Landry Renews Call On Corps To Remove Barge
NEW IBERIA, LA – Two weeks after he received a commitment from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) Chief Engineer, Lt. Gen. Van Antwerp, to look into removing a sunken barge in the Charenton Canal – Congressman Jeff Landry (Republican, LA-03) renewed his call on the Corps to remove the barge.
“I am irritated that – in spite of the hard work of President Naquin, the St. Mary Parish Council, and my office – the promises made by the Corps’ top brass have yet to materialize,” said Landry. “It has been almost a year since this 2,000 ton barge sunk and the Corps continues to neglect its responsibility to seize and remove the vessel from this navigable waterway.
“President Naquin has met with the Corps numerous times, has spent countless hours on the phone with the Coast Guard, and has even travelled to Washington to diligently voice the frustration of the people in St. Mary Parish. Despite President Naquin’s tremendous efforts at the local level, the Corps remains entangled in a self-imposed web of Government red tape – unable to see what common-sense and the law says they should do: remove the barge from the canal,” continued Landry.
“In a time when the federal government should be saving taxpayers money and creating an environment for job growth, the Corps of Engineers has refused to use available tools to remove a barge that is impeding commerce and hurting our sugar refineries and shipbuilders. They would rather waste time and taxpayer dollars in a courtroom litigating than improving safety and commerce on our nation’s waterways. I’d rather save the taxpayers’ money and move the barge,” concluded Landry.
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