In the four and a half years since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast, significant steps have been taken to restore the health of the Gulf of Mexico and our coastal communities, but these efforts will need the support and ongoing attention of the President to succeed. In the past year, the President has created a federal multi-agency working group to focus on Gulf coast restoration efforts, as well as put the first ever reconstruction money in the federal budget.  But more resources and action are necessary.

Help us make sure that the President commits to protecting and rebuilding Louisiana's coastal lines of defense - our wetlands, barrier islands and cypress swamps. The attention our region gained with the Saints Superbowl victory has reminded the nation how special New Orleans and South Louisiana is.  Now it's time for us to remind the nation how vulnerable New Orleans and other Gulf coast communities remain to hurricanes and tropical storms. Despite the development of plans to rebuild our wetlands, we still lose a football field worth of wetlands every 45 minutes due to a national need for dependable shipping lanes and oil and gas.