Killed By Red Tape

The New Orleans Times-Pacayune reports today that the Jefferson Parish Council fully supports Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s efforts to build a berm to protect the marshes of Louisiana.  The Parish Council decided to back the plan without knowing how much it will cost.  This gives you an idea of how desperate the situation is becoming.

We have all seen pictures of the dead animals and the dying marsh grass.  Hopefully BP will be able to stop the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico in the very near future, but meanwhile, Louisiana has to deal with the oil that is already headed into their wetlands.

According to the article:

“For three weeks, Jindal and local officials have pressured the Army Corps of Engineers to approve the project, a move that would free up money and dredging equipment to begin building the sand berms. The Jefferson council said today it’s still waiting a response.”

I realize that there are concerns that building barriers could have a negative environmental impact, but has anyone considered that the oil continuing to flow inland will definitely have a negative environmental impact.  It is time for the federal government to get out of the way and let Governor Jindal handle the situation–it seems as if he is the only person with any authority that is interested in cleaning up the mess.  The Louisiana south coast is a beautiful area, and the state of Louisiana needs to be allowed to do what is necessary to clean up the mess.