Category Archives: Water

Billion Dollar Baby: After BP’s Big Damage Pledge, Is More Money Needed to Restore the Gulf?

By | Bio | Published: May 25, 2011

A billion dollars can buy you a lot of things — an NFL team, a top-flight soccer club, even the obscenely large house of a globe-trotting tycoon.

One thing it can’t buy you is a healthy Gulf of Mexico, especially after a catastrophic event such as the BP oil disaster last spring. While we’re excited about BP’s pledge last month to make $1 billion dollars in early environmental damage payments, our enthusiasm is balanced with the understanding that considerably more money will be needed to fully restore areas affected by the 206 million-gallon spill.

A Down Payment on Delta Restoration

BP, which reported $7.1 billion in net profit for the first three months of 2011, negotiated the proposed payout with two federal agencies (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of the Interior (DOI)) and the five states along the Gulf of Mexico (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas). The agreement will allow BP to earn early action credits for addressing some of the environmental effects of last year’s spill. These payments could then reduce the company’s future obligations under the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process, which will likely take several years to complete.

Sources: Council on Environmental Quality, Wikimedia Commons

The money won’t be enough to cover all the costs of the disaster (as we’ll explain later), but there’s no denying that the down payment from BP could provide an unprecedented opportunity for Louisiana, which was hit with much of the oil from the Macondo well, to kick off long-delayed restoration projects in its coastal marshes and swamps.

The Mississippi River Delta covers most of southeastern Louisiana, and it is a significant source of fresh water and nutrients for the Gulf of Mexico. This area also is an important habitat for dozens of marine species that spawn and grow near the southern coast of Louisiana. For these reasons, the state of the delta and its environs is a useful gauge for the health of the Gulf.

Unfortunately, the Mississippi River Delta is a system on life support. What’s more, efforts to save this region are not moving fast enough to slow the pace of land loss, leaving the weakened wetlands increasingly vulnerable to damage from hurricanes, oil spills, and other disasters.

For example, in the four years since Congress authorized wetland restoration work under the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2007, little progress has been made on completing the projects outlined in the Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA) Near-Term Plan, which serves as a roadmap for restoration and preservation initiatives in the Pelican State’s wetlands. While the de-authorization and closure of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) was an important step towards reversing decades of marsh and cypress wetland loss in St. Bernard Parish and New Orleans, the roll-out of large-scale initiatives like the MRGO restoration (which would include the rehabilitation of the Central Wetlands Unit) has not yet occurred. In addition, priority projects like the Barataria Basin Barrier Shoreline Restoration and the Medium Diversion at White Ditch have barely moved past the planning phase.

If, as promised, $100 million of the $1 billion BP pledge is used for environmental restoration in the State of Louisiana, thousands of people could be put to work at LCA sites across the coastal zone. Additional funding from DOI and NOAA could provide necessary resources for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to expedite projects including the pulsing diversions and other heavy engineering projects aimed at reconnecting the Mississippi River to its sediment-starved delta. All of that would be great news.

Continued Need for CWA Penalties

However, we must not forget that the environmental losses stemming from the BP oil disaster were probably far higher than $1 billion. For instance, when a hull breach caused the Prestige to sink off northwestern Spain in 2002, tens of thousands of tons of oil were released into the North Atlantic. Local unemployment jumped as jobs disappeared in Galicia’s seafood sector, and the region’s tourism revenue fell in the wake of the ecological disaster, widely regarded as the worst in Spain’s history. The World Wildlife Fund estimated that the cost of the Prestige disaster, which was much smaller than the Gulf oil spill, ranged from $3.4 – 6.8 billion.

Aside from the significant economic effects of incidents such as the Deepwater Horizon disaster (which already are being felt in Louisiana), we must also consider the cultural costs of spills. For example, the Exxon Valdez disaster was linked to subsequent declines in area fish populations that were devastating for Cordova and other fishing communities near Prince William Sound.  In southern Nigeria, the source of 40 percent of America’s oil imports, 50 years of incessant oil leaks and pipeline ruptures have resulted in the release of 1.5 million tons of petroleum in the Niger Delta and the Bight of Biafra. These spills have ruined farmland and important subsistence fisheries for local ethnic groups, including the Ijaw and the Ogoni.

