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Louisiana
is blessed with a rich variety of landscapes and habitats, and is
geographically situated at the coastal confluence of Eastern and
Western fauna and flora. Biodiversity has long been the state's
hallmark. State and federal wildlife refuges--Sabine, Delta, Breton in
the federal system, Rockefeller and Marsh Island in the state
system--help protect Louisiana's biological riches.
The
environment is the source of significant economic value to Louisianans
and has shaped the state's cultural heritage. The Mississippi River
supplies drinking water and transportation. Forty percent of the
nation's coastal wetlands are in Louisiana. It's a rich heritage of
marshes, bottomlands, and estuaries that supports the richest fisheries
in the lower 48 states and a precious gumbo culture like nothing else
in America.
Unfortunately,
Louisiana's environment is in trouble, and we need to work together to
find good solutions. The Mississippi River, both a blessing and a
curse, delivers an unhealthy brew of nutrients, pesticides, and sewage
from upstream states. One result is that the Gulf of Mexico off
Louisiana each summer becomes an oxygen-depleted zone that has the
potential to harm the state and national economies and environments.
The
nation's appetite for oil and gas has brought needed jobs and industry
to our state. The shadow side of those benefits, however, is
contaminated water, unhealthy air, and disproportionate pressure on our
coastal environment. Our nation needs a balanced energy policy that
ensures cleaner energy made in America.
Republicans
for Environmental Protection does not subscribe to the old saw that
having a healthy economy and a healthy environment is an "either-or"
proposition. We believe it is "both-and"—we can strengthen the economy
at the same time that we protect the place where we live, because in
truth, we can't have one without the other.
Working together, we can
conserve Louisiana's rich natural heritage for the pleasure and benefit
of future generations.
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