GRN NEWS

Volume 9, Issue 3 December 2005

Inside this issue:

THE GRN IN THE
POST–KATRINA/RITA WORLD
New water resources 2
In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Gulf of Mexico region is facing issues post-Katrina
an environmental crisis. The environmental damage from the hurricanes is
unparalleled in scope: There are massive oil spills throughout the coast, millions Firsthand report on 3
of tons of debris litter the region, and hundreds of square miles of wetlands were rebuilding in
destroyed by storm surges. Mississippi
Image courtesy of www.nnvl.noaa.gov

Furthermore, the crisis is not restricted GRN and others

to the environment—it 5
issue guidelines for
includes humanitarian, civic, and recovery effort
economic concerns. Help us demand a 6
federal commitment
Throughout our history the GRN has to rebuilding
worked on many issues that have now
Rebuilding 7
been thrust into the spotlight: coastal commissions crib
wetlands protection and restoration; the sheet
prioritization and effectiveness of Army Corps of Engineers projects, such as
the New Orleans levees; the sustainability of Gulf fisheries and the
communities dependent upon them; and the most fundamental of issues—clean
and healthy waters.

Although the GRN’s mission has not changed, many of the issues at the heart of Special points of
our mission now capture the nation’s attention and provide new challenges and interest:
opportunities. For example, the current crisis has made it almost inevitable that ♦ Hurricane damage
we will see every kind of legislative foolishness proposed in the name of poses a threat to
accelerating the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast or improving the nation's energy water quality and
security. The present move by members of Congress to obtain waivers of public health.
environmental laws critical to the protection of public health and safety is equally
♦ GRN opposes
predictable. In short, members of Congress are using, and will continue to use, Mississippi
hurricane recovery as a cover for ideas that could never stand on their own, and Department of
which do not fulfill Congress’s primary obligation—to rebuild Gulf coast Transportation’s
communities safely and sustainably. The GRN is monitoring recovery efforts, plan for
and will work with its members to ensure that recovery efforts are not reconstruction in
hijacked. environmentally
sensitive area.
The GRN believes that the best course of action in the wake of Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita is to make sure that the Gulf Coast rebuilds sustainably, and to ♦ Important victory in
ensure that actions taken in the name of recovery do not merely sow the seeds for our campaign to
stop open-loop
future disasters. With this in mind, what follows in this newsletter are stories of
liquefied natural
the challenges we and our members face and the GRN’s plans for responding to
gas.
those challenges in the coming year.
 THE GRN WATER RESOURCES PROGRAM:
WEATHERING THE STORM AND LOOKING AHEAD
On August 29, 2005, at 6:10 AM, Hurricane Katrina, a residents. Many of our coastal wetlands were not
Category 4 hurricane with 145 mph winds, made spared from the storms’ impacts either. According to
landfall near Buras, LA. In the following days, the United States Geological Survey, Hurricanes
communities throughout coastal Katrina and Rita converted approximately

