From the latest Clean Water Network Update:

Run For The Gulf

Register today for the Run for the Gulf 5K which benefits the work of the Clean Water Network (CWN) and the Gulf Restoration Network. Funds raised from this event will support CWN's Gulf Assistance Fund, targeted for communities impacted by the Gulf oil spill disaster. Monies raised will also go towards CWN's regional partner, the Gulf Restoration Network, an organization working 24/7 on the ground dealing with this environmental catastrophe.

When: Friday, July 16th, 7:30 PM at Bluemont Pk in Arlington, VA

Registration: Participants may register online through July 16th at noon. Onsite registration will also be accepted at the park from 6:00-7:30 pm (cash or check only) as space permits.

    * Pre-registration: $25
    * Onsite registration: $40

For more information on the course and other details dealing with the race including how to become a sponsor, click HERE.

Judge Blocks Obama's Drilling Moratorium, Compensation Fund Ramps Up

A federal judge in New Orleans has just made a ruling to block the federal government's six month moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. US District Court Judge Martin Feldman made the decision to issue a preliminary injunction against the six month ban in response to a lawsuit. The ban called for by the President halts all drilling in water deeper than 500 feet and has put a stop to the issuance of new permits for drilling. The lawsuit was brought by a number of companies that bring equipment and people to and from the rigs. They claimed that the government has no evidence that there are dangers associated with existing operations that are already up and running safely. The companies' position is supported by the office of Louisiana's Governor.  Henry Dart, a lawyer for the state, is on record saying, "This is an environmental disaster. Lets not make an economic disaster."  More details to come on this hot off the press news.

BP has already paid out over $100 million in claims to people affected by the oil spill but Kenneth Feinberg, the man in charge of overseeing the $20 billion compensation fund, feels that the pace of compensation is not fast enough. He has vowed to speed up the process to make sure that people who are counting on these funds for survival receive them in an appropriate time frame. His past experience includes administering the 911 Fund.

CWN Members Send Letter to Obama on Gulf Oil Spill Escrow Account

CWN Member groups, the National Wildlife Federation, Audubon, and Environmental Defense Fund recently sent a letter to President Obama asking him to set aside money for habitat restoration investments within the $20 billion escrow account. The letter urges him to dedicate at least $5 billion of the account to support the immediate launch of large-scale restoration efforts. Worried that wildlife will be forgotten in this clean up and compensation process, the letter states "As conservation leaders we write today to urge you to include wildlife among those harmed and to designate habitat restoration as the appropriate form of compensation. In addition to making whole the fishing, tourism, outdoor recreation, and other interests whose livelihoods have been decimated by the disaster, we must look to the eventual recovery of the coastal wetlands that support Louisiana's productive fisheries, abundant birdlife and diverse wildlife communities." Click for the press release.