Landrieu looking for new coastal approach

1/12/10:

By Claire Taylor
The Advertiser

ABBEVILLE — With its own source of funding, Louisiana can eliminate federal delays and develop a stand-alone institute for coastal protection much like The Netherlands has, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said Monday.

Landrieu was a guest speaker for a Coastal Protection and Restoration Town Hall Meeting in Vermilion Parish.

The Netherlands, a tiny European country on the North Sea where three rivers meet, operates an extensive system to protect its citizens and industry from the water, said Landrieu.

Landrieu visited the country twice, primarily with representatives of the New Orleans area, is planning a third visit this year with representatives of Southwest Louisiana.

The Netherlands has a national revenue stream and created a stand-alone institute, Deltares, where scientists focus on water issues — from clean water to water management — and share knowledge with government and industry.

Louisiana can model itself after The Netherlands if the federal government accelerates the timeline for releasing to the state its share of offshore oil and gas revenues, Landrieu said.

Under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, starting in 2016 Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Alabama will receive 37 1/2 percent of the $10 billion in offshore oil and gas revenue that goes to the federal government. Louisiana will receive $500 million a year, she said.

But until 2016, Louisiana only receives $50 million a year, far short of what's needed.

"I could spend $50 million a year in Vermilion Parish alone," Landrieu said.

Even if Louisiana received more money today, it wouldn't be able to spend it because of overlapping jurisdictions of various federal agencies, Landrieu said.

So she is developing a new approach, modeled after The Netherlands, where 60 percent of the nation's industry is below sea level, where two huge ports operate, where agriculture and oil and gas are important contributors to the economy.

With the federal money in the state's hands and an independent authority in place, Louisiana can identify coastal protection projects and get them built without waiting 30 years on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, she said.