Image courtesy of www.epa.gov

Louisiana and Mississippi were 100 square miles of marsh into open water in
ravaged by the storm and Louisiana.
floodwaters, effectively debilitating
the entire region for weeks. As During these difficult times, it is more
residents have begun to trickle in, important than ever that the GRN and its
we are starting to evaluate some of members and friends work to protect and
the impacts of Hurricanes Katrina restore water quality and wetlands
and Rita on local water quality and throughout the Gulf region. We are as
wetlands. devoted as ever to working with concerned
citizens and communities in these states to
Unfortunately, the effects on and the address many of the problems keeping our
threats to the water bodies that we waters from being as healthy as they should
depend upon for recreation, be.
livelihoods, and drinking water are
widespread, varied, and often severe. Aerial view of Murphy Oil spill. In the aftermath of this year’s hurricanes, we
Chalmette, LA, September 5, 2005.
The hurricanes caused many oil spills, will be monitoring the impacts to water
including one at a Murphy Oil Refinery in Louisiana quality and wetlands and looking for ways to meet the
in which aboveground storage tanks were ruptured and needs of communities affected by these storms. We
over 1 million gallons of crude oil spilled into local will strive to provide the public with the tools it needs
homes, wetlands, and water bodies. to recover and eventually restore the health of the Gulf
upon which we all depend. We will especially focus
Dealing with the millions of cubic yards of debris on those water resource problems that have the
created by Hurricane Katrina also has the potential to greatest impact on the health of both the Gulf and its
contaminate our water resources. For example, citizens.
thousands of cubic yards of debris are being deposited
into the Old Gentilly landfill in New Orleans, which is Even in the face of the new problems created by the
unlined and not completely surrounded by a berm, hurricanes, we are still committed to pursuing the
thereby allowing polluted runoff to flow directly into goals that we had set before the storms hit. Many of
the surrounding wetlands. the issues that we have been monitoring, both
nationally and regionally, will continue to pose threats
Furthermore, damaged and overtaxed wastewater to the Gulf’s water resources. Therefore, we will keep
treatment plants (WWTPs) are a threat to both public our members and friends informed and engaged on
health and water quality. According to the Louisiana these issues.
Department of Environmental Quality, it will take
$5.85 billion to restore Louisiana WWTPs that were For example, we will continue to work to improve
damaged by Katrina. The east bank New Orleans water quality in impaired water bodies throughout the
WWTP just began secondary treatment of sewage on Gulf states by empowering citizens to advocate for
November 15, 2005, and is operating at 30% capacity. strong water quality standards, to push for effective
Additionally, less damaged areas currently may be watershed restoration plans, to address sewage
overtaxing their WWTPs due to the influx of displaced (Continued on page 3)

