Morganza on hold, again

Any hope to authorize a project that would offer Terrebonne Parish some hurricane protection this year died early Saturday morning with the closing of the 109th U.S. Congressional Session.

Last minute efforts fell short as U.S. Rep. Charlie Melancon and U.S. Rep. Richard Baker pushed for a partial authorization bill, trying to maneuver around a hold on the Water Resources Development Act that would authorize federal appropriations of Morganza-to-the-Gulf.

The partial authorization included two reaches of levees, totaling 76,000 feet from Larose to Golden Meadow and construction of a lock at the Houma Navigational Canal. The bill was approved on the House floor late Friday, just after midnight, and sent to the Senate.

Sen. Mary Landrieu took a similar approach, introducing a bill Friday evening to provide for certain water resources projects in Louisiana.

Morganza was authorized as a part of WRDA in 2000 with a requirement that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer review and provide a feasibility report by December of that year. The Corps did approve the project, but a year late. At that time Morganza had lost its authorization.

“It has become abundantly clear that, yet again, Congress intends to go home without passing a WRDA bill,” Landrieu said in a recent press release. “Six years after Congress gave Morganza to the Gulf its first green light, it is not fair to delay it further simply because the Corps’ bureaucracy couldn’t deliver a report on time and because Congress couldn’t pass a new bill in several years. There is no other item in WRDA that has been kicked down the road as many times as this.”

Landrieu’s bill was referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works as Melancon’s house-approved bill was being mulled over by Congress. Melancon remained optimistic, thanking Baker and Landrieu in press release early Saturday, for their efforts in “clearing a major hurdle.”

However, Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., who withheld the initial authorization refused to withdraw his opposition.

“The intent of Congress was clear when we authorized Morganza-to-the-Gulf six years ago, and then again when all but one member supported it last night, only one project among the thousands in the WRDA bill is in this situation. It was approved by Congress once already but saw that authorization wither away simply as the result of bureaucratic delay,” said Landrieu.

Although sections of Morganza can be completed with local and state funding, a federal match is needed to entirely complete the 72-mile levee and lock system that would protect Terrebonne Parish from future hurricane storm surges.

Morganza could get another look as Congress reconvenes in January, for the 110th Congressional Session, and Melancon promises to use his added leverage as he takes a peer-appointed seat on the Democratic Steering Committee.

“I am honored my colleagues have chosen me to serve on the Steering Committee and look forward to being a voice for Louisiana in the Congress’s leadership. In this new position, I will work to make sure hurricane recovery, coastal restoration, and protecting our coastal communities from future storms are top priorities for Congress and the leadership,” Melancon said.

Andrea Carlson can be reached at (985) 876-3008 or andrea@tri-parishtimes.com