Last week, on November 3 and November 6, the Army Corps of Engineers held two meetings around New Orleans to solicit public input on a plan aimed at restoring and maintaining the areas affected by the now de-authorized Mississippi River Gulf Coast Outlet (MRGO). The Corps invited public input on two major issues:
1. What are the most important issues, resources, benefits, and impacts that should be considered?
2. Are there any other restoration features or modifications to the restoration features identified that should be considered?
The real question is whether the Corps was really seeking input for the plan, or whether they were conducting the sessions as a mere formality? Indeed, the public notice released by the Corps states that the public meeting is required for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act.
While most agree that Katrina turned MRGO into a hurricane highway that contributed to the city’s flooding, closing the channel outright seems like an extreme step, particularly in light of the fact that other measures, like flood gates and wetland restoration, could be designed and built to protect urban areas from flooding while still providing the shipping industry with a short route to the gulf. I guess it becomes a question of resources…how much would it all cost and do the benefits outweigh the expenses?
The Green Corridor Plan seems to be a politically impossible, yet logical solution to the MRGO problem, the State’s energy concerns, and economic development in the New Orleans region.
From Greencorridor.org:
The “Green Corridor Solution” is not just a plan, but a system. A system designed to solve most of the major problems facing Louisiana today – Permanent Wetlands Funding, Green Energy, Hurricane Protection, Economic Development, Habitat Restoration and National Political Acceptance to create a stable future for Louisiana and its citizens.
The system is designed to utilize all of Louisiana’s assets to bring together one plan of action, create 150,000 permanent jobs and start an era of economic expansion that will be unequaled in the modern world.
If any of the following are important to you, then Green Corridor can use your support.
- Permanent wetlands restoration & funding
- True protection for the city of New Orleans
- Fuel adjustment charge “off” your utility bill
- Reduce need for fossil fuels & lower our carbon footprint
- 150,000 permanent new jobs
- Beaches in Louisiana
- New Orleans the Queen of the South, again!
Can the massive GreenCorridor plan gain enough traction to overcome the critics?
Click here for the master plan.
PolicyPitch.com Blog 