They include requirement that rig workers be given authority to shut down operations to deal with potential emergencies.

WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration Thursday released a new regulation designed to improve the safety of offshore drilling, including a requirement that rig workers be given the authority to shut down operations to deal with potential emergencies.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Federal oil and gas regulator James Watson applauds the new regulation, an outgrowth of the 2010 BP oil spill.  

Employees on the Deepwater Horizon rig were criticized for not recognizing serious safety threats, and not taking immediate steps to shut down operations before an explosion triggered the huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.

The new rule also requires companies to submit their safety and environmental management systems to third-party assessments.

Under the regulation, due to take effect in 60 days, companies can conduct their first safety and environmental review themselves. But subsequent reviews, under the new regulation, would have to be done by outsiders, accredited auditors.

The rule, an outgrowth of the massive 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf, is winning support from the industry's trade association, the American Petroleum Institute.

"The finalized rule recognizes the industry's safety-first approach by incorporating best practices recommended by both API and the Center for Offshore Safety, a joint industry effort focused on continuous improvement in safety and offshore operational integrity," API spokesman Brian Straessle said.

James Watson, director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the federal government's new oil and regulatory agency, said the new rule is a major step forward.

"Offshore oil and gas safety starts with a robust positive safety culture, and BSEE's workplace safety rules are designed to promote that culture by eliminating complacency and making sure that companies are looking at the human factors that underlie too many accidents," Watson said. "This effort takes another important step towards protecting workers and the environment from preventable accidents."

With the legislative session just a few days away, Gov. Bobby Jindal was still pitching his tax reform plan on Thursday, this time to a room full of north shore business leaders in St. Tammany Parish where the governor has historically enjoyed widespread political support. Jindal repeated his argument that eliminating personal income and corporate taxes would make Louisiana...

With the legislative session just a few days away, Gov. Bobby Jindal was still pitching his tax reform plan on Thursday, this time to a room full of north shore business leaders in St. Tammany Parish where the governor has historically enjoyed widespread political support. Jindal repeated his argument that eliminating personal income and corporate taxes would make Louisiana a more fierce economic competitor and help families of all incomes.

"Our tax system is unfair and it is riddled with loopholes and exemptions," Jindal said. "We need a tax system where the powerful special interest groups are no longer able to rig the system."

The proposal, first announced by the Jindal administration in January, raises the state sales tax from 4 percent to 6.25 percent, eliminates 200 exemptions, and includes a rebate for middle- and low-income residents along with some retirees and military families. At first, the Jindal administration estimated the sales tax increase at 5.88 percent, but revised that figure upward last month.

The administration plans to push the plan during the 2013 legislative session that opens Monday. In recent weeks, Jindal has traveled the state, carrying his message to Alexandria, Shreveport, the West Bank and most recently, Thursday's stop at the Tchefuncte Country Club in Covington. The lunch was organized by the St. Tammany West Chamber of Commerce's Northshore Legislative Alliance.

After the speech, Northshore Business Council Executive Director Larry Rase said his organization has not taken a position on the proposal so far because the drafted legislation has yet to be released. In general, he said, the council has been supportive of the Jindal administration. "We're all very, very interested in actually seeing the bill," Rase said.

The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry came out against the plan last week after the Jindal administration said the reforms would increase taxes on businesses by about $500 million.

Jindal disputed opponents' arguments that the proposed reform would hurt poor people. "Taxing people on what they spend instead of what they earn gives them more control over their own money," he said.

Meanwhile, he said, the reforms would make the state competitive with the nearby income tax-free states of Florida and Texas, where many Louisianians have moved in pursuit of better economic opportunities.

"You go to Dallas, you go to Houston, and there are entire neighborhoods that are filled with our neighbors from Louisiana," Jindal said. "There are more purple and gold flags in some of those cities than there are here in Louisiana."

After the governor's speech, Kieran J. Weldon, president of Covington-based architecture firm Fauntleroy Latham Weldon Barré, said he was concerned about how professional firms like his own will be affected under a new tax code.

