Gulf Coast tourism suffers from perception of oil-coated towns and may take years to recover

For Gulf tourism, problem is perception _ not oil

US Fish & Wildlife Service proposes restoring whooping cranes in Louisiana bayou country

Whooping cranes may return to Louisiana

NEW ORLEANS — The whooping crane — one of the world’s most endangered birds and one of the first animals on the U.S. endangered list — could be back in Louisiana’s wetlands as early as February under a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal.

Crews remove Gulf relief well plug, another step toward getting ready to kill it

Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama

BP tries to reinvent self with American CEO; Hayward agrees but grouses, ‘Life isn’t fair’

BP hopes to turn page with new CEO, leaner company

Tides bring oil _ and resentment _ to Florida, lone Gulf holdout on offshore drilling

In Fla., resentment washes ashore along with oil

Drilling company executive tells oil spill panel that ‘reckless operating mistakes’ to blame

Competitor points to BP-driller relationship

Officials tout value of skimming ships in oil cleanup, but can’t measure their worth

Value of oil skimming Gulf flotilla is uncertain

Oil Spill Effects On Environment

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Essence Music Fest, educators and cleanup crews fill New Orleans over the 4th of July holiday

Essence Fest helps sustain New Orleans amid spill

Gulf Coast businesses may need to pay tax on BP money if payout replaced lost income, profits

Gulf Coast cos. may need to pay tax on BP money

BP says new tests show it’s on target to finish drilling relief well by mid-August

BP says Gulf relief well on target for mid-August

Visitors to east Texas’ Caddo Lake find ‘hauntingly beautiful’ tree-lined waterways

Texas’ mystical Caddo Lake beckons visitors

BP chairman sorry for referring to ’small people’ hit by Gulf oil spill; says spoke ‘clumsily’

Some oil spill events from Wednesday, June 16, 2010

In trip through 4 Gulf coast states, anxiety spreads with oil

Along Gulf coast highway, anxiety spreads with oil

Texas uses water-based cranes, shears to target decades of scuttled vessels in Gulf of Mexico

Texas targets decades of abandoned ships off coast

Administration: BP agrees to speed up payments to people, businesses devastated by oil spill

Feds: BP agrees to expedite oil spill payments

BP preparing to start burning at sea oil siphoned from leaking well in Gulf of Mexico

BP to start burning captured Gulf oil at sea

As amount of oil collected at Gulf floor grows, so does frustration over BP claims process

Red tape vexes Gulf residents seeking BP payments

BP cuts pipe with giant shears, plans to lower cap over Gulf oil gusher

Coast Guard: BP engineers turn to giant shears to saw off leaking pipe spewing oil into Gulf

President Barack Obama speaks briefly on Afghanistan

BP encounters another setback in effort to contain the blowout; oil threatens Fla. beaches

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BP: saw became stuck after cutting 45 percent of pipe in effort to contain oil

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BP encounters another setback in effort to contain blowout as oil threatens Fla. beaches

U.S. President Barack Obama joins Martha Coakley

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Coast Guard: BP making 1st major cut in latest attempt to contain _ not plug _ Gulf leak

Coast Guard says BP in the middle of 1st major cut in latest attempt to contain Gulf leak

BP shares plunge, losing billions in market value, as oil giant tries yet another Gulf oil fix

BP establishes floating hotels for workers in preparation for massive cleanup on Gulf Coast

CEO says it will be 48 hours before BP knows if well is plugged; Obama arrives in Gulf

More waiting: BP CEO says it will be 48 hours before company knows if well is plugged

2 more days till BP knows if well plug try works

Scientists: Gulf oil spill surpasses Exxon Valdez as worst in US history; plug try going well

With discounts and kinder cancellation policies, Gulf Coast hotels getting travelers _ for now

Spill hasn’t emptied Gulf Coast hotels _ yet

Giant containment dome to bottle up oil in the Gulf soon headed to site of massive spill

2 Shell refineries reach settlement with feds, agree to install $6M in equipment, pay $3M fine

Shell refineries agree to install $6M of equipment

Shell refineries reach Clean Air Act settlements

Shell refineries settle with government

ST. ROSE, La. — Two Shell chemical companies have agreed to install $6 million in pollution reduction equipment at two petroleum refineries in Louisiana and Alabama and upgrade a terminal in Puerto Rico as part of a Clean Air Act settlement with the federal government.