[StBernard] Need Action to Win This War

[Westley Annis]

Dear Friends -

Yesterday, I accompanied a team of elected officials to observe state-led
dredging operations underway at the Northern end of the Chandeleurs Island
chain.  It was great to see progress being made to protect our interior
wetlands from the oil that continues to surge toward our coast.  The New
Orleans Times-Picayune
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c046%7c9390&digest
=aZgtO2b46R%2b5zywXTb6wOg> reported today that "the dredging operation is
moving 54,00 cubic yards of sand every day .. to protect between 2,000 and
3,000 miles of shoreline."  We fought the red tape and bureaucracy for many
weeks, but we finally prevailed in getting this segment and five others
approved by the federal government and funded by BP.

I was glad that President Obama took time to address the spill on Tuesday
night and bring national attention to our ongoing needs, but the bottom line
is speeches won't stop the oil, restore our wetlands, and put our people
back to work.  We need the federal government to understand we are in a war
to protect our way life and we want results.

Unfortunately, President Obama did not announce an expedited process to end
the drilling moratorium as we had hoped.  We remain concerned that the
Administration does not fully understand the devastating impact an extended
moratorium will have on our people.  As the Monroe News-Star
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c047%7c9390&digest
=ayyUeLMxxunINeCaTw31Ng>  reported, I dispatched Lt. Gov. Scott Angelle to
lead a delegation to Washington, DC to meet with Interior Secretary Ken
Salazar to ask him to reconsider.  

The delegation presented Sec. Salazar with letters and resolutions from
government and industry organizations across South Louisiana who are united
in support of drilling safely instead of imposing an arbitrary moratorium
not supported by the Department of Interior's own expert advisors.
Additionally, they will deliver a petition already signed by more than
125,000 individuals on the Gulf Economic Survival Team (GEST)
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c048%7c9390&digest
=z6l%2bEeGQOQuBMMpnkcUr4w>  website who share our view that the moratorium
will result in massive layoffs that will cripple our economy for years.  If
you've not already signed up to show your support for our citizens whose
jobs are in jeopardy, please do so today.

On Monday, I joined fisherman, restaurant leaders, and seafood industry
officials at the Acme Oyster House in New Orleans to call on President Obama
to force BP to approve our state's seafood safety plan.  As the
Times-Picayune
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c049%7c9390&digest
=i%2byIQx%2fVc%2feSKWZcFIQxsQ>  reported, the Louisiana seafood industry
estimates a "$2.3 billion impact on the state's economy," and the plan
implements a "science-based seafood testing program with transparent metrics
of safety and quality."  Put simply - our plan is a common sense initiative
to address the risks posed to our seafood industry by the oil spill.  

Our seafood safety plan was submitted to BP on May 29th - 20 days ago - and
it demands BP's immediate attention.  We need to start setting up the plan
immediately.  We cannot wait while our fisherman and restaurants go out of
business and that's why we've called on the Administration to force BP to
approve and fund our plans immediately.

Sincerely,

Governor Bobby Jindal