According to the Jindal administration, sales taxes would be expanded to some professional services, although some services -- such as health care or law firms -- would be exempt.

Weldon said all firms not exempted would be forced to pass along those costs to clients. But, he said, he was encouraged after the governor told him that such exemptions are still negotiable in the policy.

Overall, Weldon said, he supports the plan "in the broad strokes, 100 percent."

Fred Heebe's River Birch Inc. has finally taken ownership of the St. Tammany property WWL-AM radio host Garland Robinette used to repay a $250,000 loan from Heebe, according to public records

Fred Heebe's River Birch Inc. has finally taken ownership of the St. Tammany property WWL-AM radio host Garland Robinette used to repay a $250,000 loan from Heebe, according to public records. The transfer, registered with the secretary of state this week, paid off a 2007 loan that came under FBI scrutiny in a now-defunct investigation of the landfill company.

River Birch recorded the transaction Monday, when it became owner of N.H. Rhett LLC, according to the records. Rhett LLC , which owns the Covington lot, was once controlled by Robinette's wife, Nancy Halstead Rhett. She put the property in Rhett LLC's name last year.

Heebe delivered the money to Robinette in 2007 through Westside Construction, a firm controlled by River Birch's executive Dominick Fazzio. The loan is being repaid by the same route, as Nancy Rhett last year transferred Rhett LLC to Fazzio and Fazzio in turn is now transferring it to River Birch.

"That completes the circle," said Fazzio's attorney, Arthur "Buddy" Lemann. Robinette's attorney, Lewis Unglesby, declined a request for comment Friday.

Lemann said in March that Heebe had taken ownership of the Mandeville property last year, and that documents recording the transaction were to be filed soon. The April 1 record is the first public indication that River Birch now owns the property. But Heebe's name is not in the secretary of state document. Instead, the record lists Jim Ward, Heebe's stepfather and co-owner of River Birch, as the new agent for Rhett LLC and River Birch as the corporation's owner.

Heebe gave the $250,000 to Robinette after the radio host criticized the reopening of a New Orleans landfill that was competing with River Birch for Hurricane Katrina debris. NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune reported the payment in September 2011. Robinette said the money was a personal loan and that he did nothing improper.

But that raised questions of why Heebe used Fazzio's Westside Construction as an intermediary to deliver the money to Robinette, and FBI agents examined the loan. The state Ethics Board is still pursuing a civil lawsuit accusing Fazzio of using Westside Construction and other firms under his control as "straw man" entities to deliver political contributions on River Birch's behalf. Lemann has said Westside Construction is a legitimate company.

Robinette and Heebe were never charged with any crime. In a statement issued through Unglesby on March 8, after prosecutors announced the end of the River Birch probe, Robinette thanked the government "for reaching the right result" and reaffirmed that "he never had done anything wrong."

The final transfer of the Covington property to River Birch comes two weeks after Robinette disputed the recorded value of the lot, a vacant property in Tchefuncte Club Estates, at 7 Riverdale Drive. An appraiser hired by Robinette valued the lot at $280,000 in October 2011, or $30,000 more than the loan. That valuation was higher than the $235,000 Rhett listed when she transferred the lot to her LLC just months before the cited appraisal.

The value cited in the private appraisal also is substantially higher than the $180,000 listed in St. Tammany's 2012 assessment, which was based on 2011 sales.

Unglesby has said that the October 2011 appraisal "was valid and accepted by all sides. No one disputes the appraisal."

A Jefferson Parish charter group on Monday (April 8) may begin discussing a proposal to transfer the power to hire contractors from the legislative branch to the executive

A Jefferson Parish charter group could begin discussing a proposal Monday night (April 8) to transfer the power to hire contractors from the Parish Council to the parish president's office. It is unclear, however, when the Charter Advisory Board will vote on the plan, which would likely face a difficult road to the ballot.

