Last month we marked the 3 year memorial of the BP oil drilling disaster. Three year later, there are still big questions about how the use of toxic dispersants impacted the Gulf, and the EPA has failed to live up to their responsibility to comprehensively test dispersants.Tell the EPA that they need to test these …
The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council released on Thursday a draft initial comprehensive plan for spending Clean Water Act fines on projects that will restore Gulf’s ecosystem and economy. The draft plan, required by the RESTORE Act, is open for public comment through June. This much anticipated plan landed like a thud, though, because in …
Gulf Restoration Draft Plan is Missing a Lot of Detail Read More »
Fill placed along Alligator Branch for railway track bed. It is hard to watch a state agency bureaucracy hurt its own citizens in real time. At the May, 2013 meeting of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) Permit Board, a group of homeowners from Picayune, in Pearl River County came to Jackson with their …
MDEQ Permit Board Decision Infuriating to Witness Read More »
The Army Corps has Rejected SunWest Dredge Permit!In a huge blow to this ill-advised development, environmental concerns have carried the day, and the Nature Coast of Florida will not see the creation of 60-foot wide, 4 mile long yacht mega-channel through sensitive seagrass beds. Read more about the landmark decision here.GRN thanks its members, dedicated …
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 …
Water, Water Everywhere: How Do We Live With It? Read More »
As you may have seen from our last Gulf Tides video, some of the money from BP fines will pay to build land using the Mississippi River. Restoring the river to the delta is the “lynchpin” of Louisiana’s Coastal Restoration program, as embodied in the Coastal Master Plan.The patient, the louisiana coast, is critical. The …
Space Station exhibit at INFINITY Science Center, Hancock County, by Ellis Anderson Media, Courtesy NASAOn May 3rd Governor Phil Bryant announced four more Mississippi projects, totaling about $69 million, to be created with Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) money. This spending is supposed to compensate for natural resource damages done by BP oil. NRDA “early …
Mississippi Stretches NRDA Purpose with Latest Projects Read More »
GRN’s Jonathan Henderson finds tarballs on Elmer’s Island April 12 2013Last week, all five Gulf states announced new projects intended to be funded by the $1 billion dollars of early restoration monies promised by BP on April 20, 2011. In recent monthly we have been publically demanding that BP and the Trustees for the Natural …
How the Natural Resources Damage Assessment Money Could Actually Cause More Damage Read More »
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 …
“Restoration” Projects Announced: BP Boondoggles Beginning? Read More »
Sewage Lagoon with Aerator.The ugly underbelly of any town includes its sewer plant: hidden from view near a river or creek, with most residents oblivious to where and how their waste is treated. Sewer plant maintenance is not glamorous, but it is very important to do the work well. Plant workers must regularly maintain filter …