Plan to Dredge Florida Coral Reef Opposed by Environmental Groups

The US army corps of engineers plans to deepen and widen shipping channels to allow more ships to access Port Everglades, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The $374m plan, which has been sent to Congress for approval, would mean vast tracts of seabed will be dug up and deposited out at sea starting next year. Philippe Cousteau, grandson of famed ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau, says the plan is “lunacy.”

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/24/florida-coral-reef-new-port-philippe-cousteau-fort-lauderdale

 

 

Marine Life Thriving On Old Oil Rigs in Pacific Ocean

Many oil rigs off the coast of California are being decommissioned, and the question is whether the oil companies must remove the rigs entirely, or leave a large portion of them, converting the rigs in to artificial reefs. Marine life has been thriving on the old rigs, and the Gulf Coast has converted more than 400 old rigs into reefs since 1985.  But California has been blocked from converting the rigs by environmentalists. Click here to read the NY Times article.