Conservation Groups Praise Jindal Executive Order Supporting Wetlands

Contact: Sharyn Stein, 202-572-3396 or sstein@edf.org

               Paul Harrison, 202-572-3376 or pharrison@edf.org

(January 25, 2008) — National and local environmental advocacy groups united today to praise Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s new executive order for coastal restoration work in the state. The directive requires all official actions to follow the priorities set by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Master Plan.

Eight conservation groups – the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL), Environmental Defense (ED), the Gulf Restoration Network (GRN), the Sierra Club Delta Chapter (Sierra Club), the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation (LPBF), Louisiana Wildlife Federation (LWF), National Audubon Society (Audubon), and National Wildlife Federation (NWF) — all praised Jindal, and said the measure will help ensure that efforts to restore Louisiana’s coastal wetlands will not be undermined by state agency actions. 

“The Governor’s first official message on restoration and protection means the left hand can no longer claim that it’s not responsible for what the right hand is doing,” said ED Coastal Louisiana Project Manager Paul Harrison. 

“The Executive Order looks like a signal that the new Governor knows the State must really make coastal restoration a top priority,” said Maura Wood, Senior Program Manager at NWF.

Sierra Club Regional Representative Darryl Malek-Wiley says the measure will resonate beyond Louisiana’s borders. “We can’t expect the rest of the nation to take our efforts seriously if we allow projects that don’t fit in with, or stand in the way of our plans,” Malek-Wiley said.

Other environmental leaders talked about specific impacts of the new executive order.

“In the past the State Department of Environmental Quality has interpreted its job in reviewing permits narrowly, allowing the Corps of Engineers to grant permits for developers to destroy thousands of acres of vital wetlands,” said Matt Rota, Water Resources Program Director at GRN.  “The executive order means permit staff must now think broadly and consider whether granting a permit will reduce flood and hurricane protection or make restoration of the coastal wetlands system more difficult.”

“The new executive order means that the Department of Natural Resources will take a much harder look at new oilfield dredging projects,” said LWF Director Randy Lanctot.  “We will know if the executive order is being followed if we start seeing permit requests being denied, or new conditions required like interim wetland stabilization measures and full restoration upon completion of production.”

The groups all offered their support in helping the state resolve the many remaining challenges to coastal restoration.

 “With much of Coastal Louisiana under redesign and renovation, the Governor’s requirement that agencies adhere to the goals set forth in the master plan will reinforce the message that a vibrant economic future for Louisiana cannot happen without restoration of the wetlands system,” said Carlton Dufrechou, Executive Director of LPBF.

“We applaud the Governor’s actions in ensuring that permitted coastal activities are consistent with restoration and protection efforts laid out in the State’s Master Plan, said Mark Ford, CRCL Executive Director.  “There are still many difficult issues to tackle and we look forward to working with the Governor to resolve them.”