Environmental Journalism in the Deep South    

Louisiana and the Deep South face increasing environmental threats. Coastal land is vanishing while wetlands that once buffered communities from storms are degrading. Hurricanes and other extreme weather events continue to have long-term consequences for many residents. Meanwhile, the water upon which people depend is threatened by industrial pollution, farm chemicals, and advancing saltwater that follows rising seas inland.

Climate change amplifies these and other environmental challenges. Addressing these interconnected concerns demands improved cooperation between government agencies, industries, and local communities.

Scientists provide crucial data and analysis, but environmental journalists serve as the bridge between scientific findings and wider public understanding. They investigate not just environmental conditions, but who's making the decisions that determine how well communities can adapt and survive.

Federal environmental laws directly affect this region's future. Journalists must track whether landmark legislation, such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Coastal Zone Management Act, maintains its protective power or gets weakened through regulatory changes that rarely make headlines.

Beyond the laws themselves, enforcement is critical. Are EPA inspectors still appearing at industrial sites? How many polluters actually pay meaningful fines? When violations occur, do real consequences follow, or do companies simply factor occasional penalties into their cost of doing business?

The permitting process needs examination also. When new industrial projects seek approval, are environmental impact studies thorough and independent, or are they fast-tracked in ways that sacrifice community protection?

Federal funding for coastal restoration represents one of our region's most vital lifelines. Louisiana requires adequate funding to counter disappearing land and strengthen natural storm barriers. Journalists must track whether promised funding occurs, how effectively it's used, and what happens when political priorities shift.

Federal investment in climate adaptation affects everything from flood-resistant infrastructure to renewable energy development. Reporters must examine whether communities receive adequate support for their planning, whether infrastructure projects truly get built, and how equitably these resources reach different neighborhoods.

When disasters strike, the federal response reveals priorities through action, not just rhetoric. Do cleanup efforts address environmental contamination comprehensively? Does rebuilding create more resilient communities, or simply restore previous vulnerabilities? Do historically marginalized communities receive equitable attention and resources, or do they face continuing neglect during recovery efforts?

Environmental journalism pursues investigation of the relationships between government regulatory agencies and the industries they oversee. Corporate lobbying shapes policy in ways that often remain invisible to the public. Tracking campaign contributions, lobbying expenditures, and policy outcomes can show whether industry interests override environmental protection.

The revolving door between industry and government creates ongoing conflicts of interest. Who gets appointed to key environmental positions? What are their professional backgrounds and financial ties? These personnel decisions often matter as much or more than policy announcements.

The most compelling environmental journalism connects policy decisions to human consequences. Residents living near industrial facilities, fishermen watching their traditional grounds disappear, and families dealing with contaminated water supplies can explain how policy and regulatory changes affect their daily life in ways that statistics alone cannot capture. Local officials can often provide journalists with useful perspectives on how federal policy shifts create practical challenges for communities trying to address environmental problems with limited resources.

Environmental journalists face the difficult task of making complicated, long-term issues engaging and accessible without oversimplifying scientific evidence or policy nuances. The best reporting combines compelling personal stories with careful data analysis, helping readers understand both the human stakes and important technical matters that determine policy effectiveness. Informed public engagement helps determine whether communities adapt successfully to changing conditions or face displacement and decline.

Among noteworthy regional investigative journalists are some who have worked for The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate. Tristan Baurick extensively covered coastal land loss, Louisiana's climate adaptation plans, and the oil and gas industry's environmental impacts. His "Polluter's Paradise" series examining industrial pollution along "Cancer Alley" was particularly impactful.

Mark Schleifstein as a veteran environmental journalist won a Pulitzer Prize describing Louisiana's coastal erosion crisis. He has long documented the state's environmental challenges, including hurricane impacts.

Sara Sneath examined coastal restoration, wetlands loss, and fisheries issues. Her reporting on the BP oil spill's long-term impacts gained significant attention.

Austin Ramsey and Tegan Wendland traveled across Louisiana interviewing scientists, farmers, industry leaders and politicians and examined evidence concerning the overuse of the state’s valuable resource of groundwater.       

