WRDA WE GO FROM HERE?
The GRN is finding itself in a conundrum over President Bush’s threat to veto the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA). Normally we would agree with President Bush’s position that the bill contains too much pork We also agree with Mike Grunwald’s opinion piece in Time, that the bill does not go far enough to address significant flaws in the way the Corps of Engineer’s does business. The lessons from Katrina and Rita are clear—the Corps is a deeply flawed agency in need of reform. Independent scientific review of Corps projects, changes to how the Corps prioritizes projects, and an independent commission to investigate the Corps failures that led to Katrina are all important ideas, and deserve support.

However, the current WRDA bill contains the only hope Louisiana has of moving forward, quickly and comprehensively, to stop the continuing loss of wetlands that protect our communities from storms (as well as provide critical habitat to 95% of the Gulf's marine life). Wetland scientists have made it clear that we have only ten years to make a difference or we can essentially kiss Louisiana’s coastal communities goodbye. We need the Congressional authorization for coastal restoration contained in this WRDA and we need it now—not a year from now.

The GRN, and many of our member groups, are stuck between protection of communities and pork barrel politics. Nonetheless, when pressed, we know that the only realistic choice is to push for a veto proof vote. Work must begin soon to restore the precious wetlands that provide critical storms barriers for our communities.. We simply cannot wait another year to see if Congress gets it right next time.

Please take a moment right now to ask Congress and the President to pass this legislation immedidately.

Cyn Sarthou is the GRN's Executive Director