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Top: Maria Carmen Flores is South Louisiana Community College's Young Memorial WorkReady U English Language Acquisition Student of the Month. Middle: Martha Sustaita is Student of the Month. Bottom: Seth Breaux is Student of the Month at SLCC WorkReady U in Franklin.
A federal judge in Baton Rouge has halted construction of the Bayou Bridge crude oil pipeline planned through the heart of the Atchafalaya Basin, granting the request of environmental groups opposed to the project.
Saying she will later explain her ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Shelly Dick issued an order Friday prohibiting the companies building the pipeline from continuing construction. Work on the pipeline had begun in January, after final permits were approved.
In the order issuing a preliminary injunction, Dick wrote that she was enjoining further work on the pipeline “in order to prevent further irreparable harm until this matter can be tried on the merits.”
In this case, Earthjustice brought a federal suit on Jan. 11 against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on behalf of the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper, the Louisiana Crawfish Producers Association-West, the Waterkeeper Alliance and the Sierra Club. They allege the Corps acted “arbitrarily and capriciously” when it issued a key permit for the pipeline.
“The court’s ruling recognizes the serious threat this pipeline poses to the Atchafalaya Basin, one of our country’s ecological and cultural crown jewels,” Jan Hasselman, an Earthjustice attorney, said in a statement. “For now, at least, the Atchafalaya is safe from this company’s incompetence and greed.”
A spokeswoman for Energy Transfer Partners, a joint owner of the pipeline project, declined comment. “The Judge did not issue any opinion explaining her order. Until such time as that is issued, and we can review, we will have no further comment,” said Alexis Daniel in an email.
In a statement late last month, the company noted that Eunice-based Sunland Construction had been hired to build about one-third of pipeline’s length, from St. Martin to St. James parishes. The line will extend all the way to Lake Charles and link up with an operating section of line that goes to Nederland, Texas.
The company has pointed to the pipeline’s employment and tax revenue benefits and its ability to improve the efficiency of oil transport from the nation’s mid-section and parts north to oil terminals and refineries along the Mississippi River and elsewhere on the Gulf Coast.
The full 163-mile project will employ approximately 2,500 construction workers, Energy Transfer Partners has said in earlier statements. Sunland was expected to hire additional construction workers to build its segment of the project.
But Dick’s ruling came about two weeks after a day and a half of testimony earlier this month in which environmental groups argued the Corps didn’t perform its due diligence when the project was allowed to move forward. They argued the Corps failed to require pipeline builders to take meaningful steps to offset the environmental impact of building the pipeline and did not thoroughly consider the potential destruction of a spill, especially in the Atchafalaya Basin.
In a statement from the Basinkeepers, the groups noted that testimony included claims that the pipelines would degrade crawfishing grounds and that “ancient cypress and tupelo trees slated to be turned into mulch while the pipeline right-of-way is being cleared would never return, including evidence that these old-growth trees are the Noah’s Ark of the swamp — providing habitat for migratory birds, bears, bats and numerous other wildlife.”
Lawyers for the pipeline companies and Corps told Dick the conservation groups misrepresented the pipeline review, which they said looked exhaustively at potential spills and considered the best way to offset negative impacts on the Atchafalaya Basin. Work that compensates for construction that affects sensitive wetlands is also known as wetlands mitigation.
They also asked the judge to consider the costs to both the company and workers building the pipeline should construction be halted.
Ricky Boyett, spokesman for the Corps, said Friday evening that the agency does not comment on pending litigation.
The first treatment to help prevent serious allergic reactions to peanuts may be on the way. A company said Tuesday that its daily capsules of peanut powder helped children build tolerance in a major study.
Millions of children are allergic to peanuts, and some may have life- threatening reactions if accidentally exposed to them. Doctors have been testing daily doses of peanut, contained in a capsule and sprinkled over food, as a way to prevent that by gradually getting them used to very small amounts.
California-based Aimm-une Therapeutics said 67 percent of kids who had its experimental treatment were able to tolerate the equivalent of roughly two peanuts at the end of the study, compared to only 4 percent of others given a dummy powder.
But a big warning: Don’t try this at home.
“It’s potentially dangerous,” said Dr. Stacie Jones, a University of Arkansas allergy specialist. “This is investigational. It has to be done in a very safe setting” to make sure kids can be treated fast for any bad reactions that occur, she said.
Jones helped lead the study, consults for the company, and will give the results at an allergy conference next month. The results have not yet been reviewed by independent experts.
The study involved nearly 500 kids ages 4 to 17 with allergies so severe that they had reactions to as little as a tenth of a peanut. They were given either capsules of peanut or a dummy powder in gradually increasing amounts for six months, then continued on that final level for another six months. Neither the participants nor their doctors knew who was getting what until the study ended.
About 20 percent of kids getting the peanut powder dropped out of the study, 12 percent due to reactions or other problems. The product showed “overall good safety,” Jones said.
