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1 (May 4, 2006)

handle is hein.crs/crsmthabdqa0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code RS22276 Updated May 4, 2006 CRS Report for Congress Received through the CRS Web Coastal Louisiana Ecosystem Restoration After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita Jeffrey A. Zinn Specialist in Natural Resources Policy Resources, Science, and Industry Division Summary Prior to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had been seeking congressional approval for a $1.1 billion program both to construct five projects that would help restore specified sites in the coastal wetland ecosystem in Louisiana, and to continue planning several other related projects. The state of Louisiana and several federal agencies participated in the development of this program. This report introduces the program and more extensive restoration options that are being discussed in the wake of the hurricanes. It also discusses whether this program, if completed, might have muted the impacts of the hurricanes. Congressional consideration will be informed by new information about the location and extent of coastal wetland change that resulted from the hurricanes. This report will be updated. Introduction The widespread destruction caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita has altered Congress's perspective on coastal Louisiana restoration as it considers provisions in legislation (e.g., S. 728 and H.R. 2864) that would authorize the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to implement numerous activities to slow the rate of coastal wetlands loss. Both bills, developed before the hurricanes struck, would authorize funding to implement a program that the Corps had recommended in a November 2004 feasibility report. The Corps recommended $1.1 billion for activities to be initiated immediately and completed over the next decade, and estimated an additional cost of $0.9 billion for future work. As a result of the hurricanes, more expansive options, costing up to $14 billion and requiring three decades before they are fully implemented, are also being considered. Of the initial $1.1 billion in the proposal Congress was considering when the hurricanes struck, $828 million is to complete planning and construct five projects, called near-term features. The remainder of this initial authorization would be spent on monitoring program performance; building small demonstration projects (a maximum cost of $25 million per project); exploring options to use dredged materials to create wetlands; and continued planning of 10 additional projects that would have to be Congressional Research Service +o The Library of Congress

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