Potential Levee Costs Put Flood Protection on Hold in Louisiana
Texas / South Central News • July 14, 2008
Louisiana's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority has put off deciding how to spend $300 million for flood-protection projects in case the money is needed for the New Orleans-area's levee ...
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Subject: a few facts that should be of interest to you
Posted On: July 15, 2008, 9:06 am CDT
Posted By: ad
Comment:
"Louisiana's wetland, the seventh-largest delta on Earth, is of global ecological significance. This intricate ecosystem has enormous environmental consequences for wildlife habitat and marine life. It is also a working wetland, hosting production and distribution of 80 percent of America's offshore oil and gas supply. Almost 30 percent of all oil and gas consumed in the United States comes across Louisiana's shore by tanker, barge, or pipeline and it is from this area that distribution of energy for the entire eastern United States begins.
As the protective wetlands and barrier islands disappear, oil and gas infrastructure along the coast becomes exposed to open conditions in the Gulf of Mexico. Wells, pipelines, ports, roads, and levees become more vulnerable, and the potential for damaging oil spills increases. As these conditions worsen, the environmental damage in the event of a hurricane or storm may be catastrophic, and the nation's economic and energy security is put at risk as the probability increases for interruption of oil and gas production and distribution.
Protection for the Nation's Ports, Cities, and Inland Waterways
The Louisiana wetlands serve as protection from hurricanes and storm surges for more than 2 million people living in the coastal zone, including the city of New Orleans, and they act as a buffer for the number-one port system in the United States, responsible for moving the nation's goods to world markets. The navigation corridors and port facilities for commerce and national defense are valued at more than $15 billion annually.
Dead Zone, Nursery Ground, and Wildlife Habitat
Louisiana's wetland accepts the drainage of two-thirds of the United States through the Mississippi River, along with high concentrations of nitrogen from agricultural runoff. This abundance of nitrogen supports excessive algal growth, which depletes oxygen in the water to the point where other life forms cannot survive. It's a condition called hypoxia and creates what the scientists are calling a "dead zone." These lifeless stretches of water are showing up in oceans all over the world, but the one in the gulf, offshore from my state, now measures more than 18,000 square kilometers.
More than 30 percent of the nation's fisheries catch in the continental United States comes from offshore Louisiana. Our delta is the natural nursery ground for much of the country's seafood, with 95 percent of all marine life in the Gulf of Mexico spending part of its life cycle in these coastal wetlands.
These wetlands also are located on the migratory flight paths of millions of waterfowl and songbirds that find winter habitat on the Mississippi and Central flyways. As the wetlands disappear, habitat is lost, threatening national refuges and putting numerous threatened and endangered species at risk.
...
Protection for the Nation's Ports, Cities, and Inland Waterways
The Louisiana wetlands serve as protection from hurricanes and storm surges for more than 2 million people living in the coastal zone, including the city of New Orleans, and they act as a buffer for the number-one port system in the United States, responsible for moving the nation's goods to world markets. The navigation corridors and port facilities for commerce and national defense are valued at more than $15 billion annually."
Subject: a few facts that should be of interest to you
As the protective wetlands and barrier islands disappear, oil and gas infrastructure along the coast becomes exposed to open conditions in the Gulf of Mexico. Wells, pipelines, ports, roads, and levees become more vulnerable, and the potential for damaging oil spills increases. As these conditions worsen, the environmental damage in the event of a hurricane or storm may be catastrophic, and the nation's economic and energy security is put at risk as the probability increases for interruption of oil and gas production and distribution.
Protection for the Nation's Ports, Cities, and Inland Waterways
The Louisiana wetlands serve as protection from hurricanes and storm surges for more than 2 million people living in the coastal zone, including the city of New Orleans, and they act as a buffer for the number-one port system in the United States, responsible for moving the nation's goods to world markets. The navigation corridors and port facilities for commerce and national defense are valued at more than $15 billion annually.
Dead Zone, Nursery Ground, and Wildlife Habitat
Louisiana's wetland accepts the drainage of two-thirds of the United States through the Mississippi River, along with high concentrations of nitrogen from agricultural runoff. This abundance of nitrogen supports excessive algal growth, which depletes oxygen in the water to the point where other life forms cannot survive. It's a condition called hypoxia and creates what the scientists are calling a "dead zone." These lifeless stretches of water are showing up in oceans all over the world, but the one in the gulf, offshore from my state, now measures more than 18,000 square kilometers.
More than 30 percent of the nation's fisheries catch in the continental United States comes from offshore Louisiana. Our delta is the natural nursery ground for much of the country's seafood, with 95 percent of all marine life in the Gulf of Mexico spending part of its life cycle in these coastal wetlands.
These wetlands also are located on the migratory flight paths of millions of waterfowl and songbirds that find winter habitat on the Mississippi and Central flyways. As the wetlands disappear, habitat is lost, threatening national refuges and putting numerous threatened and endangered species at risk.
...
Protection for the Nation's Ports, Cities, and Inland Waterways
The Louisiana wetlands serve as protection from hurricanes and storm surges for more than 2 million people living in the coastal zone, including the city of New Orleans, and they act as a buffer for the number-one port system in the United States, responsible for moving the nation's goods to world markets. The navigation corridors and port facilities for commerce and national defense are valued at more than $15 billion annually."