Scientists team up to attack Louisiana's Gulf oil spill berm plan

[G_j]

Source: CSM

Scientists team up to attack Louisiana's Gulf oil spill berm plan

Louisiana is moving ahead with its plan to build 40 miles of berms to protect its coastline from the Gulf oil spill. The problem is, it won't work and might make things worse, scientists say.

By Pete Spotts, Staff writer / July 23, 2010

A group of prominent coastal scientists is calling for a halt to large-scale engineering projects – like Louisiana's berm plan – aimed at protecting wetlands from encroaching oil from the Gulf oil spill. They want experts to have time to review the longer-term effects these projects could have on the natural processes that sculpt and sustain the coastline.

The danger, they argue, is that the projects will siphon cash from more cost-effective approaches to dealing with the oil, such as expanded use of skimmers and booms. Moreover, the projects could well waste the relatively small amounts of offshore sand that was to be used to build up the Mississippi Delta and slow its long-term erosion.

The call came in an open letter to retired Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, who heads the oil spill response effort. The letter was released July 21 and signed by 21 researchers from coastal-studies institutes in the Gulf region as well as around the country.

The Louisiana berm project involves building 40 miles of sand berms to augment what remains of once robust barrier islands. The letter also targets projects that have emerged in other Gulf states and which reportedly have not received approval from any state or federal regulators.

..more..

Read more: http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2010/0723/Scientists-team-up-to-attack-Louisiana-s-Gulf-oil-spill-berm-plan?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+feeds%2Fenvironment+%28Christian+Science+Monitor+|+Environment%29

[izquierdista]

1. Plant mangroves instead

The black mangrove (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avicennia_germinans) is a native that could be used to reclaim areas lost to the water.

[Historic NY]

2. Is this the Jingle Jindle Plan?

[EJSTES2005]

3. sure is

[hedgehog]

5. You ask the wrong question:" is this the Jingle Jindle Plan that

had so many criticizing the Army Corps of Engineers/Coast Guard/Obama Administration for not putting into action without considering the consequences?"


"Wait for an environmental impact study!?!!? Worry about making a bad situation worse?!?! Why, only someone who is drinking the BP kool-aid would want to stop and think first. We need ACTION! NOW!"

[dsharp88]

4. Jindal is wasting hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars on this foolishness.

And the worst part is that it will likely make the situation WORSE by trapping oil behind them in the trenches created in building the berms.

[Canuckistanian]

9. One man's waste is another man's bonanza

I naturally get suspicious about Republicans who want to "save the environment".

[TomCADem]

6. This Is A Huge CYA To Cover-Up Jindal's Sponsorship of the DOER Act of 2006!

The truth is that the Berm plan was just a Republican/Corporate media push to cover-up Jindal's role in sponsoring the Deep Ocean Energy Resources Act (H.R. 4761), a bill to eliminate the moratorium on offshore oil and gas drilling over the U.S. outer continental shell, and which also deregulated such drilling. Well, we saw how that worked out.

Yet, very few media outlets have reported this fact. Coincidence?

[jwirr]

7. It does not take a scientist - anyone who has ever been to the beach

and built a sand castle to close to the water knew this would not work. Especially in view of the hurricane season.

[Canuckistanian]

8. I say follow the money on this project

Jindal was almost frantic to get this approved.

Let's see what contractors won these bids and what are their ties to Jindal or LA Republicans.