[StBernard] Landrieu Comments on Senate Passage of WRDA Conference Report

[Westley Annis]

Landrieu Comments on Senate Passage of WRDA Conference Report Bill is headed
to the President's desk.

 

WASHINGTON - United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., today commented
on the Senate's 81-to-12 passage of the Water Resources Development Act
(WRDA). The bill has $3.6 billion, or 17 percent of its total, for hurricane
protection, flood control and navigation projects in Louisiana. It will now
be sent to the President's desk for signature, but he has threatened to veto
the bill. 

Sen. Landrieu said:

"Today the Senate put an end to the seven-year wait for the authorizations
necessary to invest in critical water projects for our nation. We have been
waiting for a green light for these projects -- for wetland protection,
dredging our vital navigable waters and ports, for flood protection, for
levees, and, in Louisiana's case, for a breakthrough, historic commitment to
coastal restoration and flood protection.

"This bill is a key part of our Katrina and Rita recovery package. South
Louisiana cannot recover fully without the $3.6 billion in authorizations in
the bill, a historic high for Louisiana that includes a significant step
toward a comprehensive coastal restoration system. 

"A quarter of America's oil and gas is either supplied or transported
through the Mississippi River Delta in South Louisiana, but this energy
infrastructure is at great risk and is vulnerable. That's why this bill and
the security it provides is important, not just to Louisiana but to the
country. 

"I am asking the President to reconsider his veto threat. But if he vetoes
the bill, I am joining with my Louisiana colleagues in working to override
it."

 

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