http://www.nola.com/environment/index.ssf/2012/03/coastal_authority_approves_50-.html
One of the articles we focused on during Tuesday's class discussed Louisiana's environmental problems, social inequalities, and low status in the United States. Many of the political, social, and environmental problems of Louisiana surfaced after the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. Now, after years of negotiations between locals, politicians, scientists, and engineers, a plan has been put in place which allocates $50 billion for coastal restoration and hurricane storm surge protection.
The financial plan attempts to meet the diverse needs of locals. North shore communities were angry because they felt they were not being provided an equal amount of protection as the communities located on the South shore. In order to alleviate tensions between communities, $75 million is going toward building a barrier and surge gate. Also, after citizens from Lafitte and surrounding communities complained about their lack of protection, $870 million was allocated towards a levee which protects against storm surges. The article states that the plan also aims to promote confidence in local fishermen who think that freshwater diversions will decrease their commercial yield.
While the class reading focused primarily on disparities between Louisiana and other U.S. states, this article highlights inequalities that exist on the local level, between communities. It also demonstrates the potential locals possess to have their unique needs met. These communities were well organized and aggressive when voicing their needs to state legislators.
Do you think these efforts will be enough to protect the individuals of Louisiana? Will this large sum of money fix the social problems within the state? What do you think is the most effective way to promote equality between states? Is America truly unaware of the problems facing Louisiana and only concerned about rising oil prices? $50 billion is a significant amount of money... Who's interests are paramount in the passage of this plan? The national government, oil companies, Louisianians, local communities?
While I applaud any efforts to help Louisiana with its hurricane readiness, I think that this plan might not be ideal. It smacks of the government throwing money at a problem it doesn't really know how to fix and is just hoping that with enough funding, the problem will go away. Meanwhile, the small people who aren't involved with big firms will probably slip through the cracks because this is definitely designed to protect the oil companies. I think that community lobbying in the direction of the state and those who allocate the money might eventually bring about solutions tailored to the individual communities, but I worry that it won't come quickly enough for the small communities to be ready for the next big storm.
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