Aaron Viles

3 years ago, the BP drilling disaster unleashed 4.1 million barrels of oil and nearly 2 million gallons of toxic dispersant into the Gulf. 2 years ago, BP promised to quickly spend $1 billion to begin to fix what their oil has done to our precious Gulf.Unfortunately, some Gulf states are proposing to use early […]

Gulf beaches are going to be hopping this weekend, and all summer long.My daughter loves the beach, and it’s a favorite family destination. I still remember the beach break that BP’s drilling disaster forced on us in the summer of 2010. BP stole an opportunity to make precious memories on our Gulf beaches.There’s an irony

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

Can’t see the video? Click here.CNN called a few weeks ago, after the third round of NRDA early restoration projects were announced, interested in our take on the proposals. We were happy to share our outrage. GRN has a long, proud legacy of defending the critical habitat of the endangered Alabama beach mouse from projects

What promises to be a compelling, thought-provoking series on how New Orleans and other urban areas are challenged to deal with storm water kicks off tomorrow. The Greater New Orleans Foundation has organized the 5 part Urban Water Series to pull together the best ideas and biggest thinkers in the efforts of cities to wrestle

After yesterday’s announcement by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal of $340 million in largely worthy restoration projects, we were waiting for the other shoe to drop.Today it did. Alabama Governor Robert Bentley announced nearly $100 million in coastal “restoration” projects. The biggest ticket project is “Gulf State Park Enhancements” including construction of a lodge and meeting

Three years. Three years of dead dolphins, oiled wetlands, and sickness. Three years of BP’s misleading PR. Three years of fighting to hold BP accountable. Today marks three years of BP’s oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.Three years after it began, BP’s oil drilling disaster continues to impact the Gulf’s residents and ecosystems. Three

The Mississippi River runs through the heart of our nation, bringing land-building sediment with it along the way. In fact, that sediment created the very land we stand on today. Unfortunately,in managing the River for flood control and dependable navigation, we have restricted the River’s course and, in doing so, allowed our coastal wetlands to

#MakeBPpay! Citizens gather outside the federal courthouse in New Orleans before the trial against BP begins. $16 billion? Peanuts$31 billion? Closer$50 billion? Now we’re talking.Today, before opening remarks began in the “Environmental Trial of the Century” that will determine just how much BP and their partners must pay for the destruction they have wrought in

With the news that the NBA was backing Tom Benson’s decision to change his team’s name from the Hornets to the Pelicans, Louisiana’s state bird was back in the news. It had faded from the nation’s attention for a while, after images of the majestic bird drenched in oil seared themselves into our retinas during