Page 2 DECEMBER 2005

 WATER RESOURCES (CONT’D)
(Continued from page 2)
pollution problems, and to protect drinking water
sources. Additionally, we will also continue to push
for the federal and state actions necessary to eliminate
the unnatural zone of hypoxia off Louisiana’s coast.
We will also carry on our work to reduce or eliminate waters through ongoing and special post-storm efforts.
wetland losses in Gulf States attributable to Corps
404 permitting, navigation, and flood control projects or Matt Rota (matt@healthygulf.org) for more
by striving to obtain consistency between federal and information about our Water Resources Program.
state agency permitting activities and coastal
UPDATE ON COASTAL REBUILDING IN MISSISSIPPI
I am pleased to be working with the Gulf Restoration
Network in south Mississippi to ensure effective
participation of the conservation community in the
rebuilding process; to work toward sustainable
communities that are effectively protected from
future storm damage; and to increase the capacity of
citizens to be involved with issues associated with the
rebuilding challenge.
First, we wholeheartedly thank
Governor Haley Barbour for his
wisdom and leadership in
establishing the Governor’s
Commission for Recovery,
Rebuilding, and Renewal. We
also thank Jim Barksdale for
stepping up to the plate from the
private sector to lead and fund
this important work!
The Governor’s Commission hit a grand slam with
the Mississippi Renewal Forums held in October and
November. They brought architects, town planners,
and transportation engineers to the cities along the
Mississippi Gulf Coast. They met with city and
county government and community leaders and gave
us strong, viable recommendations for rebuilding our
cities, celebrating their unique characteristics, and
focusing on walkable, livable communities.
Volume 9, Issue 3
restoration efforts; to push agencies to properly address
cumulative impacts; and to promote better application
of avoidance, minimization, and mitigation guidelines.
We look forward to partnering with all of our members
and friends as we protect and restore treasured Gulf
Please contact Vicki Murillo (vicki@healthygulf.org)
By Cynthia Ramseur, Mississippi Field Consultant
Our first task is to work with communities to support
the findings from the Renewal Forums. This puts us
directly in conflict with Mississippi Department of
Transportation’s (MDOT) plans for oversized bridges
and connectors—plans that will predetermine what and
how communities can rebuild; that in all actuality
negate the work of the Governor’s Commission and the
Renewal Forum; and that encourage urban sprawl
across an environmentally sensitive,
ecologically functional coastal area.
We are working hard in Mississippi to
build a coalition to fight our out-of-touch
and out-of-date department of
transportation. We must persuade
MDOT and the Federal Highway
Administration to give us alternatives
more in line with the findings of the
Renewal Forum.
If you would like to help, please contact me at (228)
282-5000 or ramsail@bellsouth.net. For more
information about the Governor’s Commission and
copies of interim reports, visit
www.governorscommission.com. To download plans
for each coastal city and to understand more about new
urbanism recommendations, visit
www.mississippirenewal.com.
Page 3
 LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS CAMPAIGN UPDATE
LNG Campaign Victory
This summer brought an important victory for the
campaign to stop open-loop Liquefied Natural Gas
(LNG). The governors of three Gulf states have
agreed to veto any future open-loop LNG terminals in
the Gulf of Mexico.
In her letter to the
Maritime
Administration
(MARAD),
Governor
Kathleen Blanco
of Louisiana
explained that “until studies demonstrate that the
operation of the open-rack vaporizer will not have an
unacceptable impact on the surrounding ecosystem,
[she] will only support offshore LNG terminals using
a closed-loop system having negligible impacts to
marine life.” Governor Bob Riley of Alabama and
Governor Haley Barbour of Mississippi wrote similar
letters.
Under the Deep Water Ports Act of 2002, state
governors have veto power over proposed LNG
facilities in adjacent coastal waters. Governors must
veto a proposed facility within 45 days of the final
license hearings. While the Energy Policy Act passed
this summer gives the federal government ultimate
authority over the location of onshore LNG terminals,
it does not apply to offshore facilities.
The GRN would like to thank everyone who helped
achieve this victory by sending letters to their
governors, submitting letters to their local
newspapers, or attending a campaign event. We will
be keeping a close watch to ensure that the governors
stick by their promises.
Post-Katrina Status of Open-Loop LNG
Applications in the Gulf
Before Hurricane Katrina, all four of the pending
applications for open-loop LNG terminals had been
halted either due to questions raised by the EPA on
the environmental impacts or because more
information was needed by the Coast Guard.
Page 4
After Katrina, the Coast Guard issued a letter to all
companies applying for offshore LNG terminals
explaining that their applications would be halted until
further notice. Adequate public participation is not
possible due to the devastation, and most agencies are
focusing their time and resources on clean-up and
rebuilding efforts.
Signs of a Turning Tide?
ExxonMobil recently withdrew its application for its
Pearl Crossing open-loop terminal, citing the approval
it has received for two onshore, closed-loop terminals.
The most recent off-shore LNG terminal proposal is
for “Grand Port LNG,” proposed for 7 miles off Grand
Isle, Louisiana. While it is still early in the
development process, communication with the
research and development team indicates that Grand
Port intends to utilize Mustang technology’s “LNG
Smart” forced air vaporization process, instead of an
open-loop process.
Recent Campaign Activities
This fall, the GRN hired three Green Corps organizers
to spend two months organizing student groups to get
engaged in the campaign. The organizers also
continued our outreach to area fishermen and fishing
organizations. Their hard work generated over 700
calls to Shell’s Houston office during our Shell Call-In
Day asking them to go closed-loop, and they collected
2000 postcards that were sent to Shell. We will be
hiring two more Green Corps organizers this winter in
Houston and in the New Orleans area. Green Corps
was founded in 1992 to train the next generation of
environmental leaders. Organizers learn skills through
classroom training and gain experience through hands-
on involvement in environmental campaigns.
The GRN also filed the first brief in our legal
challenge to Shell’s Gulf Landing LNG terminal
permit. The brief outlines how MARAD violated the
National Environmental Policy Act and the Deep
Water Ports Act when they granted a permit to Shell to
build an open-loop LNG terminal off the coast of
Louisiana.
DECEMBER 2005
 GROUPS URGE STATE TO ‘GO GREEN’
Working with an alliance of Louisiana groups, the
GRN issued rebuilding “Core Considerations”
that must inform the array of commissions, task forces,
and committees charged with planning Louisiana's
rebuilding, if the state is to build a sustainable
future. With state legislators wrapping up a special
session focused on hurricane rebuilding, Governor
Blanco’s Louisiana Recovery Authority hosting a
rebuilding conference with the American Institute of
Architects, and Mayor Nagin’s Bring New Orleans
Back Commission holding regular committee and
subcommittee meetings, the groups will inform leaders
at all levels of their concerns.
“Our message to decision-makers guiding the process
of rebuilding is clear: These fundamental principles
must be the foundation of every plan moving
forward,” said the GRN’s Executive Director, Cynthia
Sarthou. “From a sustainable coast to protecting
public health, our desire for a quick recovery can’t
overlook the profound, long-term impacts these plans
will have on Louisiana’s environment.”
The GRN and the Sierra Club brought many
organizations together to develop the Core
Considerations. The Considerations range from
placing priority on an integrated hurricane and flood
protection program incorporating marsh restoration
and protection of coastal forests with traditional levee
systems, to urging an open, inclusive, transparent, and
innovative decision-making process. Barbara Coman,
Chair of the Sierra Club–Delta Chapter, noted, “We’re
glad to see experts from a variety of disciplines and
regions engaged in the planning process. Louisiana’s
environmental history should read as a cautionary tale
to those planning our rebuilding efforts, and we feel
the inclusion of ideas from beyond Louisiana may help
us avoid reestablishing the status quo.”
The initial response to Hurricane Katrina from the
Louisiana Congressional Delegation, an overreaching,
expensive piece of legislation that included navigation
projects of questionable value as well as unnecessary
waivers of environmental and public health laws, has
been widely disparaged. “Now is not the time for
lobbyists to push for a laundry list of pork projects,”
said Marylee Orr of the Louisiana Environmental
Action Network. “Now is the time to bring
communities together and determine a unified vision
of a sustainable Louisiana. These Considerations
represent the first step towards that vision.”

