INSIDER
The estimated cost to raise JEA powerlines near JaxPort has more than doubled since feasibility study
Read full article: The estimated cost to raise JEA powerlines near JaxPort has more than doubled since feasibility studyThe estimated cost to raise the powerlines near the Jacksonville Port Authority (JaxPort) has more than doubled, according to a new analysis.
In Louisiana's Cancer Alley, company cancels plans for grain export facility in historic Black town
Read full article: In Louisiana's Cancer Alley, company cancels plans for grain export facility in historic Black townResidents of a historic Black community in Louisiana who’ve spent years fighting against a massive grain export facility set to be built on the grounds where their enslaved ancestors once lived appear to have finally halted the project.
Renourishment project to begin moving north as work continues in Duval County beaches
Read full article: Renourishment project to begin moving north as work continues in Duval County beachesThe first weekend of the summer kicked off, and hundreds of people visited the beaches as the beach renourishment project continues in Jacksonville Beach.
Georgia wants to study deepening Savannah’s harbor again on heels of $973 million dredging project
Read full article: Georgia wants to study deepening Savannah’s harbor again on heels of $973 million dredging projectThe chief executive over Georgia's seaports says larger cargo ships will need deeper water and a taller bridge to reach the Port of Savannah in the near future.
US agency plans deeper study of sea turtles, dredging threat
Read full article: US agency plans deeper study of sea turtles, dredging threatA U.S. agency is agreeing to participate in an in-depth study on whether dredging a Georgia shipping channel in the spring and summer would pose threats to rare sea turtles.
Suit: US ship canal dredging in summer threatens sea turtles
Read full article: Suit: US ship canal dredging in summer threatens sea turtlesA conservation group is suing in federal court over a U.S. agency's timeline for dredging a Georgia shipping channel, saying dredging in the summertime would threaten rare sea turtles.
Emergency repairs to protect SR A1A coming to Flagler County
Read full article: Emergency repairs to protect SR A1A coming to Flagler CountyFlagler County is surveying the volume of sand lost from its dunes while simultaneously coordinating with Flagler Beach, FDOT, Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Army Corps of Engineers about the emergency measures that can be taken to protect State Road A1A and beyond.
Company: Legal settlement puts Okefenokee mine back on track
Read full article: Company: Legal settlement puts Okefenokee mine back on trackA company seeking to mine in southeast Georgia near the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp says the project is back on track after a federal agency reversed a June decision that had temporarily blocked it.
17 years post-Katrina, New Orleans-area protections complete
Read full article: 17 years post-Katrina, New Orleans-area protections completeSeventeen years after Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans, the Army Corps of Engineers has completed an extensive system of floodgates, strengthened levees and other protections.
Raising power lines near Blount Island Terminal would cost $30M, recent study finds
Read full article: Raising power lines near Blount Island Terminal would cost $30M, recent study findsJEA and JaxPort are looking to raise the height of power lines over a portion the St. Johns River so that bigger ships can travel safely through the port.
Judge halts Brunswick dredging plan over threat to sea turtles
Read full article: Judge halts Brunswick dredging plan over threat to sea turtlesA federal judge ordered an immediate halt on Thursday to plans to dredge a shipping channel at the Port of Brunswick, citing a threat to sea turtles nesting on nearby beaches.
Feds seek end to dredging limits that protect sea turtles
Read full article: Feds seek end to dredging limits that protect sea turtlesAnd it’s personal to us.”Thousands of sea turtles that nest each spring and summer share their coastal habitat with busy seaports in all four states. Army Corps officials say they can eliminate seasonal dredging limits without putting sea turtles in greater peril. Giant loggerhead sea turtles, protected as a federally threatened species, nest during the spring and summer months on beaches from North Carolina to Florida. Smaller numbers of endangered green and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles lay eggs in the region as well. The state agency notes warmer waters in the summer attract sea turtles in far greater numbers than during winter.
Recovered Midwestern bird soars off endangered species list
Read full article: Recovered Midwestern bird soars off endangered species listThe interior least tern, a hardy Midwestern bird that survived a craze for its plumage and dam-building that destroyed much of its habitat, has soared off the endangered species list. (AP Photo/Dave Martin File)TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – The interior least tern, a hardy Midwestern bird that survived a craze for its plumage and dam-building that destroyed much of its habitat, has soared off the endangered species list. Environmental groups that sometimes have opposed dropping species from the endangered list supported the removal of the interior least tern. “We consider it an Endangered Species Act success story for sure,” said Noah Greenwald of the Center for Biological Diversity. But he cautioned that vigilance was needed to make sure the bird's river habitat remains secure.
Charleston weighs wall as seas rise and storms strengthen
Read full article: Charleston weighs wall as seas rise and storms strengthenAs high tide laps against the sea wall tourist walk down the Battery in Charleston, S.C. Friday, Nov. 13, 2020. Others fear the wall will damage wetlands and wildlife, or that poor neighborhoods will be left out of flooding solutions. The barrier is reminiscent of fortifications that colonists built around Charleston 350 years ago to keep out invaders, but the Corps says the new wall is designed to keep out storm surge. The agency's proposal includes a floating breakwater offshore and some nonstructural measures, such as raising homes not situated behind the sea wall. Whether the city builds the wall or not, the process has accelerated the conversation Charleston needs to have about sea level rise, said Winslow Hastie of the Historic Charleston Foundation.
Feds want deal with North Dakota over pipeline protest costs
Read full article: Feds want deal with North Dakota over pipeline protest costsBISMARCK, N.D. The Army Corps of Engineers is recommending that the federal government negotiate a settlement with North Dakota for more than $38 million that the state spent policing protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline. North Dakota Republican U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer called the recommendation very significant and the right thing to do for the federal government. North Dakota assumed all costs including the cleanup of actions facilitated by the Corps of Engineers, Cramer said Tuesday. Thousands of opponents gathered in southern North Dakota in 2016 and early 2017, camping on federal land and often clashing with police. If not, we will prepare for trial.Stenehjem said North Dakota has a strong case and holds the upper hand in negotiations now with the federal judges ruling last month.
Sierra Club says addressing climate change urgent
Read full article: Sierra Club says addressing climate change urgentJoe Raedle/Getty ImagesTALLAHASSEE, Fla. - Sierra Club Florida Chapter Director Frank Jackalone warned Friday that time is running short as the state faces the consequences of climate change. The Sierra Club has been a fierce critic of the toll-road projects, which were a priority of Senate President Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton, during the 2019 session. Jackalone praised lawmakers for being more open to talk about climate change than in the past. Jackalone warned that by failing to adequately address climate change, money going into Everglades restoration will be wasted. "We're seeing waters rising to the point where the southern tip of the Everglades (is already) being threatened sea level rise," Jackalone said.
Groups skeptical' of Savannah harbor oxygen injector test
Read full article: Groups skeptical' of Savannah harbor oxygen injector testArmy Corps of Engineers scientists drift in a boat toward a plume of red dye in the Savannah River, Ga., as they test large machines designed to boost oxygen levels in the river. SAVANNAH, Ga. - Conservation groups "remain skeptical" that machines injecting oxygen into the Savannah harbor will offset threats to fish caused by deepening the busy shipping channel to the Port of Savannah, but they won't return to court to fight the $973 million project, according to the environmental groups' attorney. Conservation groups and South Carolina state agencies had sued the Army Corps in federal court, arguing the harbor expansion would cause irreversible environmental damage. A settlement reached in 2013 stated that the plaintiffs could terminate the deal if the Corps couldn't prove the oxygen machines worked. DeScherer's letter said the environmental groups that sued won't scrap the settlement despite their doubts about the oxygen machines.