The Water Marks Interview: Governor Mike Foster
Governor Mike Foster
Q Governor, you've called for an expansion of efforts to save Louisiana's coastal wetlands and barrier islands. How does Senator Breaux's CWPPRA legislation fit into your initiatives?
A The Breaux Bill is a critical part of the effort. We're in a struggle to save a resource of national importance, and it's a battle Louisiana can't win alone. The program is scheduled for reauthorization this year, and we intend to show Congress that Louisiana fully supports the legislation.
Q Even though there have been differences of opinion about some of the CWPPRA projects?
A Thoughtful, dedicated people are always going to arrive at different methods of solving a problem. That's a positive. If the solutions were simple, they'd have been put in place long ago. The fact is that the Breaux Bill is doing exactly what was intended — it's forced serious and complex debate about a serious and complex problem.
Q How much success has there been in getting projects constructed?
A The Breaux Bill has three projects under construction and another 14 scheduled to go in the ground by the end of 1997. A new list of priority project candidates was submitted in April. We've made real strides in moving projects out of the planning and engineering phase and into actual construction.
Q The Breaux Bill requires Louisiana to match a portion of the federal dollars. In the past the state has had trouble coming up with its share, which meant a reduction of federal funding. Will this continue to be a problem?
A Devoting state dollars to the coastal restoration and protection program is a priority. However, we look to reducing our federal match now that the completed Coastal Wetlands Conservation Plan is headed for approval by the Environmental Protection Agency, decreasing Louisiana's match for future projects from 25 percent to 15 percent. That's a significant reduction and is an important part of our long-term funding strategy.
At the same time, it certainly doesn't free us from future funding challenges. I'm fully committed to following through on the plans and projects that have been developed, and that's going to take money. But with our future at stake, what we can least afford is to do too little too late.