DEFENDING OUR NATURAL DEFENSES

Big developments this week around the planning and actions needed for coastal restoration and hurricane protection for South Louisiana. I attended a meeting of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) up in Baton Rouge on Tuesday, where the draft Integrated Ecosystem Restoration and Hurricane Protection - Louisiana's Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast was unveiled.

Jon Porterhouse from the state's Integrated Planning Team presented to the Authority and highlighted elements of the plan, such as the need for closure of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) above all else, but while reserving opportunities for a functioning shallow-draft transportation system. Sounds like the state has been leaned on to support fast-tracking the inner harbor navigation canal (IHNC 0r industrial canal) lock replacement project, holding St. Bernard and our natural defenses hostage until that questionable expansion is finished. Shipping interests claim that they desperately need the old lock replaced and expanded in order to stop using the MRGO as an alternative route when the lock is broken.

This flies in the face of the information I recieved last night from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at a meeting of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation's board. The Corps that states that since 2001, the industrial canal lock has only been closed 4 times for a period of one day or longer. While no one likes to see our shallow-draft shipping industry impeded - 4 times in 5 years doesn't sound like a terribly onerous track record. On top of that, the Corps interim report to Congress on the MRGO deauthorization states that the economic benefits of maintaining shall0w-draft navigation on the MRGO don't outweigh the ECONOMIC costs, let alone the environmental costs. To make New Orleans and St. Bernard safe as soon as possible, and provide the necessary confidence to those considering rebuilding, this coastal cancer needs to be closed now, starting with the earthen plug at Bayou La Loutre and progress must not be held hostage by narrow, self-centered economic interests.

The other aspect of the State's Draft Master Plan that jumped out at me during the CPRA meeting was the utter absence of discussion about putting so much of our restoration & protection hopes on the relatively untested idea of 'leaky levees.' During the discussion of the Draft Plan by the CPRA, folks like Secretary Angelle from the Departement of Natural Resources, and King Milling of the Governor's Coastal Advisory Board talked a lot about the 'tough choices' we're going to need to make to enact this plan.

I really hope the CPRA looks at Appendix C to the plan, which includes the significant scientific questions that remain about these possible cross-basin 'leaky levees.' So while yes, the state, its citizens and the CPRA will need to make tough choices - let's make sure these are informed choices. If we don't fully understand the ramifications of impounding some of our most critical fisheries nurseries before we develop & construct these structures, 'adaptive management' won't put the genie back in the bottle.

Aaron Viles is the GRN's Campaign Director