In this week’s commentary, Eyewitness News Political analyst and Gambit Columnist Clancy DuBos discusses a long-overdue Christmas present from the Army Corps of Engineers - one that still needs a few finishing touches.
Metro New Orleans got a long-delayed Christmas present from the Army Corps of Engineers a few weeks ago — a $2.9 billion plan to fix more than 90 square miles of wetlands that were destroyed or damaged by another Corps project: the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet.
The “Mister Go,” as it’s called, pretty much ruined marshes that for years protected much of the metro area from hurricanes and storm surges.
Now the Corps promises to fix what it broke.
That’s great news.
Here’s the bad news: the Corps wants Louisiana to pay up to 35 percent of the tab.
That is ridiculous.
The feds designed and built the Mister Go. Restoring wetlands destroyed by a federal project should be a federal responsibility.
Fortunately, there’s an obvious potential solution to this impasse. The $20 billion that BP put up to fix what it broke seems a logical place to look for any amount that Louisiana might have to put up.
Meanwhile, the Corps should move forward on this project as fast as it can. Time is wasting and valuable wetlands are wasting away.
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