[StBernard] No is Not Acceptable

[Westley Annis]

Dear Friends -

Recently I flew over Lake Pontchartrain which is now threatened by tar balls
and oil after decades of work to restore the lake to healthy levels.  For
weeks we requested 20 miles of boom to create multiple layers of defense for
the Lake along with shallow water skimmers. The recent oil impact on Lake
Pontchartrain now brings the total amount of shoreline impacted by oil in
Louisiana to over 337 miles.

 
<http://images.publicaster.com/ImageLibrary/account848/images/Jindal_Worker_
7-7-10.jpg> Even with this mounting crisis and rising miles of shoreline
impacted by oil, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rejected a coastal
protection measure for Barataria Bay just this past Saturday. This rejection
came after a month of meetings, phone calls and compromises to try and win
federal approval. We even joined locals to meet with the President on this
rock plan around a month ago. We were told that we would get a response in a
matter of days. Instead, several weeks later, we got a flat rejection. As I
told the Baton Rouge Advocate
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c158%7c9390&digest
=2264R9R3RBtVW6%2bkvUE%2f2Q> , only a bureaucrat in Washington, D.C. would
say rocks are more harmful to our water than oil. These people need to come
to Louisiana. They need to touch the oil, feel the oil, and smell the oil
that threatens our way of life here.

Most frustrating of all is that when the federal government denies one of
our plans they also fail to offer an alternative.  We need the federal
government to show a greater sense of urgency and fight this oil like the
war that it is. As I also told the New Orleans Times-Picayune
<http://click.bsftransmit1.com/ClickThru.aspx?pubids=393%7c159%7c9390&digest
=PuPU8zIk2FWf2gO7Hwnl0Q> , simply saying no is not an answer, no is not a
plan, and no is not acceptable.

We need the federal government to recognize that when they reject our
defense measures they fundamentally choose for oil to come in our wetlands.
That will never be the choice we make. We cannot allow bureaucratic
roadblocks to prevent good plans from being implemented.  

This week we also took Senator Mary Landrieu and Secretary of the Navy Ray
Mabus - who the President charged with developing a long-term recovery plan
for the Gulf Coast - on a flyover of our coast to show the oil impact here
as well as the significant coastal erosion problems we have experienced for
generations. This year we were on track to have the lowest rate of land loss
in 80 years. Now, that progress is threatened by oil impacting our coast and
wetlands. We had a very clear message for Secretary Mabus. The time for
coastal restoration studies is over. Our fragile coastline cannot afford
years of more studies. We need quick action to restore our coast. 

Finally, I am constantly amazed by the perseverance of our people in
responding to this disaster. They are on the front lines every day - turning
fishing boats into defense ships, dragging boom to stop oil - and always
coming up with more ideas to protect our land and waters. It is the same
spirit of perseverance that strengthened us through Hurricanes Katrina,
Rita, Gustav and Ike; and this same perseverance leaves no doubt in my mind
that we will win this war against the oil spill and come back better than
ever before. To the people of coastal Louisiana, we will stand with you and
work alongside you until every drop of oil is off of our coast and out of
our waters and all of our fisheries and our industries are 100 percent
restored. Our prayers continue to be with those on the coast and every
Louisianian who is impacted by this spill.

Sincerely,

Governor Bobby Jindal