Landry tapped to transportation, natural resources committees

Rep.-elect Jeff Landry, R-New Iberia, has been named to sit on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and the Natural Resources Committee once he takes office in the U.S. House of Representatives on Jan. 5, 2011.

According to Landry’s office, there is not time to waste in addressing what Landry and others have termed a de facto offshore drilling moratorium in the Gulf of Mexico. For him it is a top priority once the Natural Resources Committee convenes.

In regard to the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Landry noted that a federal highways bill extension is set to expire on Dec. 31, and needs long-term reauthorization for road construction and maintenance in Louisiana and other parts of the nation to continue.

“Being the nation’s leader in maritime jobs and home to Port Fourchon, the district’s economy depends on the future success of offshore energy exploration in the Gulf of Mexico,” Landry said. “I am committed to giving the people of south Louisiana a coast that is protected, roads that support our industries, and government that empowers n not hinders n our job creating business.”

Landry said the combination of these committees would allow him to push for coastal restoration and conservation as well as industrial development.

“More than 100,000 3rd District residents work in either the seafood or oil and gas industries,” Landry said. “My assignment on the Natural Resources Committee will not only allow us to safeguard our fisheries and wildlife, but also dramatically improve our local economic climate by impacting the drilling permit process. The Obama Administration fails to understand how deeply their out-of-touch policies have devastated the livelihoods of south Louisiana’s working families.”