[StBernard] TImes Picayune Editorial Calls on FEMA to Expedite Marine Debris Removal

[Westley Annis]

Times-Picayune Supports LRA Push for Action, Equitable Treatment by FEMA on Marine Debris Removal

BATON ROUGE (September 13, 2007) - Today the New Orleans Time Picayune published the following editorial regarding the clean up of marine debris by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Louisiana coasts and waterways. 

In July the LRA Board unanimously passed a resolution calling on FEMA to: 

*	Completely fund Louisiana's Marine Debris Removal program, paying for the identification and removal of storm-related debris in the state's inland shores, waterways, bayous, and coastal waters up to a distance of four miles in state waters; 
*	Recognize the work and "mission assignment" model that has been in place in Mississippi and Alabama and immediately grant a one-year extension for all marine-related debris work in Louisiana for Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; and 
*	Evaluate and reimburse state, parish and local agencies for marine debris-related costs they have incurred to identify and clean up the state's waterways and marine environments.

The Times Picayune editorial is attached below in its entirety.

EDITORIAL: Move on marine debris
Thursday, September 13, 2007 
Times Picayune

The word emergency implies a sense of urgency -- emergency vehicles race to fires, accidents and crime scenes. But no one has been racing to pull storm debris from Louisiana's marshes and waterways. 

While the Coast Guard cleared commercial waterways and shipping lanes, the wreckage of houses, cars and other flotsam remains untouched in many areas two years after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, posing a hazard to boats and boaters. 

And now, FEMA and the Coast Guard are questioning whether the task of removing the debris can be considered an emergency -- and therefore something the Coast Guard can oversee -- so long after the storm. 


The appearance of yet another sticking point in the marine debris issue is frustrating. Louisiana officials have been trying to get FEMA to coordinate the cleanup so state and local governments won't have to do the work themselves and then seek reimbursement, a far more cumbersome process. 

That's what the agency did in Mississippi and Alabama. 

But the agency has been resistant when it comes to this state. In July, FEMA said that Louisiana had missed a deadline for requesting the more direct approach. Since then, state and federal officials have been meeting to resolve the issue, but the Coast Guard now says it will need approval from higher-ranking officials and the Department of Homeland Security. 

"I don't think anybody contemplates the Coast Guard is not going to do this, but we have to get our 'mother-may-I's," said Capt. Mike Tousley. 

Louisiana needs mother to answer quickly and in the affirmative. 

FEMA points out that this cleanup job is more complicated in Louisiana, where debris involves marshes and bayous and not just the beach. 

But the fact that the problem is bigger and more complicated doesn't make it less urgent. It's time to stop quibbling and get it done. 

Click here to view the editorial on the Times Picayune Web site <http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/editorials/index.ssf?/base/news-4/118966658291610.xml&coll=1> . 



The complete LRA Marine Debris Removal resolution is available online here. 
<http://www.lra.louisiana.gov/assets/enviro/DebrisRemovalResolution071907.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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