Louisiana

Louisiana oyster growers bitterly oppose Louisiana’s largest coastal project

Published

2 years ago

September 28, 2022

Louisiana oyster growers bitterly oppose Louisiana’s largest coastal project

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – South of Empire close to the barrier islands, Nathan Jurisich mans the controls of one in every of his household’s oyster boats because it scrapes the water backside.

“There’s not too many people left,” mentioned the 30-year-old Jurisich, a fourth-generation oysterman in a enterprise many younger folks now keep away from.

“That is all I’ve ever needed to do all my life,” Jurisich mentioned. “I simply adore it and I like being out right here.”

His father, Mitch, navigates via a discipline of bamboo poles south of Empire when Mitch’s grandparents began the household enterprise.

The poles, Mitch mentioned, mark oysters leases, “on either side of what was marshland.”

In the present day, it’s a huge expanse of open water typically six toes deep, separated by the Gulf of Mexico solely by a string of islands.

Mitch has witnessed this a part of the coast degrade from marshes and bayous to at least one giant bay.

“They are saying stage 4 most cancers is the worst most cancers you possibly can have,” the elder Jurisich mentioned. “Louisiana’s in stage 10 most cancers proper now.”

But, folks within the oyster enterprise now see the state’s most ambitious-ever coastal undertaking as the best risk to their livelihoods.

Extra: Louisiana’s largest coastal undertaking ‘on the 2-yard line,’ CPRA says

The $2 billion Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion would channel as much as 75,000 cubic toes per second of Mississippi River water and sediment into the marsh south of Belle Chasse.

A last environmental influence assertion from the U.S. Military Corps of Engineers finds the diversion would sculpt 21 sq. miles of land over 50 years.

“To attend 50 years, that is gonna be up in opposition to the doorstep of New Orleans,” mentioned Jurisich, who chairs the Louisiana Oyster Job Power. “I don’t assume there’s any undertaking large enough that may fight what’s coming in 50 years.”

Oystermen complain that a lot recent water within the system would devastate oyster leases. Jurisich argues the state’s tourism tradition can be at stake.

“Individuals don’t come to New Orleans to eat steak,” Jurisich mentioned. “They arrive for its native aptitude, its seafood, our tradition, our heritage.”

Louisiana has already spent about one billion {dollars} restoring barrier islands, together with two-and-a-half miles of shoreline alongside Pelican Island simply south of Jurisich’s oyster leases.

“A few third of this island is all that was left.”

In the present day, he mentioned, the island gives a level of safety for the oyster beds, calming the waters from the Gulf.

“We harvest oysters proper as much as the island now.”

Supporters of the diversion level out the state devotes billions of {dollars} in its Coastal Grasp Plan to dredging, and tasks to ship sediment by pipe to revive islands and marsh. Nevertheless, they argue dredging is not going to change the dynamics that acquired Louisiana into this mess. The delta, disconnected from the river, is quickly subsiding.

“Will issues be completely different sooner or later? Completely,” mentioned Bren Haase, Govt Director of the Louisiana Coastal Safety and Restoration Authority. “Will they be completely different sooner or later for the oyster trade with out this undertaking? Completely.”

CPRA argues Louisiana’s coastal points, the lack of an space the dimensions of Delaware since 1932, started when man locked the river in levees.

“It is a second that has been many years within the making,” mentioned CPRA Chairman Chip Kline.

Mid-Barataria will construct and keep extra land than every other coastal undertaking, Kline argued.

“That is, primarily, recreating the pure course of that constructed the state of Louisiana to start with.”

The state plans an analogous, barely smaller, undertaking on the east financial institution of the river.

Downriver from the proposed Mid-Breton Diversion, the Mississippi has damaged via its financial institution in a number of areas, together with Mardi Gras Cross and Neptune Cross.

Whereas many coastal activists level to lush, inexperienced, thriving new deltas, oyster growers see catastrophe.

“500,000 acres on the east financial institution of the river that was essentially the most pristine oyster-growing areas within the state are actually dormant,” Jurisich mentioned.

The undertaking could be funded via fines and settlements related to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

The fee estimate contains $378 million in mitigation to offset a few of the projected hurt, akin to harm to business fisheries.

$26 million for the oyster trade particularly would come with the seeding of latest public oyster grounds in locations farther from the diversion web site.

“We already know we’re going to really feel impacts far past what they’re estimating,” Jurisich mentioned.

The state vows to work with oyster growers and others impacted to make sure they will keep in enterprise.

“The advantages of this undertaking in our minds far outweigh the impacts,” Kline mentioned.

Whereas smaller diversions exist already, critics level out that nothing like this has been tried on this scale.

Nathan Jurisich sees it as experimenting along with his future.

“We don’t know precisely how this diversion will work and that’s the factor I’ve an issue with.”

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Louisiana

Texas vs. Louisiana Monroe Week 4 Preview: Keys to the Game

Published

3 hours ago

June 27, 2024

Press Room

Texas vs. Louisiana Monroe Week 4 Preview: Keys to the Game

For the first time in two years and the third time overall, Texas will face Louisiana Monroe in what could be another day at practice for the Longhorns if the Warhawks admit their defeat from the get-go.

