Matt Rota

Recently, the State of Louisiana submitted a proposal to the Army Corps of Engineers to dredge up sand and sediment to build 6-foot high and 20-foot wide “berms” in front of the barrier islands from the Chandeleurs to Grand Isle. We share the State’s desire to protect our coast from the harmful effects of the […]

Last P.J. Blaize, a charter boat Captain, took a videographer from Voice of America TV and I out into the wetlands and near-shore waters of Louisiana, east of the Mississippi. We traveled through freshwater wetlands, salt water wetlands, and traveled out to some interior barrier islands, where hundreds of birds were nesting. It was amazing

Over the past couple of days, I have gotten several questions about dispersants that are being used to combat the ever-growing oil slick in the Gulf: What do dispersants do? Are they effective? Are they toxic? What happens to the oil? I will be the first to admit that I cannot come close to answering

As our loyal readers know, nitrogen and phosphorous pollution flowing from agricultural fields in the Mississippi River Basin is a major contributor to the Gulf’s annual Dead Zone. We (as a member of the Mississippi River Collaborative), along with the Environmetal Law and Policy Center, just released a report on how we could better address

Last week, several of our supporters came out to a hearing in New Orleans to show their support in stopping the construction of an industrial park that would destroy 57 acres of wetlands along the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO). Now, the City of New Orleans is coming close in deciding whether or not to

Last week, several of our supporters came out to a hearing in New Orleans to show their support in stopping the construction of an industrial park that would destroy 57 acres of wetlands along the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO). Now, the City of New Orleans is coming close in deciding whether or not to

Let’s face it, the potential consequences of climate change are staring us in the face here in the Gulf. These consequences, such as sea level rise, increased storm intensity, and ocean acidification (which decimates coral populations) are already impacting our communities, fisheries, and wildlife. Looking through this lens, it is quite discouraging to see that

As our readers know, many of our issues end up being settled in a legal manner. Recently we were profiled by attorney.org, which is a non-profit website that features breaking legal news, as well as profiles organizations that work on various issues.If you have a chance, you can check out GRN’s profile and the other

Last week, I had the opportunity to go to Des Moines for the Hypoxia Task Force Meeting. This task force, made up of federal and state agencies, was first convened in the late 90’s to find solutions to the growing Dead Zone in the Gulf. Over the past decade, little action has come out of

This week, GRN released its “Clean Up Your Act!” report card, which graded each of the Gulf states on how well it protects state waters. The report points out problems in state policies that fail to safeguard Gulf waters for swimming and fishing. For example, no Gulf state has numeric standards that would reduce nitrogen