Justin Nobel’s work as a freelance reporter on radioactive oil and gas waste in Louisiana and throughout the South has appeared in national publications. He is an award-winning journalist reporting on issues of environmental justice with a book entitled Petroleum-238: Big Oil’s Dangerous Secret and the Grassroots Fight to Stop It. 

Lyndsey Gilpin was the founder of Southerly, a publication dedicated to ecology, justice, and culture in the American South. She focuses on environmental justice in rural communities and was recently hired by the publication Grist to spearhead their news reporting to reach underserved communities.  

In addition to Southerly and Grist, there are media sources that expressly have environmental and climate reporting missions. Inside Climate News was founded in 2007 as a nonprofit and non-partisan publication and is said to have the largest dedicated climate newsroom in the nation. Others are Yale Environment 360, The Cool Down, E&E News, DeSmog (climate news and the fossil fuel industry), Anthropocene Magazine, Circle of Blue (water issues and climate-related water crises), and The New Lede. Many of these organizations have different funding models than traditional media, including non-profit structures, foundation support, membership programs, or university affiliations that allow them to focus deeply on environmental issues.

The stakes for environmental journalism have never been higher, as the decisions made over the next decade will shape the Deep South's environmental future for generations to come.

 Summer Exercise and Hydration   

Have you heard someone make the following comment? “If I’d known I’d live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.

The quote reflects a common regret about not prioritizing health and well-being earlier in life. Of course, it’s easy to neglect healthful habits when you are younger or don’t feel obvious consequences from this neglect. Part of the aging process for almost everyone seems to be increased aches and pain as well as more health care visits. There is also recognition of diminished strength and stamina for the normal physical activities that were undertaken earlier in life. Attending doctors at medical appointments often suggest that current problems are associated with less than healthy behavioral habits.

We are seeing more and more research that suggests the critical need for seniors to undertake at least moderate levels of regular exercise. Different forms of exercise are recommended for maintaining the strength of various muscles, cardiovascular fitness, body flexibility, and balance. Seniors sometimes use dedicated machines, barbells, dumbbells, and resistance bands whether in local gyms, fitness parlors, or at home.  

Decades ago, I played a lot of youth and adolescent baseball in the extreme heat of Louisiana summers. My coach then advised us to bring a piece or two of rock salt to lick during our practices and games. Later when I worked in the bull gang several summers at the Olinkraft pulp and paper mill, there were many containers placed throughout the plant that were filled with salt tablets. We were encouraged to consume these tablets on hot days. I didn’t understand well then why salt intake was considered that important.   

The salt tablet advice from decades past was apparently based on a partially correct, but oversimplified, understanding of heat-related physiology that had some dangerous implications. Yes, heavy sweating depletes both water and sodium, and replacing only water can lead to hyponatremia or dangerously low blood sodium. Unfortunately, salt tablets then had highly concentrated sodium chloride that could cause severe gastric irritation, nausea, and vomiting – not what you want during heat stress. Even worse, people often took this salt without adequate water, which could worsen dehydration by drawing water into the digestive tract. We now understand that sodium replacement works best when combined with appropriate amounts of water and other electrolytes like potassium and magnesium.

Today's approach favors gradual electrolyte replacement through properly formulated drinks, foods with appropriate content, or diluted electrolyte solutions rather than through concentrated tablets that can shock the digestive system. Individual differences matter much more than realized decades ago. Not everyone sweats at the same rate or loses the same level of electrolytes. Some people need more sodium replacement, while others need less. Modern recommendations focus more on monitoring individual symptoms and urine color rather than offering blanket advice about supplements.

Appropriate hydration seems especially important for those over 50 who are engaging in sport activities for cardiovascular benefits or doing weight training to avoid muscle atrophy. Beyond simply drinking more water, seniors engaging in sports and exercise activities need more nuanced approaches. Timing matters more than total volume. Pre-hydration becomes important, since older adults have diminished thirst sensation and slower kidney function. Hydration should start well before exercise, not just during or after it. Small, frequent sips throughout the day work better than large amounts consumed quickly.

