Re: [greenyes] Bush administration trying to blame environmentalists for katrina damage

[Dan Weisenbach <dan@no.address>]

Here's another article on the subject:
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 Environmentalist's Lawsuits Led to Flooding
Much of the blame for the horrendous floods that covered New Orleans in Katrina's wake can
be laid directly at the feet of radical environmental groups. In the late 1970s the Army
Corps of Engineers proposed building fortifications at two strategic locations that would
have withstood the fury of a Category 5 hurricane. A May 28, 2005 (three months before
Katrina) article in the New Orleans Times-Picayune said, "Under the original plan,
floodgate-type structures would have been built at the Rigolets and Chef Menteur passes to
block storm surges from moving from the Gulf into Lake Ponchartain." "Those plans,"
reported the Times, "were abandoned after environmental advocates successfully sued to
stop the projects as too damaging to the wetlands and the lake's eco-system." In 1977, a
state environmental group, Save Our Wetlands (SOWL) sued to halt the project, claiming it
would have a negative impact on Lake Pontchartrain. In December of that year, U. S.
District Judge Charles Schwartz Jr. issued an injunction ordering the Corps to submit
another environmental impact statement. "It is the opinion of the Court," Judge Schwartz
wrote, 'that plaintiffs herein have demonstrated that they, and in fact all persons in
this area, will be irreparably harmed if the barrier project, based upon the August 1974
Federal Environmental Impact Statement, is allowed to continue."
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The above article is to provide more info on this topic. It does not necessarily reflect
the views of the person posting.
I always try to gather as much info as possible, from all sides, on all issues. Realizing,
of course, that EVERY article written has a bias.
Dan Weisenbach
www.RecycledProducts.com
Columbus, Ohio