An honest discussion of Louisiana's berm plan, part 1
Governor Jindal’s proposal to build a wall of sand berms to keep oil out of Louisiana’s marshes and off its shores has gotten a lot of media coverage, most of it supportive. A growing number of experts have voiced serious concerns or outright opposition to the plan (1). Both they and the public have been hindered by a lack of information about the plan and what exactly has been proposed.
With the posting of documents related to the plan and the state’s permit request to the Corps of Engineers answers are beginning to emerge. On May 11, 2010, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) submitted a one paragraph letter to the New Orleans District of the Corps of Engineers, requesting emergency authorization for “restoration work” on the Chandeleur Islands, and all barrier islands eastward from Grand Terre Island eastward to Sandy Point (above Southwest Pass) to impede inland movement of oil from the Deepwater Horizon Spill. Two drawings accompanied the application letter. The initial plan appears to have been put together solely within the Governor’s Office While Louisiana is home to top scientists and researchers who have been studying the state’s barrier islands and coasts for a generation, it is not clear that any of these experts were consulted in the development of this proposal. … Federal agencies responded promptly, addressing the issues that they were legally required to explore. They also expressed support for minimizing the effects of the spill on the state’s wetlands, and offered assistance. The concerns raised about the state proposal were not strictly environmental (such as effects on wildlife), but also technical, regarding the effects of the plan on the stability of the barrier islands and its basic feasibility. Reading this file shows that a number of themes commonly repeated by state and local officials – that the federal agencies were “dragging their feet”, that concerns were strictly ‘environmental,” etc. – are not true. … The bottom line is that the initial plan put forth by the State of Louisiana was unrealistic, potentially damaging to the existing barrier islands and could have hindered future coastal restoration efforts. Contrary to the story that many Louisiana politicians have told it is clear that the Federal Agencies worked to quickly help the State of Louisiana develop and implement feasible plans.