The post-exercise period is when many seniors inadvertently become dehydrated despite drinking during the activities. I noticed this personally when I used to work beehives for hours during the summer heat. My finger joints and leg muscles would start cramping hours after beekeeping or active sports sessions. It would often take a quart or more additional water to begin to relieve these cramps.

I can be a slow learner about topics such as exercise during the summer and hydration needs. You become accustomed to normal water consumption levels during much of the year or just drink fluids when you’re thirsty – without apparent consequences. The heat and humidity of late spring, summer, and early fall in the Deep South, though, can lead to painful or deadly results for those exposed over hours to these conditions. Climate change with more occasions of extreme summer weather conditions will put more of us at risk, particularly seniors and children without adequate supervision.   

 Climate and Science Research Funding      

The topic that I had intended for this month, discussing further applications of sound wave energy research, can wait a short while. Since I usually focus on environmental, energy, climate, and biodiversity issues, recent events seem too important and threatening to ignore.      

In its first 100 days, the federal administration has dramatically altered America's environmental policy direction. For Louisiana businesses that depend on climate stability, resource management, and research partnerships, these changes certainly deserve attention.

What's Happening?

The administration has initiated approximately 100 policy changes affecting environmental regulations and climate initiatives. Some of the most significant ones for our region include:

• Opening coastal areas to expanded offshore drilling
• Expediting fossil fuel project permits with reduced environmental review requirements
• Freezing unspent climate and clean energy investment funds
• Withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement
• Terminating programs like the American Climate Corps that created jobs in environmental protection

• Removing nearly 400 scientists from the National Climate Assessment (a crucial planning tool for businesses preparing for climate impacts).

Troubling news accounts have also been published. A leaked government memo in March carried on The More Perfect Union website described that staff at the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the research wing of the USDA overseeing over 600 research projects and 2,000 scientists, were sent a long list of words and phrases by Sharon Strickland, the Northeast Area Section Head at ARS. They were informed not to use specific terms in certain official contexts. “Safe drinking water,” “greenhouse gas emissions,” and “climate change” were a few of the 100+ words and phrases banned there.  

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition reported on April 30 that more than 6 billion dollars of lawfully obligated USDA funding have been frozen or terminated in the last three months. While the agency has still not made public the full scope of what remains frozen or targeted for termination, the harm to communities and farmers is already clear. Many projects that protect or strengthen rural economies are now in limbo.

Our state's economy uniquely depends on both energy production and environmental stability. Louisiana businesses and residences face greater challenges than many other states from flooding, drought, and extreme weather. Critical for research and innovation are LSU, its Ag Center, and our other state research universities that help create jobs and spur business startups. They depend partially on federal funding.  

The USA appears to be facing a potential "brain drain" as researchers seek positions abroad. For example, Aix-Marseille University in France launched the "Safe Place for Science" initiative earlier this year, offering three-year funded placements for approximately 20 researchers. The program aims to support scholars facing budget cuts and policy changes that have disrupted U.S. academic institutions. it’s been reported that nearly 300 scholars currently working in the United States have applied for positions there.

Since World War II, the vital relationships linking our federal government, academic research institutions, and private industry have resulted in massive economic gains and employment opportunities for Americans. There seems to be increasing fear recently that federal administration policies that cut funding to research institutions will undermine our progress in diverse fields of scientific knowledge, beyond just the environment and climate change.  

Decreased federal government support for environmental and climate science don’t accurately reflect American attitudes. Recent Gallup polling shows 57% of Americans believe the government is doing too little to protect the environment, with 62% saying environmental conditions are worsening.

What Can Regional Businesses Do?

1. Strengthen university partnerships now to support valuable research that benefits specific industries
2. Carefully consider environmental compliance strategies rather than assuming regulations will permanently loosen
3. Watch global competitiveness signals, especially as countries like China are increasing clean energy investments
4. Engage in policy discussions through business associations to ensure regional economic interests are represented

Most Americans understand the need for responsible regulatory reforms that eliminate waste and inefficiency in federal spending. The threat is that sweeping policy reversals, rather than targeted improvements, will ultimately harm Louisiana's distinctive economy that depends on both resource development and environmental resilience.

