Representative
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, D.C. 20515

RE: Protect Louisiana--Authorize closure of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet

Dear Representative ,

I strongly urge you to help protect the people of Louisiana by authorizing complete closure of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) as part of any new legislation providing recovery relief to the Gulf Coast.

Hurricane Katrina devastated the lives of hundreds of thousands of Gulf Coast residents, but the storm did not act alone. The damage was intensified by a number of destructive water projects, including the MRGO, which funneled and intensified Katrina's storm surge directly into New Orleans. The MRGO also destroyed well over 20,000 acres of coastal wetlands that could have reduced Katrina’s storm surge and spared lives.

Scientists from Louisiana State University’s Hurricane Center say that the MRGO acted like a funnel, increasing the height of the storm surge by several feet and sharply increasing its speed, causing levees to crumble under the assault. The 25-foot high wall of water that shot through the MRGO destroyed the levees in its path and overwhelmed St. Bernard Parish and New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward. The impacts were devastating. Only 52 of 28,000 structures in St. Bernard Parish escaped unscathed from Katrina.

For years, scientists, activists, and community leaders -- including the St. Bernard Parish Council -- had warned the Corps that the MRGO was a hurricane highway and urged that it be shut down. Tragically, these calls were ignored, and the Corps continued to pour tens of millions of dollars into keeping the MRGO open, forcing federal taxpayers to subsidize travel on the MRGO at a cost of $12,600 per vessel per day. In just the past 20 years, taxpayers have spent more than $320 million to maintain the MRGO.

The Louisiana legislature has joined the call to close the MRGO because of the danger it poses to New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish.

Please take immediate action to ensure the safety of Louisianans by authorizing complete closure of the MRGO as part of any new legislation providing recovery relief to the Gulf Coast.

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