The discussion comes as advocates for contracting changes search for new avenues to push their proposals, now that the Parish Council has postponed for six months a vote on curbing its contracting discretion.

At the request of some charter board members, the Bureau of Governmental Research is helping draft language to remove the council's virtually unrestricted power to pick professional contractors, and to put the parish president in charge of contracting.

Charter board members could get the draft of the language when the board meets Monday at the Esplanade 1 Conference Room at East Jefferson General Hospital, 4200 Houma Blvd., in Metairie. The meeting is set to begin at 6:30 p.m.

But board Chairman Louis Gruntz said he is unsure whether the board would vote on any contracting proposal at the meeting. He said the group has other pending charter issues to consider first.

Jefferson's charter, which dates to 1957, set up a strong Parish Council and a relatively weak parish president. Voters would have to approve any charter change altering that structure, and Parish Council members would have to agree to put that change on the ballot in the first place. That clouds the prospects of any amendment to transfer the contracting power to the parish president. Already, council members have criticized other recent proposals to strengthen the executive's power, and those measures have failed in the Charter Advisory Board.

Under the contracting proposal BGR is preparing with charter board attorney Bill Aaron, the council would retain the power to set the contracting process that the president would follow, BGR President Janet Howard said. The proposal would mandate that evaluation committees review vendors' offers and require that the work be awarded to the top-ranked firm in those evaluations, she said. If the president doesn't give the contract to the No. 1 firm, that particular contract process would be canceled, according to Howard.

"The council would set a transparent process, but the parish president would administer it," Howard said.

Those recommendations would mirror proposals BGR made in a 2012 report that criticized the broad discretion of Jefferson Parish politicians to grant professional and service contracts.

BGR's proposal is a more drastic change than contracting recommendations stalled in the Parish Council. Councilman Chris Roberts authored an ordinance that would limit the council to awarding contracts to any of the top three or top five firms in parish evaluations, depending on how many companies submit offers. Roberts' proposal also seeks to reduce the executive's influence, by removing appointed parish directors from parish evaluation committees. At the urging of Parish President John Young, the ordinance also includes a requirement that price be included in the criteria to evaluate vendors' proposals.

But even Roberts' ordinance has run into opposition. The Greater New Orleans Black Chamber of Commerce has said restrictions limiting the council's discretion would hurt small and minority-owned businesses. In addition, Councilman Mark Spears has indicated he would not want to limit the council's ability to pick contractors.

At Spears' request, the council last month postponed a vote on Roberts' ordinance until September, so that it can work out a compromise on the measure.

Gov. Bobby Jindal has reappointed Jim Besselman of Metairie and newly appointed Frank Quinn of Jefferson to the board that governs the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. The Exhibition Hall Authority is composed of three members selected by the mayor of New Orleans and nine picked by the governor. Besselman is owner and president of Ernst...

Gov. Bobby Jindal has reappointed Jim Besselman of Metairie and newly appointed Frank Quinn of Jefferson to the board that governs the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. The Exhibition Hall Authority is composed of three members selected by the mayor of New Orleans and nine picked by the governor.

Besselman is owner and president of Ernst Café and the principle owner of Besselman & Little insurance agency. Quinn is general manager of the Riverwalk in downtown New Orleans.

The Vieux Carre Commission's Architectural Review Committee will discuss the following issues today at its 1:30 p.m. meeting:

The Vieux Carre Commission's Architectural Review Committee will discuss the following issues today at its 1:30 p.m. meeting:

• The renovation of a ground floor warehouse at 826-40 Bienville St. from a commercial loading dock to seven residential apartments. The Canal Street Development Corporation is the owner and Historic Restoration is the applicant.

• The renovation of 510-16 and 518-22 Bienville St. from office to residential. The owner is 516 Bienville St. Development LLC and architect Kirk Fabacher is the applicant.

• The renovation of 208 Bienville St. from a vacant building to a mixed-use project with commercial and residential space. Construction will include structural repairs, the addition of mechanical equipment, a rooftop penthouse with terrace, and new millwork. The owner is 208 Bienville St. Development LLC and the applicant is architect Tim Terrell.