Potential economic consequences due to proposed tariffs and supply chain reactions have obviously attracted a lot of recent attention. Reductions in federal funding levels for climate and science research can also contribute to market uncertainty and negatives for regional businesses striving to stay competitive. Business leaders need to stay informed and prepared to adapt in uncertain times. They and others in the state should also strongly express their viewpoints on these shifting economic and environmental policies.

Sound Wave Energy  

 

Discussion of energy alternatives usually focuses on energy generation to power our business, public, and personal enterprises. We hear much less about energy alternatives other than power generating ones. Developing sound wave energy technologies and applications deserve much more media attention than these have yet to receive.

 

I’ll try to summarize some of these technologies and applications of sound wave energy before turning to those being developed and used by the timber and forest products industry. First, let’s characterize sound wave energy sources based on the frequency ranges of the waves being generated. Infrasound is generally considered to be sound waves below 20 hertz and in the inaudible range for humans. Audible sound waves extend from about 20 to 20,000 hertz, while ultrasound waves are usually considered to be above 20,000 hertz.

 

A few of the applications of ultrasound energy are probably familiar to most people. We see films and TV shows in which SONAR (sound navigation and ranging) is used. Some of us have sonar devices for fishing purposes. Many couples view fetal images that technicians produce using ultrasound equipment. Commercially available medical ultrasound systems date back to the 1960s, and sonar devices were created and employed by militaries in World War I and II.       

 

Ultrasound energy applications are much more extensive. Among these are non-destructive testing for infrastructure safety inspections, wildlife and water quality monitoring, industrial cleaning of electronics, motion detection and proximity sensors for security purposes, location detection of people trapped in rubble after catastrophes, acoustic “tweezers” or levitation for manipulating very small objects, and virtual or augmented reality creation. Ultrasound technologies are advancing in the fields of sonogenetics (sound waves to control cellular activities) and phononic computing (information processing using crystals for sound wave connections instead of through traditional electron transfer).  

 

Many infrasound and audible sound wave technologies applications also exist. A few examples are natural disaster detection before and during volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis, wind farm turbine performance and problem monitoring, and forensic sound analysis for criminal investigations. Researchers are exploring ways to use piezoelectric materials to harvest energy from ambient noise in urban environments or from vibrations generated by machinery. Piezoelectric material generates an electrical charge when subjected to pressure or mechanical stress such as sound. Conversely, applying electrical voltage to the material can cause it to deform slightly.

 

There are existing and potentially important new applications of sound wave energy for the timber industry. Some of these applications are still emerging technologies, and their widespread adoption will depend on overcoming challenges related to cost and scalability.

 

Using sound waves for more precise forest inventory is an area of ongoing research, but traditional methods are still more common. Acoustic emission is currently being used to assess tree health and detect internal decay. Research is ongoing to refine these techniques for early disease/pest detection. Sound wave scanning has potential for identifying and predicting wood quality and for assessing tree age (though this is more complex). Such methods are sometimes combined with other technologies for receiving a more complete analysis.

 

Ultrasonic inspection is being used for wood density measurement and defect detection. Acoustic sorting is also being explored, but it faces challenges in terms of speed and accuracy for widespread application. For wood treatment, work is underway to explore how acoustic waves can improve chemical penetration, but this is apparently not yet a standard practice. Ultrasonic drying is also an area of research, and its effectiveness and cost are being investigated.

 

Acoustic testing is being used by some manufacturers for quality control of engineered wood products. Acoustic monitoring for timber transport seems a less established practice but using it for condition assessment and moisture tracking could have considerable merit and might become more common.

 

Who seems to be leading the research thrust into sound wave technology for the timber industry? There appears to be a mix of academic and corporate players. Some of the key American academic institutions include Oregon State University, North Carolina State, and the University of Tennessee. Universities in Canada and Sweden are also actively involved in this research.

 

Several corporations committed to research and sound wave energy application for non-destructive testing of timber are FaKopp, James Instruments, Inc. and Proceq (now part of Screening Eagle Technologies). FaKopp develops and provides handheld devices for assessing standing timber and logs, and it has been exploring the use of ultrasonic technologies for wood defect detection and quality assessment in timber processing. James Instruments, Inc. and Proceq also offer various portable ultrasonic testing devices.

