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P.O. Box 4385 Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4385 Phone: (225) 336-4155 Fax: (225) 336-0046

Email: info@lademo.org www.lademo.org

February 23, 2012

Attention: Coastal Protection & Restoration AuthoritySubject: Louisiana Democratic Party Comments on 2012 Master Plan Draft RevisionFrom: Buddy Leach, Chairman, Louisiana Democratic Party

The Louisiana Democratic Party is pleased to offer the following comments on the DraftRevision of the Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast.

Restoration of Louisiana s endangered coast and protection of its coastal communities andresources remains a major priority for people of all political affiliations in the state. The value ofLouisiana s coastal region for seafood, domestic energy production, hurricane protection, thenation s port system, and home for its residents is something that all of us must continue topromote.

The draft revision of the Master Plan for 2012 is a reminder of a number of key considerations.First is the tremendous expertise in coastal science that the state has assembled through decadesof investment in its universities, along with the impressive capacity from private sectorcompanies and organizations who work on coastal restoration and protection. These participantshave made a critical contribution working with the state and federal agencies on the draft plan.

Second is a reminder of the long history of this endeavor, including the passage of Act 6 (1989),

the Breaux Act/CWPPRA (1990), the Coast 2050 Plan (1998), Act 8 (2005), and the 2007

Master Plan. Partnership with the federal government has been an integral part of this effort.

Even with its challenges, this partnership is a key part of building and maintaining national

support for coastal protection and restoration here. President Obama reaffirmed this partnership

and the importance of Louisiana s coast for the national interest early on with the formation of

the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Working Group (October 2009) and theRoadmap for

Restoring Ecosystem Resiliency and Sustainability for the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf

Coasts (March 2010).

The core principles of the 2012 Master Plan, such as seeking sustainability and long-term

solutions, and conducting a participatory process, are of vital importance for achieving its goals.

The people and communities of southern Louisiana have weathered a series of difficult

challenges over the past few years: the major hurricanes of 2005 and 2008, smaller storms, and

the Deepwater Horizon Disaster of 2010. We are clearly in a period of change.

8/3/2019 LDP Comments on 2012 Master Plan

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P.O. Box 4385 Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4385 Phone: (225) 336-4155 Fax: (225) 336-0046

Email: info@lademo.org www.lademo.org

Our specific comments on the Draft Plan focus on the issue of funding, discussed primarily in

Chapters 3-6. The Draft Plan lists a number of sources of potential funding, noting that none of

them are guaranteed. The largest unknowns include potential funds from the Deepwater Horizon

Disaster, through the Natural Resources Damage Assessment and Clean Water Act Penalties.

Passage of the RESTORE Act, which would direct a majority of those fines to Gulf Coast

restoration and recovery, is also uncertain at this stage. Three of the major sources of funding for

coastal protection and restoration CWPPRA, the Gulf of Mexico Energy and Security Act

(GOMESA), and the Energy and Water Act are federal (the Water Resources and DevelopmentAct [WRDA] that funds operations of the Army Corps of Engineers will likely continue to play

a role as well.)

From the beginning, Louisiana s coastal restoration effort has recognized that a large national

investment would be necessary for its success, and the state has succeeded in garnering

significant support. Federal funding for the CWPPRA program was for a number years the

largest source of dollars for restoration. Large federal relief efforts after the storms of 2005 and

2008 have made a crucial contribution to the state s economy and played a large role in

buffering us from the national economic downturn that started in 2007. The Draft Plan cites as

two recent examples $14 billion in federal funding to repair and upgrade New Orleanshurricane protection system, and $496 million to the Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP)

to restore shorelines, marshes, and other areas.

In terms of federal funding, it is clear that we are in a new and in some ways unprecedented

situation regarding the national budget. The future size and shape of major national legislative

programs such as the Farm Bill and WRDA are unclear, and coastal restoration and protection in

Louisiana is only one part of a crowded field of national priorities whose funding is now

uncertain. The near default of the U.S. government this past summer, and proposals for policies

of fiscal austerity have added to this uncertainty.

We raise the question of whether supporting default and austerity, as a number of Louisiana s

representatives have done, makes it possible to effectively pursue large-scale federal funding for

coastal restoration and protection in our state. Louisiana s Congressional representatives

struggled this past summer (2011) to retain $35.6 million in Corps funding that the White House

had specified for coastal restoration work in Louisiana, ultimately restoring $1 million of that

request.

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P.O. Box 4385 Baton Rouge, LA 70821-4385 Phone: (225) 336-4155 Fax: (225) 336-0046

Email: info@lademo.org www.lademo.org

While coastal protection and restoration enjoy bipartisan support within Louisiana, continued

broad national support is not guaranteed. Promoting new, large-scale federal appropriations will

be more difficult than ever, and will require a thoughtful approach by all of the state s officials.

A cooperative attitude that recognizes the interests of other parts of the country, as we continue

to make the case for Louisiana s coast being a key national interest, seems a basic requirement.

This would include instances such as the debate over whether to require budget offsets for

disaster relief for the states hit by Hurricane Irene in 2011.

We are fortunate that the President supports the national partnership with Louisiana, with

creation of the Gulf Ecosystem Restoration Task Force following the Deepwater Horizon

disaster and continued support for a portion of federal agencies funds going towards coastal

protection and restoration. It is incumbent on Louisiana s officials and stakeholders to recognize

that our future depends on continuing to cultivate a strong partnership with our country.

Respectfully submitted,

Buddy Leach

Chairman

Louisiana Democratic Party