Dr. Andrew Bird, an allergy specialist at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, also consults for the company and had patients in the study. The treatment doesn’t allow kids to eat peanuts as if they had no allergy, but research suggests that being able to tolerate at least one peanut should protect 95 percent of them from having a reaction if they are exposed to peanuts, he said.
That would be a relief to Cathy Heald, a Dallas mom whose 10-year-old son, Charlie, was in the study.
“We had to teach him that he has to ask about everything he eats from a very early age,” she said. “He’s described it as living in a cage, watching other people get to eat what they want.”
Charlie was assigned to the group given fake peanut powder but has been able to get the real thing since the study ended, she said.
Aimmune plans to seek U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment later this year and in Europe early next year.
The company’s chief executive has said he expects the first six months of treatment to cost $5,000 to $10,000, and $300 to $400 a month after that.
The thinking about peanut allergies has changed in recent years, and experts now think early exposure helps prevent them from forming. Last year, the National Institutes of Health issued new advice, saying most babies should get peanut-containing foods starting around 6 months, in age-appropriate forms like watered-down peanut butter or peanut puffs — not whole peanuts because those are a choking hazard.
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TECHE Project will hold its 2018 membership meeting has been rescheduled for Saturday, March 3, at Oaklawn Manor.
This year’s theme is “Sugarcane Families” and will include hors d’oeuvres and deserts, all made with raw Louisiana cane sugar. There will be live music, door prizes and a silent auction.
TECHE Project members may attend at no charge. For others there is an entrance fee which is $20, the price of membership.
Guest speaker is Donna McGee Onebane, author of “The House That Sugarcane Built: The Louisiana Burguieres.”
TECHE Project is an organization dedicated to making the bayou a healthier waterway for fishing, kayaking, canoeing, boating, tubing and swimming. They advocate improved water quality in the watershed through reduction of non-point source pollution. They also work at trash and debris cleanup, bankline erosion prevention, wood duck nesting boxes, floating docks, water quality monitoring and development of paddle trails.
Annual membership is $20 for a single person, $50 for a family up to four, and $100 for a business.
Donate online at:
http://www.techeproject.org
Or mail to
TECHE Project
P.O. Box 165
Arnaudville, La. 70512
There are also sponsorship levels ranging from $101 to $5,000.
Earlier this week, Winn-Dixie parent company Bi-Lo LLC reportedly planned to file for bankruptcy with a debt of nearly $1 billion.
It was rumored that some 200 stores would close.
Thursday, Brookshire Grocery Co. and Southeastern Grocers announced an agreeement under which BGC will acquire eight Winn-Dixie stores from SEG in some area, including Franklin.
Other stores to be acquired include in New Roads, Breaux Bridge, New Iberia, Abbeville, Crowley, Rayne and Eunice.
According to company sources, the stores will become part of BGC’s Super 1 Foods. After the closing process is completed, it is anticipated that the stores will undergo a brief transition period with the goal of re-opening within a matter of days under the Super 1 Foods banner.
“We’re excited about this agreement and the opportunity it provides us to further grow and expand in this region,” said Brad Brookshire, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer for BGC. “These stores are a strong fit for our Super 1 Foods banner, and we look forward to welcoming new customers and employees in Acadiana. We’re a family business celebrating our 90th anniversary this year, and we look forward to many more years here.”
Trey Edwards, Winn-Dixie regional vice president for Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi said, ““We are pleased to have found a strong partner in Brookshire Grocery Company, who shares our focus on customers and who respects and values their employees. We know BGC very well and are confident that the eight stores being transferred will see continued success in their communities. Importantly, Winn- Dixie and Super 1 Foods are working together to ensure a smooth transition for associates, and we are thrilled that our associates in these stores will have the opportunity to interview at their current store locations for ongoing positions. We would like to thank the loyal customers who have shopped at these locations and our team of hard-working associates for their commitment to serving our customers.”
Elsewhere, New Orleans Winn-Dixie customers will be seeing a transition to Shopper’s Value in seven locations, including three in Mississippi.
Arthur "Mr. Okra" James Robinson Sr., 74, a native and resident of New Orleans, passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 15, 2018 at 6:09 pm.
A Public Viewing and Visitation will be held Sunday, February 25, 2018 at 1:00 pm until 3:00 pm at the Marigny Opera House 725 St. Ferdinand Street New Orleans, LA 70117.
“Mr. Okra,” as he was known to many, is survived by his nine children, Sergio Robinson, Arthur J. Robinson, Jr., Seneria Robinson Crawford, Theron Robinson, Eferm Robinson all of New Orleans, Ronald Robinson of Franklin, La, Rinaldo Robinson of New Orleans, Kemo Charles Robinson of Morgan City, and Teddy Stanberry and a host of grandchildren, great grandchildren, great great grandchildren and beloved nieces and nephews.
Arthur Sr. was preceded in death by his parents; his nine siblings, and one daughter.
Jones Funeral Home of Morgan City, Franklin, Houma and Jeanerette in charge of arrangements.
Visit www.jones-funeral-home.com to send condolences to family.
