Where the Texas Gulf Coast meets Mexico, a trio of fossil fuel companies is planning an industrial complex the likes of which Texas’ Rio Grande Valley has never seen.
A recent scarp that was more than five-feet-tall occurred on a Florida beach in Perdido Key where there are no engineered or renourished beaches.
Jefferson County Ecosystem Restoration Project to include the 77,000 acres of freshwater wetlands and approximately 1 mile of rock breakwater to prevent barge / tug wake impact to the restored areas.
While collecting water samples and plankton in Tampa Bay, researchers discovered a high concentration of microplastics, which are known to disrupt the marine food chain.
Settlement money from the 2010 BP oil spill will finance a $160 million restoration of two barrier islands and a headland off the coast of Terrebonne Parish.
A water quality advisory for Gulf Harbors Beach was issued after sampling indicated a high level of fecal matter.
The county will forfeit federal reimbursement to do the $100,000 study more quickly.
MEXICO BEACH, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Hurricane Michael showed Mexico Beach no mercy as its category five winds devastated the small coastal town.
Golf ball-size clods of weathered crude oil originating from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon catastrophe could remain buried in sandy Gulf Coast beaches for decades, according to a new study by ecologists at Florida State University.
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The county will forfeit federal reimbursement to do the $100,000 study more quickly.
The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Atmospheric Science Department and UAH’s Rotorcraft Systems Engineering and Simulation Center (RSESC) have teamed up to offer University of Georgia scientists a unique drone-gathered data set for their coastal disturbance studies.
President Trump’s America-First Offshore Energy Strategy hopes to open up the 94 percent of the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) that has been off limits to oil and gas leasing and exploration.
Public beach access remains a precious commodity in Walton County. Today, the county is the only place in Florida where beach owners can lay claim to private property rights to the mean high water line. About 64% of the county’s beach lots extend all the way to the Gulf’s wet sand.
An algal bloom in the Gulf is devastating coastal businesses.
According to the lawsuit, the city is violating Texas law which currently prohibits cities from taking any action to regulate an oil and gas operation.
The Port Aransas City Council is pumping the brakes on efforts to further industrialize Harbor Island. An emergency ordinance was approved by the council on Thursday, Aug. 29, placing a two-month moratorium on issuing property development permits or approvals for development of any Harbor Island properties for heavy industrial uses.
A special two-part report written and photographed by Spike Johnson in partnership with the Pulitzer Center. The second part, to be published next week, will focus on Midwest agriculture.
Dauphin Island has been battered by more than a dozen hurricanes and tropical storms in recent decades. But that hasn’t stopped homeowners on the beach resort from repeatedly getting federal aid and insurance payouts to keep rebuilding in the same vulnerable locations.
Freeport LNG has shipped the first LNG commissioning cargo for Train 1 from its liquefaction facility located on Quintana Island in Freeport, Texas.
The authors published their findings in Environmental Pollution: Oiling of the continental shelf and coastal marshes over eight years after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Since 1932, Morgan City, situated about 35 miles to the west of Houma, has yet to see any encroachment by the Gulf.
September’s arrival marks a time of transition for Texas’ natural world and those whose hearts and actions are tied to the rhythms of land, water, sky and the life in, on and over it.
“Harvey was the thing that changed everything,” said Clements. “Without any warning or preparation all my daughter knew was gone — her home, her toys, her bunny rabbit. It was too much.”
City action opposes plans made by the Port of Corpus Christi to put a crude oil terminal on Harbor Island.
Citing concerns for the region’s aquatic resources, Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) Texas is opposed to the Port of Corpus Christi’s proposed Channel Deepening Project (CDP), permit application number SWG-2019-00067. The full public notice, proposed plans and alternative analysis can be found HERE.
The close-knit community of coastal scientists was stunned earlier this summer when the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District announced he had indicted renowned coastal hydrologist Ehab Meselhe, along with a junior associate, for allegedly stealing intellectual property—coastal modeling software—from The Water Institute of the Gulf.