How does one put a price tag on such losses? How soon will we understand the ecological effects of the massive oil spill and the subsurface dispersant releases last year in the Gulf of Mexico? When, if ever, will the rhythm of life in the Gulf Coast’s fishing towns return to pre-spill normalcy? For an incident on the scale of the BP oil disaster, multiple billions of dollars – not just one — will be needed to revitalize the threatened ecosystem and the economies that depend upon it.

Everything must be done to ensure that the money from BP’s pledge goes towards two near-term goals – rehabilitation of the region’s environment and the creation of job opportunities for its residents. At the same time, we must also continue to fight for the lion’s share of Clean Water Act penalties leveled against BP and other responsible parties. Congress still is deliberating on what to do with the money, and we must let them know that despite this down payment by BP, the CWA money should still be sent to the region whose people and businesses need it most — the Gulf Coast.

If you would like Congress to dedicate the Clean Water Act penalties to Gulf Coast restoration, please click on this Action Alert to send a message supporting the measure to your representatives.

Additionally, one of our generous supporters has offered to match $1-for-$1 any online gift made to EDF before May 31st, specifically to help us pass the RESTORE the Gulf Coast Act of 2011.  The RESTORE Act will force the government to allocate the fines paid by BP to Gulf Coast restoration, where it is needed most.  Please make your gift right now and it will be matched $1-for-$1.

Also posted in BP, BP Oil Disaster, Deepwater Horizon, Oil Spill, Regional Economic Development, Stimulus, Wetlands | Leave a comment

The Washington Post: “To Save Louisiana’s Lowlands, Officials Want to Re-Engineer the Mississippi”

By | Bio | Published: May 18, 2011

A growing chorus of experts and observers is recognizing the need to re-engineer the Mississippi River in ways that can serve multiple goals of restoring wetlands, providing jobs and ensuring essential navigation. This theme has been discussed in several media outlets over the past few months, and it was picked up this morning in a timely article that ran in The Washington Post.

Reporter Brian Vastag interviewed several experts who discussed harnessing the power of the flooding river to restore wetlands in the Mississippi River Delta. Sediment-rich waters built the marshes and swamps along the southernmost reaches of the Mississippi River over a period of several thousand years, and the forcing of this fine material into the Gulf of Mexico has been cited as a key factor behind the loss of nearly two thousand square miles of southern Louisiana wetlands.

Heavy snowfall and torrential rains earlier this year in the river’s vast watershed have swollen the Mississippi and its tributaries to their highest levels in decades. River valley residents anxiously have been watching the river for weeks as the crest of high water has snaked its way southward.  Last Saturday, the Army Corps of Engineers opened the gates of the Morganza Spillway for the first time since 1973 to relieve pressure on levees lining the lowest stretches of the Mississippi River. The floodwaters were funneled into the Atchafalaya Basin west of the Mississippi’s main channel, prompting Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal to order an emergency evacuation of tens of thousands of people living near areas that would be inundated by the diverted river.

Source: Flickr (lagohsep)

Tragic as the recent flooding has been, it's also sad that the current system continues to obstruct the river's natural ability to restore Louisiana's wetlands and protect the many economic interests and people that depend on a resilient delta and a healthy Gulf.  The floods this spring have challenged Corps engineers, elected officials, and scientists struggling to protect valley citizens from the rising river. They also have sparked questions among earth scientists and ecologists about how to manage the muddy Mississippi during major flood events.

As we’ve mentioned before on our blog, the building of targeted sediment diversions along the main channel of the Mississippi River could assist with the restoration of the coastal zone’s wetlands. These projects would create tremendous new opportunities for Louisiana’s engineering and construction firms and would provide jobs for thousands of people in the state’s coastal parishes. While plans have been drafted, the funding for these megaprojects has not been forthcoming, though that could change if Clean Water Act Penalties from the companies responsible for last year’s Gulf oil disaster could be dedicated towards wetland restoration along the central Gulf Coast.

What do you think of these proposals? Take a look through the article and share your thoughts with us in the “Comments” box.

Also posted in External Media, Flood Protection, Wetlands | Leave a comment

Could House Budget Cuts Hobble Habitat Recovery in Coastal Louisiana?