               From Russia with Misgivings

Piney Wood Journal writers have occasionally look nostalgically at their earlier work or leisure times. I’ve seldom, if ever, done so, but I’ll share one experience this month.

A bit over 30 years ago, I spent several weeks in Moscow where I had been invited to lecture at the Plekhanov University of Economics and their Moscow Managers Night School. My receiving that invitation had more to do with chance and networking with a few academics in Russia and the USA who were ambitious to develop collaborative ventures shortly after the fall of the Soviet Union. I was then a professor in business ethics at Eastern Illinois University. Several Russian university officials must have been curious enough about this topic to include me along with another professor who was invited to visit. This Russian university was undergoing turmoil and change. Almost all their existing faculty had been educated in Marxist-Leninist economic theory and were deemed close to useless for preparing business students and managers for a new rush of enthusiasm concerning Western business prospects.

The unsuccessful August 1991 coup against Gorbachev sealed the fate of the Soviet Union. The total collapse of the Soviet Union came in December 1991, partially due to economic stagnation and military overextension. When I arrived in June 1992, I noticed that my English-speaking host professor was uncomfortable even entering a hotel in which we met. He said that it had been previously reserved only for Russian military officers and top politicians, and the security station at the front of the hotel had not allowed him to enter previously.

Moscow in 1992 was a culture shock for my wife and me. We were provided with the use of an apartment in a large building that was being rented by a professor who was then visiting and lecturing in the USA. From the balcony of this ten-story apartment building, we could see the many domes in Red Square a few blocks away.

Economic hardships existed then for many Russian citizens. Two of the large department stores in central Moscow were completely surrounded by many hundreds of city residents standing shoulder-to-shoulder selling some of their own personal items. Our Russian professor host explained how disillusioned and cynical most older Russians were. Those under 30 years old or so, he said, were generally more optimistic that their lives would improve as Russians embraced more democratic and capitalistic practices. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my interactions with students in day classes and with managers in night sessions. Some remained after scheduled time periods and asked questions about Western and American business practices. Some of the students and managers spoke English, but the need for interpreters meant that conversations and questions took more time.     

By far the most common question that I was asked by the Moscow managers involved employee theft and corruption. They said that these problems were enormous in both public and private organizations. Since my Arizona State dissertation was on managerial perceptions and reactions toward suspected employee theft in business, I described how diversely the American managers whom I had interviewed tried to handle this issue.

There were many female students attending this Russian university and among the young managers present in its nightly sessions. Their most frequent comments concerned the wide-spread sexual harassment that they had encountered. Plekhanov University proudly displayed photos of classes there from before 1920 showing many women student present. Government and university officials claimed to be ahead of USA and Western European nations in encouraging women toward business careers. The women that my wife and I met said that it had been difficult or impossible to advance in business careers without acceding to the sexual demands of their male superiors. 

Beyond lectures and conversations with Russian professors, a colleague and I met with a wealthy ex-patriate American entrepreneur, Paul Tatum, who co-owned a recently constructed, luxurious hotel in Moscow. He showed us his modern business center on the second floor of this hotel. Tatum asked us to put together a proposal for how we might organize and run a private education/training center based at his hotel. We suggested that it should have Russian educators to help Western managers assigned to Moscow-based firms learn more about the culture and existing practices there. The center should also have American and Western educators working with Russian managers who would be later traveling to Western countries. In our proposal, my colleague and I offered to return to Moscow later that year to help with some of the classes and programs described in our proposal.

A week or two after our return home, we received a formal letter of thanks and appreciation for our proposal from Paul Tatum. He declined our proposal to return and be a small part of his venture. We learned later that the training center venture he started was modeled closely on the one that we had proposed. We reasoned that he didn’t really need the expense of the two of us traveling there again and involved with classes and training programs. There were many other academics and training specialists readily available to staff his programs.

