Gulf Restoration Network

Pearl River Fish Kill Update: Paper Mill Charged Healthy Waters / Dead Zone Friday, 11 January 2013 09:24

Two men holding an endangered gulf sturgeon, much like the twenty-six killed in the Pearl River Fish Kill. Photo by Byrd Vernon, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The Federal Government has finally begun to hold Temple-Inland, Inc., now a subsidiary of International Paper Company, accountable for the damage they incurred on the Pearl River. As covered by GRN, the damage was done in early August 2011.  Fines could be as high as $1,125,000.

The fish kill occurred when Temple-Inland began pumping excessive amounts of “black liquor” into the Pearl River, apparently the result of an equipment malfunction. This “black liquor” is created in the process of making paper, the primary product of Temple-Inland.

Eye on the Coast: Latest from the Field BPs Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Friday, 11 January 2013 05:49

In the last field monitoring trip in the Gulf of 2012, GRN organized a boat tour for some of our major supporters to get a first-hand look at a coastal restoration project already taking place as well as areas where serious problems persist thanks to coastal erosion and ongoing oil and gas impacts, including the BP drilling disaster.

In somewhat breaking from tradition on this trip, we decided to enlist the services of Marie Gould and her company, Louisiana Lost Lands Environmental Tours.  Marie’s husband is columnist and coastal activist Bob Marshall, formerly with the Times Picayune, and when I first contacted Marie she mentioned that Bob may be available to give a presentation and his take on some of the problems and solutions. As luck would have it,  Bob and Marie were great  and helped organize some of the logistics, Bob showed a great slideshow about the history of the Mississippi River Delta, it was a beautiful albeit chilly day, and our supporters left more enlightened than they were when they arrived and even more inspired to take action.

Mississippi Marine Resources Director Suspended Storm Protection / Coastal Issues Monday, 07 January 2013 14:47

Disturbed beach in Pass Christian that was sacrificed to a questionable CIAP project. Mississippi Marine Resources Department (MDMR) executive director Dr. Bill Walker was suspended without pay on Friday December 28th 2012 by his agency’s Commissioners. Reinstatement will depend on the results of investigations by state and federal auditors and the FBI. Walker’s state agency used coastal restoration money from the Federal Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) in questionable ways as revealed by a series of Sun Herald newspaper stories based on the facts of the audits.

This is exactly the type of misspending we’ll need to guard against in the coming years as billions of dollars from the BP disaster come to the Gulf for restoration.

Big News from the Deepwater Drilling Disaster BPs Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Friday, 04 January 2013 16:23

In big news for the Gulf, the Department of Justice announced a plea agreement with Transocean, the owner and operator of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, for their role in the 2010 BP drilling disaster.  It's a doozy, with the company pleading guilty to criminal environmental behavior, and agreeing to pay $1.4 billion in fines, penalties and restitution.

I hope this agreement signals a New Years resolution by the Department of Justice to hold every player accountable for the deepwater drilling disaster that is still affecting our coast and communities.  

Whales and Dolphins of the Gulf General Friday, 04 January 2013 12:37

Your commitment to the Gulf made a huge impact last year.

Your calls, petition signatures, and membership support of GRN helped ensure the passage of the RESTORE Act, voted into law by Congress this summer.  The RESTORE Act, which directs 80% of BP’s Clean Water Act fines to the Gulf for restoration, will jumpstart much needed projects to rehabilitate our impacted coast.

Now, you can start your new year off right with a donation to help grow our voice to protect the diverse environment of the Gulf.

In their exploration for new oil, the oil and gas industry produces underwater sound blasts so loud they can cause hearing loss and disorientation for dolphins and whales. One of the species affected, the Brydes whale, is a 50 foot long baleen whale recently found to have a resident population in the northern Gulf of Mexico. 

This disruptive oil & gas activity risks the Brydes whales ability to feed, mate and communicate with its pod.  Your commitment to the Gulf helps GRN and our partners take legal action that will ensure protection of Gulf whales and dolphins from seismic exploration, and we're currently involved in a lawsuit to limit this harmful activity.

With your help, we can continue to protect the Brydes whale and other Gulf species.

Make a generous contribution today, and help build a strong coalition of voices and achieve a healthy Guf Coast.

