Copyright 1999 Federal Document Clearing House, Inc.
Federal Document Clearing House Congressional Testimony
May 03, 1999
SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 744 words
HEADLINE:
TESTIMONY May 03, 1999 HUNT DOWNER REPRESENTATIVE HOUSE
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND REINVESTMENT
BODY:
Testimony for the U. S. House Committee on Resources Submitted by State
Representative Hunt Downer Speaker, Louisiana House of Representatives May
3,1999 Mr. Chairman and Honorable Members of the Committee, I would like to
welcome you to Louisiana and thank you for the opportunity to express my strong
support of the Conservation and Reinvestment Act of 1999, H.R.
701. I would like to thank Congressmen Tauzin and Johns for all of their hard
work on this legislation in an attempt to correct the inequity of the Outer
Continental Shelf Lands Act. I have lived in coastal South Louisiana my entire
life and have a unique advantage over many. As a boy growing up I fished both
onshore and offshore and saw firsthand the beauty of this state, saw it as it
changed and to my eyes began to disappear. As a young adult, working my way
through school I worked offshore as a roughneck and roustabout on the rigs in
the Gulf There, I became more familiar with our coast and the barrier islands.
As a national guardsman I have assisted with disaster relief after hurricanes
and floods. And, as an elected public official, I have learned more of the
intricacies of this problem, being called upon by constituents to procure help
from the state and federal governments to fight coastal erosion and all that
goes with it. So, for my entire life, in one capacity or another, I have watched
the changes, the disappearance and destruction of our coast, our barrier
islands, our marshes and our wildlife and fisheries. Places where I fished
twenty years ago no longer support freshwater fish because of the encroachment
of saltwater and our potable drinking water supply is threatened. Birds and
animals have become endangered because of the destruction of nesting sites and
natural habitat along the coast and in the marshes. Islands that, in the past
helped protect us from the destruction of hurricanes, no longer exist. I have
literally watched the Louisiana coast, its flora and fauna wash away and
disappear. Once familiar places, gone forever. Please allow me to put this in
perspective. In 15 minutes one- half acre of Louisiana coastline is lost. That's
two acres per hour or 20 square miles in one year. I 'jokingly tell my North
Louisiana colleagues in the legislature that they need to support coastal
restoration because at the rate we're losing land it is possible that in the
next few years my district will be in theirs and we will be running against each
other. But all Joking aside, no other place on Earth is disappearing as quickly
as the Baratana -Terrebonne Estuary. Yet our coast, one of the most fertile
wetland ecosystems in the world is not receiving the attention it deserves. On
the other hand, the federal government has pledged $8 billion to save the
Everglades. It is estimated that it will cost approximately $14 billion to save
our coast. And the longer we wait, the worse the problem gets. If nothing is
done soon, we will lose about $150 billion in infrastructure. The disappearance
of wetlands also contributes to dead zones in the Gulf. These are areas of
oxygen-depleted water sometimes covering 7,000 square miles. Scientists who
study the problem tell us that this is caused by fertilizer fi7om the Midwest
that washes down the rivers. Wetlands filter these chemicals but as the wetlands
disappear, so do the filters. The dead zones have doubled since 1992, only six
short years. And we have given so much for so little. Although the federal
mineral revenue from Louisiana to the federal government exceeds the top six
states almost ten fold, the return to our state is the lowest of these six
states. And none of these states has suffered the infrastructural, social or
economic impact to the extent of Louisiana. We have suffered displacement of
communities, we have seen displacement of offshore workers, and changes and
disappearance of the culture and way of life for many along the coast. As
mentioned before, our hunting and fishing have suffered and, therefore, our
tourism industry. And, please remember, tourism is the-second largest industry
in Louisiana generating over $6 billion. Louisiana stands ready to take action
through the Coast 2050 Program and the Coastal Restoration Plan to correct this
devastation. The passage of this legislation will make these plans a reality. 1
urge you to consider our plight and correct the past inequities by giving
Louisiana its fair share in the final version of this bill.
LOAD-DATE: May 11, 1999 
