Aaron Viles

As the BP deepwater drilling disaster stretches into its third month, the community impacts are significant and getting worse. For the newest episode of our ongoing YouTube series, we revisit the Atakapa-Ishka people of Grand Bayou Community in lower Plaquemines Parish. Please watch as tribal representatives recount the oil in their marsh, covering their oyster […]

Bayona Corporation recently brought a class action lawsuit on behalf of restaurants in New Orleans who are impacted by the ongoing oil spill. The lawsuit is more about the restaurant industry in New Orleans than about Susan Spicer and Bayona. Spicer said, “It is not as if the situation is under control and we are

As the BP deepwater drilling disaster stretches into its second month, the wildlife impacts are mounting. The official totals (likely significantly lower than reality) are bad, with over 1,000 dead seabirds, over 400 dead sea turtles, and over 50 dead marine mammals so far. The first dead sperm whale has been found, and Hurricane Creekkeeper

Have you ever had a week that felt like a month? This week was another one of those for me. As I look back on the past 7 days, I’m amazed at the volume of news created by the oil drilling disaster, and how many moving pieces are at play. The week started with President

Last Thursday I had the honor of offering testimony to the House Natural Resources Committee’s Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans, and Wildlife. You can watch the whole hearing here. I spoke on a panel with fellow Gulf Coast Fund advisor, Brenda Dardar of the United Houma Nation (read her powerful testimony about the impacts to

I was happy to share GRN’s perspective on C-SPAN’s national call-in show this morning. Watch my performance below. Aaron Viles is GRN’s campaign director. You can follow him on twitter, @GulfAaron

Oil impacts Redfish Bay in Louisiana’s bird’s foot delta, where the Mississippi River empties into the Gulf of Mexico. Photographed on May 27 by Jeffrey Dubinsky, on a flyover Jeffrey and I took with Mike Tidwell, GRN advisory board member and author of “Bayou Farewell.” These photos have been used by Reuters, in a story

Heard of @BPGlobalPR? This fake BP twitter account has been posting the best humor of the BP Oil Drilling Disaster. My personal favorite: “The good news: Mermaids are real. The bad news: They are now extinct. #bpcares”Coolest part about their black humor? The tee shirts they hawk every fifth post or so are a fundraiser

Ben Raines, writing for the Mobile Press-Register reveals that routine problems can frequently sideline blowout preventer valves. Clearly, more attention is now being paid to the details of off-shore, deep-water drilling. Meanwhile, the ‘top-kill’ operation to close off the gusher has been temporarily halted as engineers revise their plans.

Last week, I had the opportunity to fly over coastal Louisiana with Gulf Restoration Network. I was horrified to witness the approaching brown globs of death that threaten the pelicans and other wildlife in the area. Coastal communities that harvest 30% of the nation’s seafood, and provide the shrimp, oysters, and crabs New Orleans is