| October 20, 2005 - (Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Sen. David Vitter announced that the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation included $200 million for coastal restoration for states impacted by hurricanes and disasters in its digital television transition legislation that passed out of committee today. “As a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, I am particularly pleased that I was able to convince my colleagues to include this innovative funding opportunity for Louisiana’s coastline,” said Vitter. “This $200 million in new revenue is another tool to support our coastal restoration efforts without taxing the American public or creating more of a deficit.” The funding will come from the sale of analog spectrum that will become available upon the transition to digital television. The sale of this spectrum creates additional revenue for the federal government for deficit reduction and other spending. From this extra revenue, $200 million will be allocated for coastal restoration in states that have had coastlines damaged by hurricanes. Louisiana can expect to receive a substantial portion of this funding to rebuild coastlines damaged by hurricanes no later than September 14, 2010. “This is a positive first step in the legislative process, and we will try to expand the program as the process continues. I will continue to diligently work to secure this funding and additional funding for our coastal restoration efforts,” Vitter said. |
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