[StBernard] Editorial Pages Endorse Governor Blanco's and LRA's Push to Waive Ten Percent Match

[Westley Annis]

Editorial Pages Endorse Governor Blanco's and LRA's Push to Waive Ten Percent Match

Over recent weeks, several national and local editorial pages have endorsed Governor Blanco's and the Louisiana Recovery Authority's request for President Bush to waive Louisiana's federal cost share as the state rebuilds from the first and third most catastrophic disasters in American history. The cost share requirement was waived for New York following 9/11 and Florida after Hurricane Andrew. 

Editorial: Return to New Orleans
The Washington Post
March 1, 2007

"One specific way Mr. Bush could show leadership is by directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to waive the requirement that Louisiana contribute 10 percent to meeting disaster recovery costs; the federal government has issued similar waivers to other jurisdictions, including New York City after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Cutting that bit of red tape would allow the freed-up money to be used for other rebuilding purposes."

Editorial: Unmatched Destruction 
The New York Times 
February 13, 2007

"One thing the Bush administration should have done immediately after Hurricane Katrina was to waive the requirement that state and local governments match federal rebuilding funds. The time to correct that mistake is now...It was waived for the State of Florida after Hurricane Andrew, when damage was $139 for each Floridian. It was waived again for New York after the Sept. 11, 2001, attack, which cost $390 per New Yorker. Yet somehow the Bush administration has not found it necessary to forgive the local match for Gulf Coast states after the double-whammy of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, except for costs associated with debris removal and some emergency services -- despite the fact that the two storms wreaked roughly $6,700 worth of damage per capita in Louisiana. This inaction is particularly surprising, given that such a large proportion of the damage can be attributed to the failure of the federal levees that were supposed to protect the ! New Orleans area. State officials say they have set aside close to $1 billion to help struggling local governments pay matching funds for things like replacing police stations and repairing sewage systems. They are trying to cover some 20,000 construction projects in all, ranging from tens of thousands of dollars to millions. That's no small amount of administrative and bureaucratic hassle on top of the expense."

Editorial: New energy for Katrina cleanup
The Boston Globe
February 16, 2007

"This Congress can set things right. Among other changes, it can waive the law requiring states to provide a 10 percent match for federal disaster aid -- as it did after Sept. 11. Louisiana alone would save $700 million. Decency requires that the money be forgiven."

Editorial: The Case for a Waiver
The Times-Picayune
February 1, 2007

"The Stafford Act also allows the president to waive the local match if it's unduly burdensome due to the disaster's impact or the lack of local funds. The federal government waived the local match after Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida in 1992 and again following the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York. Louisianans appreciate the federal aid received so far. The Bush administration has already reduced the local share for public infrastructure expenses from the usual 25 percent to 10 percent, though that's not uncommon -- the president did it after nine storms in 2004 alone. But a 10 percent match could still come near or surpass $800 million, according to the Louisiana Recovery Authority, which is lobbying for a full waiver. Katrina was unprecedented, but a full waiver of the local share is not. Louisiana is only asking to be treated as others have been after extraordinary disasters."

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated South Louisiana, claiming 1,464 lives, destroying more than 200,000 homes and 18,000 businesses. The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) is the planning and coordinating body that was created in the aftermath of these storms by Governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco to lead one of the most extensive rebuilding efforts in the world. The LRA is a 33-member body which is coordinating across jurisdictions, supporting community recovery and resurgence, ensuring integrity and effectiveness, and planning for the recovery and rebuilding of Louisiana.

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