Vanishing Paradise Praises Senate Committee For Approving Gulf Restoration Bill
Sep 21
Senate urged to pass bipartisan bill to dedicate oil spill fines to restore Gulf
(Baton Rouge, LA—September 21, 2011) Vanishing Paradise, a joint effort of National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and multiple state, local and national hunting and fishing groups and businesses to unite hunters and anglers for Mississippi River Delta restoration, praised the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee today for approving The RESTORE the Gulf Coast States Act, with a strong showing of bipartisan support. The bill passed by voice vote with only three requested no’s recorded.
The bill would ensure that penalties paid by BP and others responsible for last year’s Gulf oil spill are used to restore the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches, barrier islands, dunes, coastal wetlands and economy of the Gulf Coast; and to address the associated economic harm suffered by the people and communities of the region.
“Passing the RESTORE Act out of the EPW Committee by a voice vote shows the bipartisan support this issue commands,” NWF’s Senior Manager for Sportsmen Leadership Land Tawney said. “The Mississippi River Delta is a national treasure that deserves to be made whole from the impacts of the largest oil spill this country has ever seen. We must carry the momentum out of the committee and take it to the full Senate and House in a timely fashion. The chorus of ducks quacking and redfish tailing has started, but we must follow through to ensure our children can enjoy this phenomenal resource into the future.”
Senators Mary Landrieu (D-LA) and Richard Shelby (R-AL) authored the RESTORE the Gulf Coast States Act, which is cosponsored by nine of the 10 Gulf state senators. They were joined as original cosponsors by Senators David Vitter (R-LA), Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Thad Cochran (R-MS), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Kay Bailey-Hutchison (R-TX). EPW Committee Chairwoman Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) was instrumental in securing her committee’s support for the bill.
The coastal wetlands surrounding the Mississippi River Delta provide crucial wildlife habitat that help Louisiana live up to its nickname as a “Sportsman’s Paradise.” The delta provides a winter or stopover ground for 10 million migratory waterfowl each year, which accounts for up to 70% of the ducks and geese using the Mississippi and Central flyways. The delta also supports world-class salt- and freshwater fishing opportunities.
But sadly, this Sportsman’s Paradise is vanishing at an alarming rate. Nearly 1,900 square miles, an area the size of the state of Delaware, have disappeared since the 1930s, largely because of flood control and navigation projects that have isolated the freshwater and sediment from the Mississippi River from its deltaic wetlands, while allowing saltwater from the Gulf of Mexico to intrude far inland. Every hour, an area of wetlands the size of a football field disappears. This habitat loss threatens homes, communities, nationally important economic interests—and our world-class hunting and fishing opportunities.
Contact: Emily Guidry Schatzel, 225.253.9781, guidrye@nwf.org
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