A Community Voice ~ Louisiana

A Community Voice (ACV) is a membership non-profit community organization, based in New Orleans, LA.  Most members are low to moderate income working and moderate income African-Americans, and many are senior citizens, nearly all are native New Orleanians.  Thousands of family members of ACV reside within the ninth ward of New Orleans.

              A Community Voice is opposed to the nature of this process which is not transparent and has not been made public under any decent set of factors used for outreach and notice of the public.  

             A Community Voice is against any expansion or movement of a lock within the Industrial Canal (IHCNA) for the following reasons, and therefore any treatment of historic properties includes:

1.     The residents of many parishes were affected adversely by the flooding after Hurricane Katrina, due to the unsafe levees under the aegis of the Army Corps of Engineers.  Most community residents have not been fully compensated for their property losses from those levee failures, and can never be emotionally compensated for the lives lost, property damaged and completely altered historic communities of New Orleans east, lower 9th ward and the upper 9th ward of New Orleans, especially in Orleans Parish.   The Army Corps of Engineers has an unnatural civil immunity for the failure of the levees or even its current responsibilities there, and has never apologized to the community nor affirmed in anyway that it harmed so many people, disrupted so many lives and forever changed these communities.  When held liable in court, for the flooding due to MRGO, the people were still never compensated.  The historic communities in Orleans, St. Bernard, Plaquemines and other parishes affected have been irreparably harmed, property damaged, culture lost, and in many cases, lives shattered.  This irreparable harm and lack of immunity presages one solid reason to prevent any further losses to historic communities by allowing the expansion of, replacement and movement of the lock and any other project that can possibly under any scenario, under any name or project of the IHCNA cause further harm to these historic communities and properties.  In fact, the IHCNA needs to be removed from the Orleans Parish communities.  It is inappropriate to have a mostly unregulated large industrial site with hazardous materials flowing back and forth in the middle of densely residential communities.

2.     Important historic properties in Orleans, St. Bernard and Plaquemine Parishes cannot be replaced if they are destroyed. Preservation planning provides for conservative use of these properties, preserving them in place and avoiding harm when possible and altering or destroying properties only when necessary.  Every effort to protect these irreplaceable structures and communities should be taken by our government, and never put at risk by dangerous projects like moving the lock within the IHCNA. 

3.  The IHCNA should be permanently moved to lower St. Bernard Parish with the permission and guidance of its citizens, for many reasons.

Conditions in St. Bernard Parish have shifted dramatically since Hurricane Katrina and the parish has considerable reasons for promoting the canal there.  It would make it safer for St. Bernard residents who have a greater chance of flooding if the canal is expanded in Orleans Parish.  Further, their citizens could gain greater access to work and other functions in Orleans, Jefferson and other parishes, simply through reduction of naval traffic on the canal, as the bridges would remain down.  They need the $50 million in mitigation funds to shore up their levees and protect their parishes.

4. ACV has requested help directly and through other elected officials from the Army Corps of Engineers for help in determining the cause of explosions along the Industrial Canal. These nighttime mysterious explosions have continued for three years, and yet, even though they have damaged homes along the canal and likely have damaged the canal, there has been no solution found to stopping them.   This is further evidence that the Corps has no interest in historic preservation or even its own responsibilities along the Industrial Canal.

5. ACV supports the federal process for dealing with ramifications to historic areas, communities and properties as outlined here, and these are the procedures that should be followed in this instance, as well.  The notice of the official comment period for this project was buried with a link in a notice to certain groups and not made public, as one of the vital planks of transparency and public notice.  This process should be amended and follow these guidelines:  Preservation planning includes public participation. The planning process should provide a forum for open discussion of preservation issues. Public involvement is most meaningful when it is used to assist in defining values of properties and preservation planning issues, rather than when it is limited to review of decisions already made. Early and continuing public participation is essential to the broad acceptance of preservation planning decisions. 

Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Preservation Planning (https://www.nps.gov/history/local-law/arch_standards.htm.

Submit your comments against the Lock at IHNCA to mvnenvironmental@usace.army.mil