News From Gulf Restoration

Take Action: From Your Home, For The Gulf   If you haven't already, it is not to late to register to host your very own screening of "Defend The Gulf". We supply you with the DVD and a pretty cool package of incentives. It is a great way to defend the Gulf from the comfort of your own home, so register today!

Blogging For A Healthy Gulf: GRN Spots Oil Near BP's Macondo Well   Yes folks, sadly it's true. GRN's Jonathan Henderson flew over the site of the Deepwater Horizon disaster twice recently with On Wings Of Care, and he documented oil on the surface. Read Jonathan's blog from the first flight here and be sure to click on the slide show to see the photos. Then head here to see photos from the second flight.

Hundreds Of Environmental Activists Arrested Outside White House At issue is the Keystone XL Pipeline, proposed to bring tar sands oil from Alberta Canada all the way to the Gulf Coast and fueling refineries in Manchester and Port Arthur Texas. If you haven't heard about the tar sands and the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, please check out GRN's Aaron Viles' blog and see why GRN is opposed to it's development.

Massive Fish Kill Results From Pearl River Disaster Check out GRN's coverage form the ugly scene that played out on the Pearl River over the past couple of weeks. GRN surveyed the scene by boat and plane and we have footage to share with you.

Great Music, Great Cause Gulf Restoration Network has teamed up with two great supporters, and you can help support our work by voting for us and downloading some great music! Please join the fight for a healthy Gulf and consider supporting us today!

Don't Let BP Off The Hook For Turtle Deaths   The recent spike in sea turtle mortality along the Gulf coast has raised several concerns over the cause of these deaths. Strandings data shows that it is unlikely that the turtles would be washing ashore in historically unprecedented numbers solely on account of shrimpers’ nets.  Check out our blog for more on this and to see the data.

Creature Feature:  Physeter Macrocephalus On two recent flyovers above the Gulf we spotted sperm whales, so it is only natural that the species is this edition's creature feature.  Did you know that the sperm whale has the biggest brain out of any animal? Check out this video by National Geographic to see these splendid creatures in action.

GRN Featured On World Ocean Radio  Check out this episode of World Ocean Radio where GRN is recognized for the work we do to protect the Gulf. You will hear a pretty good description of our organization, the strategies that we use, and the issues we work on.

NIEHS Says Illnesses Impossible To Prove  So what does that mean for those who filed health-related claims with the Kenneth Feinberg and the Gulf Coast Claims facility for illnesses? Our friends at Bridge The Gulf break it down for you in this article.

Events***  REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS Gulf Future Action Plan Grants Available To Gulf Future Coalition Members To support activities that help to lift up and strengthen local organizing and build gulf-wide movement. For more information, please visit here. Catalyst: Artists of Southern Louisiana Respond to the Gulf Oil Crisis July 8th through September 15 Space 301 at the Living Art Center Mobile, AL For more information, please visit here. Louisiana's 2012 Coastal Master Plan Meetings Various locations in South Louisiana For more information, and a full schedule of meetings please visit here. Stained--Photo Exhibit By Melanie Driscoll September th, 5:30-7:30pm Shaw Center For Performing Arts Baton Rouge, La. Volunteers Needed--Help Restore Elmer's Island September 10th, 10am-3pm Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana and Bayou Land RC&D Council Visit www.crcl.org for more information Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation 22nd Annual Beach Sweep September 17, 9am-noon, followed by a picnic for registered participants. For more information, please visit here. Unnatural Histories, Unnatural Waters Thursday, September 29, 2011, 6 to 8 p.m. Inman Gallery, 3901 Main Street, Houston, Texas www.healthygulf.org/unnatural Learn about the work of Gulf Restoration Network and view paintings of invasive species by artist Kristin Musgnug. Defend Our Coast, Defend Ourselves Sunday, October 9, 2011, 6 to 8 p.m. Mondo, 900 Harrison Ave, New Orleans, Louisiana Join us at our annual fundraiser with great discussion, foods and music to benefit Gulf Restoration Network. ***For a complete listing of events, please visit here. JOBS Louisiana Green Corps3-month job-training program For more information, please visit here.    Global Green Coastal Restoration Coordinator (AmeriCorps VISTA) New Orleans, LA. To apply, please email resume and cover letter to: asickle@globalgreen.org. Global Green Coastal Restoration Intern New Orleans, LA. To apply, please email resume and cover letter to: asickle@globalgreen.org. Consortium for Ocean Leadership Project Administration Manager, Gulf Research Initiative (GRI) For more information, visit here. Environmental Defense Fund - Conservation Project Manager, Gulf of Mexico and Southeast Oceans Program For more information, visit here.  The National Wildlife Federation Senior Legislative Representative, Coasts & Floodplains For more information please visit here.