By | Bio | Published: March 24, 2011

by J.P. Leous

Shortly after our blog debuted last February, we began writing about proposals to employ the elderly and others in the restoration and preservation of Louisiana’s wild spaces.

What a difference a year makes. Thirteen months on, the conversation has shifted from conservation to cutbacks. Political changes in Washington have prompted new calls for budget cuts at the federal level, putting initiatives that protect habitat on the chopping block. Rather than thinking of new environmental programs to implement, conservation advocates are trying to save existing ones from elimination.

What could this mean for the wetlands of Louisiana? We spoke recently with J.P. Leous, a blogger on climate change and land management at The Wilderness Society. In this post, he shares some of his thoughts on how these budget proposals could affect the wildlife of the Pelican State and the workers who depend on them.

We Are the Champions: Kevin VanDam, the victor at the 2011 Bassmaster Classic, smiles with his family after receiving the tournament trophy in New Orleans. The other big winner from the fishing tournament was the state of Louisiana, whose outdoor economy received a boost from the widely-televised event. The future of sport fishing in southern Louisiana could be imperiled if severe cuts to conservation funding affect habitats critical to the region’s aquatic life (Source: ESPN)

If you like to fish, you might have caught part of the 2011 Bassmaster Classic last month on ESPN. For the fourth time in its 29-year history, the tournament was held in the Mississippi River Delta. Louisiana wasn’t chosen for this bass-fishing bonanza because of the charms of Bourbon Street. Instead, it was the waters of the Pelican State that attracted anglers to the event.

The burst of biological riches in these bays, rivers, and streams is largely due to the wetland ecosystems that emerge at the juncture of the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico. This network of marshes and swamps provides important habitat for striped bass and other marine life. In turn, these organisms support a rich web of waterfowl and other wildlife that thrive in the “sportsman’s paradise” that is coastal Louisiana.

It’s a pity then that these wetlands, important as they are to the outdoor tourism economy of southern Louisiana, are vanishing. The Louisiana coast is disappearing fast due to land loss, a problem that could worsen due to sea level rise from climate change. Even in areas far removed from the shore, pollution and land-use policies threaten the long-term survival of wetlands critical to Louisiana’s native species.

The fate of coastal Louisiana will ultimately hinge on efforts to reconnect the Mississippi River with the delta that it built over thousands of years. The restoration of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands will in part be accomplished through the construction of river diversions and other large projects that would increase the rate of sedimentation and land accretion in the Mississippi River Delta. Past sessions of Congress have repeatedly failed to budget the funding needed to save this beleaguered environment. While Congress must still provide federal funding for Louisiana’s large-scale restoration program, critical projects could be expedited by Clean Water Act funding from oil spill penalties, which could yield billions of dollars for ecosystem restoration on the Gulf Coast.

Though the existing programs for wetland protection and wildlife conservation are far smaller in scope, they serve as important parallel projects to the ongoing effort to save southern Louisiana. In the short run, these initiatives provide employment for local people in invasive species control and other environmental fields, while in the long run, they act as useful ways to train people for the sorts of green jobs that will be required as habitats and wild spaces are restored across Louisiana’s coastal zone.

There’s no shortage of work needed if Louisiana’s treasured landscapes and communities are to remain resilient in a warming world. Taking on these short-term and long-term challenges would be a win-win for the economy and the environment, as investments in climate-smart conservation would create jobs today and protect valuable natural assets for tomorrow. Sound public policy on wetland restoration, wildlife protection, and land management is thus critical for the continued success of bass fishing, bird-watching, and other nature-dependent sectors in southern Louisiana.

Slash and Burn

That’s why the recent news from Washington on budget cuts for nature conservation should prompt concern in Louisiana. If the large cuts outlined in the House-passed appropriations bill (H.R. 1) were to pass in the Senate, much of this important work would take a huge step backward.  H.R. 1 takes a meat cleaver to programs that most have never heard of, but from which almost all of us benefit. Such cuts are truly penny-wise and pound-foolish, because addressing environmental maintenance only gets more expensive the longer we wait.

