NEWS ARTICLES | May 26, 2010
Bold Steps to Aid the Gulf Coast
By Sen. Mary Landrieu | RealClearPolitics | Link to article
In the last four and a half years Gulf Coast residents have endured destruction from four major hurricanes, including a manmade flood that brought a major metropolitan area to its knees. After each storm, with great resolve, genuine volunteer support and government help, families and businesses on our working coast picked up the pieces and bravely faced the long road to recovery.
Yet today, Gulf Coast communities find themselves in the eye of another storm, as our open wetlands face incursion from vast plumes of oil that are gushing uncontrollably from the Deepwater Horizon, 50 miles off our shore and in 5,000 feet of water. Once again, barrier islands that used to serve as a first line of defense against these elements are too fragile and eroded to fulfill their role. And, the outer wetlands that have diminished in size and health provide less of a protective buffer.
Scientists estimate that Louisiana loses coastal marshland the size of a football field every 38 minutes. Decades of underinvestment and mismanagement have turned the mighty Mississippi Delta into one of the nation's most pronounced ecological challenges. The oil spill that is beginning to tar our marshes and estuaries is attacking an ecosystem that is already very vulnerable.
Beyond the immediate specter of approaching oil, this weakened marsh allows salt water to penetrate more deeply every day, killing vegetation and destroying habitat deep within the wetland. Once vegetation dies, the natural eroding forces of the ocean quickly churn the soil into open water, further destroying what is left of Louisiana's natural buffer against storm surge. This leaves our coastal communities and cities at ever greater risk and peril.
Amid the flurry of lawsuits and government investigations into what caused this terrible accident, Congress can, and has to, provide immediate help to reverse the dire situation affecting this important coastal area and thousands of Gulf Coast businesses that call it home. Our first real opportunity comes as the Senate considers the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill this week. While the $118 million aid package requested by the Obama Administration is a good start, the following is a commonsense blueprint for a more comprehensive response that helps meet the short-term and long-term challenges facing the Gulf Coast region:
Accelerated Revenue Sharing: In 2006, Congress passed the Domenici-Landrieu Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act, which for the first time allowed four Gulf states to share in federal revenue from energy produced off its shores. To get coastal communities the funds they need to invest in boom, bolster barrier islands, restore wetlands and provide enhanced flood protection, Congress should accelerate revenue sharing for Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas to begin immediately instead of in 2017. Coastal states should be treated as respected partners, recognizing the painful reality that they share disproportionate risk from developing these essential federal resources. This revenue stream, which since 1920 has benefit interior states that host onshore oil and gas production, should be available to coastal states today to shield and protect our coastline.
Release Coastal Impact Assistance Grants: Congress should expedite the delivery of Coastal Impact Assistance Program funds that are already appropriated for Louisiana and other Gulf Coast states, but are being held up by bureaucratic red tape at the Minerals Management Service. This program has distributed only 25 percent of the $1 billion that Congress set aside in the 2005 Energy Policy Act. Freeing up these monies would help limit oil damage to fish and wildlife by allowing marine and coastal ecosystem rehabilitation projects to move forward.
Claims Assistance: Fishermen, shrimpers, oystermen, and other independent coastal business owners often lack the resources necessary to prepare a claim that accurately accounts for their damages. By authorizing $20 million for the Economic Development Administration, Congress can get grants into the hands of qualified non-profit organizations that provide technical assistance to business owners attempting to navigate the claims process. This help will mitigate instances where BP claims adjusters and attorneys may deny legitimate claims that are improperly documented.
Disaster Loan Relief: To help bridge the time until BP claims are settled, the federal government recently announced that low-interest Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loans are available for small businesses affected by the spill. While this assistance may be helpful for some businesses, almost 12,000 Gulf Coast businesses still have SBA disaster loans from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Ike and Gustav. At no cost to taxpayers, Congress can inject immediate capital back into these businesses by allowing SBA to forgive up to $15,000 in interest payments over three years on outstanding disaster loans. Congress should also allow new loans to utilize BP claim payments as collateral.
It was almost five years ago that businesses along the Gulf Coast -- from Mobile to Galveston -- came close to losing everything. Nets were destroyed, hulls shattered, hotels closed and restaurants boarded up. Now, with thousands of barrels of oil being released into waters off our coast each day, Congress has the opportunity to assist these families, businesses and communities that are in danger of being foreclosed on by yet another disaster. With a few bold steps, the federal government can reassure them that they will not have to face the sea of uncertainty alone.