Cynthia Sarthou is GRN's Executive Director.

Corexit:: the more we know the more we regret BPs Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Friday, 21 December 2012 15:56

Corexit:: the more we know the more we regret

A new modelling study shows the ineffectiveness of deepsea dispersant

 Much has been made of the unprecedented use of the dispersant Corexit in the 2010 disaster, especially the unheard-of deepsea application. We at GRN have sued EPA because they backed down and approved the use of Corexit after they objected. In our lawsuit, we are asking our government to simply review the science before attempting large-scale chemical alterations to the Gulf--because we believe that the science will show that the scale of application and deepwater application are unnecessary and even harmful.

Wave Makers News: Louisiana's Attempt to Weaken Pollution Protections Healthy Waters / Dead Zone Friday, 21 December 2012 10:18

This article is excerpted from Wave Makers News, our quarterly update on all things water in the Gulf of Mexico, check out the full newsletter here.

The Bogue Falaya River, one of Louisiana’s Outstanding waters threatened by LDEQ’s rule change. Photo courtesy of Mary Davis, LPBF.October 2012 was the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, one of the most important environmental laws ever passed. Under the Act, waters of each state must have water quality criteria that do three things: designate how water bodies will be utilized (swimming, fishing, drinking, etc.), set limits on the pollution allowed in each of these waters, and ensure that clean waters remain clean. This last requirement is referred to as “antidegradation.” In 2009, GRN released a report entitled Clean Up Your Act which gave Louisiana a “D” for their water quality standards, in large part due to their poor antidegradation rules. Regretfully, Louisiana is attempting to further weaken these rules for keeping our clean waters clean.

In September of this year, the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality announced “minor” revisions that would remove some of their few antidegradation rules. These revisions would change definitions and regulations and leave some of Louisiana’s most pristine waters, Outstanding Natural Resource Waters, less protected. These changes threaten the health of all of the rivers in Louisiana, including gems such as the Tchefuncte and Bogue Falaya Rivers. GRN, our conservation partners, and our members joined together to send in hundreds of comments to LDEQ to tell them that instead of weakening existing rules, they should be enhancing them in order to protect Louisiana’s wildlife and communities.

Matt Rota is GRN's Director of Science and Water Policy.

North Gulfport Deserves Better Healthy Waters / Dead Zone Monday, 17 December 2012 14:56

For decades, neighborhoods like Turkey Creek in North Gulfport, Mississippi have suffered the consequences from unchecked and irresponsible development. If developer Butch Ward gets his way, these same communities will soon lose hundreds of acres of wetlands that are crucial to their flood protection.

The security of these communities shouldn’t be sacrificed just to line the pockets of Butch Ward and his business partners. Tell the Army Corps to deny the permit for this massive wetlands fill:

http://grn.convio.net/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=481

The neighborhoods of North Gulfport and farther downstream already have flooding problems from ordinary storm water, not to mention tropical events. Wetlands act as sponges to hold storm water in the ground. While most of the wetlands loss in coastal Mississippi has been gradual and cumulative, this retail and commercial development would destroy 376 acres of wetlands in one big bang. Click here to urge the Corps to deny this permit.

What we heard from the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council Meeting BPs Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Thursday, 13 December 2012 13:20

This week the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council met for the first time in Mobile, AL. This Council, established by the RESTORE Act, will oversee spending of the 80% of the Clean Water Act fines BP will pay for the 2010 oil disaster. Although the exact amount of those fines or when they might be coming is still unclear, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council is getting a head start on establishing priorities and getting public input.

Aaron Viles and I were at this meeting to represent Gulf Restoration Network and our members in urging the new Council to prioritize effective, scientifically-backed ecosystem restoration projects, and to remind the Council that restoring the environment restores our economy.

There was a lot of enthusiasm in the room and an impressive turn out of state and federal officials, as well as members of the public. Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank opened the meeting by highlighting the importance of the Gulf Coast and drawing attention to the legacy challenges that have existed in the region long before BP’s oil. The goal of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, she said, should be the “long term health, prosperity, and environment of Gulf Coast communities.” Thankfully, even before GRN could speak on the subject, Blank also pointed out that economic development and coastal restoration are not “either-or”, but rather they are linked and must work together.