Sidney Coffee Quotations

We've been telling people in Washington for years we don't have time to wait; now they can see for themselves why time wasn't on our side. We're not asking for exemptions from NEPA (National Environmental Protection Act), regulations concerning environmental safeguards. We want all those in place. But we can't wait the average of 10 years it takes to get a single project online.

These barrier islands and wetlands are our first line of defense from hurricanes. This needs to be treated as an emergency. We need everyone to recognize that restoration efforts must begin immediately.

It was for the nation's benefit. But the unintended consequence is that the natural annual overflow of sediment and fresh water has been cut off from the delta.

This is a comprehensive plan to accomplish both crucial goals simultaneously: protect New Orleans from future flooding, and reconstruct the coast to help in that job. They go hand-in-hand. You can't do one and not the other. Just as importantly, we have to start now. We're not saying we can get all this done tomorrow, but we are saying we have to start tomorrow. We can't wait the five years it can take for the Corps (of Engineers) to do a cost-benefit analysis. We told them for years what a bargain this would be. Now I think they can see our plans were pretty darn cost-effective compared to what the costs are now.