NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., on Tuesday said that she will soon meet with Lieutenant General Robert Van Antwerp, Jr., to discuss his plans for leading the Army Corps of Engineers as significant hurricane recovery and coastal protection projects remain underway in Louisiana and along the GulfCoast. The meeting was agreed to mere hours after Sen. Landrieu announced that she had placed a procedural hold on Lt. Gen. Van Antwerp’s nomination to be the new Corps Chief of Engineers.
“We cannot protect our communities without effective leadership and competent management,” Sen. Landrieu said. “We’ve seen only too recently what happens when these qualities are missing.”
Landrieu had held a press conference on Wednesday and had said we did not need another Michael Brown, a reference to the FEMA Katrina disaster.
Sen. Landrieu, Chairman of the Disaster Recovery Subcommittee of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, reiterated that Lt. Gen. Van Antwerp’s credentials are not in dispute, but that she is seeking assurances “that both he and this Administration are ready to get serious about reforming the Army Corps’ bureaucracy.”
Standing Wednesday morning at the 17th Street Canal levee which was breached following Hurricane Katrina, Sen. Landrieu said that one indication of Lt. Gen. Van Antwerp’s commitment to the region’s recovery and future protection would be a willingness to meet with the entire Louisiana Congressional delegation to discuss the outstanding challenges and their necessary response.
To this end, Sen. Landrieu will be inviting each of the other delegation members – Republicans and Democrats alike – to participate in the meeting with Lt. Gen. Van Antwerp on April 17. The nominee’s confirmation hearing before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is planned for the following day.
“I want to make sure that he understands the need for integrated engineering and essential levee funding,” Sen. Landrieu said. “I want to make sure that he puts people above red tape, safety above corner-cutting, and won’t allow endless delays and mindless procedures to threaten the future of our communities and our economy.
“We must ask: ‘Will this nominee be the partner we need for the recovery and protection of our region, or will he be the agent of a failed status quo?’”
Sen. Landrieu said that before considering whether to allow Lt. Gen. Van Antwerp’s confirmation to move forward, she would also ask that he visit coastal Louisiana to tour communities, levees and wetlands and meet with local officials and members of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.
Last week, the Senate passed an Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Bill which includes $1.3 billion to cover a funding shortfall and complete repairs to New Orleans levees damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Calling the funds “excessive and extraneous,” the White House has cited the levee provision as one reason for the President’s expected veto of the bill and its House of Representatives companion. Landrieu called the money for the projects critical and urgent.
The site of Sen. Landrieu’s announcement this morning was also mere feet from where the Army Corps of Engineers appears to have installed faulty and untested water pumps they claimed would be sufficient to protect the community through the 2006 hurricane season. The Governmental Accountability Office (GAO) is investigating the process behind the decision, at Sen. Landrieu’s request, and is expected to release its first findings next month.
“I want to use every opportunity available to me as a Senator from Louisiana to spotlight the serious issue of storm protection and to secure from this Administration the necessary commitment to action,” Sen. Landrieu said today. “Our people have already paid too high a price for official neglect and mismanagement for us to allow business-as-usual.”
The senator also noted that last week, a Senate committee passed the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), which authorizes key coastal wetlands restoration, flood control and hurricane protection projects throughout Louisiana. Intended to be passed once every two years, Congress has not passed a WRDA bill since 2000.
“It has been 7 years since a WRDA bill made it through Congress and to the President’s desk,” she said. “It is time to pass this long overdue legislation and to get these life-saving projects started.”
Sen. Landrieu was joined at today’s event by local elected officials who stressed the importance of the Louisiana projects included in the legislation. Speaking at the event were Orleans Parish Councilman-at-large Arnie Fielkow, St. Bernard Parish Council Chairman Joey Difatta, Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser and Jefferson Parish Councilman-at-large Tom Capella.