• The revised architectural plans for Habana Outpost, a proposed Cuban restaurant that will occupy two currently vacant buildings at 1040 Esplanade Ave. and 1310 N. Rampart St. The project also includes the conversion of the first floor of 1036 Esplanade Ave., currently empty, into a art gallery. The owner is Esplanade NOLA LLC and the applicant is architect John Williams.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Advocates for the elderly. Parents of disabled children. Supporters of a breast cancer screening program. Parish emergency officials. Victims of domestic violence. They were among those who filled a House committee room Tuesday to ask lawmakers to stop cuts to their programs and services, as proposed in Gov. Bobby Jindal's budget for the fiscal...

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Advocates for the elderly. Parents of disabled children. Supporters of a breast cancer screening program. Parish emergency officials. Victims of domestic violence. They were among those who filled a House committee room Tuesday to ask lawmakers to stop cuts to their programs and services, as proposed in Gov. Bobby Jindal's budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Victoria Howes, of Covington, pleaded for a program that helps elderly citizens apply for and learn about programs that offer rebates and discounts on medications. She said she uses it to afford 19 medications for seizures and breathing treatments, among other ailments.

Jindal's budget would shutter nine resource centers and the entire SenioRx program in the Office of Elderly Affairs for an expected $1.1 million in savings.

"You're never lied to or turned away, and you're never disappointed," said Howes, sitting in a wheelchair with an American flag attached to it. "I'm begging you to keep SenioRx open and to help me and help thousands of others."

Over a decade, the program is estimated to have helped more than 91,000 elderly and disabled people save more than $145 million on more than 1.2 million prescriptions, according to a House financial analysis.

"You're getting a lot back for the money you're investing in this program," said Shannon Broussard, director of the Cajun Area Agency on Aging in Lafayette. "In order for us to all of a sudden just stop these services, you're really going to impact these individuals."

The Jindal administration says similar services are offered in other health care clinics, by the state health department and through community-based nonprofits.

Beryl Mitchell, SeniorRx coordinator at the Capital Area Agency on Aging, described that as a misconception, saying many people will have no access to services if the program closes.

Several people asked House members to reconsider slashing another $1.4 million to domestic violence services, on top of a $1 million cut enacted earlier this year to a program that had previously spent more than $6 million on domestic violence programs, like emergency shelters. They said the reductions could shutter shelters that rely on the money.

"These families and these children, they need support. They need a place to go," said Kimberly Clement, with the Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

The testimony was part of a full day set aside for the House Appropriations Committee to hear from the general public about the 2013-14 budget. The committee will make changes to Jindal's proposal before advancing a proposal to the full House for debate.

"I want you to know how important it is for you to be here and to continue to share with us the real, live testimony from around the state," Appropriations Chairman Jim Fannin, D-Jonesboro, told the people who showed up.

Andrew Muhl with the American Cancer Society said the governor's budget would strip $700,000 in state funding for a breast and cervical cancer program that offers screening and treatment to thousands of women each year who can't afford doctor visits.

"Please restore this program and do what's right for the state of Louisiana," Muhl said.

Meanwhile, local emergency preparedness directors objected to a more than $2 million cut proposed to grants for local homeland security efforts.

"My biggest fear is when we cut budgets to our departments that we're going back to pre-Katrina levels, which we just cannot afford to do," said Jerry Sneed, director for New Orleans' emergency preparedness office.

Not everyone was seeking to reverse proposed cuts.

Family members of developmentally disabled children who need around-the-clock care urged committee members to consider adding $4 million to include 200 more people in a program that pays for at-home and community-based care for the disabled, saying 10,000 people are on a waiting list for services.

Louisiana state senators at a committee meeting on Tuesday expressed concern over Gov. Bobby Jindal's refusal to opt into a massive federal health care overhaul, while administration officials said they would not "entertain" a model now being considered by the Arkansas Legislature. The Jindal administration has repeatedly held its ground on refusing the 2014 Medicaid expansion as part of...

