The state would like to raise the interstate or build levees to protect it, but lacks the funds.
Author Archives: Bob Marshall
From 2013 to 2017, Bob Marshall covered environmental issues for The Lens, with a special focus on coastal restoration and wetlands. While at The Times-Picayune, his work chronicling the people, stories and issues of Louisiana
Posted inEnvironment
LSU projections show storm surge swamping Southeast Louisiana by century’s end
The highest rates of sinking afflict communities protected by levees, New Orleans among them.
Posted inEnvironment
New Orleans’ flood protection system: Stronger than ever, weaker than it was supposed to be
In the rush to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina, Congress told the Corps of Engineers to raise the levees and floodwalls around New Orleans to protect against a 100-year storm. There was one problem: That was weaker than what Congress ordered 50 years ago.
Posted inEnvironment
New measurements show sea level rise swallowing Grand Isle at record rate
The risks associated with a rising sea level will only increase if greenhouse gas emissions are not brought under control, scientists assert.
Posted inEnvironment
For all the breast-beating about diversions, decision to build them has yet to be made
Ongoing cost/benefit research weighs more than a diversion’s land-building capacity, including impacts on fisheries and flood protection.
Posted inEnvironment
Scientists fear BP blowout killed far more birds than officially reported
The high productivity of Gulf estuaries means scavengers are abundant and quickly dispose of carcasses.
Posted inEnvironment
BP oil spill choked off important pelican nesting sites on Louisiana coast
Brown pelicans were thriving on islands in Barataria Bay when BP’s oil well blew out in 2010. The oil that coated mangroves delivered the death blow to islands that already were eroding. A restoration plan is short on funding.
Posted inEnvironment
Live blog: Committee sends new nominee to governor for east bank levee board
They renominated Tim Doody and picked Tyrone Ben for the other slot.
Posted inEnvironment
Coastal restoration financing is uncertain, but Louisiana has ideas to find $50 billion
Raising $50 billion for the ambitious Master Plan to rebuild the Louisiana coast was never going to be easy. Though the BP oil spill will yield billions of dollars for projects, the state could come up $20 billion short. To close the gap, the state will try to change how the Mississippi River is dredged and will consider pollution-credit programs.
Posted inEnvironment
Landslide in Gulf of Mexico could cause 15-foot tsunami on Louisiana coast
National Weather Service researcher says area needs to prepare for serious, low-probability event.