Terrebonne, Lafourche advocates hail latest milestone for local levee system
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Local officials and advocates are hailing last week's nearly $400 million federal allocation as a major milestone in the construction of a system of levees, locks and floodgates that protects Terrebonne and parts of Lafourche from hurricanes.
U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., said the $378.5 million is included in the bipartisan infrastructure bill Congress passed late last year. Cassidy was a co-author and helped shepherd the bill through Congress.
The money is by far the largest federal allocation for a project three decades in the making. So far, roughly $1 billion in state and local tax money has been spent to build the 98-mile Morganza-to-the-Gulf hurricane-protection system.
More: Levee system that protects Terrebonne and Lafourche to get $379 million in federal money
Jay Walker, president of the Morganza Action Coalition, called Wednesday's announcement "a great day for our community.”
"Decades of work have culminated in the project’s largest federal award,” Walker said in a news release.
The announcement came a day after federal, state and local officials celebrated an agreement that for the first time puts the Army Corps of Engineers in charge of constructing parts of the Morganza system. Until now, construction has been led by the Terrebonne Levee District.
Tony Alford, president of the Terrebonne Levee Board, said one of the most critical actions came in January 2021, when the project received a so-called "new start' designation from the White House's Office of Management and Budget. The long-awaited action cleared the way for the federal government to spend money on the system's construction.
More: Morganza levee system crosses another hurdle with Army Corps set to help with construction
"Congressmen Steve Scalise and Garret Graves worked doggedly for the better part of a decade to secure $12 million in new start funding,” Alford said. “There is not a federal project without the new start designation, and [last] week’s win was made possible by the Louisiana congressional delegation’s constant pressure and leadership.”
Cassidy also helped secure the new start designation.
A few years ago, when the Morganza Action Coalition was restructured, links were relatively weak among the advocacy group, the state coastal agency and the Army Corps of Engineers, said Cory Kief, president of the North Lafourche Levee Board.
“Our communities had taxed themselves to reduce hurricane risk and we questioned if the federal government would ever recognize that or support our efforts," he said.
But for the past several years, the corps and the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority have been "true partners," Kief said.
Terrebonne Levee District Executive Director Reggie Dupre said Cassidy and Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., have worked hard on Morganza's behalf.
“Sen. Cassidy’s creativity has been a key element to our success, and Sen. Kennedy has been a dogged champion in securing appropriations,” Dupre said.
The entire Louisiana congressional delegation has been a part of the project's ongoing development, said North Lafourche Levee Director Dwayne Bourgeois.
“It is not just the current delegation but also those who contributed in the past, such as congressmen Cedric Richmond and Ralph Abraham, who made this award possible," Bourgeois said. "As we continue build out the project, we look forward to expanding our team with the newest additions to the delegation, representatives Troy Carter and Julia Letlow.”
Terrebonne Parish President Gordy Dove said the latest actions show the team of local, state and federal officials can work together to get big things done.
"I look forward to the day when our region is protected by the full potential of our efforts,” Dove said.
— Courier and Daily Comet Executive Editor Keith Magill can be reached at 857-2201 or keith.magill@houmatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @CourierEditor.
This article originally appeared on The Courier: Terrebonne, Lafourche advocates hail Morganza levee system milestone
