HLS 171ES-132 ORIGINAL 2017 First Extraordinary Session HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 4 BY REPRESENTATIVE ZERINGUE COASTAL RESOURCES: Memorialize Congress to recognize that the Louisiana Coastal area is in a crisis that warrants federal attention and cooperation 1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION 2To memorialize the United States Congress to recognize that the Louisiana coastal area as 3 an area in crisis and to enact federal regulatory reform and disaster recovery 4 regulations that minimize delays in the processes by which the state of Louisiana 5 responds to the crises that we face as a result of coastal land loss and natural 6 disasters. 7 WHEREAS, the citizens of Louisiana are no strangers to natural disasters and have 8been heavily involved in the fight for flood protection infrastructure that will protect our 9vital region, home to two million people who live and work at the epicenter of our nation's 10valuable energy, wetlands, and seafood resources; and 11 WHEREAS, Louisiana's three million acres of wetlands are lost at the rate of about 12sixteen square miles per year, but reducing these losses is proving to be very difficult and 13extremely costly; and 14 WHEREAS, Louisiana's wetlands today represent nearly forty percent of the 15wetlands located in the continental United States, but account for nearly eighty percent of 16the losses experienced in the continental United States; and 17 WHEREAS, many studies indicate that major shifts in the course of the Mississippi 18River over thousands of years built the land in south Louisiana through its delta building 19process; and Page 1 of 3 HLS 171ES-132 ORIGINAL HCR NO. 4 1 WHEREAS, man-made levees have contributed significantly to the degradation of 2the wetlands with the disintegration intensified by the channelization caused by the 3construction of the Mississippi River levees and man-made canals; and 4 WHEREAS, the seasonal flooding that previously provided sediments critical to the 5healthy growth of wetlands that sustain our deltaic system has been virtually eliminated by 6construction of massive levees that channel the river for over a thousand miles which in turn 7cause the sediment carried by the river to now be discharged into the Gulf of Mexico far 8from the coast, thereby depriving wetlands of vital sediment; and 9 WHEREAS, Louisiana's coastal area is critical to our nation's energy security with 10half of the country's oil refineries, a network of pipelines that serve ninety percent of the 11nation's offshore energy production and thirty percent of its total oil and gas supply, and a 12port complex supporting twenty percent of all waterborne commerce vital to thirty-one 13states; and 14 WHEREAS, these valuable and necessary human activities such as energy 15exploration, commercial and recreational navigation, agriculture, and development during 16the past century have affected the wetlands, directly and indirectly, enabling salt water from 17the Gulf of Mexico to intrude into brackish and freshwater wetlands and contributing to 18wetlands deterioration and loss increasing the vulnerability of our coastal communities; and 19 WHEREAS, the state has committed extensive resources to address this crisis, 20through the establishment of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority tasked with 21development of a state Master Plan to provide hurricane protection, coastal restoration, the 22reduction of saltwater intrusion, and improving hydrology throughout the coastal area by 23allowing water to move between the interior and exterior marshes of the system, including 24a mitigation plan that will create an additional one thousand three hundred and fifty-two 25acres of coastal marsh, and risk reduction benefits; and 26 WHEREAS, the state has substantially increased its financial commitment to the 27coast resulting in significant progress on projects that maintain land and reduce risk, 28however capricious regulatory requirements waste tax payer money, delay or deny projects, 29and increase risk both to the federal treasury and our citizens resulting in increased 30construction and emergency response costs. Page 2 of 3 HLS 171ES-132 ORIGINAL HCR NO. 4 1 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana memorializes 2the Congress of the United States to recognize that the Louisiana coast is in a state of crisis 3and in need of recognition by the President and the federal government, that federal disaster 4attention and cooperation are acutely needed to assist the state to better provide for the 5health, safety, and welfare of the people who need it most, and to increase federal investment 6in infrastructure that provides coastal protection in coastal Louisiana. 7 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the 8secretary of the United States Senate and the clerk of the United States House of 9Representatives and to each member of the Louisiana delegation to the United States 10Congress as well as the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency 11Preparedness (GOHSEP) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to 12enable collaboration between the federal, state, and local officials to clear regulatory hurdles, 13and inform Americans everywhere about the value of our critical communities, ecosystems, 14and our unique hurricane protection and disaster recovery needs. DIGEST The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)] HCR 4 Original 2017 First Extraordinary Session Zeringue Memorializes the U.S. Congress to recognize that the La. coast is in a state of crisis and in need of recognition by the President and the federal government, that federal disaster attention and cooperation are acutely needed to assist the state to get help to the people who need it most, and to increase federal investment in infrastructure that provides coastal protection in coastal La. Page 3 of 3