BATON ROUGE—Gov. Bob-by Jindal and the Louisiana congressional delegation’s list of priorities for the new White House administration and new Congress centers on hurricane recovery, health care and energy issues.
They include aid for farmers whose crops were devastated by hurricanes Gustav and Ike, the removal of red tape for local governments negotiating with the Federal Emergency Management Agency about aid from hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and changes to the Medicaid financing formula for states affected by disasters.
Jindal outlined the priorities Saturday at the Governor’s Man-sion after a meeting with several members of the congressional delegation, one of a regular series of quarterly meetings between the governor and Louisiana’s members of Congress.
The Republican governor talked of coastal restoration and flood protection needs and opportunities for Louisiana to play a role in developing nuclear power and alternative energy projects. Also on the list is a request for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to use dredging material to help Louisiana rebuild its wetlands, rather than dumping it into the Gulf of Mexico.
He said the state also hopes President-elect Barack Obama’s administration and the 111th Congress would be more sympathetic on federal rebuilding dollars for the New Orleans charity hospital that was flooded by Hurricane Katrina. FEMA has offered $150 million for the damage, but Jindal said the state is owed more than $491 million.
U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-New Orleans, called the list “a thoughtful and strategic game plan for this team. It is certainly doable with hard work.”
The issues aren’t new. Many remain unresolved after continuing negotiations with the Bush administration and the last Congress.
What is new is a plan by the Obama administration to craft a sweeping economic stimulus package for states, that the White House hopes could gain approval next month.
Jindal said the Obama administration asked states to provide lists of transportation and infrastructure projects that were “shovel ready” and could begin within 90 to 180 days, projects that could create jobs and stimulate state economies.
Among the projects Jindal said Louisiana could begin quickly if provided federal aid were continued expansions of Interstates 10 and 12 in the Baton Rouge area, I-49 north from Shreveport to Arkansas and road paving projects around the state.
The governor and U.S. Sen. David Vitter, R-Metairie, said they have asked the Obama administration to include dollars for coastal restoration and flood protection projects in the stimulus proposal.
Jindal said the stimulus bill likely won’t include money tied to specific projects, but rather distributed through a funding formula that would allocate dollar amounts to states.
Though Vitter said he would work to get Louisiana priorities included in the stimulus plans, he added, “I don’t know how I’ll vote on that final bill.”