[StBernard] LRA Executive Director Issues Statement on Proposed Allocation of Fisheries Funding

[Westley Annis]

LRA Executive Director Issues Statement on 
Proposed Allocation of Fisheries Funding

BATON ROUGE, La. (August 17, 2007) - Louisiana Recovery Authority Executive Director Andy Kopplin issued the following statement today regarding the US Department of Commerce and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) proposed allocation formula for distributing $85 million in disaster relief funds for the Gulf Coast fishing and shrimping communities. 

"According to the currently proposed allocation for distributing disaster relief funds to the shrimp, oyster, and fishing industries devastated by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Louisiana stands to receive less than half the amount of funding available. This proposed allocation directly contradicts NOAA's own assessments, which estimate Katrina's financial impact on Louisiana's fishing industry to be $2.1 billion. That's two and a half times more damage sustained in Mississippi, and nearly 75 times the amount estimated in Alabama.

"While we do not begrudge our neighbors, we have been left once again asking for equity. Louisiana generates more than 76 percent of the annual catch landings in all the disaster declared parishes and counties in the Gulf Coast, and we bore the brunt of two storms in 2005.

"While Louisiana is grateful for the limited relief these recovery funds will provide to our devastated industry, we call on the U.S. Department of Commerce and NOAA to reconsider their proposal to make these allocations fair and consistent with the congressional directive PL 110-28, which explicitly states that the allocation of these funds should be based on need."

LRA Board Member Rene Cross sent a letter to Vice Admiral Conrad Lautenbacher, National Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and NOAA Administrator in June requesting NOAA to allocate disaster relief funds based on need and actual damages incurred by each state. Click here to download a PDF of the letter. <http://lra.louisiana.gov/assets/LRAlettertoNOAAonSupplemental.pdf> 

Louisiana's Congressional Delegation also submitted a letter to Vice Admiral Lautenbacher which made the same request and reaffirmed Congress' intent to "allocate these funds based on an assessment of the disaster-recovery related needs of the fishing and shrimping communities in! those states most affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita." Click here to download a PDF of the letter. <http://landrieu.senate.gov/news/fish.pdf> 

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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