Gulf Restoration Network

Gulf history is being written... BPs Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Thursday, 20 June 2013 10:16

The deadline for sending in your comments and suggestions on the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council’s draft Comprehensive Plan is fast approaching. This Plan will play a key role in determining how billions of dollars in BP fines will be spent. Although the Plan is on the right track, there is still a lot of work to do and this is a critical moment to make your voice heard. Can you send in your comments right now?

http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50843/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=11299

The Council’s efforts represent our best chance to jump-start coastal restoration and make the Gulf, our communities and our coastal-dependent economies more resilient in the face of rising seas and stronger storms. Unfortunately, some leaders seem more interested in squandering BP dollars on environmentally harmful economic development schemes, such as proposing BP restoration dollars build a conference center and hotel on important wildlife habitat in Alabama’s Gulf State Park. Tell the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council that every dollar it approves must fund improving the health of the Gulf.

2013 Dead Zone Could Rival Largest Ever Measured Healthy Waters / Dead Zone Wednesday, 19 June 2013 09:45

It looks like we are going to have a whopper of a Dead Zone in the Gulf this year...approximately the size of New Jersey, barring any hurricanes that make their way into the Gulf around the end of July when the folks at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) take the annual measurement.

This prediction comes out as Mississippi River states and the Feds continue to drag their feet to take agressive action to stop the Dead Zone-causing pollution that flows from industrial agriculture (See me in yesterday's Huff Post Live talking about the impact of industrial animal agriculture), chemical facilities, and sewage treatment plants.  

Offending (and Offensive) Paper Mill Fined Healthy Waters / Dead Zone Tuesday, 18 June 2013 10:08

2011 view of Temple-Inland's waste ponds. Notice proximity to Pearl River (bottom right). Flight courtesy SouthWings.comIn the summer of 2011, the Temple-Inland Paper Mill in Bogalusa, LA illegally discharged toxic "black liquor" into the Pearl River. Due to the paper mill’s illegal activity, over half a million fish were killed, including Federally Protected Gulf sturgeon. Since this massive fish kill in the Pearl, the paper mill has become a subsidiary of International Paper, and criminal and civil penalties have been assessed.

In total, $3.3 million of federal and state fines were assessed.

Fight for a Farm Bill that Protects the Gulf Healthy Waters / Dead Zone Monday, 17 June 2013 13:26

This week, the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to debate the Farm Bill. The outcome of this debate is incredibly important to the nation’s waters, soil, health, and nutrition. Please tell your Representative to make sure that farmers who receive crop subsidies implement basic conservation practices to ensure that pollution and topsoil don’t flow into neighboring rivers:

http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50843/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=11269

This policy is known as “conservation compliance” and it is very simple: If you are a farmer and want to receive federally-subsidized crop insurance, you are required to demonstrate how you will protect your most fragile and highly-erodible land. Conservation compliance would help reduce pollution that causes the annual Gulf Dead Zone, as well as prevent soil erosion, cut federal expenditures, and help keep wetland and grassland ecosystems healthy.

The Mississippi River: The Big Muddy from a Canoe Healthy Waters / Dead Zone Thursday, 13 June 2013 12:30

Writer/Adventurer Andy Borbely will share his experience paddling every mile of the Mississippi River

Bridge Lounge

Thursday June 20, 2013 6:30 PM

$5 donation suggested, free for GRN members

The Mississippi River is central to the social and geologic history of this city we love.  Its polluted, muddy waters are also the source of some of the Gulf's greatest environmental threats, and promise.

Hear first-hand about the River from this powerful storyteller.

Oh, and I'll be there too, to say a few words about GRN's collaborative approach to tackling Mississippi River basin pollution and fighting the Dead Zone.  Here's our FB event, so you can let us know you're coming and invite your friends.

Matt is GRN's Science and Water Policy Director

CNN on Governor Bentley's BP-Funded Beachfront Boondoggle BPs Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Friday, 07 June 2013 14:38

Can't see the video? Click here.

Turning a Blind Eye General Tuesday, 04 June 2013 17:05

On April 20, 2011, the British Petroleum (BP) drilling rig Deepwater Horizon exploded in the Gulf of Mexico.  For the next 87 days, BP’s Macondo well spewed 172 million barrels of toxic hydrocarbons into the waters of the Gulf, devastating a vast ecosystem and endangering an entire way of life for residents of the Gulf Coast.  Nearly three years later, the Gulf has yet to recover; to this day, tar balls continue to wash ashore in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.  The Deepwater Horizon spill has been justly described as the worst man-made environmental disaster in history.
Moved by reports of this unfolding devastation, and incensed at BP’s repeated attempts to trivialize its impact and shift blame, Cleveland-area sculptor Jim Clark decided to create a work of art that would keep alive the memory of this tragedy.   The result was “Turning a Blind Eye”, a sculpture carved in wood and antler that directs our attention to the inevitable consequence of our insatiable thirst for oil.

In “Turning a Blind Eye”, the artist transformed a burled stump into an underwater cyclone, belching oil from the exploded well as grotesque forms materialize out of the oozing sludge.  One of these forms is a face with a blind eye, looking stunned as it watches a diving tern half submerged in oil.  Elsewhere, a doomed pelican wing attempts to rise from the mire as the devil looks on from behind the scenes.  

Knocking for a Healthy Gulf BPs Oil Drilling Disaster in the Gulf of Mexico Wednesday, 29 May 2013 10:55

It’s that time of year again! Earlier this month, GRN launched our fifth summer outreach office. Over the course of the summer, dozens of dedicated activists will be working to protect and restore the natural resources of the Gulf of Mexico by having tens of thousands of conversations with Gulf residents about restoring the Gulf. They’ll be working out of our Carrollton Avenue Summer Outreach office and will fan out across the greater New Orleans area, across Lake Pontchartrain to the North Shore, up to Baton Rouge, down to Houma, and spots in between. We’ll also be sending groups out to all five Gulf States this summer.

If you hear a knock at your door, there’s a good chance you’ll find a slightly sweaty young adult wearing a Gulf Restoration Network t-shirt standing there waiting patiently to tell you how you can act to protect and restore the Gulf. Spend a few minutes getting an update on the ongoing impacts of BP’s drilling disaster and how GRN is responding and organizing to ensure a healthy future for the coast and our communities. Take the opportunity to act and support all of our hard work by becoming a Gulf Sustainer and making a monthly contribution to GRN.

GRN Takes You Out to the Ball Game Festivals and Events Tuesday, 28 May 2013 13:19

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it From monitoring the ongoing impacts of the BP disaster, to watchdogging BP fines monies as they begin to flow to the Gulf, the ongoing support of our members and activists is essential to everything Gulf Restoration Network does. That’s why we’re thrilled to have the opportunity to thank you by inviting you out to a New Orleans Zephyrs game tomorrow night, Wednesday, May 29th, at 7 pm.

The Zephyrs will be taking on the Round Rock Express, and, as part of their annual non-profit night, they have generously donated tickets to the game for GRN’s supporters. We will be out at the ball game tomorrow and would love for you and your family and friends to join us! There will also be $1 hot dogs for sale at the concession stands.

If you would like to attend, please RSVP to me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 504-525-1528, ext. 204.

Raleigh Hoke is GRN's Communications Director.