[StBernard] Corrected: LRA Vice Chairman Walter Isaacson Issues Statement on White House's Opposition to Grantin

[Westley Annis]

LRA Vice Chairman Walter Isaacson Issues Statement on White House's Opposition to Granting Ten Percent Match for Louisiana

BATON ROUGE, La. (March 21, 2007) - Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) Vice Chairman Walter Isaacson issued the following statement today in response to the White House's opposition to granting Louisiana the ten percent federal cost share: 

"The President's threat to veto an appropriations bill that provides $1.3 billion to finish repairing our levees and grants Louisiana with the same cost share waiver approved for New York following 9/11 and 32 other disasters doesn't square at all with the promise he made in Jackson Square on September 15, 2005 to do what it takes and stay as long as it takes. We hope he reconsiders his position on this and grants us the opportunity to cut some of the red tape hampering our recovery."

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated South Louisiana, claiming 1,464 lives, destroying more than 200,000 homes and 18,000 businesses and inflicting about $25 billion in insured losses. 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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