Many of the hopes and enthusiasm for a new Russia dissolved within the pro-Western academic community there after our visit in 1992. Putin and his oligopolistic associates led the country in a very different direction. Paul Tatum whom we encountered in 1992 had an untimely and tragic end in 1996. He was killed in a shooting spray of bullets at a metro station very close to his hotel. His death was never officially solved but was attributed to Russian organized crime.

A Russian political and economic system that might over time resemble or draw closer to Western European norms never materialized.   

 

            THE POTENTIAL FOR WAVE ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES   

 

Renewable energy technologies, such as solar and wind, have been advancing rapidly, but there are also promising geothermal, green hydrogen, and other technologies. Predicting the precise mix of different renewable energy sources and their share of our total USA energy production in five, ten, or twenty years is almost impossible. Much will depend on technological breakthroughs and their economic scalability.  

 

Marine hydrokinetic or wave energy is one of these renewable sources. According to estimates from the Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies Office, the total theoretical wave energy potential along the U.S. continental shelf edge is equivalent to approximately 64% of our electricity generation in 2021. Of course, that’s a theoretical maximum and far from any practical estimate of how much could be harnessed through actual wave energy recovery.

 

Wave energy technologies are in their early developmental stages with multiple questions and uncertainties. It currently appears that wave energy will have higher costs than some other renewable energy options. These technologies face design challenges to be able to withstand often harsh marine environments. More study will be required as well to understand better the environmental impacts from widespread adoption of wave energy technologies. There are also questions, and there will be costs, involving the necessary infrastructure to transmit energy generated from offshore collection points to onshore electrical grids.

 

These challenges over time for the commercialization of marine hydrokinetic energy might well be overcome because of some of its attractive advantages. One is its more predictable and steady energy production compared to wind and solar energy. Hydrokinetic approaches might have special merit for the energy needs of those located along coastal waters and on islands. This form of energy production also could potentially be integrated with other offshore renewable energy systems, such as wind farms.

 

Wave energy can be converted into electricity in different ways. Some devices float like buoys moving up and down with waves. Some are tentacle-like designs located below the water surface, and these flex due to wave action. Others channel waves into chambers where the moving water drives turbines to generate electricity.

 

There are a few significant wave energy production facilities in countries such as Spain, Portugal and the UK. These operations are mostly in the testing stages or producing at modest kilowatt production levels. Other companies with wave energy R&D activities are based in Sweden, Israel, Scotland, Finland, and Germany. The Swedish company NoviOcean has developed a hybrid energy platform, according to recent Fox News reporting. This platform combines wind, solar and wave power in a single floating structure and could conceivably deliver a megawatt of consistent clean energy around the clock.

 

Although currently there are no commercial-scale wave energy projects operating in the USA, there are various pilot and demonstration projects underway. The media source Interesting Engineering has reported that an Australian-based company called Carnegie Clean Energy received a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in 2024 to test its fully submerged wave energy converter.

 

American firms are also working on kinetic wave energy options and receiving DOE encouragement and grants. Ocean Power Technologies, CalWave Power Technologies, and Oscilla Power are examples. Diverse approaches for harvesting wave energy exist among these competitors, including their operating in nearshore versus in deep-water locations.

 

More corporate and university research exploring marine hydrokinetic energy technologies has been occurring recently. Much of this R&D activity has been in locations near the western coasts of the USA and Europe, partially because of the higher wave energy potential found along these coasts.

 

The Water Power Technology Office of the DOE provides funding and support for our four national marine energy centers in the USA. These centers received $41 million in 2024, which included funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

 

Among the leading universities in wave energy research are Oregon State University, the University of Washington, and the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. These universities cooperate in the Pacific Marine Energy Center and conduct extensive research on wave energy devices and environmental impacts from these potential technologies. Florida Atlantic University hosts the Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center, which has more resources devoted to ocean current energy potentials than its wave energy research.

 

Although wave energy has significant potential as part of a diversified clean energy portfolio, we need to be realistic about its near-term contributions. To fulfil its promise, wave energy technologies will require continued research, development, and investment to become more commercially viable. Whether the second Trump administration encourages much further development of this cleaner energy production alternative, we can certainly expect other countries to continue to do so.