Study Details Investments Necessary to Protect the Gulf Coast
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
NEW ORLEANS – America’s WETLAND Foundation and Entergy Corp., a Fortune 500 company, will release Wednesday, October 20, a landmark study by the McKinsey Group with startling data showing billions in annual investments to sustain America’s Energy Coast of Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas.
The study, to be presented by McKinsey during the America’s Energy Coast policy forum at the conclusion of DELTAS2010: World Deltas Dialogue conference has been 8 months in the making and looks at assets across 77 coastal parishes and counties in the Gulf region. The report shows that without large-scale adaptation efforts, the region’s Gross Domestic Product may be unable to keep up with the costs of protecting nationally critical assets.
“The study will include recommendations for cost-effective steps that can be taken now to provide greater resiliency in our threatened coastline,” Wayne Leonard, chairman and CEO of Entergy, said, “We are pleased to partner with America’s WETLAND Foundation to present this study to national, state and local government leaders to help in the planning process to protect our vanishing coastline; putting 2 million people directly at risk and billions in critical infrastructure,” Leonard said.
“The America’s WETLAND Foundation will take the study to communities throughout the energy coast in 2011 to help local officials and stakeholders plan for coastal resiliency in light of sea level rise and ongoing land loss,” said R. King Milling, chair of the AWF.
“We are extremely grateful to Entergy for making possible this first-of-its-kind McKinsey study. This benchmark report is sure to help inform policy leaders in our region for years to come. When we discuss the importance of partnerships, bringing the detailed analysis of this study to the table is a remarkable contribution to this region and will be of tremendous benefit,” Milling said.
Meeting at DELTAS2010 a day following release of the report will be state legislative leaders from the four Gulf Coast energy producing states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama called together by the National Conference of State Legislatures to assess how the region can build resiliency following major disasters. Legislators will also consider the role of federalism and state sovereignty when federal authority during a crisis adds short and long terms costs to states that serve as hosts to activities that serve the national interest.
More information about the conference: www.deltas2010.com
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