Jeff Landry: “I have consistently championed the need for Louisiana to protect its fragile coast and wetlands. I have offered…”

“I have consistently championed the need for Louisiana to protect its fragile coast and wetlands. I have offered amendments and supported bills that all positively affect the creation of new wetlands and starts to turn the tide on the coastal land loss in Louisiana. But the New Orleans District Corps of Engineers office is going to cripple our ability for Louisiana to protect itself from dangerous hurricanes by introducing a standardized method of wetlands mitigation. This standardized method is called the Modified Charleston Method. This method is driving up the State and local mitigation cost of hurricane protection in Louisiana by 300 percent. I said only the State and local cost because the Corps has exempted itself from its own method on Federal projects. This is why the American people are frustrated at the Federal Government; it creates a rule, enforces it on everybody else, but exempts itself. The Corps' new wetland rules are actually halting the creation of wetlands. As such, my amendment prevents the enforcement of the Modified Charleston Method within the State of Louisiana for 1 year, forcing the Corps to take a breath and develop a mitigation system that provides for our wetlands without stifling needed hurricane protection measures and economic development. My amendment impacts only Louisiana. If your Corps districts use the MCM and it works for your constituents, great, your Corps districts can continue to do so.…”