LOUISIANA RECOVERY AND RESTORATION—LIST OF CORE CONSIDERATIONS

For the complete statement of Considerations, please visit our website at www.healthygulf.org.

• The decision-making process must be open, inclusive, transparent, and accountable.

• An honest and effective hurricane and flood protection program for coastal communities and urban
centers must integrate an effective levee system with marsh restoration and protection of coastal for-
ests.
• The government is obligated to protect the welfare of the people.
• Our government at all levels must prioritize public health over speed of rebuilding.
• Rebuilding provides a critical opportunity for community members to apply innovative ideas about
design and infrastructure as they re-create their homes, businesses, and neighborhoods.

All Congregations Together • Alliance for Affordable Energy • Atchafalaya Basinkeeper • Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Pro-
gram • Baton Rouge Audubon Society • Black Bear Conservation Committee • Citizens Against Widening the Industrial Canal • Coalition
for Louisiana Progress • Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana • Gulf Restoration Network • Holy Cross Neighborhood Association • Lake
Pontchartrain Basin Foundation • Louisiana Audubon Council • Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN) • Louisiana Wildlife
Federation • Mississippi River Basin Alliance • Physicians for Social Responsibility – Louisiana • Pipeline Workers of America • Sierra
Club, Delta Chapter • U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Gulf States Field Office

