As President Obama prepares to make a prime-time address about the oil gusher, South Louisiana finds itself in a familiar position: reeling from man-made disaster, concerned about the future, and hopeful their president will make a bold commitment to the region in front of a national TV audience. Based on past experience, the smart money […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
Come to the Anadarko side: We might have liability limits
BP’s U.S. stock price plunged over 16 percent Wednesday, before partially recovering. CNBC commentator Jim Cramer was “mesmerized” by the descent, as BP’s total lost market capitalization, since the Deepwater Horizon explosion April 20, surged to over $90 billion. Many analysts linked the drop to a Reuters report quoting a BP source saying that “at […]
Posted inEnvironment
Despite commandeering boats, officials losing island oil battle in Barataria Bay
Signs of the siege were scattered across East Grand Terre Island at the mouth of Barataria Bay: a pile of rakes crusted with oily mud, drenched absorbent matted into the sand, baby pools filled with greasy mud-colored water, wooden scrub brushes that looked more appropriate for a bubble bath than the cleanup of the biggest […]
Posted inEnvironment
Q&A with Landrieu staffers
The Lens contacted Sen. Mary Landrieu’s office recently to discuss her role in the oil spill response. In an interview with Tom Michaels, the senator’s legislative director, and Aaron Saunders, her communications director, we discussed campaign contributions from BP and from the maker of the dispersants and whether drilling for oil continues to be a […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics, Opinion
…and the rig you rode in on
The late, great Ashley Morris struck a chord with displaced Louisianans when he wrote his famous FYYFF post three months after Katrina and the federal flood disaster. It was a perfectly timed rant that resonated among bloggers focused on New Orleans, and passionately expressed their common frustrations. FYYFF became a touchstone within the local blogging […]
Posted inEnvironment
Scenes from the spill: Grand Isle
As Louisiana experiences week eight of the Deepwater Horizon oil catastrophe, globs of crude continue to wash into Grand Isle. Instead of fishers and sunbathers, workers hired by the oil giant raked contaminated sand occupy the shore, raking the toxic sand and removing it in plastic bags. Wetlands scientist Michael Massimi of The Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary […]
Posted inEnvironment, Opinion
Oil companies tax our coast; it’s time we tax them back
Bienvenue en Louisiane! We’re still calling ourselves the Pelican State, but who knows what the future holds? Louisianans identify with pelicans because they are unique, non-extinct birds that seem to coast through life and eat lots of fresh seafood. We admire them because when times get tough, pelicans will prick their breasts and feed their […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
The Small Print
We scan The Times-Picayune’s legal ads so you don’t have to. Here’s a look at some selected items from the past week.
Posted inGovernment & Politics
City gets reprieve to spend balance of grant money
After sitting on most of a half-million-dollar grant for nearly two years, the city of New Orleans has convinced the Rockefeller Foundation to give it another three months to spend the money on getting citizens more involved with government. Without the extension past Monday’s expiration, the city would have had to return the unspent balance, […]
Posted inGovernment & Politics
Landrieu letting sun shine on city contracting process
Mayor Mitch Landrieu today announced a series of “sweeping reforms” to city contracting designed to bring a new level of cooperation, transparency and equity to the process. The awarding of these contracts had been an opaque process, frequently criticized by City Council President Arnie Fielkow as well as many civic and good government groups. The […]