PAhEL DISCUSSION 



OPTIONS: LIMITATION AND MITIGATION OF DREDGING 

 AND FRESHWATER DIVERSI0^4S 



Kai Mi<t>oe, Moderator 



John W. Day, Harry H. Roberts, Sherwood M. Gagliano, Peter Hawxhurst, 

 Senator Samuel Nunez and Gerald Voisin, Panelists. 



Kai Midxje: We will now be joined by two additional panelists, State Senator Samuel 

 Nunez and Mr. Gerald Voisin of Louisiana Land and Exploration Company. Senator 

 Nunez represents St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes and obviously has a vital 

 concern over land loss and is Chairman of the Senate Natural Resources Committee. 



Samuel Nunez: Of course I have many reasons to try to protect St. Bernard and 

 Plaquemines parishes which are disappearing at a. rapid rate. That is now recognized 

 in the Legislature and at a local level. In 1964 the people of one of my parishes 

 passed a special bond issue to fund a freshwater diversion structure at Caernarvon, 

 which has not been built yet, but I think we can solve that. 



This week we will present a report from the Joint Natural Resources 

 Committees to the Legislature and the Governor on what we should do about the 

 problem of coastal land loss. We asked the Mineral Board to estimate the effect of 

 a retreat of one-half mile of the coast on State revenues from oil and gas 

 production. They indicated a loss of at least $52,000/day. It is vital to protect our 

 coastal environments, not only from the standpoint of revenues to the State, but also 

 from the standpoint of recreational value, commercial seafood industry, and 

 protection of our estuaries. 



Our report is based on extensive expert testimony and recommends the 

 expenditure of revenues to the Enhanced Mineral Trust Fund, which is set aside as a 

 percentage of State oil and gas revenues. I can think of no better use of those funds 

 than the protection of the resource which produced them. 



The approach the Committees have taken is to propose specific projects and 

 estimate their costs. Our recommendations include as a beginning: freshwater and 

 sediment diversion at Caernarvon, barrier island revegetation in Terrebonne, 

 Jefferson and Lafourche parishes, cybernetic architecture or artificial creation of 

 reefs, rock structures and jetties and sand restoration on barrier islands, beach 

 protection at Holly Beach, and wetland management programs. These programs 

 total over $38 million. But given the loss of natural resources and revenues, this has 

 to be only a beginning. If we do not take some of the revenue from coastal oil and 

 gas production and dedicate it to the restoration of marsh lands and protection of 

 the fragile estuarine system and coastline we will be doing ourselves and our 

 grandchildren an injustice. 



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