A federal appeals court has rejected Louisiana’s contention that the federal government should pay $586 million to restore barrier islands and wetlands damaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune reports.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld decisions by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, an arbitration panel and a district court. The decision says the islands and wetlands would have had to be improved and maintained to get FEMA money.
The request included most of the southern edge of Louisiana’s coastline, including both barrier islands and headlands. Many of the islands have been or are being rebuilt with other money, including federal fines and penalties from the BP oil spill in 2010.
The ruling won’t stop efforts to get FEMA money to restore barrier islands, the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority says in a statement. Rather, the ruling is “effectively procedural,” and about whether the state will have one or several arbitrations with FEMA.
