T’bonne’s levee fight continues

Corps director: Morganza to the Gulf is the most important project in La.

By DARRIN GUIDRY

The director of civil works for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) shocked a local delegation of government and business leaders in Washington, D.C., last week when he proclaimed the Morganza-to-the-Gulf hurricane protection system “the most important project in Louisiana.”

The comments were made by Steven L Stockton, the highest ranking civilian in the military-run organization. Until last week, Stockton was on record telling members of the same group recently to “get over the fact that you don’t have a project … we had a … hurricane (referring to the rebuilding of New Orleans’ levees).”

The director admits that things have changed since then.

“We now have an authorized project,” he said.

However, before the group could feel the euphoria of the revelation, Stockton announced the project is back on the drawing boards.

He claims the Corps is not convinced the authorized alignment is the best place to put the levee and wants until August to do more studies.

Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet, who was among the chamber-sponsored delegation at the nation’s Capitol last week, pleaded for help after realizing the Corps might recommend the levee be built farther north.

“Look here,” he said, pointing to a community in southern Terrebonne Parish. “There are people who have lived here all of their lives. Their families grew up here. Now the water is threatening their homes. If we move the alignment farther north, what do I tell them? I have 120,000 people in my parish to protect. What do I tell them if we can’t build this levee?”

To that question, Stockton had no answer.

The deputy chief of the USACE Missssippi Valley Division, Zoltan L Montvai, who was also in attendance, admitted he was unsure when and if construction would ever begin on the Morganza project.

“The situation in New Orleans was such that Congress and the (Bush) administration were behind the project. That is why activity happened there so quickly. The problem with Morganza is that Congress has authorized it but the administration is against any new projects,” Montvai said.

Both Corps officials described the Morganza project as “unique” because of the state and local funding already in place, yet neither was willing to provide the necessary record of decision (ROD) needed for construction to begin.

“We will know more in August after we reevaluate the project,” Montvai said.

Louisiana’s chief lobbyist on coastal affairs, Mike Henry, sees the Corps actions as stall tactics. He asked what the Terrebonne Parish delegation and the state could do to make this project happen.

“What if we get Congress to mandate the Corps start this project on this alignment?” Henry asked.

Stockton responded by questioning the political clout of the lobbying group.

“If you have the clout to keep going back to Congress for each step of the project and through each administration it might work,” he said.

Each year, the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce sponsors an annual Washington, D.C., lobbying effort to further local causes.

The group successfully lobbied the congressional authorization for the Morganza project last year. Its effort this year was to overcome the Corps’ obstacles to construction.

After the Corps meeting, the group visited U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, who plans to put language in the upcoming war appropriations bill mandating the Corps begin the Houma Navigational Canal Lock System – an element of the Morganza project.

A war appropriations bill must be passed by Congress and signed by President Bush before July 1, or the war effort in Iraq will run out of funds.

Terrebonne Parish President Michel Claudet reviews area flood maps with T. Baker Smith’s Stevie Smith, project manager of Morganza to the Gulf, as Councilman Clayton Voisin looks on prior to Thursday’s meeting with U.S. Sen. David Vitter. * Photo by DARRIN GUIDRY