[StBernard] Romero plans to rebuild coast, restore faith

[Westley Annis]

Romero's election prospects dimming:
 
http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/grace/index.ssf?/base/news-0/116089413652770.xm
l&coll=1
 
 


 

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	Romero plans to rebuild coast, restore faith
	
	By PATRICK COURREGES
	Advocate Acadiana bureau
	Published: Oct 18, 2006
	
	State Sen. Craig Romero, a candidate for Louisiana's Congressional
3rd
	District seat, traveled to Chalmette on Tuesday to announce his
planned
	approach to deal with the state's coastal protection needs.
	
	Romero, R-New Iberia, is one of three challengers to incumbent U.S.
Rep.
	Charlie Melancon, D-Napoleonville, in the Nov. 7 race for the 3rd
District
	seat.
	
	The other two candidates are Franklin Libertarian James Lee Blake
Jr. and
	LaPlace Democrat Olangee "OJ" Breech.
	
	Romero said the theme of his plan is restoring the faith of the
people that
	their government can help and protect them in the wake of problems
during
	and following hurricanes.
	
	"The people really want to have confidence in government, and that's
what is
	lacking," he said. "We need more of a team effort in terms of
working with
	the federal government."
	
	Romero said that, if elected, he would easily blend into a Louisiana
	congressional team that would include U.S. Reps. Bobby Jindal,
R-Kenner;
	U.S. Rep. Richard Baker, R-Baton Rouge; and U.S. Sen. David Vitter,
	R-Metairie.
	
	He said he would push for faster funding and implementation of
existing
	short-term and long-term plans for protecting Louisiana's eroding
and
	storm-shattered coastal areas.
	
	Romero said he would also try to find ways to merge the work of
educational
	and research institutions in the state with federal efforts in
coastal
	restoration and hurricane protection.
	
	"We really need to get a lot of research people involved, so we know
the
	direction we're moving in is the right direction and we don't make
the same
	mistakes again," he said.
	
	Romero said he would also meet with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
to
	assess the progress of projects already moving.
	
	He said his agenda would also include reforming the Federal
Emergency
	Management Agency and the federal flood insurance program.
	
	Romero said that talks on changes to both those programs have
already begun
	in Congress and he would like to join the effort to make both them
serve
	their purposes better in the future.
	
	"We don't need another situation like we had in 2005," he said.
	
	Romero said he also supports boosting funding for the National
Oceanic and
	Atmospheric Administration to allow for better technology for storm
warnings
	and communications before, during and after hurricanes.
	
	He said he would also want to regularly bring congressional
colleagues from
	other states to Louisiana so that they see how exposed the oil and
gas
	production infrastructure is on the coast and understand how
important
	funding for protection is to the whole nation.
	
	Romero said that he wants to see the federal government used as it
was
	designed to be used - to address the needs of the people.
	
	He said that is best achieved by working not just to call attention
to
	problems, but to identify both problems and their solutions.
	
	Simply calling attention to what is wrong without offering a
solution serves
	only to shake the confidence of people and business in remaining in
or
	moving to Louisiana, Romero said.
	
	"It scares the people," he said.
	
	
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