Is it too late to save southeastern Louisiana from the encroaching Gulf? Pose your questions and opinions.
Category: Environment
Posted inEnvironment
Coastal restoration efforts complicated by lack of plan for Mississippi River
Though the river is crucial to the economic and environmental well-being of 31 states, there’s no plan to manage competing uses of the river water. Shipping companies, municipal water supplies, industrial plants and coastal restoration projects all need water. How will we decide who gets what?
Posted inEnvironment
Tricky ‘barge gate’ on Lake Borgne is closed and opened successfully — almost
Congress may require the U.S. Army Corps — rather than the local flood authority — to operate the gate.
Posted inEnvironment
Historic study to find out what the Mississippi River really carries to help coastal restoration
Less than half of the water, and just 19 percent of the sediments, carried in the Mississippi River past the Atchafalaya make it to the Gulf. The finding casts new light on the potential of diversions to create land in adjacent basins — a key strategy in the state’s $50 billion plan to save southeast Louisiana from washing away.
Posted inEnvironment
LSU study: Damaged minnow shows BP oil seeping into coastal food chain
The results are alarming but the levels of toxins detected are well below those considered hazardous for human seafood consumption.
Posted inEnvironment
Survey: Americans nationwide willing to shell out personally to save our coast
Researcher says he was surprised at how many people said they would help and how much they would commit.
Posted inEnvironment, Government & Politics
Live blog: Public weighs in on Entergy’s 20-year energy plan
“If for whatever reason the sun doesn’t shine or the wind doesn’t blow, we’ve got to keep power available,” said Entergy’s Gary Huntley.
Posted inEnvironment
If you live in an old house, chances are your child is at risk for lead poisoning
“Every time a house is renovated, every time a nail is driven into a wall, there’s going to be dust that comes out of that wall that will ultimately have lead in it.”
Posted inEnvironment, Investigations
New research indicates Mississippi River diversions could harm marshland
The rallying cry for coastal restoration has been, “Put the river back into the marsh.” But a new study shows that fertilizer found in the river could weaken the marsh plants and soil. More troubling is another study that concludes we don’t really know whether these diversions are building land.
Posted inEnvironment
Congress may require Army Corps to assume cost of Lake Borgne gates
The corps would cover 65 percent of the cost — and more importantly, it would manage them.