On Tuesday CWN member organization National Wildlife Federation (NWF) held an important briefing on the tragedy in the Gulf. Speakers included: NWF President and CEO Larry Schweiger; NWF board member, activist, and actress Gloria Rueben; Carl Safina, President and co-founder of the Blue Ocean Institute; Karla Raettig, NWF National Campaign Director for Louisiana Coastal Restoration; and Brittin Eustis, fisherman and professional guide from Venice, LA.

Sixty three days after an explosion sunk the Deepwater Horizon deepocean drilling rig, oil continues to pour out of the ruptured riser pipe. BP is currently using a containment system to siphon off some of the oil spewing from the rupture pipe and hopes to contain nearly 90 percent of the flow from the broken pipe by late June.

Next week, the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee will consider a series of regional watershed restoration bills. These bills will create or bolster EPA and other agencies' offices to implement restoration projects and guide smart land use decisions.

The Great Waters Coalition is calling upon the conservation community to weigh in with Senate EPW Committee Members and urge them to pass the following bills as part of a Great Waters Omnibus.

Breaking News: BP reportedly agrees to put $20 billion in an escrow account to cover oil spill claims.

Last night President Obama addressed the nation in his first ever Oval Office address. The speech followed the President's two-day trip to the Gulf region on Monday and Tuesday to inspect conditions on the ground and talk with people living in communities being adversely affected by the spill. In his address, Obama vowed to use any and all resources available to fight the oil spill in the Gulf. He predicted that "in the coming days and weeks," the attempts to stop or contain the leak "should capture up to 90 percent of the oil leaking out of the well."