data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers—estimates that every $1 million of public investment in restoring the Everglades would create about 20 jobs. Our study helps Florida residents understand where those jobs can be created, and the opportunity Florida has to be a leader in this new industry sector that provides ecosystem restoration services to the Gulf, and to meet emerging global demand."

The study’s release is timely because the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold a hearing Wednesday to examine bipartisan legislation, the RESTORE Act (H.R. 3096), that would dedicate 80 percent of the estimated $5-21 billion in Clean Water Act fines from the 4.9 million barrel spill to restoring the Gulf. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee already has approved the Senate version of the bill (S. 1400), cosponsored by nine of the 10 Gulf state senators, including Florida’s Bill Nelson (D) and Marco Rubio (R).

“Restoration projects activate a full supply chain linking materials providers, equipment manufacturers, shipbuilders, machinery repair firms, engineering and construction contractors, and environmental resource firms,” the report says. “Many of the firms are based in the Gulf Coast region. Having long worked in the marine construction industry building oil and gas industry infrastructure, they can apply the same skills and equipment to coastal restoration, thus finding new markets and a more diverse client base.”

Florida companies involved in coastal restoration.

“Coastal habitat restoration typically creates at least 3-4 times as many jobs as road infrastructure or oil and gas projects for every $1 million invested,” said Keith Bowers, president of Biohabitats, Inc., a conservation planning, ecological restoration and regenerative design firm that does restoration work in the Everglades, Big Cypress and Tampa Bay, FL, Texas and Louisiana, and  has offices in Baltimore, MD; Louisville, KY; Raleigh, NC; North Charleston, SC, Denver, CO; Cleveland, OH; Glen Ridge, NJ; and Santa Fe, NM. “This study proves ecological restoration can be a real catalyst for job creation, economic vitality and ecosystem resiliency. Passing the RESTORE Act could help restore the fishing and tourism industries in Florida and the other Gulf Coast states.”

Two-thirds of the firms sampled have offices in the Gulf Coast and qualify as small businesses, according to Small Business Administration guidelines on number of employees. One of the firms is Taylor Engineering, an employee-owned design firm Taylor Engineering that restored seven miles of critically eroded beaches battered by hurricanes in Walton County and the city of Destin in Okaloosa County and has full-service offices in Jacksonville and West Palm Beach, and local-service offices in Tampa and Destin, FL, Savannah, GA, Baltimore, MD, and Columbia, SC. The firm has provided a life-cycle commitment to the art and science of delivering sustainable solutions in the water environment since 1983.

“If our customer base picks up in response to RESTORE funding, there would be a positive and sustainable long-term impact on our hiring,” said James Marino, P.E., President of Taylor Engineering, and a certified Diplomat in Coastal Engineering, who was an officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for 20 years. “Restoration projects are very important to small and medium-sized firms like ours because they provide a valuable stream of work in a fragile economy. The cost to benefit ratio is very high for restoration projects, especially for beach restoration, which brings considerable value for regional economies in a multitude of business sectors. Not only do these projects serve as an immediate and prolonged benefit economically, but more importantly, the net positive effects provided to a sustainable environmental infrastructure are enduring.”

Gulf Coast and Mississippi River Delta-based firms involved in coastal restoration.

The BP oil disaster worsened the damage to the badly degraded Mississippi River Delta wetlands, a priceless resource that “sustains the Gulf region’s unique people and cultures and brings the U.S. economy billions of dollars each year in energy, fishing, shipping and tourism,” the report states. “At stake in the loss of coastal wetlands is not only the environmental health of the Gulf region, but also several of the nation’s vital industries.”

The Gulf region’s critical economic role, and the extent to which this role depends on the delta ecosystem, is evident in the following assets provided by the Gulf region:

The report notes that a robust coastal restoration sector has been developing in the marine construction industry, but recent budget cuts have stalled many authorized restoration projects.

“In Florida, the economy is the environment, but funding for environmental restoration projects has been reduced by the state and most local governments,” said Michael L. Davis, Vice President and Principal, Keith and Schnars, P.A., an environmental, planning and engineering consulting firm that currently is working on the South Miami-Dade Watershed Study and Plan and has offices in Fort Lauderdale, Jacksonville, and Doral, Florida. “The RESTORE Act is a win for Florida’s economy and Florida’s environment because it will enable environmental consulting firms like mine to hire additional biologists and engineers, and restoration construction contractors to buy more equipment and hire more operators.”

The report concludes that coastal restoration is needed in Florida, California, the Pacific Northwest and the Great Lakes. If U.S. markets expand, the firms that serve them will be well positioned to sell to international markets as they develop in the future. For example, several countries in Asia are developing integrated coastal management programs, and recently India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Vietnam have undertaken hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of coastal restoration projects. The RESTORE Act would continue to build this promising new sector.

Contact: Sean Crowley, 202-550-6524-c, scrowley@edf.org

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Tonight: Documentary Examines Solutions to “Turning the Tide” on Mississippi River Delta Collapse

November 30, 2011 | Posted by Delta Dispatches in Media Resources, Videos

Tonight, Nov. 30 at 8 p.m., Louisiana Public Broadcasting (LPB) premiers Turning the Tide, a powerful new documentary about restoring America’s disappearing Mississippi River Delta. The film includes many voices, including experts from the organizations collaborating in the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign.

