skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina s congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Myorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Report: Gulf Restoration Should Focus on Coastal Areas

play audio
Play

Wednesday, April 12, 2017   

GALVESTON, Texas - An explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform seven years ago released crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico for 87 days, the largest spill in U.S. history. A new National Wildlife Federation report outlines priorities for the $16 billion fund to restore coastal areas of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.

Most of the money is from civil and criminal penalties paid by BP and other owners of the platform. Amanda Fuller, deputy director and Texas policy specialist for the federation's Gulf of Mexico Restoration Program, said the goal now is to do restoration projects that get the most results for those dollars.

"Our game plan is to do our best to direct those funds by working with partners and coalition members across the gulf," she said, "and also with decision-makers to really invest those wisely in projects that could do the most good."

The report's recommendations for the fund prioritize restoring coastal wetlands, river flows, barrier islands and oyster reefs. Texas will receive about $37 million a year, paid out annually through 2031.

Fuller said projects recommended for Texas are aimed at restoring the waters flowing into San Antonio, Matagorda and Galveston bays.

"In Texas, we focus on two main types of restoration: hydrological restoration or freshwater inflows, and we also look at land acquisition," she said. "Both of these are on the more simple side to implement, because they don't really require a lot of dirt-turning."

Ryan Fikes, a staff scientist with the Gulf Restoration Project, said any programs adopted for coastal areas should primarily focus on repairing and restoring the ecology.

"All of these projects, and kind of restoration decision-making in general, really needs to be built on sound science," he said. "That's really evident in the way that we've gone in and assessed each of the systems and selected projects that really help get at the underlying stressors."

According to the federation, the decades-long project will be the "largest restoration effort in U.S. history." Its report described 50 projects it believes will make a major difference in the future health of the Gulf of Mexico.

The report is online at gulfrestoration.nwf.org.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021