Day 78: "Let's bypass the federal government."

The federal government has thrown another stone in Louisiana's path to protect its shores from the encroaching oil from the BP well explosion.

The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers has rejected the state's plan to build rock dikes in the passes leading into Barataria Bay, an area known for fishing and wildlife.  As expected, Governor Jindal is furious, saying, "“Only a government bureaucrat would say rocks are more harmful to our water than oil.”

The Advocate has the story this morning as well as a report of oil now moving into Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans.

The best quote in The Advocate's piece comes from Grand Isle Mayor David Camardelle who said,

“I say, let’s go. If we can come up with the money, let’s bypass the federal government. Let’s protect our people.”

Camardelle needs to come up with $25 million to build the dikes anyway.  BP has already purchased the rocks for $16 million and they're sitting on barges ready to go.

At this point, I think Camardelle is correct.  It appears that the only way Louisiana will be saved will be for state officials to do whatever it takes to save it and quit waiting weeks for Corps approvals, permits, and reports.  Quit waiting for Obama to make a decision because he's already made it, haven't you noticed? 

He's decided to take the path of criminal negligence.

The state of Florida has hired their own skimmers because the feds wouldn't get enough out there.  Senator George Lemieux reports that currently there are 66 skimmers off the coast of Florida, down 15 from his previous count.

The Jones Act still hasn't been waived.  The red tape has been a deterrent to foreign vessels trying to help.

The feds shut down dredging around the Chandeleur Islands citing a need for dredging to be done two miles further away.  Never mind that the state was dredging exactly where the permit allowed.

One of the silliest attempts to shut down local attempts to save the coast was the Coast Guard shutting down the skimmers for 24 hours while they checked for life vests, except they never checked.

If the arbitrary six month moratorium on deepwater drilling wasn't enough to show Obama's intent to decimate our economy in Louisiana, I don't know what is.  The evidence has been clear, more than clear, that this action will ruin the state.  The $20 billion shakedown fund from BP won't change that.

And this news that BP is restricting news from the spill?  They've been doing that since early June.

So, I'm with David Camardelle.  Do what it takes to save the state and worry about the bill and the permits later.  You're not getting any help from Team Obama.