WRDA Senate vote slated for Monday

The long-awaited Senate vote on the Water Resources Development Act of 2007 (WRDA) could come Monday, U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-LA) said today.

The massive water resources bill includes over $3 billion in projects for south Louisiana, including full authorization for the Morganza-to-the-Gulf hurricane and storm protection system and $1.9 billion for a comprehensive federal coastal restoration plan.

The bill also authorizes numerous other water resource projects throughout the country.

“Like so many Louisianans, I am delighted and relieved to hear that next week the Senate is taking the final step in sending this bill that is so critical to our state’s future to the president,” Melancon said.

The Bush Administration has off and on opposed WRDA, at one point calling the Morganza project “pork” legislation.

“I continue to be extremely disappointed that the President has threatened to veto this important bill for Louisiana’s future,” the congressman said. “The bill is costly, but only because it contains seven years’ worth of projects that have been placed on a back burner since the last bill was passed in 2000. Louisiana’s needs in this bill, including restoring our coastal wetlands, providing levees for unprotected communities, and begin closing the ‘hurricane highway’ MR-GO, are not projects that we can afford to wait on any longer.”

Melancon, like many local leaders, said he is hopeful that President George W. Bush will recognize the good outweighs the bad in WRDA and approve the legislation.

“We are so close to getting the water resources bill across the finish line, and I urge the president to be a partner with Louisiana in getting these crucial levee and coastal restoration projects moving, instead of creating yet another roadblock in our path,” he said.

Melancon and fellow Louisiana delegates U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu and U.S. Sen. David Vitter have all vowed to generate enough votes in the House and Senate to override a veto.

“Louisianans have waited for too long and come too close to take ‘no’ for an answer now,” Melancon said.

The Morganza project consists of 64-miles of levees, locks and floodgates.

Terrebonne Parish Levee District Executive Director Jerome Zeringue said the project is designed to provide hurricane and flood protection to about 12,000 people and 1,700 square miles in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.

The Terrebonne region is currently without hurricane protection.

WRDA also OKs $90 million to raise the federal levees in the Lafourche Parish Levee District up to 100-year protection, which will offer better protection to residents in the parish and make their homes eligible for the National Flood Insurance Program.

About $1.9 billion for the Corps of Engineers to restore the Louisiana coast for “category 5” protection is also packaged in WRDA. The areas most significantly impacted by the hurricanes Katrina and Rita would be restored. By slowing the continuing land loss and replenishing the coastal marshes along southern Louisiana, Melancon said future damage can be prevented.

Every two years, Congress is supposed to pass a new WRDA bill. However, the law hasn’t been signed into law since 2000. Until this year, the House and Senate failed to reach a compromise on the legislation, thus stalling a number of coastal projects.