, March 4, 2010 (ENS) - To protect and restore the coastal
ecosystems of Louisiana and Mississippi, Obama administration
officials today released a "Roadmap" that defines a new planning
process to overcome long-standing policy and procedural barriers
to coastal restoration. In keeping with President Barack Obama's
effort to cut through red tape and ensure residents of the Gulf
Coast have access to the tools and funds they need to rebuild
after repeated hurricanes, wetland loss and coastal erosion, the
Roadmap outlines federal actions over the next 18 months to
address policy, process, and legal hurdles. The Roadmap was
issued by the Louisiana-Mississippi Gulf Coast Ecosystem
Restoration Working Group, formed by President Obama in October
2009 and co-led by the White House Council on Environmental
Quality, CEQ, and the Office of Management and Budget. Foggy
morning on a bayou near Slidell, Louisiana (Photo by eightylbs)
"The Louisiana and Mississippi coastal region is critical to the
economic, cultural, and en