Texas powered over ULM in both of their previous meetings, having an advantage of nearly 40 points in both games. The Longhorns stand as one of the most difficult opponents for the Warhawks, as the ULM football schedule ranks fourth from last in college football toughness, while Texas ranks within the top three.

However, a spotlight for ULM has been put on its new head coach Bryant Vincent, and the talent he newly signed back in February. Vincent carries vast coaching experience in offense, and his expertise will be necessary in order for the Warhawks to see a higher-scoring game this time around.

This year will mark Vincent’s debut for the team and his first time in Austin, where the intimidating atmosphere of Darell K. Royal Stadium awaits. But with returning rushing yards leader Hunter Smith in his rotation, who is familiar with the environment after playing against Texas in 2022, Vincent won’t be left completely in the dark.

Texas is looking to be the obvious favorite for this matchup, but anything can happen in college football. Here are the keys for each team in order to secure a win in week 4.

…it shows up.

The Longhorns are overqualified for the job at hand, but that should be even more of a reason to go in for another dominating win rather than take it as an excuse to be sloppy and relaxed on the field. Head coach Steve Sarkisian shouldn’t automatically see the Warhawks as an “easy” opponent and should take this opportunity to show what his team is capable of in all areas of the game.

Another home-field advantage for Texas will also be helpful in making sure that the Longhorns stay in their element and stay focused, so fans should still show up and make the stadium loud and proud.

…fate intervenes for the Warhawks.

ULM is going to have to rebuild with the introduction of Vincent at the helm, and it could take years for the Warhawks to make an impression in the college football world. Heavy preparation will be necessary just to go up against Texas alone, and it’s unlikely that Vincent will turn around his program in just a few months.

But a win for the Warhawks is still possible if they put their best players on the field, such as Smith, Carl Glass Jr., and potential quarterback Hunter Herring. Texas would also have to make some notable errors on both offense and defense for ULM to get the lead or the win.

A victory for ULM would be historic in all aspects, while a loss for Texas would leave a devastating situation for a top tier team.

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Louisiana

Are unemployment rates declining in Louisiana?

Published

10 hours ago

June 27, 2024

Press Room

Are unemployment rates declining in Louisiana?

BATON ROUGE, La. (KALB) – A report released by the Louisiana Workforce Commission on June 25 revealed how unemployment rates changed in Louisiana in May.

According to the LWC report, with data directly sourced from the Federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2024 unemployment rate in Louisiana decreased to 4.1% from April to May.

The unemployment rate saw a total decrease of 0.2% when compared to April’s rate of 4.3%. Despite an improvement between months, the unemployment rate was lower in May 2023, sitting at 3.4%.

The number of unemployed workers in May of 2024 was 86,120 individuals, an increase of over 16,000 people since May 2023.

The industries with the highest increase in jobs between May of 2023 and 2024 were construction with 6,500 jobs, government with 3,600 and professional & business services with 1,600 jobs.

According to the LWC from May 2023 to May 2024:

Alexandria gained 600 jobs (61,900 jobs)
Baton Rouge gained 6,800 jobs (423,800 jobs)
Hammond gained 100 jobs (49,700 jobs)
Houma gained 900 jobs (85,900 jobs)
Lafayette gained 600 jobs (205,400 jobs)
Lake Charles gained 1,700 jobs (96,800 jobs)
Monroe lost 1,500 jobs (76,700 jobs)
New Orleans lost 1,700 jobs (565,700 jobs)
Shreveport lost 1,900 jobs (177,100 jobs)

All data cited from the Louisana Workforce Commission are ‘seasonally adjusted statistics’. Seasonally adjusted data are used to reflect how employment and unemployment measures change from month to month without the inclusion of season pattern influences such as holidays, agricultural harvests and school schedules.

You can view all unemployment data in Louisiana here.

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Louisiana

Louisiana colleges will soon see more freedom in how they set tuition and mandatory fees

Published

17 hours ago

June 26, 2024

Press Room

The following has been provided by the La Illuminator:

Louisiana Colleges will soon see more freedom in how they set tuition and mandatory fees, thanks to a bill that has now been put into law, without the governor’s signature.

House Bill 862 by Rep. Jason Hughes, D-New Orleans, would allow boards for Louisiana’s four university systems to set differential tuition for any graduate, professional or high-cost undergraduate programs. The bill would also give the boards complete control over mandatory fees.

The legislation was amended to align its effective date with a 2022 law that exempts certain graduate assistants from mandatory fees.

Differential tuition is an amount charged on top of base tuition for more expensive academic programs, such as lab-heavy curricula in science or engineering. The Board of Regents, the state oversight board for all higher education, would identify which programs are considered “high-cost.”

Louisiana requires a two-thirds of the Legislature to sign off on any tuition changes at its public colleges and universities. Most other states leave this decision up to higher education management boards.

Hughes’ bill would not allow university systems to raise fees and differential tuition more than 10% every two years. It also allows schools to lower tuition and fees without limits. The ability to lower tuition has been sought for some high-demand fields such as teaching. The bill would not have an impact on the cost of TOPS, which provides state-funded student aid to many Louisiana students, as the amount of the award is no longer directly tied to the cost of tuition.

The proposal also gives university systems control over mandatory fees for any program. Tuition and fees at Louisiana universities increased drastically during the 2010s, when the burden to finance higher education was shifted from the state to students.

Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com. Follow Louisiana Illuminator on Facebook and X.

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