Word: louisiana
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Along a broad expanse of southern Louisiana, between the Atchafalaya and Mississippi rivers, a million acres of wetlands have disappeared since 1900. ^ Scientists now estimate that an additional 60 sq. mi. are vanishing every year -- a rate that could double by 1995. "It's a catastrophe that's happening to the wetlands. You're looking at the genocide of an entire ecosystem," says Oliver Houck, a Louisiana environmental lawyer. Indeed, the loss of the state's marshes affects more than just local residents: the area provides almost 30% of the nation's fish harvest and 40% of the fur catch...
...nearby Mississippi. But the river now rarely floods, thanks to massive levees built along its banks to protect riverside land. The combination of saltwater intrusion and freshwater cutoff, says Houck, leaves the wetlands "caught in a double whammy. You couldn't do a better job of screwing up Louisiana if you planned it."Wilma Dusenberry, a Chauvin, La., restaurant owner, reflects the fears of many who depend on the bounty of the wetlands: "If we lose the marsh, we lose our livelihoods...
...flood insurance on new construction. The Senate is considering a bill, passed by the House in June, that would help people relocate their houses away from eroding beaches. But the Reagan Administration is cool toward a proposal now before Congress, introduced in March by Democratic Senator John Breaux of Louisiana, that would identify all threatened coastal wetlands and provide as much as $40 million over two years for their protection...
...problem with getting the Federal Government involved in coastal management is that there is no single responsible Government agency. The Army Corps of Engineers comes closest, but it is often hamstrung by its dual mission: it is charged with both protecting vulnerable wetlands and keeping waterways navigable. In Louisiana, complains Environmental Lawyer Houck, when there is a conflict, the waterways win every time. This does not have to be the case, contends Bill Wooley, planning chief for the corps's Galveston office. While he concedes the task is formidable, he insists that "we can manage both. It's a matter...
...operating under court orders to reduce overcrowding in facilities. But an even bigger cause is the space crunch resulting from tougher sentences. "Until the public changes its mind on putting people away for long years, we're going to have a serious problem," predicts C. Paul Phelps, head of Louisiana's corrections department, which has 3,500 prisoners backed up in local jails awaiting space in state prisons...