$7.6 billion expected for New Orleans levees
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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — State officials say the Bush administration will propose $7.6 billion for improving New Orleans levees next year, but Louisiana might not be able to afford its share.
Gov. Kathleen Blanco and Louisiana Congress members said the president is expected to submit the request to Congress in February to upgrade the levees to protect against a 100-year flood.
State officials project Louisiana's portion would be about $2.6 billion, though, based on a historic 65-35% cost-share.
Coming up with that "would be nearly impossible," Blanco said.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has sufficient funding to make repairs and improvements until fiscal year 2009, according to Donald Powell, federal coordinator for Gulf Coast rebuilding. He said the $7.6 billion funding for the levees and more drainage would be requested as part of the fiscal year 2009 budget process.
Powell's spokesman, Evan McLaughlin, said the true cost-share wasn't yet known and that the federal government would fully pay for certain repairs.
Republican U.S. Rep. Bobby Jindal, who is running for Louisiana governor, said the federal government should pick up more of the cost since post-Hurricane Katrina flooding proved the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' assurances that the levees were sufficient were false.
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I have been challenged by the Krewe Chief (a little double entendre that should not get by the loyal sports fans on here) to make my presence known.
So let me start by saying that i voted for a satchmofest favorite moment even though i wasn't there because i know that if i had been, it would have been trombone shorty. a close second would have been cheese tots at 13 at any hour past 2 or 3 or 4 a.m. i suppose in some circles that would be considered voter fraud, but this is after all...NOLA
have just returned from some major down time spent abroad in europe (although she prefers that i do not refer to her as a broad) and my two relevant observations are that 1) venice is the italian new orleans (minus the music, and the tots) and that 2) having been away from the music scene for more than a month or so it crept up on me just how much i missed it since i had a hard time finding the good stuff where we were. but the happy ending is that shortly upon my return my broad and i went to a club to see joan osborne (just try not to think of that one song of hers that got all the airplay and you will like her white soul) and who do we find to be our concert neighbors but three couples of jazzfest regulars, leading to great recounts of past years and anticipation for the next.
this is more than you ever wanted so checking out for now
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