Live chat: Discuss city’s storm protection system with Tulane professor, Corps of Engineers official
Join us at noon Friday to discuss issues raised about the flood protection system.
Category: Environment
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.
BP revisited: ‘Safer than ever’ may not be safe at all when it comes to offshore rigs
Journalists who buy into Big Oil's talking points would have us believe BP-style spills are a thing of the past.
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.
Decisions just weeks away on re-opening Bayou St. John’s gate to the lake
Human safety will remain a paramount concern, and the gate will be shut when weather poses a flood risk.
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.
Live blog: Senate committee considers bill giving governor more control over levee board
The bill is one of several filed in response to the levee board's lawsuit against oil and gas companies.
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.
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.
Oil and gas industry looking to kill lawsuits from Jefferson, Plaquemines over wetlands
Parish-level lawsuits differ from flood-authority challenge in ways that may help parishes.