Congressional sunset: The Capitol Building at twilight on a March evening (Source: Flickr (kevharb))

Think of it this way: imagine trying to remove a few weeds from your garden when you see the first signs of trouble. Not too difficult, right? But it’s a different story if you wait until they take over. Now scale that up to hundreds of millions of acres and dozens of exotic and invasive species, and you are starting to get your head around what public land managers are facing.

And if you think these cuts won’t hit your favorite places, think again.  If you’re from the Midwest, you’ve probably benefited directly from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. That program would take a $250 million cut, equivalent to 53% of its FY 2010 budget, in the proposed spending bill. Similar programs from San Francisco Bay to Long Island Sound would also face multi-million dollar cuts, resulting in fewer jobs dedicated to preserving these important areas. Other proposed cuts include slashing nearly $49 million from the Department of Interior’s programs to prepare for climate-driven disruptions, eliminating all funding for the Forest Legacy Program (crucial to restoring key forest ecosystems), and prohibiting NOAA from spending any funds to understand the science of climate change.

Oh, and the State and Tribal Wildlife Grant Program, which protects wild habitats and keeps threatened creatures off the endangered species list? Yeah, that was zeroed out in H.R. 1, as was the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund (NAWCF), which leverages federal and non-federal funds to preserve bird habitat.

Workers and Wildlands

Keep in mind that these cuts wouldn’t just hurt wildlife — they would also hit our wallets. Healthy wildlands contribute billions in valuable ecosystem services each year.  Clean air is dependent on healthy forests, and clean water is dependent on healthy wetlands and headwater streams.  These natural spaces also directly support active outdoor recreation, which generates 6.5 million jobs and contributes roughly $730 billion dollars to our national economy each year.

Over the past decade, Louisiana has been a direct beneficiary of several programs slated for cuts. For example, the Fish and Wildlife Service granted Ducks Unlimited $1 million in NAWCF grants last September to restore important wetlands on the Mississippi Flyway. This money created jobs for people in fifteen Louisiana parishes and was used to preserve critical habitats for migratory birds. If the North American Wetlands Conservation Fund was eliminated, this stream of funding and others like it would evaporate, along with employment opportunities for dozens of part-time and full-time workers in the coastal zone.

Considering the problems posed by climate change, the economic downturn, and last year’s oil spill, it seems wise to continue funding labor-intensive upgrades to Louisiana’s green infrastructure. Per dollar invested, conservation projects can create and protect more jobs than many other economic sectors while also helping to preserve the wetlands that are so important to Louisiana’s economy. From tackling invasive species to restoring cypress swamps, there are projects in communities across the Pelican State that we should implement as soon as possible. These projects create jobs for Louisiana residents, improve their public health, and buffer area communities against future climate disruptions. Taking on these challenges now will save money in the long run.

Think to yourself: Would Louisiana’s wetlands be the same without the wildlife that are integral to their health and well-being? Could the state remain a sportsman’s paradise if its habitat for waterfowl and fish disappeared due to neglect and lax oversight?

No one is doubting that America faces fiscal challenges, but it also has environmental and employment issues to deal with, too. Given the projected scale of climate disruptions and the fact that they don’t recognize land designations and property lines, landscape-level approaches will be necessary. Such initiatives, tailored to acknowledge the importance of economic development and environmental health, will also translate into employment growth. Private collaboration and commitment will be an important part of this process, but we still need public funding and support to ensure that these programs succeed.

All eyes are now focused on the fate of the Clean Water Act penalties, a potentially huge stream of money that would be transformative for wetland restoration efforts on the Gulf Coast. But at the same time, we shouldn’t lose sight of the smaller pools of conservation funding that are already being used to create jobs in the wetlands of coastal Louisiana.

Earlier this month, the Senate voted to reject the current version of the House-passed bill, giving Democrats and Republicans an opportunity to reexamine the proposed cuts to habitat protection and restoration initiatives. Thoughtfully pruning and paring down their budgets may be a necessary course of action in this time of fiscal austerity, but the wholesale weed-whacking of conservation programs that benefit Louisiana’s wildlife and workers would leave both worse off.

J.P. Leous is the Climate Change Policy Advisor at The Wilderness Society. In addition, he serves as a lecturer at The George Washington University’s School of Public Health and Health Services. J.P. focuses on natural resource adaptation and other issues related to climate and wildlands policy. An alumnus of the Peace Corps, J.P. graduated from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), where he co-founded the Award for Progressive Sustainability. Follow J.P. on Twitter @TWSjp.