State and local agencies signed an agreement on Wednesday that will finance the construction of a $65 million pump station at the head of Bayou Lafourche, improving its water quality and addressing saltwater intrusion at its base.
The annual research by the Galveston Bay Foundation and the Houston Advanced Research Center notes the loss of wetlands, a decline in water quality and sea level rise as areas of concern.
A Southeast Texas city must provide better public beach access, more parking and new dune protection standards, according to a committee appointed by the city council to review management of the popular coastline.
The Open Ocean Trustee Implementation Group approved new monitoring and adaptive management activities to help better understand environmental conditions that impact marine mammals injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The species include pantropical spotted and other oceanic dolphins, and sperm whales.
Herff Cornelius and his family have ranched in the Texas Gulf Coast for five generations, four in Matagorda County, but he is struggling to keep the tradition going.
After dealing with the devastation and heartbreak associated with Hurricane Harvey, Aransas County residents are moving forward as we hit the second anniversary of the storm.
Two years ago this week, Hurricane Harvey brought death, destruction and displacement to Houston. Despite Harvey, or because of it, Houston’s commitment to recovery and resiliency is stronger than ever.
AUSTIN, Texas — Galveston has begun replacing hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of sand that were eroded from its beaches during Hurricane Harvey, working to make the city safer from future storms and bolster its tourism industry.
A U.S. Gulf of Mexico lease sale held Wednesday morning yielded almost $159.4 million in high bids for 151 tracts, the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) reported. The auction offered 77.9 million acres (31.5 million hectares), of which 835,006 acres received bids, according to preliminary data from the BOEM. Of the 151 tracts that received bids, 117 were in water more than 800 meters (2,625 ft) deep.
ORLANDO, Fla. — Climate change isn’t a primary suspect in the stunning extermination of Apalachicola Bay oysters, a calamity pegged to a variety of atrocities.
The Mobile County Commission has moved to accept a $4.4 million state grant that will fund the purchase of about 165 acres on the western shore of Mobile Bay.
The annual report by the South Florida Water Management District found that farmers in western Palm Beach County have cut the amount of harmful nutrients leaking into the Everglades by twice that’s required by law.
The Texas Water Development Board awarded an additional $2 million for the construction of the Raymondville Drain, a regional flood control project more than 32 years in the making.
From Cypress swamps to fresh water lakes, paddling along the Alabama Gulf Coast is quite the adventure. The Coastal Alabama Back Bay Blueway offers four distinct trails with 21 launch sites that take paddlers around the waterways surrounding Gulf Shores, Orange Beach and Fort Morgan. Whether by canoe, kayak or paddleboard, the Coastal Alabama Back Bay Blueway offers plenty of variety for your next paddling adventure.
One would be hard pressed to find a local effort as snake-bit as the beach restoration of St. Joseph Peninsula.
The Galveston Bay Foundation has seen the first structure go up on 30 acres of bayfront land in Kemah it acquired in 2016.
A new study raises questions about whether one of the most highly touted weapons against coastal erosion will do more harm than good.
“Marine debris removal and research efforts have both immediate and long-term benefits for local communities, regional interests, and the American Blue Economy,” said retired Navy Rear Adm. Tim Gallaudet, Ph.D., assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and deputy NOAA administrator. “
US Sen. Bill Cassidy, chair of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee’s Energy Subcommittee, and ENR Committee Chair, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, introduced legislation on Aug. 2 that aims to reform federal offshore revenue-sharing for Gulf Coast states.
With election season ramping up, a new poll shows Louisiana voters believe officials need to prioritize coastal land loss.
Workers in the hospitality and leisure industries are paid the lowest average wages compared to any other industry in the nation.
