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May 2014

The Conveyance Online
Restore or Retreat's E-newsletter
Restore or Retreat Executive Committee

Mike Plaisance, President

Plaisance Dragline and Dredging

 

Ted Falgout, VP

Ted M. Falgout and Associates

 

Robert Naquin, Treasurer

 

Henri Boulet, Secretary

LA 1 Coalition

 

Tim Allen

Apache Louisiana Minerals

 

Charlotte Bollinger

Bollinger Shipyards

 

Berwick Duval

Duval, Funderburk, Sundbery, Lovell and Watkins

 

Dr. John J. Jones, Jr.

Jones Dermatology

Calendar

Governor's Advisory Commission

Wed, June 4 -- 9:30 a.m.

Pollack Room
Galvez Building

Baton Rouge, LA 70802

Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Board

Wed, June 18 -- 9:30 a.m.

Nicholls Ballroom
Nicholls State University
Thibodaux, LA  70301
In the News
Advocate appointed to coastal board- Courier

Parishes, states await decisions on BP fines- Courier

GLPC tapped for a coastal award- Tri-Parish Times

US Energy, Interior Secretaries Tour LA Coast- WWNO

Morganza takes another step- Courier (Opinion)

State's water management business is booming- Courier

The Coastal Index: The Problem and Possibility of Our Coast- the Data Center

Funding Deepwater Horizon Restoration and Recovery:How Much, Going Where and For  What?-
A white paper from the Environmental Law Institute and Tulane Institute on Water Resources Law and Policy


We've Moved!
The ROR office has moved!  We are still on the Nicholls State University Campus, now in South Babington Hall at 322 Audubon Drive.  Our mailing address and phone number will remain the same.
Quick Links
ROR is now on Facebook and Twiiter-
Like Us and Follow us @RestoreRetreat
Today!

ROR Hosts Annual Meeting with RESTORE Executive Director
Over 100 people joined Restore or Retreat to hear updates from the organization and the RESTORE Council's Executive Director.

Last month, ROR supporters and community stakeholders gathered in Thibodaux for the Restore or Retreat General Membership Meeting. 

The meeting, held annually, serves as an update on the organization's activities.  This year, guests also received a briefing on the current status of federal restoration activities by the RESTORE Council from its Executive Director, Justin Ehrenwerth. 

After Deepwater Horizon, Congress passed the RESTORE Act, which established a Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council.  The Council is comprised of the five Gulf States, as well as federal departments and agencies, which will manage a 30 percent share of Clean Water Act Penalties distributed under RESTORE Act for ecosystem restoration through a Comprehensive Plan.

Ehrenwerth spoke to the group about how funds are to be allocated through the RESTORE Act, and explained how the RESTORE Council entity is being stood up from the ground up through the Department of Commerce.  Eligible expenses for the RESTORE monies were also outlined as well as the RESTORE Council's process to select programs and projects.  That process includes:
  • Develop a proposal solicitation and evaluation process
  • Publish a Draft Funded Priorities List for public review
  • Funded Priority List will serve as the basis for allocating funds
Ehrenwerth also described next steps for the RESTORE Council, which include:
  • Create public engagement structure and improve website
  • Enhance coordination with our restoration partners
  • Review and approve State Expenditure Plans
Click here for a link to a follow-up article from the Houma Courier.

Also, ROR's organizational annual review can be found online at www.restoreorretreat.org 
ROR Executive Director Named to Governor's Coastal Commission
The appointment will need to be confirmed by the Louisiana Senate before this regular session ends.

ROR Executive Director Simone Maloz was recently nominated to the Governor's Advisory Commission on Coastal Protection, Restoration and Conservation.

"It is an honor to be nominated to serve on the commission," said Maloz.  "I look forward to representing Restore or Retreat, and hope to contribute even more to the good work already being done by the Commission and its members."

 

The Commission assists the State of Louisiana in the development and implementation of a holistic plan to achieve a sustainable coastal ecosystem, encompassing the entirety of Louisiana's fragile coast from the Pearl River to the Sabine River, all predicated upon uncompromising engineering, scientific and ecological principles.  

 

It does this by advising the Governor and the Executive Assistant on integrated coastal activities relative to the overall status and direction of the state's coastal protection program. It reviews programs, conditions, trends, and scientific and engineering findings which affect integrated coastal protection, in order to make recommendations for improvements to the state's integrated coastal protection efforts.

 

Each Commission member represents a specific coastal stakeholder, like navigation or oil and gas, and there are several "At Large" seats.  Maloz will represent an "At Large" seat. 

 

The next Commission meeting will be held Wednesday, June 2 in Baton Rouge.   

 

Click here to view past Commission meeting agendas and presentations.
ROR in the Field- Meeting on Energy and Environment, Trip to Western Terrebonne and more
ROR had a busy month in the field- check it out!

ROR Outreach Coordinator John Lombardo looks down the Crawford Canal during a field visit to western Terrebonne.


NFWF, CPRA, and NGO participants hear about existing and planned restoration projects from host Greg Linscombe of Continental Land & Fur.


ROR ED Simone Maloz sits with SCIA board members Lori Davis, Paul Danos, and Cory Kief during Representative Scalise's Energy Tour roundtable at the Greater Lafourche Port Commission.  SCIA cohosted the event.


Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-MN) speaks with Rep. Steve Scalise and Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph prior to the Energy Roundtable.


Dr. Denise Reed of the Water Institute prepares to leave the Myrtle Grove Marina with Diversion Panel members.  ROR hosted lunch and participated in the field trip.

  Dr. Denise Reed and panel members get their hands dirty during the field trip. Panel members convened for their second meeting in New Orleans the following day. 
We are grateful for all of those supporters who have recently renewed their membership support of Restore or Retreat.  And we hope to extend the support of others, so we can continue to work daily on saving this irreplaceable region!
 
Sincerely,

Simone Maloz

Executive Director

Restore or Retreat, Inc.