We will revitalize Louisiana

No matter where you live in our state, we have all been deeply struck by the events of the past few months and the consequences of this oil spill on the coast we treasure.

Many times in this disaster I have been asked if Louisiana will ever recover. Will we ever be the same? Will we still be Sportsmen’s Paradise? Will our communities and our families triumph over this catastrophe? The answer to these questions is simply – YES.

The work is far from over, but we absolutely will persevere through these challenges facing our state today and we will be revitalized and restored. To outline our priorities in the month ahead, I recently announced the “Agenda for Revitalizing Louisiana” which states four priority initiatives, including: Implementing a Coastal Restoration Plan, Certifying our Seafood and Getting our Fishermen Back on the Water, Lifting the Moratorium so we can Refuel America, and Holding BP Accountable Until the Job is Done.

The first step in our Agenda to Revitalize Louisiana is to have our coastal restoration plans approved. Louisiana coastal communities have already been challenged by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike, and now the BP oil spill challenges many of these same areas. In just the last five years, coastal Louisiana lost an estimated 225,000 to 250,000 acres of land – that is equivalent to six and a half times the size of Washington, DC that is now gone. Since the 1930s, we have lost an average of up to 29 square miles of coastal lands annually. This means that every day since the 1930s, we have lost coastal wetlands that will cost an estimated $3.3 million a day to replace.

A fundamental goal in revitalizing our state is to simply implement the many in coastal restoration projects that have already been authorized by the U.S. Congress for construction. These ready-to-go projects are currently stalled due to a lack of federal funding, despite the fact that hundreds of millions of dollars have been dedicated to these efforts by the state.

A total of 18 coastal restoration, hurricane and flood protection and freshwater diversion projects have already been authorized for construction. We don’t need years of studies and delays; we need the federal government to construct these authorized projects so we can get to work on restoring our coast.

The second step in our Agenda to Revitalize Louisiana is to certify our Louisiana seafood is safe and get our fishermen back out on the water. Louisiana is home to some of the richest and most diverse seafood in the world, and we produce one-third of the domestic seafood consumed in the continental United States.

The BP oil spill has affected thousands of fishermen, seafood processors, restaurants, and consumers across the country. Our recovery plans for this industry must be long-term and multi-faceted.

We have already opened many state waters to recreational fishing and have begun to open waters to commercial fishing also, with support from the FDA. It is now more critical than ever that the federal government support us in forcing BP to fund our plans to ensure Louisiana seafood remains the best in the world.

We submitted proposals to BP to conduct a fishery resource-monitoring plan and to increase testing and sampling. Under this plan, we will conduct 400 samplings of shrimp, crab, oysters, and finfish each month in all coastal parishes and waters to guarantee the safety of our seafood and fisheries and to complement the ongoing water sampling. We also submitted a long-term seafood safety plan to BP on May 29, 2010, to fund the creation of a Louisiana Wild Seafood Certification Program that will enable the state to oversee seafood processing from catch to retail. This will allow for Louisiana seafood harvesters and processors to certify that their products adhere to best practices, guaranteeing quality for American consumers and demonstrating Louisiana stand behind its products.

The third priority item on our Agenda to Revitalize Louisiana is simple – we must tell Washington to do their jobs to make drilling safe instead of costing thousands of Louisianians to lose their jobs with a deepwater drilling moratorium that didn’t even follow the safety advice of the federal government’s own experts. The first deepwater drilling moratorium the Obama Administration issued was shot down by a federal judge who called it “arbitrary and capricious.”

Their second moratorium on deepwater drilling is a clear sign that the Administration insists on crippling our energy industry and costing our people jobs. We don’t want one more drop of oil in our water or on our shores, but we need the federal government to do their jobs to ensure drilling is done safely without crippling our energy industry and hurting our economy. Ensuring drilling is done safely without jeopardizing thousands of jobs for our people is essential to revitalizing our state.

The last major component of our Agenda to Revitalize Coastal Louisiana focuses on the short-term actions we must take to hold BP accountable until all of our water and land is free of oil and all of our industries and our workers are 100 percent restored. First, we will hold BP accountable to ensure that every drop of oil is removed from our water, and that our land and our fisheries and natural resourced are made whole. We must also take care of our people until we can put them back to work – which includes addressing their mental health and emotional needs as well as ensuring that they are paid by BP for the economic losses they have endured due to the spill.

Additionally, the Louisiana Workforce Commission is providing training to individuals and small businesses in communities impacted by the spill. Many dislocated workers have transferable skills and re-training efforts will be aimed at closing the gaps between existing skills and those needed for jobs that are in demand. LWC is also offering on-the-job training incentives to employers who hire dislocated workers.

Lastly, we need to conduct an aggressive campaign that communicates to the world that Louisiana is still welcoming visitors with open arms and is open for business. Our hotels, restaurants, and entertainment venues continue to attract visitors from across the country and around the world. The unique culture and experience of Louisiana is alive and well and we want the nation to come see for themselves.

I have no doubt that we absolutely will Revitalize Louisiana. We are inviting the nation down here to be a part of another great comeback. We saw the Saints win the Super Bowl just a few months ago after years of struggles and hurdles. It is with that same heart and perseverance that we will be victorious over this oil spill. The country watched our coast as the oil hit us month after month, and now we are inviting them to come here and be a part of another record-making revitalization. To our people in coastal Louisiana and all across our state: we will get our way of life back, and we will come back stronger and better than ever. We will revitalize Louisiana.