Also posted in Congress, External Media, Fish, Guest Post, Recreation, Targeted Jobs, Tourism, Wetlands, Wildlife | Leave a comment

Events: New Orleans Entrepreneur Week, March 19-25

By | Bio | Published: March 11, 2011

The 3rd annual New Orleans Entrepreneur Week (NOEW) will be held from March 19 through March 25 in the Central Business District. NOEW draws hundreds of business leaders, M.B.A. students, investors, community leaders, and policy experts interested in ways to promote economic growth in Louisiana's largest city. Mayor Mitch Landrieu will be serving as an honorary chairperson for the event.

NOEW is the brainchild of The Idea Village, a group of Louisiana-based entrepreneurs who have invested their time and money in the rebirth of post-Katrina New Orleans. Some of the main themes of the 2011 conference will be water management and hazard mitigation, which are important issues for coastal cities like New Orleans that are at risk of storm surges and floods. NOEW will also feature seminars on corporate finance, sales growth, customer relations, and other topics relevant to budding business owners.

Please make sure to sign up for New Orleans Entrepreneur Week by visiting its website today, as the registration deadline for all NOEW events is March 14.

Also posted in Events, Flood Protection, Regional Economic Development, Targeted Jobs | Leave a comment

What Are You Doing for World Wetlands Day?

By | Bio | Published: February 2, 2011

While the limelight may be focused on Punxsutawney Phil and his Pennsylvania burrow, February 2nd isn’t just about groundhogs. The second day of the second month of the year is also special because of its significance for wetlands.

On this date in 1971, delegates from eighteen nations signed a “Convention on Wetlands of International Importance” in Ramsar, an Iranian city on the southern shore of the Caspian Sea. In 1987, the Ramsar Convention came into force for the United States, and ten years later, the U.S. joined dozens of other countries to celebrate the first World Wetlands Day, timed to coincide with the anniversary of the Ramsar Convention signing ceremony.

Today, there are 160 contracting parties to the Ramsar Convention, which establishes guiding protocols for the conservation and sustainable use of wetland habitats around the world. Wetlands cover about 6% of the Earth's surface, and serve as important ecosystems for plants and animals, including humans. Many of the world's earliest civilizations – including Sumer and Egypt – arose in the fertile deltas of major rivers, and even today, some of the world's largest cities, including Shanghai and Calcutta, lie in regions formed by sediment deposition.

Like other natural areas, wetlands are under threat due to human actions and climate change. In the United States, the Mississippi River Delta constitutes one of the largest expanses of wetlands, but the marshes and swamps of this region could disappear due to inaction on coastal restoration.

For that reason, we want you to get involved in EDF’s campaign for coastal Louisiana. This involves contacting your Senators and Representatives about the importance of wetland restoration in the Pelican State. At present, there are proposals in the House and the Senate to use eighty percent of the oil spill penalties – which could amount to billions of dollars – for wetland preservation and enhancement on the Gulf Coast. This money could dramatically impact the fortunes of this beleaguered ecosystem by providing a steady stream of funding for the comprehensive rehabilitation of the Mississippi River Delta.

Saving southern Louisiana will demand the construction of sediment diversions and other infrastructure to restart the natural processes that built the delta. These projects will cost money, but they will also provide a chance for Louisiana to protect its environment and rebuild its economy. The opportunity cost of inaction would be too great to bear, especially since the worst forecasts show much of Louisiana disappearing by 2100 without urgent work to preserve its coast.

So, rather than wondering whether a woodchuck saw his shadow this morning, take a moment today to think about wetlands in your community and around the world. If you have any thoughts on how you might preserve and protect these places, let us know by sharing your ideas in the comment box.

Also posted in Congress, Events, International, Wetlands | Leave a comment

Point of Consensus: Why Gulf Coast Restoration Should Be a Priority for Republicans and Democrats in Congress

By | Bio | Published: December 6, 2010

After the Deepwater Horizon explosion in April, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico dominated headlines (and Internet traffic) for months. As 2010 draws to a close, many wonder whether Congress will pass legislation to direct BP's Clean Water Act penalties towards restoration of areas affected by the spill (Sources: Associated Press, Flickr (Greenpeace USA 2010, SkyTruth), United States Senate)

On December 1st, Yahoo! published its list of the top ten searches of 2010. Can you guess what was ranked first?