HAMMOND (AP) — Two people were injured after gunshots were fired early Friday on a college campus in Louisiana, school officials said.
Southeastern Louisiana University spokeswoman Erin Cowser said the incident happened at 3 a.m. Friday near an assembly hall where basketball games and other sports events are held.
Cowser said the shooting apparently stemmed from a fight or altercation involving students and people who aren't enrolled in the school.
She said the incident hasn't forced any closures or cancellations on Friday, a day when the school doesn't have a full schedule of classes.
"The incident is over and done," she said.
It was unclear whether the two people injured were students. They were taken to a local hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Cowser says no suspects are in custody. Police are investigating.
The school is located in Hammond, about 56 miles northwest of New Orleans.
The National Weather Service is predicting a rapid rise along the lower Mississippi River in the next two weeks. That’s not the rise that will change forever the face of south Louisiana, but, just coincidentally, LSU hydrologist Yi-Jun Xu, has recently joined a list of folks who warn that a really big flood could send most of the Mississippi into the Atchafalaya Basin, permanently, and with disastrous results.
It’s a process that’s been going on for many, many years. The Atchafalaya began seriously stealing water from the Mississippi in the middle 1800s, when a huge log jam was broken to allow easier travel across the Basin. That made the Atchafalaya navigable by steamboat, but also allowed more water to flow into it from the Mississippi.
The added water began to widen the Atchafalaya and dig it deeper, so that it could take even more water. By the late 1940s, it was drawing off fully one-third of the Mississippi’s water. By the 1950s, it became apparent that the shorter, straighter Atchafalaya would soon capture practically all of the Mississippi’s flow.
It was a natural thing to do. Almost all of south Louisiana has been built by sediment from the Mississippi as it meandered from one place to another over the past several thousand years. Mother Nature had no problem with the idea, but lots of people did.
A change in the Mississippi’s course would drain so much water that ships could no longer get to Baton Rouge and only small ones to New Orleans. Industrial plants dependent on fresh water from the Mississippi would have to move elsewhere. The reduced Mississippi flow would allow a tongue of saltwater to creep up the river from the Gulf, corroding pipes and tainting drinking water.
Man’s solution was to build the Old River Control Structure near Simmesport to maintain the Mississippi at necessary levels and control how much water is allowed into the Atchafalaya. The Army Corps of Engineers thought, briefly, about simply building a dam so that all of its water stayed in the Mississippi, but then decided that wouldn’t work.
The Atchafalaya feeds the swamps and bayous of south Louisiana, and is the source of water for many small towns. That was one consideration. But the main one was that the Mississippi can’t handle all of the water that sometimes pours down it; the 1927 flood proved that. New Orleans was saved then by busting the levee and flooding other places. The Simmesport structure had to be designed to essentially become New Orleans’s safety valve, sending water away from the city in flood times, keeping enough the rest of the year to float its boats and feed its commerce.
The controls have done their job since they were completed in 1963. But there have been scares, big ones. In 1973, for example, when the Mississippi reached an historic flood just downstream from the structure, the water began to cut a path around it and to scour beneath it. Tons of rip-rap were poured into the breaches and the structure held, averting disaster—for the time being. But even though more permanent repairs and substantial improvements have been done, some experts think a change in the Mississippi course is inevitable, that some day the manmade structure will give way to the force of nature.
In 1980, two LSU professors, economist David Johnson and civil engineer Raphael Kazman, were among the first to seriously study what might happen. They described the Old River operation as “the scene of a direct confrontation between the United States Government and the Mississippi River” and predicted the river would eventually win. “The final outcome is simply a matter of time,” they said. (“If the Old River Control Structure Fails? The Physical and Economic Consequences,” Louisiana Water Resources Research Institute Bulletin 12, 1980).
They agreed that a diminished Mississippi would spell big trouble for New Orleans and Baton Rouge — forecasting the closed ports, the salt water tongue, and the other effects that had worried the engineers. But they saw just as much trouble on the Atchafalaya if a wall of water should suddenly breach the control. The rush would flood communities worse than in 1927, wipe out road and railroad bridges, break pipelines that supply energy to the Atlantic Seaboard, shut down electric grids here, and cause all sorts of other havoc.
The potential consequences have only gotten worse since that forecast in 1980, in Professor Xu’s view. Such a shift would leave two million people with water too salty to drink. More than 100 petrochemical plants between Baton Rouge and the Gulf of Mexico would be affected. It would cause huge flooding in the Atchafalaya Basin, “Morgan City will probably be gone, covered with water,” he said.
The Corps of Engineers maintains, as it always has, that all is under control at the Old River Control. But there are many folks who, like Kazman and Johnson, think Mother Nature is just biding her time. As one skeptic put it, “The river has a long memory, and, like man, it longs for freedom.”
A collection of Jim Bradshaw’s columns, 'Cajuns and Other Characters,' is now available from Pelican Publishing. You can contact him at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.
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Fax: 985-384-4255