Post by pavel on Apr 21, 2016 4:55:01 GMT -6
Louisiana to pay Corps $1.5 million to speed sediment diversion permit review
The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority signed an agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers on Tuesday (April 19) that will guarantee corps review of permits for two land-building sediment diversions on the Mississippi River within three years, with the state paying $1.5 million to cover the additional cost of the review speed-up.
The agreement was announced Wednesday at a meeting of the authority on the sixth anniversary of the blowout of BP's Macondo well off Louisiana's coast, which triggered an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that killed 11 workers and began an 87-day flow of oil and gas that stained the Gulf coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and parts of Florida and Texas.
The state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority took a historic vote Wednesday (Oct. 21) allowing its staff to begin engineering and design work on two Mississippi River sediment diversions, which could allow construction on the wetland restoration project to begin in July 2019.
The state expects to pay for the design and construction of the diversions with money paid by BP and its drilling partners as part of a settlement of civil claims with the federal government and the five Gulf Coast states, and money paid by BP and its drilling partners as part of criminal settlements.
Read more: www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2016/04/louisiana_to_pay_corps_15_mill.html
The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority signed an agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers on Tuesday (April 19) that will guarantee corps review of permits for two land-building sediment diversions on the Mississippi River within three years, with the state paying $1.5 million to cover the additional cost of the review speed-up.
The agreement was announced Wednesday at a meeting of the authority on the sixth anniversary of the blowout of BP's Macondo well off Louisiana's coast, which triggered an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig that killed 11 workers and began an 87-day flow of oil and gas that stained the Gulf coastlines of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and parts of Florida and Texas.
The state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority took a historic vote Wednesday (Oct. 21) allowing its staff to begin engineering and design work on two Mississippi River sediment diversions, which could allow construction on the wetland restoration project to begin in July 2019.
The state expects to pay for the design and construction of the diversions with money paid by BP and its drilling partners as part of a settlement of civil claims with the federal government and the five Gulf Coast states, and money paid by BP and its drilling partners as part of criminal settlements.
Read more: www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2016/04/louisiana_to_pay_corps_15_mill.html