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Bobby Jindal on Environment

Republican Governor; previously Representative (LA-1)


Too-big feds failed on BP oil spill just like on Katrina

During the oil spill some critics said that I was being hypocritical because I believed in limited government and was also demanding more federal assistance. But they miss the point entirely. I'm not an anarchist. I believe government has a role--and at its most basic level the role of government is to protect life, liberty, and property. Dealing with a disaster like the oil spill certainly fits the job description. I believe that part of the reason the federal government failed to respond effectively to the oil spill (and for that matter, five years earlier during Hurricane Katrina) is precisely because government has become too big.

The federal government's response to the oil spill was lackadaisical from the start. Shortly after the oil well blew, we asked federal authorities how they were going to prioritize and deploy resources to protect our shoreline. We grew frustrated when they would not adjust their plans to respond adequately to a crisis of this magnitude.

Source: Leadership and Crisis, by Bobby Jindal, p. 4 , Nov 15, 2010

Feds took weeks to build sand berms needed for BP spill

On fighting the BP oil spill: Time and time again, land barriers stopped the oil that got past the skimmers and boom and served as our last line of defense to protect our wetlands. We knew there were no silver bullets to magically stop the oil, but it was important to have multiple lines of defense rather than relying on one tactic alone. So in early May we submitted a proposal to build sand berms to protect our state so that we could fight the oil miles away from our wetlands. We waited. And waited. The federal government refused to give us a timely answer. We heard nothing for weeks, even though sand berms are recognized as proven oil spill response technique by the US Coast Guard. We went ahead and built one berm on our own to demonstrate its effectiveness, and saw it repeatedly prevent oil from entering our wetlands. It was weeks later that the federal government finally decided to make BP pay for all six segments. Of course, by that point, more than 100 miles of shoreline had been oiled.
Source: Leadership and Crisis, by Bobby Jindal, p. 6-7 , Nov 15, 2010

Faith-based groups moved faster than feds during Katrina

A sheriff in my district had called federal offices to ask for Katrina assistance and was told he would have to email his request. The bureaucrat was just following procedure, you see, to have a record of the request. When the sheriff mentioned that he, like the rest of his town, had no electricity, the bureaucrat suggested he call someone who could email the details--and be sure to include the part about not being able to email in the email. Almost every other official around the table told a similar story of the red tape maze.

In many cases, charities, faith-based groups, and not-for-profit organizations move faster and are more flexible than federal programs. Don't get me wrong--there is a role for government, which has to build those levees and otherwise ensure our basic safety. And we must acknowledge that the National Guard responded to Katrina with stunning courage, as did the Coast Guard, which is estimated to have rescues 33,000 people. But FEMA's centralized model simply didn't work.

Source: Leadership and Crisis, by Bobby Jindal, p.122-124 , Nov 15, 2010

$300 million for hurricane protection & coastal restoration

I have proposed a $300 million investment--the largest financial commitment in our state’s history--to hurricane protection and coastal restoration efforts. We must begin to fund the projects in our state’s master plan immediately so we can get to work on protecting our coast and guarding against the next possible disaster. Coastal restoration can no longer wait. Hurricane protection efforts can no longer be delayed. The time for studies is long past gone. We need to get started.
Source: Second Special Session Speech , Mar 9, 2008

Voted YES on increasing AMTRAK funding by adding $214M to $900M.

Voting YES on this amendment would restore $214 million in funding for AMTRAK, bringing the total annual expenditure for AMTRAK to $1.114 billion. The chairman of the Railroad Subcommittee explained the increase as follows:Opponents of the amendment say that it would increase funding for Amtrak by gutting and eliminating critical programs, including safety programs, resulting in reductions in force at several agencies.
Reference: Department of Transportation appropriations; Bill HR 5576 Amendment 1008 ; vote number 2006-263 on Jun 13, 2006

Voted YES on barring website promoting Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump.

An amendment to prohibit funding the "Yucca Mountain Youth Zone" website. Voting YES indicates opposition to using Yucca Mountain as the national nuclear waste repository. The amendment's sponsor says:
Reference: Energy and water development appropriations bill; Bill HR 5427 Amendment 919 ; vote number 2006-200 on May 24, 2006

Voted YES on deauthorizing "critical habitat" for endangered species.

To amend and reauthorize the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide greater results conserving and recovering listed species, and for other purposes, including:
Reference: Threatened and Endangered Species Recovery Act; Bill HR 3824 ; vote number 2005-506 on Sep 29, 2005

2012 Governor, House and Senate candidates on Environment: Bobby Jindal on other issues:

LA Senatorial:
David Vitter
Mary Landrieu

Retiring to run for other office:

Running for Mayor:
CA-51:Bob Filner(D)

Running for Governor:
IN-6:Mike Pence(R)
WA-1:Jay Inslee(D)

Running for Senate:
AZ-6:Jeff Flake(R)
CT-5:Chris Murphy(R)
FL-14:Connie Mack(R)
HI-2:Mazie Hirono(D)
IN-2:Joe Donnelly(D)
MO-2:Todd Akin(R)
MT-0:Dennis Rehberg(R)
ND-0:Rick Berg(D)
NM-1:Martin Heinrich(D)
NV-1:Shelley Berkley(D)
WI-2:Tammy Baldwin(D)
2011-2012 Special Elections:
AZ-8:Gabby Giffords(D)
CA-36:Jane Harman(D)
CA-36:Janice Hahn(D)
NV-2:Dean Heller(R)
NV-2:Mark Amodei(R)
NY-9:Anthony Weiner(D)
NY-9:Bob Turner(R)
NY-26:Chris Lee(R)
NY-26:Kathleen Hochul(D)
OR-1:David Wu(D)
OR-1:Suzanne Bonamici(D)

Retiring 2012:
AR-4:Mike Ross(D)
AZ-8:Gabby Giffords(D)
CA-2:Wally Herger(R)
CA-6:Lynn Woolsey(D)
CA-18:Elton Gallegly(R)
CA-24:Dennis Cardoza(D)
CA-41:Jerry Lewis(R)
IL-12:Jerry Costello(D)
IN-5:Dan Burton(R)
KY-4:Geoff Davis(R)
MA-1:John Olver(D)
MA-4:Barney Frank(D)
MI-5:Dale Kildee(D)
NC-11:Heath Shuler(D)
NC-13:Brad Miller(D)
NY-22:Maurice Hinchey(D)
OH-7:Steve Austria(R)
OK-2:Dan Boren(D)
PA-19:Todd Platts(R)
TX-14:Ron Paul(R)
TX-20:Charles Gonzalez(D)
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Page last updated: Mar 14, 2012