About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 (January 24, 2007)

handle is hein.crs/crsuntaakku0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Order Code RS22276 Updated January 24, 2007 SCRS Report for Congress 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 extent of coastal wetland change that resulted from the hurricanes and further changes since the hurricanes struck. This report will be updated. Introduction The widespread destruction caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita altered the 109th Congress's perspective on coastal Louisiana restoration as it considered provisions in legislation (e.g., S. 728 and H.R. 2864) that would have authorized the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) to implement numerous activities to slow the rate of coastal wetlands loss. No legislation was enacted in the 109th Congress, so it seems very likely that the 110'h Congress will again consider legislation to address this issue. Both bills, developed before the hurricanes struck, would have authorized 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 Congressional Research Service ' The Library of Congress Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most