BP money should be used for coast

As the Mighty Mississippi River flows through Southeast Louisiana, it passes through one of the areas washing away the most in our disappearing coastline. It comes from years of levees holding back the river waters from rebuilding our coastal marshes with the rich supply of sand and clay that the river pushes into the Gulf of Mexico.

For decades now, we have leveed the river to prevent it from overflowing and depositing its sediments into coastal areas. Instead, it proceeds straight down river and into the deep water of the gulf, which does not help rebuild our coast. There is good news ahead, however.  There is hope for the future.

Work is underway on construction of two major new sediment diversions, one on each side of the river in Plaquemines Parish where land loss is greatest. Its completion will allow gates to be opened from the river to allow clay and sediment and fresh water to revive our disappearing wetlands.

Once this happens, Louisiana’s coastline should start rebuilding and allow vegetation to regrow in our valuable coast. And, hopefully, our coast will once again support the growth of vegetation that will make the coast of Louisiana solid once again.

One of the big items needed for this to happen is for our state to get the $20.8 billion settlement from BP for the massive environmental damages it caused to our five Gulf states. And then for that money to be used for the restoration of our valuable coast that the federal court has required.

So let’s not let our public officials put that money to any other use than to repair some of the damages that BP has caused. Louisiana has already used a great deal of its own money for such repairs and a lot more is needed if we are to make Louisiana a whole state again.

Right now, coastal restoration is reported to be the fastest growing industry in Louisiana.

And we have to keep growing at a rapid rate. We have already wasted too much time.

We now have a solid plan for restoring our coast. We can’t wait any longer to get this work going full speed ahead.We’re happy to hear that our new governor, Jon Bel Edwards, has issued a proclamation to allow money dedicated to restoration of our coast to be used only for that purpose.

That is the only way we can help restore and protect Louisiana to anywhere near the way it used to be.