“The lives and livelihood of millions of Louisianians depend on an integrated water management system to keep our communities safe,” Sen. Landrieu said. “This means stronger levees, coastal wetlands restoration, integrated flood control systems, smart design of navigation projects, and the foresight to look at each of these as part of a complete, integrated plan.”
Ms. Landrieu can't tell an axcavator from a crane (remember her fly over with the national news) how can she hold up the nomination of the head of the Corps? She's playing politics, she's up for re-election, same old same old. Keep her in and we get more of the same crap that the hurricane exposed. PS: as for Vitter, what a wus
Written by Angry Sid
on 4/5/2007
I did want to respond to something Bill said yesterday that I didn't get a chance to respond to because I was busy dealing with Viola Boy. It was Bill's cynical notion that everything done in Washington is done with a partisan slant/Machiavellian tilt to it. Bill, I hope you're wrong, because if everything in Washington is done to gain political advantage, then we as a nation are hosed. I'd like to think (and maybe I'm naïve) that there are still people who go into politics to serve the greater good, and that this applies to both liberals and conservatives. For example, I disagree with Orrin Hatch on almost every issue, but he strikes me as someone whose heart is in the right place, and who doesn't analyze every move he makes on the basis of some political calculus.
Written by Me
on 4/5/2007
LT, enough of the patronizing. I've copied and pasted a response to you from an earlier post, just in case you didn't see it: "Let’s print out some facts, and I’ll try to use monosyllabic words so the rightards can understand my point. You keep comparing progress in LA vs. progress in MS and TX. Nowhere in TX or MS did the water remain in people’s houses for three weeks. I had saltwater in my house (maxed at about 5 and a half feet) for three friggin’ weeks. I had mushrooms growing out of my dining room chairs. We weren’t even allowed to go in there to start working for about a month, as opposed to MS and TX, where people were allowed in right away. Also, the scale of the disasters varies from state to state. In Louisiana, FEMA says 515,249 houses were damaged. In Mississippi, 220,380 homes were damaged (42% of the LA total). In Texas, 139,910 homes were damaged (27% of the LA total). Then if we look at flood alone, in Louisiana, 191,297 homes sustained flood damage. In Mississippi, 45,718 homes sustained flood damage (24% of the LA total). In Texas, 1,274 homes were flood-damaged (0.6% of the LA total). So stop putting us down! Your disaster was horrible, and you have my sympathy, but things in LA, and particularly New Orleans, were simply much worse, and you have to expect that it will take us longer to recover. I didn’t vote for the mayor; I’m not a big fan. So stop indicting us all on the basis of our mayor, and stop acting so hateful and mean about it. If your mother were here, she’d tell you to be ashamed of yourself. Now go back to work." Bottom line: Texas is better off because a lot fewer houses were damaged, LT. Stop being a racist pig and find somewhere else to troll.
Written by Me
on 4/4/2007
Me...I will make this simple as possible so you can grasp it. Billions of dollars were earmarked (that means designated, Me) for levees since the 60's. The majoriy of those taxes that paid for these mis-used. As La-land has been in the clutches of the dem-lib party for decades (that means 10's of years, Me)...that is their responisibilty. So you tell me Me...where is your outrage....you do think (and that's coin toss) that Moon's little girl could even begin to know what questions to ask the Lt. General regarding the levee? Even you have to doubt it...that is if you have a connected brain stem.
As far as Texas and Texans go...we are STILL babysitting your section 8, food stamp collecting citizens. So before you attempt or dare say anything bad about Texas...get these worthless ones out of this state.
Finally...when it came time for Texas to get ready for Rita...our governor and mayors had a plan and followed it through. I know that this response was a bit long...so have someone read it to you. Lay off the booze...learn a trade and move out of your parents' garage apartment.
Written by LT from Texas
on 4/4/2007
Hey LT, all of the money for levees was wasted by the DemoRats, who contolled Congress for 40 years. Part of the problem was the various levee boards and the Mayors of New Orleans, including papa Moon Landrieu. Now Katrina Mary or is it Sen. Mary Snellings (she couldn't win using her married name) who will be the pig at the trough with Dingy Harry and the rest of the Rats.
