July 15th 2021

NASA looks at Louisiana delta system, eyes global forecasts - Florida News Times

Erosion, sinking land and sea rise from climate change have killed the Louisiana woods where a 41-year-old Native American chief played as a child. Not far away in the Mississippi River delta system, middle-school students can stand on islands that emerged the year they were born.

After a Decade, Disastrous Effects of Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Continue to be Felt

Nungesser wrong, absurd, in criticisms of sediment diversions: governor's coastal adviser

Kline said Nungesser’s concerns about the diversions' effects on fisheries also fail to recognize the history of fishing in Louisiana before the levees were extended to near the Mississippi’s mouth. That cut off annual springtime flows of sediment into the basins, which had built much of the wetlands that are now eroding.

“We had a productive and sustainable fishing industry in this state before the Mississippi River was leveed,” Kline said. “Are there going to be impacts to the shrimping and oyster industries? Yes. But we’re not going to destroy them. We’re going to hit reset. We’re going to push them further out to where they were catching oysters and brown shrimp and seeing marine mammals 30 to 40 years ago.”

Home of Uncertainty: The costs of climate change hit housing

South Louisiana, of course, has long been on the forefront of climate change, with its shrinking coastline and constant storms — and its politicians’ hospitable embrace of petrochemical companies that exacerbate its problems. It’s a time-honored summertime tradition that has ramped up recently: Year after year, New Orleanians brace themselves for extreme weather events, like hurricanes, flooding and soaring temperatures that send us inside to spoon with our overworked air conditioning units bracing for high power bills.

In June alone, NOLA Ready, the city’s office of emergency preparedness and response, issued six warnings of potential floods in low-lying areas and one “excessive heat” warning, plus another for a tropical storm. And while this puts all of us on edge, it is especially dangerous for some of the city’s most vulnerable, low-income residents.

CPRA chair criticizes Nungesser’s comments about diversion project  - Baton Rouge Business Report

As a result of Louisiana prioritizing its coast, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority now has the resources and funding to work on the state’s hurricane protection and coastal resilience projects, said CPRA Chairman Chip Kline, speaking at Monday’s Press Club luncheon. However, CPRA is still dealing with major political opposition to the projects.

Bill aims to help Mississippi River states and communities battle environmental problems

Advocates hope a new bill introduced in Congress will help Louisiana solve some of its most pressing environmental problems, including coastal erosion, river flooding, hurricane protection and the Gulf of Mexico dead zone.

The Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Act would direct the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to coordinate with states, local governments and nonprofits along the river to address those and related issues.

"The Mississippi River has long been neglected, when compared to other vital waters throughout the country,” Matt Rota, senior policy director for Healthy Gulf in New Orleans, said in a news release last week. “The river needs a comprehensive restoration program, and this initiative would be an incredible resource for the communities and wildlife that depend on the river."