USGS scientists look to the past to learn about the future of Florida mangroves
On September 1, 2019, any vessel larger than 1,100 feet will no longer have open access to the Houston Ship Channel (HSC) absent approval by the newly authorized and independent Board of Pilot Commissioners for Harris County Ports (Board), in accordance with two Texas bills signed into law this summer by Governor Greg Abbott.
US LNG export project developer NextDecade Corporation has pushed its expected final investment decision on its Rio Grande LNG project in Brownsville, Texas, to the fourth quarter of the year.
The river that drains much of the flood-soaked United States is still running far higher than normal, menacing New Orleans in multiple ways just as the hurricane season intensifies.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced Tuesday that they have added two additional days of red snapper fishing for private anglers.
Officials gathered in Houma to christen the dredge today.
As coastal communities throughout Florida are trying to identify and address the impacts of climate change, particularly in relation to rising sea levels, an island group is working to do the same.
Louisiana is adding three miles of breakwaters to protect a state wildlife refuge where the shoreline is rapidly eroding and the bottom is extremely soft.
In an effort to increase the information flow between scientists and the fishermen, members of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration sat down with about a dozen folks at the Destin Community Center to hash out a few ideas during a recent workshop.
WESLACO, Rio Grande Valley, Texas – A second causeway for South Padre Island (SPI) and a new corridor from Harlingen to SPI are being delayed due to a change in state transportation policy.
In 1978, an oil company called Aminoil drilled a 7,500-foot-deep well in the heart of a 207-acre tract of coastal prairie in Galveston, tucked between Stewart Road and the West Bay.
Of all the various tactics used by oil and gas industry opponents to block its activities, one of the most noteworthy has been the incessant, decades-long stream of class-action lawsuits in Louisiana. Unfortunately, that cottage industry has been successful in depressing the state’s oil and gas sector and in enriching plaintiffs' firms while failing miserably in its’ stated objective of raising funds to help with the pressing problem of the ongoing loss of lands and wetlands throughout the Mississippi River delta region.
Environmental groups have filed a new complaint against the federal government in an attempt to stall the sale of offshore Gulf of Mexico oil and gas leases, arguing that coastal residents haven't had their say as required by environmental law, especially since the Trump administration began rolling back regulations that were put in place after the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Hundreds of thousands of fish turned up dead on the shores of southwest Florida last year due to red tide, affecting area businesses, tourism and more.
The town received a notice of intent to issue permits from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in July.
This year’s historic flooding on the Mississippi River has decimated the coast’s fisheries.
Members of the Florida congressional delegation are working together to push for updating and reauthorizing the “Coral Reef Conservation Act” which expired 15 years ago.
In Mississippi and around the Southeast, climate change already is causing more extreme rain events and sea level rise, federal scientists say.
Florida Governor DeSantis announces in Englewood that the new Red Tide Task Force will complement the Blue Green Algae Task Force and the Florida Red Tide Mitigation and Technology Development Initiative, which is the partnership between the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute within FWC and Mote Marine Laboratory.
Funds will be used to fix large laboratory building on the UT Marine Science Institute campus in Port Aransas ravaged by Hurricane Harvey.
A University of Miami study released last week found that smoke from African fires burning wild or to clear land has more usable phosphorus in it than Saharan dust — long thought a potential culprit in over-nourishing far away marine ecosystems and South American flora.
Multi-million-dollar deluxe beachfront houses designed for large groups of vacationers are the latest housing trend in Panama City Beach.
Two offshore workers have reportedly been killed in an incident aboard Shell’s Auger platform in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico.
The U.S. House of Representatives has approved the first federally funded economic impact study of toxic algae blooms since 2006 and a proposal to increase funding for research into ways to mitigate or stop red tide outbreaks by $2 million to $12 million.
House Bill 578, sponsored by state Rep. Tanner Magee, R-Houma, appropriates $700 million from the BP oil spill settlement to the connector project at La. 415, along with six other infrastructure bills statewide.
