[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 69 (Monday, May 17, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S5531]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                 COASTAL WETLANDS EROSION IN LOUISIANA

 Mr. JEFFORDS. Mr. President, I thank the children of the 
Terrebonne Parish School System in Houma, LA, for writing to me about 
the dire effects of coastal erosion on their State. As part of the 
Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce's Save Our Soil Campaign, students 
from the Terrebonne Parish are writing letters to important State and 
Federal officials regarding the coastal land loss crisis in Louisiana. 
I truly appreciate their efforts and will do my part to support 
restoration in all of our Nation's coastal States.
  Coastal erosion is an urgent problem in the United States, costing 
hundreds of millions of dollars a year, including damage caused by 
storms and flooding, costs of erosion prevention, and expenses to 
dredge channels and harbors. In Louisiana alone, wetland loss could 
cost the Nation $36.6 billion. The Atlantic and Gulf coasts account for 
45 percent of the U.S. coastline and they are home to 63 percent of the 
structures within 500 feet of the shoreline. According to the Federal 
Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, the Nation's highest average erosion 
rates--up to 6 feet or more per year--occur along the Gulf of Mexico 
coastline, while the average erosion rate on the Atlantic coast is 
about 2 to 3 feet per year. A hurricane or other major storm can cause 
the coast to erode 100 feet or more in a single day.
  This rate of erosion is unacceptable. As the Terrebonne students 
know, wetlands and barrier islands provide natural protection from 
strong winds and hurricanes. Coastal zones are ecologically 
significant, providing safe and healthy habitat for an abundance of 
migratory birds and other wildlife. Our Nation's commercial and 
recreational fisheries are dependent on the many species of fish and 
other aquatic organisms that spawn and nest in this delicate web of 
marshes, wetlands, and estuaries.
  It is my sincere hope that through the Water Resources Development 
Act we will be able to conserve our remaining wetlands and restore many 
acres of precious coastline in Louisiana. I am grateful to the citizens 
of Terrebonne Parish for educating their children and fighting for the 
coastal restoration of Louisiana. We cannot stand to lose more of this 
previous natural resource.

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