Matt Rota

This article is excerpted from Wave Maker’s News, our quarterly update on all things water in the Gulf of Mexico, check out the full newsletter here.Treatment pond at the Temple-Inland factory. GRN photo, flight provided by Southwings.In August 2011, the Temple-Inland paper company in Bogalusa, LA dumped a massive amount of pollution into the Pearl …

Wave Maker’s News: After Fish Kill, New Protections for Pearl Uncertain Read More »

As I write you this, vital conservation programs that reduce nitrogen and phosphorus pollution from our nation’s farms are in jeopardy of being cut from the Farm Bill by the secret, closed-door Super Committee. Although the programs are inadequate to deal with the scope of the Gulf Dead Zone, they are some of the only …

Protect the Gulf From Backroom Deals Read More »

Treatment Pond at Temple-Inland’s Bogalusa, LA Paper Mill. Photo courtesy of Southwings and GRN.This summer, GRN’s Healthy Waters team has been busy keeping up the fight to protect the Gulf’s rivers, bayous and streams for future generations. From working to hold Temple-Inland corporation accountable for their massive fish kill in the Pearl River to pushing …

Wave Maker’s News: Hundreds of Thousands of Fish Killed in the Pearl Read More »

NEW ORLEANS While the Pearl River is still recovering from the discharge of “black liquor” and resulting massive fish kill, LDEQ has recently authorized Temple-Inland paper the industry that has admitted to causing the fish kill to resume operations and once again discharge pollutants into the Pearl.In response to this premature plant reopening, Gulf Restoration …

Pearl River Fish Kill Culprit Reopens with Few New Protections Read More »

Earlier this week, I spoke to a woman who has spent most of her life living near the Pearl River. One of her fond childhood memories involved sighting a threatened Gulf Sturgeon while on the river with her dad. Because of the Temple-Inland paper plant’s illegal discharge of “black liquor” into the Pearl earlier this …

Take Action to Protect the Pearl Read More »

This morning, I had the opportunity, courtesy of South Wings, to fly up the Pearl River to get an aerial view of any remaining dead aquatic life, and of the plant that admitted fault for the fish kill, Temple-Inland. The good news is that we didn’t see a ton of dead fish from the air …

From the Air: GRN Surveys Pearl River and Offending Paper Mill Read More »

Over the weekend, there were many reports regarding a massive fish kill on the Pearl River, with the pollution causing this die-off emanating from Bogalusa. Check out some pics here…they aren’t pretty. While an official cause of the death of thousands of fish, turtles, and other critters that live in the river has not been …

Massive Fish Kill in Pearl River Read More »

New Orleans, LA EPA has denied a petition to implement a clean-up plan for an aquatic Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico, despite heavy economic losses to the U.S. fishing industry and continued research that shows the Dead Zone has doubled in size since 1985. This week, scientists from the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium …

EPA Denies Petition to Curb River Pollution While Gulf Dead Zone Rages Read More »

This article is excerpted from Wave Maker’s News, our quarterly update on all things water in the Gulf of Mexico, check out the full newsletter here. Satellite image of sediment plumes coming from the flooded Mississippi River, taken on May 17, 2011. Photo courtesy of NASA.Due to heavy rains and snow melt from North Dakota …

Wave Maker’s News: Historic Floods, Historic Dead Zone Read More »

The prediction of the largest ever Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico for this summer, released by LUMCON and LSU, is another harsh reminder that our country must work aggressively to clean up the Mississippi River.The solely voluntary mechanisms currently promoted to reduce the nitrogen and phosphorous pollution that cause the Dead Zone will …

Scientists Predict Largest Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone Ever Read More »