Elise Plunk (Louisiana Illuminator)

An aerial view of Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, on June 7, 2024. Farming nutrients from throughout the Mississippi River basin wash down into the Gulf of Mexico, creating an annual “dead zone” of low oxygen conditions. Aerial support provided by SouthWings.

Size of 'dead zone' in the Gulf expected to be about average this year. Funding woes for research and action could be much bigger.

The annual forecast for the “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico, which president Trump has renamed the Gulf of America, predicts the section of water where oxygen is unnaturally low will be about average in size this year.

Barges and ships navigate the Mississippi River near Gramercy, Louisiana, on May 1, 2025.

Politics

Gov. Landry vetoes Senate oversight for his Port of New Orleans board choices

Elise Plunk (Louisiana Illuminator)

A bill that attempted to add a layer of legislative oversight to the governor’s picks for the Port of New Orleans board was officially sunk Monday with Gov. Landry’s veto pen.

A bill to remove fluoride from public water systems failed Wednesday afternoon in the Louisiana legislature.

Public Health

Attempt to remove fluoride from Louisiana drinking water goes flat

Elise Plunk (Louisiana Illuminator)

A proposal to end the addition of fluoride from public drinking water in Louisiana failed Wednesday in the legislature following passionate testimony from health care and dental professionals.

An aerial view of the Wax Lake Delta on the coast of Louisiana. The delta is one of the few places along Louisiana’s coast that is building land instead of losing it.

Coastal Desk

‘A living laboratory’: An accidental delta taught Louisiana scientists how to rebuild wetlands

Eva Tesfaye

While the science is clear – wetlands have lots of benefits and we know how to build more of them – the future is not. The growing Wax Lake Delta provided data for the now-stalled Mid-Barataria sediment diversion, which is designed to rebuild wetlands in nine parishes along the Louisiana Gulf Coast.

Wind energy advocates and lawmakers see potential for wind power expansion in Louisiana. (Creative Commons photo by Kim Hansen/CC BY-SA-3.0)

Coastal Desk

Louisiana wind energy proponents change strategy as Trump pauses development

Elise Plunk (Louisiana Illuminator)

Wind energy has gained some momentum in Louisiana, where there has been bipartisan support for policy to launch the alternative power source off its coast. But that push faces hostility from the Trump administration, which has halted all offshore wind energy development in federal waters for the time being.

Workers install solar panels on the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s (NIST) Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility in Gaithersburg, Md. Funding that had been frozen for Solar for All, a federally funded program to provide rooftop and community solar to low-income residents, has now resumed, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said. (Photo courtesy of NIST)

Coastal Desk

‘Solar for Y’all’ faces hazy future in Louisiana

Elise Plunk (Louisiana Illuminator)

The future of millions of dollars in funding to help low-income Louisiana residents access solar energy has grown increasingly uncertain as the Trump administration attempts to slash grant programs awarded under its predecessor.

Melvin Scott waits for a bite while fishing in the Wolf River Harbor underneath the A.W. Willis Bridge in Memphis, July 7, 2022.

Coastal Desk

Proposed legislation aims to protect Mississippi River fisheries

Elise Plunk (Louisiana Illuminator)

A new congressional bill aims to improve fisheries and environmental quality in the Mississippi River basin with a federally funded commission. The goal is to fund grants for habitat restoration, fisheries research and the mitigation of invasive species.

A view of the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Mississippi River’s water levels can change throughout the seasons.

Coastal Desk

High levels on Mississippi River trigger levee inspections in New Orleans

Elise Plunk (Louisiana Illuminator)

High water levels for the Mississippi River in New Orleans spurred increased levee inspections from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, its New Orleans District announced Monday, Feb. 24.

Wetlands like Wax Lake Delta along Louisiana’s coast store massive amounts of carbon, which can contribute to CO2 emissions when lost.

Coastal Desk

Louisiana’s wetlands store massive amounts of carbon. They also contribute to emissions when lost.

Elise Plunk (Louisiana Illuminator)

Louisiana’s wetlands are one of the planet’s most vital carbon storage centers, but destroying these reservoirs can accelerate harmful emissions that intensify global warming, according to experts.

A lawsuit alleges Holcim US fired an employee for reporting concrete wash spillage at a ready mix concrete facility on Airline drive in Metairie.

Local & Regional News

Employee says he warned company not to transfer wastewater. Then they fired him.

Elise Plunk (Louisiana Illuminator)

A former employee of a cement and building materials company is suing for what he says was his wrongful termination for reporting wastewater pollution at a ready mix concrete plant in Metairie.