Louisiana state senators at a committee meeting on Tuesday expressed concern over Gov. Bobby Jindal's refusal to opt into a massive federal health care overhaul, while administration officials said they would not "entertain" a model now being considered by the Arkansas Legislature.

The Jindal administration has repeatedly held its ground on refusing the 2014 Medicaid expansion as part of the Affordable Care Act, saying the federal health system is a "one-size-fits-all" program that has little consumer engagement or responsibility. The Medicaid expansion would extend health care benefits to anyone earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty line and the federal government will cover the full cost of the expansion for the first three years.

Five lawmakers have filed bills that would require the state to conform to the standards set by the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, by Jan. 1, 2014.

Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals Interim Secretary Kathy Kliebert reiterated the administration's stance at the committee meeting, which was intended to discuss other options for the expansion, including a proposal from the Arkansas Legislature. "One of the major reasons for not expanding is the uncertainty," Kliebert said.

The Senate Health and Welfare Committee heard testimony from Ray Hanley, president and CEO of the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care, who called in to the meeting to discuss Arkansas' expansion plan.

Hanley said Arkansas has proposed legislation that would use the federal dollars to finance private insurance programs. The plan was proposed because Republicans control both chambers of the Arkansas Legislature and it was unlikely they would opt into the federal expansion, he said.

"You can actually, I think correctly, state the expansion is the anti-Obamacare to the extent it mitigates harmful things that are otherwise going to happen if you don't do this expansion," Hanley said.

Kliebert said the Jindal administration will not be duplicating Arkansas' plan. When Sen. Fred Mills, R-St. Martinville, asked her if the department was looking into similar options, Kleibert said the plan wasn't a "silver bullet."

"Yes, we have looked at it and no, we are not entertaining it. And the reason we're not is because it's really not a silver bullet," Kliebert said. While she said some aspects of the proposal "sound good," Kliebert reminded the committee that the Arkansas proposal had not yet been approved by the federal government and the plan might not provide the flexibility the Jindal administration wants.

Kliebert and Jindal have said the expansion could cost the state $1.7 billion in the first 10 years while forcing 248,000 residents out of private coverage and into the Medicaid rolls. Other estimates, including previous comments from Jindal administration officials, have pegged the cost at about $1 billion over 10 years.

Sen. Yvonne Dorsey-Colomb, D-Baton Rouge, said she was troubled by the figures Kliebert put forward and, responding to assertions that accepting the expansion would be risky, argued that everything in health care is a gamble.

"So we'd rather risk people's lives than their health care, people that cannot afford anything. People that are poor and old and underprivileged and cannot afford anything, you'd rather risk lives and health and people that are citizens that pay taxes through some form or fashion, you'd rather risk that," Dorsey-Colomb said.

Sen. Dan Claitor said he has heard from constituents who are asking why the state is rejecting federal dollars, and he expressed frustration about the administration's refusal to consider other options. "Arkansas seems to be at least attempting to thread the needle and get where they need to be," Claitor, R-Baton Rouge, said.

The Louisiana Hospital Association came out in favor the Medicaid expansion Tuesday, and said they support "strong coverage for all uninsured Louisianans."

"While it is critically important for Louisiana to take advantage of the significant federal resources available to expand health care coverage, such an expansion must be done in a thoughtful manner. Louisiana has its own set of issues; a 'one size fits all' approach toward Medicaid expansion is not necessarily the best course for our state," the association said in a statement.

Dorsey-Colomb said it doesn't make sense for the state to reject federal dollars when Louisiana has already had to slash its public hospital safety net to compensate for shrinking budgets. "You understand why I'm not convinced and why other people aren't convinced as we close hospitals and close clinics and all that stuff, and then we decide to not take the money or even consider taking the money," Colomb said. 