The commercial fishing industry on the gulf coast has seen two major disasters in the last 15 years: Hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill. Now, some fear we’re on the cusp of a third. The culprit: historic flooding from the Mississippi River.
For many beach-tourism businesses impacted by Hurricane Michael, this July 4th is an important
There are times in this politically contentious period that commonsense legislation still manages to move forward through the congressional process. The Young Fishermen’s Development Act looks like it will be one of these bills that will make it to the finish line.
Fecal matter, killer algae, too much water, not enough water—Florida's hydrological disaster is killing its legendary inshore fishing
Editor’s note: Jim McClintock, Ph.D., a professor of polar and marine biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is one of 25 nationwide scientists developing a definitive report on the effects of climate change and leads annual educational Climate Change Challenge cruises to Antarctica. This Op-Ed was originally written for Al.com.
She issued them a challenge to do more than just look after themselves in times of storms, but to take the lead in helping their entire community.
Tiny plastic building blocks are spilled into oceans and waterways before they’re even made into plastic goods. Listen to Jace Tunnel, Texas Nurdle Specialist, on the American Shoreline Podcast. Pod link at the end of the story
Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center are monitoring an area disturbed weather that will move into the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico near Florida later this week. It now has a 50 percent chance of developing into a tropical system, and if it becomes a storm it would be named Tropical Storm Barry.
Witnesses First-Hand Vessel Activity of Nation’s Busiest Waterway
Algal blooms can have a large impact on the area’s marine life, public health and tourism industry.
That’s been made clear over the past couple of weeks as algal blooms, freshwater intrusion, seafood industry damages and even infestations of alligators have descended upon southeastern Louisiana. The effects of the Bonnet Carre opening have been enough to attract the attention of Louisiana’s congressional delegation.
An advisory for a portion of Panama City Beach remains in place due elevated levels of bacteria.
GULFPORT, Miss. — Toxic bacteria are keeping swimmers out of the water on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and it will be weeks before financial information shows whether beach closures are hurting the local economy.
Jul. 11--PANAMA CITY -- The air in the heart of Florida's Panhandle has felt heavy for days, weighed down by Southern humidity and the hazy heat of summer. Familiar thunderstorms, bringing brief downpours, have done little to loosen its grip.
When it becomes regulated, Texas oyster farming will be a huge economic boost. "We're talking in terms of thousands of jobs really and millions of dollars of impacts easily."
A hurricane warning has been issued for parts of the Louisiana coast ahead of Tropical Storm Barry's arrival.
BAY COUNTY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Mexico Beach is getting some much-needed assistance with a beach renourishment project thanks to the Bay County Tourist Development Council.
WALTON COUNTY — The latest twist in Walton County’s tumultuous customary use battle has some beach property owners threatening to seek legal sanctions against the county’s attorneys for attempting to claim, as public, land that in years past had been specifically declared to be private.
On July 1, one year after a state law negated Walton County’s customary use beach ordinance, residents and visitors gathered on local beaches to join hands in support of customary use.
ENGLEWOOD — Damian Ochab is happy Sarasota County is joining Charlotte County in its effort to nourish the eroded shoreline along Manasota Key.
St. Louis, MO - July 9, 2019 - The United Soybean Board’s commitment to improve market conditions for farmers hits a new bottom — the Mississippi River bottom.
“The major cause of record, recent flooding is entirely man-made - the dramatic constriction of our large rivers by oversized levees, flood plain development and structural narrowing for barge traffic,” said Robert Criss, professor emeritus with the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.
Barry, now a tropical depression, continues moving slowly north through Arkansas and rainfall and flooding remains a concern. NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite passed over the south central United States yesterday, July 14 and captured a visible image of then Tropical Storm Barry.
Shrimpers say changes are a good sign but not enough
After centuries of fighting back water in a low-lying nation, the Dutch have become the world leaders in flood control. And their expertise is helping Texas design what would become the nation’s most ambitious — and expensive — coastal barrier.
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