Restoring Louisiana’s coast still requires federal funding

Dear Editor,

When I ran for Congress in 2012, one of the key issues I addressed was
how to fund restoration of Louisiana’s coast, which has a projected cost of $50 billion over the next few decades.

Even after our share of the BP fines and increases in offshore oil revenue, we will still need federal funding. There’s no escaping this fact.



I argued – in contrast to Congressman Cassidy – that giving large new tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans while cutting programs that ordinary Americans depend on is not a fair policy. That approach was still projected to run large deficits – and has also trapped federal funding for Louisiana’s coast in an appropriations quagmire.



But I also proposed a plan to gain additional funding, based on including restoring Louisiana’s coast as part of meeting America’s pressing infrastructure needs. The federal gasoline excise tax has traditionally funded infrastructure programs. It is not meeting those needs. Agreeing to a small increase in the tax, with a portion of the revenue directed to rebuilding our coast, would provide billions more for Louisiana.



For example, if the national level of 18.4 cents per gallon for gasoline were increased to 20 cents, paid for by the oil companies, with the increase of 1.6 cents going to coastal restoration, Louisiana could receive up to $2.24 billion a year.

Another option would be to take 10 cents (half of the 20 cents) split evenly (that is 3.3 cents) for three national infrastructure priorities – bridges, the electric grid, and our coast – with revenues of about $4.6 billion for each project. This would also provide an economic stimulus and jobs for Louisiana and the rest of the country. 



We can’t pretend we’ll never need new taxes, or that we can wait to offset all new spending with cuts, while we have pressing problems like coastal land loss. If Louisiana can’t grasp this, other states (such as those hit by Hurricane Sandy) will do so before us.

Richard Torregano,

Baton Rouge, La.