Volume 9, Issue 3 Page 5

 Founded in 1994, the Gulf
GRN LAUNCHES EFFORT TO Restoration Network is a section
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
FLOOD WASHINGTON committed to uniting and
empowering people to protect and
Federal Commitment Needed to Rebuild New Orleans, South restore the resources of the Gulf
Louisiana, and America’s Wetland Region for future generations.
On September 15th, the President pledged to rebuild the Gulf Coast
and do whatever it takes to make New Orleans and South Louisiana Board of Directors
rise again. Since then, his administration and leaders in Congress Casi Callaway
have failed to follow that pledge with the action necessary to rebuild Mobile Bay Watch/Mobile Baykeeper
New Orleans and South Louisiana. Mobile, AL
Mark Davis—Secretary/Treasurer
The first step in any serious revitalization effort is a commitment to Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana
honest and effective storm protection for our communities and a Baton Rouge, LA
vibrant and restored coast. Each day that passes without a federal Robert Hastings
commitment to Louisiana's coast and communities prolongs this Alabama Natural Heritage Program
tragedy. The need for this commitment is urgent, as residents and Montgomery, AL
business leaders are relying on the federal government to ensure a Joe Murphy—Chair
safe place to rebuild. Sierra Club
Tampa, FL
With over 300,000 Louisianans displaced, the GRN and other groups Juan Parras
are working to flood Washington with an e-mail for each of TSU Law Clinic
them. Please take a moment to remind the President of his pledge Houston, TX
and urge your friends to do the same. Visit our website at Bob Schaeffer
www.healthygulf.org to take action and help spread the word. Public Policy Communications
Sanibel, FL
Page Williams
GRN WELCOMES NEW STAFF MEMBERS Sierra Club—Lone Star Chapter
Houston, TX

Matt Rota has joined the GRN staff as the new Robert Wiygul—Vice Chair
Assistant Director of our Water Resources Program. Waltzer and Associates
Biloxi, MS
Matt previously served as Coordinator of the Trout in
the Classroom program, a nationwide initiative
supported by Trout Unlimited. He has a strong science Staff
Cynthia Sarthou: Executive Director
background, with experience in teaching, research, and Vicki Murillo: Water Resources Program
field work. Matt is a newlywed who recently relocated Director
from New York City. Briana Kerstein: Director of
Organizational Development
Siobhán Flahive has joined the GRN staff as Director Aaron Viles: Campaign Director
of Communications and Accounting. Siobhán was Matthew Rota: Assistant Director, Water
most recently an editorial consultant with the Resources Program
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, and Siobhán Flahive: Director of
has a background in educational publishing and grant Communications and Accounting
Marianne Cufone: Fisheries
writing.
Consultant
Cynthia Ramseur: Mississippi Field
Siobhán will be replacing our Director of Operations, Consultant
Amy Gill, who relocated to Washington, D.C. after Hurricane Katrina.
Amy worked with the GRN for four years, and we wish her all the best in

Page 6 DECEMBER 2005

 REBUILDING COMMISSIONS CRIB SHEET
Rebuilding the Gulf Coast will take years, and billions of dollars, to complete. Louisiana and Missis-
sippi have created a variety of commissions to lead this effort and direct the federal dollars expected to
pour into our region. Here’s the quick lowdown on the key commissions, their roles, and how to contact
them:
Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) www.lra.louisiana.gov

Created by Governor Kathleen Blanco on October 17, 2005, this 26-member board is charged with developing the short-
term and long-term plans to rebuild coastal Louisiana after Katrina and Rita. The board will also be lobbying Congress
and the federal government to fund the priority issues and oversee the distribution of any funds received. Currently,
there are no representatives from the Louisiana environmental community on this board.

The LRA is chaired by Dr. Norman Francis of Xavier University. Twelve task forces have been created to work on spe-
cific issue areas. These task forces will include experts and others not on the LRA board, and will be chosen by the task
force chairs.

Visit the LRA’s website to sign up for announcements on their upcoming meetings and latest accomplishments. The
board will be seeking public comment in a series of meetings across Louisiana in early December to identify needs and
issues to address. The LRA will then develop a plan and will be seeking final public input in the first part of next year.

