U.S. Sen. David Vitter today sent a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New Orleans District Commander Col. Alvin Lee regarding bureaucratic holdups in the urgent effort to protect the Louisiana coast from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Specifically, the letter questions the Corps’ recent rejection of a permit request for the construction of rock barriers near Barataria Bay.
Dear Administrator Lubchenco, Administrator Jackson, and Colonel Lee:
I write to express my strong and ever growing frustration with yet another example of the faceless bureaucratic mindset of our federal agencies when it comes to protecting the Louisiana coast versus a solutions-oriented approach. On June 7th Jefferson Parish requested a permit for the emplacement of temporary rock dikes in the Barataria Bay passes as a defensive measure against oil intrusion into the bay. As of late last week expectations were that this project would receive the go-ahead from the Corps of Engineers. Appropriately, BP moved forward and procured $16 million in rocks, which are currently sitting in Barataria Bay on roughly 40 barges. However, yesterday the Corps denied the permit request.
Read the rest of the letter at Big News.