Also on Tuesday, the Louisiana State Medical Society came out against the Medicaid expansion. "Simply expanding Medicaid eligibility to individuals with income levels at or below 138 percent of the federal poverty level would add thousands of patients into a system plagued with inefficiency and facing regular budget shortfalls," Executive Vice President and CEO Jeff Williams said in a statement. 

WASHINGTON  -- The U.S. Postal Service says it will delay plans to cut Saturday mail delivery because Congress isn't allowing the change. The Postal Service said in February that it planned to cut back in August to five-day-a-week deliveries for everything except packages, as a way to hold down losses. But a statement Wednesday from agency's Board of Governors...

WASHINGTON  -- The U.S. Postal Service says it will delay plans to cut Saturday mail delivery because Congress isn't allowing the change.

The Postal Service said in February that it planned to cut back in August to five-day-a-week deliveries for everything except packages, as a way to hold down losses.

But a statement Wednesday from agency's Board of Governors notes that Congress has passed a spending bill that continues the long-time prohibition against reducing delivery days.

As a result, the board says it believe that Congress "has left it with no choice but to delay implementation" of the five-day-a-week plan.

Business and civic leader Jack Stumpf has been elected president of the West Jefferson Medical Center Foundation. Members also elected Karen Ward as vice president and Steve Brown as secretary-treasurer. Trustees elected for 2013 include new member, Charles Frederick of Boomtown Casino, Harvey; past president Garey Alimia; Jean Kass Connick; Charles G. Jones; Woody Oge; Stanton Salathe; Judy Sullivan; Mike...

Business and civic leader Jack Stumpf has been elected president of the West Jefferson Medical Center Foundation. Members also elected Karen Ward as vice president and Steve Brown as secretary-treasurer.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Jack Stumpf  

The nonprofit foundation was created in 2004 to serve as the hospital's philanthropic entity. It has supported a number of initiatives including adult day care,  women's services and the new Cancer Center. It also operates the Care House, which provides free lodging to the families of patients in the hospital's critical care unit.

Stumpf, a commercial Realtor, has served in a number of civic and business groups, including Friends of Jefferson the Beautiful, the Jefferson Business Council, the Westbank Rotary Club, the Harvey Canal Industrial Association and the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce.

Saying that its condition presents a safety and quality-of-life issue, Gretna officials could ask the national parent of Burger King to evaluate the local franchise's condition in light of complaints from residents and officials. Councilwoman Raylyn Beevers, whose district includes the restaurant, will ask the City Council at its meeting Wednesday (April 10) to direct Mayor Ronnie Harris to...

Saying that its condition presents a safety and quality-of-life issue, Gretna officials could ask the national parent of Burger King to evaluate the local franchise's condition in light of complaints from residents and officials. Councilwoman Raylyn Beevers, whose district includes the restaurant, will ask the City Council at its meeting Wednesday (April 10) to direct Mayor Ronnie Harris to make the request.

The fast-food store is located on the south side of the West Bank Expressway and Willow Street, the entrance to Garden Park Estates and the city's recently rebuilt library.

Beevers said she has long worked to get businesses along that portion of the expressway to improve their appearance. Most have responded, with the exception of Burger King, she said.

"Nothing has come to pass,'' Beevers said. "Even people as far away as Harvey and Marrero have complained about the Burger King.''

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Burger King's parking lot has holes and dips and is poorly lit, Councilwoman Raylyn Beevers said. In addition, the police and public works crews have been called to remove the concrete wheel stops from Willow Street, the entrance to Garden Park Estates. Andrea Shaw NOLA.com|The Times-Picayune  

The restaurant is poorly lit at night, with some potential patrons questioning whether it is open for business, she said. Its parking lot is full of divots and holes and the concrete wheel stops in the parking lot have ended up in the street.

"Police and public works come and pick them up,'' she said.

Beevers said she and Harris have met with the store manager as recently as last fall.

"We explained the problems we had because of city safety,'' she said of the wheel stops ending up in the street.