BP's $10 BILLION Gulf Spill Clean-Up Tax Write Off

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Tell BP: Destroying our gulf shouldn't be a tax write-off. Dear Friend, One year ago today, BP's oil began to pour into the Gulf of Mexico. It did not stop for 87 days. Today, economic and environmental devastation  remain. Thousands of Gulf Coast residents cope with massive health problems from oil and toxic dispersants. BP, on the other hand, just scored a nearly  $10 billion dollar tax credit, by writing off  its "losses" incurred from the tragedy.1 $10 billion is the entire annual budget of the EPA, whose funding was just slashed in the  continuing resolution. It is almost one third  of all the cuts in the continuing resolution. Americans shouldn't have to endure massive budget cuts because BP took a $10 billion tax deduction for destroying our gulf. Tell BP: Amend your tax return and pay your fair  share. Click here to automatically sign the petition. Responding to BP's monumental catastrophe cost  a massive amount of resources from local, state  and federal governments. Now, BP is dealing  another massive blow to our nation's tax revenue. The $10 billion savings comes after BP wrote-off  the $32.2 billion it set aside to cover clean-up costs,  fines, and a $20 billion victim compensation fund (which has been notoriously slow and stingy in responding to claims, paying out less than $4 billion so far.2) But there is an excellent precedent that says BP did not have to deduct these costs for tax advantages.  Last year, Goldman Sachs waived a tax deduction  it could have claimed as a result of paying $500 million in fines to the Securities and Exchange Commission  for giving bad information to mortgage investors.3 BP's $10 billion tax credit slashes its liability by one third — at every US taxpayer's expense. BP has cost our nation enough already. Tell BP it shouldn't be rewarding itself with huge tax savings.  Click here to automatically sign the petition. Over the weekend, I was in Washington D.C. for the Powershift conference, attended by 8,000 young climate activists. Hundreds attended from the Gulf Coast, and I heard their  stories of oil still remaining on beaches, of its smell still permeating the air, of legions of dead dolphin,  turtles and fish, of neighbors who are sick or jobless. I heard them say that BP hasn't done nearly enough to make it right. Meanwhile in Washington, BP just restarted political  contributions to the Republicans who continue to push for expanded offshore drilling,4 oppose lifting oil spill liability caps,5 and do everything in their power to keep our nation addicted to dirty crude, as millions of Americans literally drain their paychecks into their gas tanks every day. To take our nation off of dirty, dangerous, expensive fossil fuels, we must force polluters to pay for the  damage they do. One year ago, BP brought us what would become the worst environmental disaster in our nation's history.  We don't owe BP a tax-credit. BP owes us our gulf  back. The least it could do is pay its fair share. Click here to automatically sign the petition to BP. Thank you for holding polluters accountable. Elijah Zarlin, Campaign Manager CREDO Action from Working Assets 1. "BP Scores $10B Tax Credit by Offsetting Cash," CBS News, July 27, 2010 2. "Gulf-Spill Fund Pays $3.8 Billion; Total May Be 'Higher', " Bloomberg, April 18, 2011 3. "Goldman Waives Tax Deduction on SEC Settlement," Bloomberg, July 16, 2011 4. "A year after spill, BP gives political contributions to GOP  leaders  ," The Hill, April 19, 2011 5. "A Year After Gulf Tragedy, Offshore Oil Companies Still  Shielded by Liability Limits," ProPublica, April 19, 2011 Clicking below will add your name to the petition to BP: Destroying our gulf shouldn't entitle you to a  $10 billion tax credit. Don't ruin our gulf and  our budget. Amend your tax return and pay  your fair share. BP: Pay your fair share. BP: Pay your fair share.