Mississippi, Louisiana leaders joining together to protect coastal waters

PASS CHRISTIAN, Miss. (WLOX) – A rare meeting between Mississippi and Louisiana leaders happened at the Pass Yacht Club on Thursday for a joint work session to discuss ways to protect coastal waters.

The meeting comes as lawsuit after lawsuit against the United States Army Corps of Engineers has failed.

The fight against the Corps isn’t new, but Mississippi Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann called the meeting ‘historic.’ Representatives from six Coastal Mississippi cities, Harrison County, and Lieutenant Governors from Mississippi and Louisiana gathered to demand change from Washington, D.C. on how flooding and diversions from the Mississippi River are being handled.

“Now, we’re down to having what I would call the realistic expectations on how we would arrange the lower Mississippi River Valley to ensure our shrimp, oysters, dolphins, and tourism don’t collapse every time we have a flood,” Hosemann said.

Pass Christian Mayor Jimmy Rafferty organized the meeting because he believes the only way change can happen is if both states work together.

“This was a true work session where by both states are working together and we’re building bridges with the corps of engineers and hopefully come up with the right action plan to save the sound,” Mayor Rafferty explained.

At the heart of the issue, Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser said, is the Army Corps of Engineers making decisions that should be handled locally.

“I think the Corps needs some fundamental changes to where they’re doing what the local people want them to do and we don’t have to fight to do the right thing to save our coast. Our economy, our fishing industry, our way of life. Louisiana and Mississippi are on the same boat on that. Give the local governments, the local states the money to do their own thing. We can do it quicker, cheaper, and we’ll do the right thing because it’s our people we’re protecting,” he said.

As the meeting was underway, oyster fishermen could be seen from the window of the Pass Yacht Club — a reminder to everyone at the meeting why they are on this mission.

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