Bring New Orleans Back (BNOB) Commission www.bringneworleansback.org

At the end of September 2005, Mayor Ray Nagin announced the creation of the Bring New Orleans Back Commission.
The mission of the BNOB Commission will be to work with the mayor to create a master plan by the end of the year that
rebuilds New Orleans culturally, socially, economically, and uniquely for every citizen.

Mayor Nagin named 17 leaders to the BNOB Commission. Six committees will develop plans for specific issue areas.
The fundamental goal of the commission is to advise, assist, plan, and help the City of New Orleans develop recommen-
dations on all aspects of rebuilding. The commission is working with the Urban Land Institute to conduct interviews and
town hall meetings with New Orleans residents in Louisiana and southern cities where many have temporarily relocated.

While this commission is not directly linked to the LRA, the LRA has pledged to work with them and use the BNOB
Commission’s recommendations to guide the plan for rebuilding New Orleans.

Governor’s Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding, and Renewal www.governorscommission.com

Shortly after Hurricane Katrina hit, Governor Haley Barbour announced the formation of the Governor’s Commission on
Recovery, Rebuilding, and Renewal to develop a vision for a better Gulf Coast and South Mississippi. The Governor’s
Commission focuses on giving local leaders access to ideas and information that will help them decide what their region
will look like five, ten, or even twenty or thirty years from now. The Commission is advisory in nature. The final deci-
sions on implementation will be made almost exclusively by local officials and private investors, not by officials in Jack-
son or Washington.

The Commission is chaired by Jim Barksdale and includes community leaders and public officials from the affected ar-
eas. A group of about forty commissioners, along with other local leaders, will help lead discussions in the many com-
munity meetings that will be held.

We encourage everyone interested in the Gulf of Mexico to participate in the Governor’s Commission. Visit the Com-
mission’s website to sign up for announcements or for additional information. Interim Reports from each of the issues
committees are available online. The Governor’s Commission will publish final reports by the end of December. Inter-
ested persons may also visit www.mississippirenewal.com to see architectural recommendations and regional transporta-
tion plans recommended by the Commission’s city planning consultants.

Volume 9, Issue 3 Page 7

 United for a Healthy Gulf

P.O. Box 2245

New Orleans, LA 70176
Phone: (504) 525-1528
Fax: (504) 525-0833
Website: www.healthygulf.org

The GRN would like to thank the following foundations for

making this newsletter, as well as the work of the GRN,
possible: The Ben and Jerry’s Foundation, The Booth-Bricker
Foundation, The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, The
Elizabeth Ordway Dunn Foundation, The Holloman Price
Foundation, The Joe W. & Dorothy Dorsett Brown
Foundation, The McKnight Foundation, the Regional Marine
Conservation Project, and The RosaMary Foundation.

PLEASE JOIN THE GRN IN WORKING TOWARD

SUSTAINABLE COASTAL RECOVERY & RESTORATION
As a member of the GRN, you will be supporting our efforts to obtain reconstruction plans for Louisiana and
Mississippi that will
• bring ecological and economic sustainability;
• rebuild coastal communities so that they are better prepared for intense hurricanes, such as Katrina and
Rita, and so that the impacts of those storms will be reduced;
• include cleanup plans that are protective of human health, to protect people from pollution associated
with debris disposal, oil, and chemical spills; and
• combine a renewed commitment to effective levee systems and structural flood control with natural
storm surge and flood protection, involving strategic conservation and restoration of wetland buffers.

Yes! I want to become an individual member of the GRN and support its work in protecting and restoring
the resources of the Gulf of Mexico.
Mail to: GRN, P.O. Box 2245, New Orleans, LA 70176
Name: ____________________________________ __$15 __$35 __$50 __$75 __$100 __Other
Address: __________________________________
City: ______________ State: ______ Zip: ______ THANK YOU!
E-mail ____________________________________ Please make your checks payable to the GRN.