Lifers here at Slabbed no doubt remember our introduction of Rob Young to the Slabbed nation back in March 2009 and again early this year. Rob is a professor of coastal ecology at Western Carolina University and director of the Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines and is attracted to our beaches like a fly to light. Naturally I was not surprised to find Western Carolina just issued a press release which announced Rob and team are joining the fray:
Scientists from Western Carolina University’s Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines are lending their expertise to help determine the best way to mitigate damage to coastal communities from the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
The scientists from PSDS, an internationally known program that uses science to influence public policy affecting management of shorelines across the globe, are evaluating the many coastal engineering proposals for responding to the oil spill.
“So far, we have conducted two aerial reconnaissance surveys of the area that is being affected by this environmental disaster,” said Rob Young, PSDS director. “In addition, scientists from the program have been working on the ground in coastal Louisiana to assess the impact.”
Young said scientists are concerned that some of the solutions being considered may actually result in greater damage to the environment, including a proposal to begin building a long sand berm to prevent oil from reaching wetlands and beaches in Louisiana.
And of course Rob loves to write papers and he very recently wrote one for the Yale Environment 360 where he comes out strongly against the sand berms:
Given the enormity of this environmental disaster, it is understandable that there is tremendous political and societal pressure to stop the flow and clean up the mess. However, in their rush to react to growing public pressure and do something, federal and state officials are waiving scientific review of emergency measures and embracing dubious solutions. Nowhere is this more evident than in the proposal to begin building a long sand berm to prevent oil from reaching wetlands and beaches in Louisiana. The White House has announced that this project is now moving forward, despite serious concerns among coastal scientists, including myself, that it will not be effective in keeping oil from the coast, could do more environmental harm than good, and would be extremely expensive.
One naturally wonders if Rob and Ivor have compared notes:
The state of Louisiana has a wealth of fine coastal scientists who have been working on the coastal restoration of the Louisiana delta region for decades. Yet those who I have spoken with have indicated that they have not been consulted on the project. I have yet to speak to a scientist who thinks the project will be effective.
I sent Rob an email asking for additional information. Writing an article for a scholarly magazine is fine and dandy but if public opinion is what Rob is after he’ll never get going through Yale. Folks, information is power and we need all we can get IMHO. Maybe ol’ Rob will come through for the Slabbed Nation.
sop
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOwweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Thanks Sop for your inquiry and I think thousands of us who think the sand berms are common sense need to know the opposite side of the argument before we write our opinions in stone. Expense is of no consequence cause if BP needs to be seized and broken up into sellable assets so be it ( see http://www.Seizebp.org)OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOwweeeeeeee
You’re welcome Geroge. I have been exchanging emails with Rob and hopefully he’ll comment directly or give me permission to quote form his reply email. The environmental issues we face are complex and I fear there are no easy solutions and that was before the spill. My fear now is we make things worse longer term with our response to the spill.
Yes those berms do have a common sense ring but it was pols that came up with the idea. I also worry they contracts have already been let via backroom deal – $360MM is a lot of money to throw around, especially with people like Chris Roberts out and about.
I don’t have a concrete opinion myself but think we need all the info we can get before the bums rush to berms gets completely out of hand.
sop
Here’s the deal. If it would work, it doesn’t matter how much of BP’s money we spend and it wouldn’t matter if there are some potential environmental impacts of moving the sand around (the oil is going to be catastrophic so who cares, for now, about Piping Plover habitat). But, there is a big problem if this won’t work. That’s the issue. If it won’t work than we have spent lots of time, manpower, and sand resource just treading water. Since this things will take 6-9 months to build, it seems that we have some time to review and modify the plans, even as we get started. i don’t think it will work as designed. I hope I’m wrong. Why isn’t the sand going on the barrier islands instead of in front? How do we keep the oil from passing through the inlets?
Rob to be clear you are saying is the downside to the these berms outweight any potential positives that could come from dredging the sand. What solutions are there besides protective booms cpupled with prayer for light winds and calm seas?
sop
I found this story on the topic which ran Sunday in the Sun Herald. It seems to back the arguments coastal scientists like Rob are making.
sop
I just got out of a meeting where I learned that Chris Roberts and Butch Ward have been huddling around area restaurants the last two weeks. You better believe that they, with their cronies Sisung, Kass, Bordelon (Lagasse) et al are rubbing their fingers together to cash in on this disaster.
Anyone else see the news just now where Jindal was speaking and Nungesser and Young were behind him looking grim until Jindal stated that BP had just cut loose 60 million large for the berm experiment? Nungesser and Young looked at each other grinning. Looking very much like vultures waiting to pounce. Never saw Chris Roberts look so happy either when he was just interviewed.
If NO SCIENTIFIC reviews have been done and most scientists are skeptical that cements in my mind the fact that the TOTALLY UNCREDENTIALED Deano Bonano and his ilk are calling the shots which means : anything he is told to sign he will and anything he is told to ok he will.
Follow the money, not the work being done. Consultants, equipment, manpower…suddenly everyone is gonna have a consulting company and supply boats.
Bonano et al are not qualified to be making ANY decisions and their failure to act sooner and failure to get qualified scientists on the ground immediately when the well blew is malfeasance IMHO.
Ignorance is no excuse. Bonano was socially promoted way past his capabilities the minute he was hired. And he has repeatedly proven his incompetence.
IMHO get rid of the bum now before he does more damage.
The more we find out the more this stinks Unslabbed. One one side we have Ivor van Heerden saying the spill impacts onshore are not that bad and on the other a bunch of politicians that used the public’s fear to ram rod a boondoggle down BP’s throat.
I’ve got more coming on this.
sop
I don’t understand the berm theory. They are just sad little sand levees that will not stand up to even a minor storm. They will cost much more than the estimate. To build the sand a few feet above the surface the berms would have to be very wide on the water bottom. If they collect oil on them and underwater around them, then what? Wait for storms to bring it on shore? How do you tell the birds and turtles and shrimp to stay away from the berms?
Use the money to create new Mississippi River diversions at Violet Canal and farther down on both sides. The marshes are dying for lack of the silt and fresh water that the levees have cut off. Now these berms will interfere with the tidal flow into the tidal marsh.
This berm plan won’t save the marshes. Stupid stuff like this is what kills the marshes. Just think about how great that MRGO levee was for the marshes. These berms are son of MRGO. Call them JRGO.