The BP oil spill. Yep, it beat out the World Cup (#2), Kim Kardashian (#4), and perennial search crown contender Britney Spears (#10) to emerge as the subject that Yahoo!’s 631 million users mulled over most while browsing the net this year.

That's no small feat, either.  Despite the media’s hyper-focus on the midterm elections and saturation coverage of reality TV, it was the BP oil disaster, with its spillover effects on the environment and economy of the Gulf region, that captured more attention than any other subject on one of America’s most popular websites.  It marked the first time ever that a news story topped Yahoo's year-end list.

Unfortunately for the Gulf, search engine titles don’t dictate business in the U.S. Senate.  Despite the surge of domestic interest in environmental rehabilitation and corporate responsibility stemming from the spill, the upper house of Congress seems unable to match this buzz with commensurate action to protect and restore the Gulf Coast.  A bill designed to improve drilling standards, with thoughtful provisions to maintain the competitiveness of America’s energy industry, passed successfully in the House of Representatives this summer but stalled in the Senate.  More recently, provisions to dedicate oil spill penalties to Gulf restoration that were included in the House-passed bill in July have failed to capture the attention of a fractured and divided chamber.  This comes despite recommendations from Navy Secretary Ray Mabus (in his commission’s post-spill report) for Congress to create a Gulf Coast Recovery Fund with a "significant amount" of BP fine money.   Meanwhile, the Gulf of Mexico remains damaged, its coastlines continue to erode, its wildlife stays vulnerable, and its fishing and tourism sectors remain on life support.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Why should we accept this lack of action as a given?  I mean, do bluegills or redfish swimming in polluted waters know (or care) about Senate procedure?  How does one explain a “lame-duck” session to shorebirds sickened by oil pollution?

It is past time for politicians from both parties to unite on comprehensive rehabilitation of the Gulf Coast. Wetland restoration, water quality improvement, and wildlife protection aren’t just important values in “blue state” beach towns on Cape Cod or the California coast.  If Democrats and Republicans can respect the will of Gulf Coast voters and show that economic recovery and ecosystem restoration can go hand-in-hand in one of the country’s “reddest” regions, they will demonstrate to naysayers that environmental protection is a priority for all Americans, regardless of their political stripes.

Red, White, and Blue: In a September 2010 survey of Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas residents, 72% (+/- 2.2%) of respondents said they'd be more likely to vote for federal legislators who support new investments in Gulf Coast restoration (Sources: Bellwether Research and Consulting, Lake Research Partners, The Walton Family Foundation)

Blogging About the Bills

Towards that end, we’re participating in a Nature Blog Network initiative to bolster public support for spill bill passage in the Senate.  Ideally, such a bill would dedicate the lion’s share of BP’s Clean Water Act (CWA) penalties to cleaning up the waters and wetlands of the Gulf Coast.

We applaud Louisiana’s congressional delegates for taking the lead in advancing these efforts.  Representative Steve Scalise (R-LA) sponsored the Gulf Coast Restoration Act, which would give at least 80 percent of the CWA fine money to the states impacted by the spill.  Similarly, Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) has sponsored a Senate bill, the Restoring Ecosystem Sustainability and Protection on the Delta (RESPOND) Act, which calls for no less than 80 percent of the BP CWA financial penalties to be used for “long-term economic and environmental recovery” on the Gulf Coast.

Given EDF’s consistent efforts to support restoration of the Mississippi River Delta, we believe it is important for Congress to act quickly on the funding issue. The BP oil disaster brought attention to the degraded condition of the Gulf and its coast. The health of the delta is particularly important for the long-term recovery of the Gulf of Mexico, but over the past eighty years, more than 2,300 square miles of the Mississippi River Delta (equivalent to one-third of its pre-1930 area) disappeared due to land loss. Historic development of private and public infrastructure for national economic activity (including, but not limited to, the production, transportation, and processing of oil and gas) dramatically impacted salinity levels, sediment flows, and other determinants of wetland health. This erosion of coastal Louisiana, an environmental catastrophe in and of itself, has in turn affected the economic resilience of the region. For instance, the disappearance of coastal nurseries for marine life has impacted the fishing industry in Louisiana. In addition, the loss of deltaic wetlands has left portions of southern Louisiana (and much of the nation’s energy and shipping infrastructure) more exposed to storm surge damage from hurricanes.

