Environment

By Eileen Fleming

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – St. Bernard Project Director Zack Rosenburg says the group has a four-part plan to not only get residents back in their homes, but to also make sure they're financially stable and emotionally healthy. A mental health and wellness clinic is expanding. Peer-to-peer counseling is being arranged. Outreach workers are being hired from the community, and a hiring program is starting for idle fishermen to build homes still needed after Hurricane Katrina.

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – Landrieu took the mayors from cities throughout the country on a boat tour of clean-up operations in marsh areas fouled by oil.

"It appears as though we've turned the corner. BP and the Coast Guard were working very well together. There were 200 vessels that were working in Barataria Bay skimming oil, keeping it from the shores. However, we have a very, very long way to go."

By Eileen Fleming

By Eileen Fleming

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – The Coast Guard will be outfitting the smaller vessels with communication and tracking equipment needed for skimming operations.

"This is something that is on a scale that far exceeds anything we've done on a domestic response before but it's also an indication of the willingness and the passion of local people to get involved and help us in this clean up. So the whole issue moving forward is going to be unity of effort."

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – Landrieu says all the bad news about the oil spill is confusing visitors into believing the oil is lapping up in the city, and seafood isn't safe. Neither is true, but he says the misperception could take hold.

"It is really important that we get way ahead of this. We can see it coming. We know what's going to happen. We know how to prevent it. We need the resources to do it. It's an easy call."

By Eileen Fleming

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – More than 350 turtles have been collected, most of which were dead. Those rescued are taken to wildlife stations for cleaning and observation. Barbara Schroeder is the national sea turtle coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

By Eileen Fleming

New Orleans, La. – The Republican lawmaker says up to 60,000 jobs are at risk if the oil industry leaves the Gulf. He suggests that drilling continue, but stop just before hitting oil reserves.

"Once the moratorium ends and if we allow them to resume drilling, at least the time gap is not wasted. But at the same time we're able to keep the rigs here and keep jobs here rather than have them go someplace else and not returning for years."