[StBernard] Pushing President Obama to Approve the State's Dredging Plan

[Westley Annis]

Dear Friend, 

	

Today I joined U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, U.S. Homeland Security
Secretary Janet Napolitano and a bipartisan U.S. Senate delegation on their
visit to southeast Louisiana to inspect the ongoing response to the BP oil
spill.   

	

While meeting with these officials, I reiterated
<http://vitter.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Multimedia.Video&Video
_id=cc29f135-d78a-f4e2-8ed3-21d5477c820c&PageNum=1>  my request to President
Obama to expedite the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' approval of an emergency
barrier island dredging plan. 

	

Last week I sent the president a letter
<http://vitter.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressRoom.PressRelease
s&ContentRecord_id=bbb7cd6c-00c1-83cc-6b60-c05663e719f3>  urging him to
overcome the bureaucracy standing in the way of the dredging plan. 


	

Two weeks ago, local and state leaders, led by Plaquemines Parish President
Billy Nungesser, presented an emergency dredging plan to build up and close
gaps in our barrier islands to help block the oil from reaching our marshes.
Though an immediate decision was promised by federal officials, that process
has slowed to the Corps of Engineers' and other federal agencies' normal
glacier pace.  Over a week later we still have no answer.  

	

When President Obama personally visited Louisiana and the site of our
ongoing oil disaster, he promised that the federal government would be fully
responsive and would do whatever it takes to protect our coast and marshes.
I'm truly saddened that that commitment is being broken, and I'll continue
doing everything I can to get the president to stop this tragic bureaucratic
stranglehold. 

Sincerely, 
David Vitter
U.S. Senator