Tune in tonight to this must-see film. Here’s more from LPB’s announcement:

“Turning the Tide, a new 90-minute documentary from Louisiana Public Broadcasting, presents an in-depth examination of proposed solutions, proven strategies and bold engineering that can ‘turn the tide’ on the national crisis unfolding at the mouth of America’s largest and most productive river delta. The world’s foremost authorities demystify the complex challenges facing Louisiana’s Coast, revealing new discoveries that challenge conventional thinking and may change the course of the coast’s future.

“Turning the Tide will present the first truly comprehensive and objective look at the strategies being considered, allowing for true scientific debate with an examination of what is already working, what has not worked and what the best science suggests could work. The program also provides a sobering reality check on what the state of Louisiana could look like if scientific and public consensus isn’t soon reached. If we don’t do anything, 10,000 to 13,000 square kilometers of land will be lost by the year 2100.”

Turning the Tide will air statewide on LPB stations Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 8 p.m. and again at 10:30 p.m and will be broadcast simultaneously online at lpb.org/live.

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Restore the Mississippi River Delta Campaign Launches New Website

November 28, 2011 | Posted by Elizabeth Skree in Media Resources

By Elizabeth Skree, Environmental Defense Fund

Welcome to the new home of Delta Dispatches!

Today, five national and local conservation organizations launched www.MississippiRiverDelta.org, a new site focused on efforts to restore and revitalize one of America’s greatest natural resources: the Mississippi River Delta. Here, visitors can find scientific information about the delta, public policy analysis, cultural and historical summaries, as well as Delta Dispatches: a news blog about restoration efforts in the delta.

“MississippiRiverDelta.org is a one-stop shop for news, analysis and solutions for delta restoration,” said Kevin Chandler, communications coordinator for the Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign. “You’ll want to subscribe to our news feed, Delta Dispatches, and come back to the site often!”

Visitors to the site will find background information on how the delta was formed, the wildlife and people who live there, and what caused the delta to collapse (Discover the Delta); the delta’s importance to America’s economy, seafood production and the people who call the area home (America Needs the Delta); efforts to restore the delta using sound science and public policy (Restore the Delta); the Delta Dispatches blog and current news; a Media Room and information about our campaign (About); as well as an action center where visitors can find out how they can help restore the Mississippi River Delta (Take Action).

The campaign and site are a collaborative effort by the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Environmental Defense Fund, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, National Audubon Society and National Wildlife Federation.

More information about the site and campaign:

The Mississippi River Delta contributes tens of billions of dollars to the U.S. economy every year and supports millions of jobs. The delta sustains:

  • Commercial trade routes that connect America’s heartland to the rest of the world, critical and extensive energy infrastructure, and fisheries that produce 25 percent of American seafood, all valued at hundreds of billions of dollars.  Read more about the economics of the delta.

But on average, Louisiana loses one football field of land every hour, amounting to more than 16.5 square miles of land lost per year, mainly due to the leveeing and channelization of the Mississippi River and the construction of thousands of miles of channels and canals through the delta’s fragile wetlands. Ninety percent of the total coastal wetland loss in the lower 48 states occurs in the state.  Louisiana is also dealing with ongoing disaster recovery from the BP oil disaster.

“Science tells us that we can begin reversing the delta’s land loss to protect and restore natural resources that sustain critical shipping and energy infrastructure, millions of jobs and globally important wildlife habitat,” Chandler concluded. “MississippiRiverDelta.org tells that story and will fast become a resource for anyone with an interest in delta restoration.”

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Latest news: November 16, 2011

November 16, 2011 | Posted by Elizabeth Skree in Latest News, Media Resources

Protecting the environment and jobs: Bob Marshall

By Bob Marshall, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). November 15, 2011.

"They say there's truth in numbers. Let's start with these: 2.7 billion — That's how much energy industries spent gaining access to Congress since 1998, according to the authoritative Web site OpenSecrets.org. 40,000 — That's how much the Outdoor Industry Association says its political action committee has raised…"

BP loses 2 big Gulf oil spill rulings

By Harry R. Weber, Associated Press. November 15, 2011.

"NEW ORLEANS (AP) — BP has lost two big rulings in its fight to shield itself from potentially having to pay billions of dollars more in damages related to the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, though the company was able to limit some of its future exposure…"

Claudet: People prompt Terrebonne's progress

By Mike Nixon, Tri-Parish Times (Houma, La.). November 16, 2011.

"Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet said there are too many different projects in the works to point out a specific accomplishment during the past year. Progress in Terrebonne, he said, is reflective of public involvement. Roads and levees and quality of life venues such as a skate park and field of dreams sports complex are among the highlights…"

Flood protection money on the way

By Eric Besson, Tri-Parish Times (Houma, La.). November 16, 2011.

"More than $11 million in state and local funds have been designated for two flood protection projects impacting Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes, Gov. Bobby Jindal told gathered dignitaries and media in Raceland last week…"

State storm-proofing information session had private sponsors

By David Hammer, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.). November 15, 2011.

"As their $750 million home-elevation program took off this year, Louisiana officials joined with churches and other nonprofits to run information sessions to help homeowners through the maze of getting a grant and finding a qualified contractor. But the event at a church in eastern New Orleans on June 25 was different…"

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