Written by Bill
on 4/4/2007
Hey LT, what gives with your hatred of Louisiana? I just don't get it - it's really pathological. I don't go trolling around on Texas political e-zines and bitch and moan about how stupid Texans are... and believe you me, I'd have plenty o' targets. And was Mary Landrieu a senator when all that money was wasted in the 1960s? You're kind of a creep, Man.
Written by Me
on 4/4/2007
Well, this took all of three minutes to find:
http://www.nola.com/ap/stories/index.ssf?/base/national-83/117564627297440.xml&storylist=topstories
Written by Me
on 4/4/2007
Can someone explain to me what happened to all the billions of tax money sent to La-Land since the 1960's for levee construction and restrucure? Talk about mismanagement...look in the mirror Mary. Will any tax money actually be used for this? Any "partner" that has to pass muster with Sen. BabyFat is stupid. She has no more excuses...she is in the majority. People of La-Land...keep an eye on the tax money coming into your state. Make sure that it is used for what it is designed for. Hold her and La-politicos accountable. So it goes.
Written by LT from Texas
on 4/4/2007
Hey Me, I forgot to ask. Was Vitter standing at the 17st canal when he announced his "hold." I actually didn't see that on this website or any other. Could you please reference an article about Vitter's "hold." Thanks.
Written by Bill
on 4/4/2007
Me, I've got news for you. Everything in Washington is done on a partisan basis. Do you ever watch C-span. Its all about making one side or the other look bad. Everyday is about the next election. I don't have a problem with Katrina Mary's motives. Just be honest about what you're doing.
Written by Bill
on 4/4/2007
Hey Bill, you do realize that Vitter did the same thing, right? But he released his hold after meeting with the General. I know I am often guilty of this myself, but not every action taken by every politician of the political persuasion opposite your own is inherently partisan.
Written by Me
on 4/4/2007
Why didn't Katrina Mary meet with the nominee BEFORE announcing that she would place a hold on the nomination. Just trying to keep spewing the DemoRat poison.
Written by Bill
on 4/4/2007
Thought I'd put my public school education to work, Viola Boy!
"Me...I will make this [as] simple as possible so you can grasp it. Billions of dollars were earmarked (that means designated, Me) for levees since the 60's [change to '60s]. The majoriy [majority] of those taxes that paid for these *were* mis-used [misused]. As La-land has been in the clutches of the dem-lib party for decades (that means 10's [tens] of years, Me)...that is their responisibilty [responsibility]. So you tell me Me...where is your outrage....you do [do you] think (and that's (a) [too many parentheses, should switch to brackets] coin toss) that Moon's little girl could even begin to know what questions to ask the Lt. General regarding the levee? Even you have to doubt it...that is if you have a connected brain stem [brainstem]. As far as Texas and Texans go...we are STILL babysitting your section 8, food stamp collecting [need hyphen between "stamp" and "collecting"] citizens. So before you attempt or [strike "or" and change to "to"] dare say anything bad about Texas...get these worthless ones out of this state. Finally...when it came time for Texas to get ready for Rita...our governor and mayors had a plan and followed it through. I know that this response was a bit long...so have someone read it to you. Lay off the booze...learn a trade and move out of your parents' garage apartment."
Written by Me
on 4/4/2007
Do not write comments that your mother would not appreciate, please follow
accepted social norms for decency and etiquette . This is not a space to promote
your business or products. Any one found to be spamming or breaking these rules
will be blocked.
Me...this applies to half-wits. Wow..being called a racist...what a highly educated liberal you are. But not to worry you fine example of public education...I won't point out facts..you see...the amount of property damage, while terrible, is an individual responsibility. Given what we see, hear and read from Louisiana...most of the citizens need to look that word up. Of course...reading and spelling skills are needed...so never mind.
To
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