While initiatives to reverse this land loss were authorized under sections 7002 and 7006 of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2007, not all of the projects have received the requisite construction appropriations to move forward. This means that wetlands that could have been more resilient to spills were not restored prior to the Deepwater Horizon explosion, leaving Louisiana’s coast even more vulnerable to oil damage. Some scientists believe that without quick action to rebuild and restore the delta (action that could be expedited with CWA penalty funding), the land loss destroying coastal Louisiana could become irreversible within decades.

The Next Steps

Source: Flickr (artbymags)

Whether or not these bills will pass before the end of the 111th Congress is anyone’s guess.  But even if the legislation fails during the current session, there’s no reason why the 112th Congress should ignore these proposals when it convenes in January.

Conservatives might like the fact that this stream of potential restoration money doesn’t come from a new tax, or the fact that even if 80 percent of the $5-21 billion expected to be levied against BP were given to Louisiana and its neighbors, the Federal treasury would still be receiving as much as $1-4 billion for possible debt reduction.  Liberals might like the idea that billions are finally being used to remedy environmental damage in a region that has served as a source of fossil fuels for more than a century.  People from both parties will like the fact that money spent on restoring wetlands, analyzing air and water quality, and resuscitating threatened ecosystems will generate employment in one of America’s poorest regions, providing a boost to industries all along the Gulf Coast.

If you support this effort and wish to get involved, please contact your local congressional representatives via this Action Alert.  In this season of service, the minutes you give to write letters and e-mails could be critical in turning constituent chatter to congressional action.

Also posted in BP Oil Disaster, Congress, Oil Spill, Regional Economic Development, Wetlands | Leave a comment

Using the Natural Powers of Water to Restore Louisiana's Coast

By | Published: October 15, 2010

Over thousands of years, the Mississippi River deposited fresh water and sediment throughout coastal Louisiana, creating the Mississippi River Delta seen above. (NASA)

Blog Action Day is an annual event, designed to bring writers from around the world together to blog about a common cause.  This year's topic is "Water," and what better subject for us to dive into here at Restoration and Resilience!  (I promise that was my only pun.)

Coastal Louisiana is defined by water.  For thousands of years, the mighty Mississippi River flowed across the delta, depositing fresh water and sediment, building and replenishing coastal wetlands.  This process created this diverse landscape that many unique cultures and communities call home.  The Mississippi River Delta is the largest coastal delta in the United States and the seventh largest in the world.  This immense, complex deltaic ecosystem was created over thousands of years, using the power of water to move sediment and fresh water from 41 percent of the nation to build the delta.  Without the river, Louisiana's coast would look more like a sandy beach than the unique, beautiful delta we know today.

Unfortunately, more than a century of national actions to channelize the Mississippi River for transportation and economic development have sent the delta towards ecological collapse.  The river is no longer able to flow naturally across the delta plain, thus causing once-thriving freshwater wetlands to starve.  Without sediment and fresh water from the river – not to mention increasing sea-level rise and saltwater intrusion – these vital coastal wetlands are deteriorating at the alarming rate of one football field every 45 minutes.  The communities, wildlife and industries that rely upon Louisiana's coast are slowly watching their home disappear.

But there is something that can be done.

We at EDF are working to restore the Mississippi River Delta, by reconnecting the river with its coastal wetlands.  By reintroducing fresh water and sediment to these starving marshes, Louisiana's coastal ecosystem – and the delta as a whole – can be rebuilt.  Using the same natural river processes that first created the delta, we can recreate and restore this vital ecosystem for the people and wildlife who live there, as well as create thousands of new jobs in the process.  By reconnecting the river to the wetlands and rebuilding the Mississippi River Delta, we can restore this ecosystem back to the resilient, sustainable system it was, and is meant, to be.

Also posted in Events, Green Jobs, Wildlife | Leave a comment