Week of April 17th

Wetlands

Title: Beyond the Oil Spill, the Tragedy of an Ailing Gulf

I found this article in the New York Times and it talks about the effects the BP oil spill is currently having on the environment, even a year later. The health of the Gulf of Mexico is still declining, but this is something that many would assume. Something that might not be as obvious to the American public is the environmental impact the oil spill has had on Louisiana's wetlands. There is now an enormous dead zone off the mouth of the Mississippi and Louisiana's coastal wetlands are rapidly disappearing. These wetlands are about 2,000 square miles smaller than they were 80 years ago. On April 14th, the Justice Department announced that an agreement had been made between BP and those who are part of the natural resources damage assessment. BP will provide a $1 billion down payment for early restoration projects. This $1 billion down payment will be taken out of the final settlement, but will allow approved projects to get a head start.