"I don't want to lose the Burger King. I want to try to be a good neighbor and work with them.''

A manager referred questions to district manager Simon Watson. He could not be reached late Wednesday.

The City Council meets at 5:30 p.m. at Gretna City Hall, Second Street and Huey P. Long Avenue.

The Vieux Carre Commission's Architectural Review Committee recommended approval of three major French Quarter projects at its meeting Tuesday. The commission is expected to consider each for final approval April 16. The three projects are: --The renovation of a ground floor warehouse at 826-40 Bienville St., owned by the Canal Street Development Corporation, from a commercial loading dock to...

The Vieux Carre Commission's Architectural Review Committee recommended approval of three major French Quarter projects at its meeting Tuesday. The commission is expected to consider each for final approval April 16.

The three projects are:

--The renovation of a ground floor warehouse at 826-40 Bienville St., owned by the Canal Street Development Corporation, from a commercial loading dock to seven residential apartments.

--The renovation of properties at 510-16 and 518-22 Bienville St., owned by 516 Bienville St. Development LLC, from office to residential.

--The renovation of 208 Bienville St., 208 Bienville St. Development LLC, from a vacant building to a mixed-use project with commercial and residential space. Construction will include structural repairs, the addition of mechanical equipment, a rooftop penthouse with terrace and new millwork.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Concerns about next year's budget continued to pour in Wednesday to the House Appropriations Committee, which took a second day of testimony from the public about Gov. Bobby Jindal's spending proposals. Robert Aguilar, a board member for the Louisiana Assistive Technology Access Network, or LATAN, asked lawmakers to provide money for the program that...

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Concerns about next year's budget continued to pour in Wednesday to the House Appropriations Committee, which took a second day of testimony from the public about Gov. Bobby Jindal's spending proposals. Robert Aguilar, a board member for the Louisiana Assistive Technology Access Network, or LATAN, asked lawmakers to provide money for the program that works with disabled people to find technology that can help them work, study or cope with daily life.

Food banks sought money for their assistance programs.

Charles Castille, a former health department administrator representing the Louisiana Rural Hospital Coalition, said a proposal to shrink $24 million in payments to the rural hospitals for uninsured care could force some facilities to close.

"The impact would be devastating," he told the Appropriations Committee.

Jill Kidder, co-executive director of the Louisiana Travel Promotion Association, asked lawmakers to stop using dollars in the lieutenant governor's office that are supposed to pay for tourism marketing to instead cover the state's costs of hosting events like the Essence Festival, the Special Olympics and the Independence Bowl.

She said the dollars should be used for advertising, to attract visitors -- and their tax dollars -- to the state.

"Louisiana is a strong draw, but people go where advertising takes them," Kidder said.

The Appropriations Committee is deciding how to craft the 2013-14 budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 and will make changes to Jindal's proposal (House Bill 1) before sending the budget to the full House for debate.

The St. Bernard Parish Housing, Redevelopment and Quality of Life Commission on Wednesday held a hearing to get several parish businesses into compliance with new signage requirements. The commission also discussed a possible program whereby property owners could swap their lots for others on the market that are of equal value. Commission members also talked about a potential "parade...

The St. Bernard Parish Housing, Redevelopment and Quality of Life Commission on Wednesday held a hearing to get several parish businesses into compliance with new signage requirements. The commission also discussed a possible program whereby property owners could swap their lots for others on the market that are of equal value.

Commission members also talked about a potential "parade of homes," where developers would be given lots to develop homes that could showcase remaining Hurricane Katrina lots.

The parish initially cited about 155 properties, mainly for signs that had been in disrepair since Katrina, but since then, only about 35 businesses remain in noncompliance. In part, the sign regulations state that if a sign has been abandoned for more than 100 days, it must adhere to new parish beautification rules.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. St. Bernard Parish in 2008, with a still-typical landscape of empty lots. The parish is still working to rebuild its infrastructure and population after the 2005 hurricane. Michael DeMocker, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune archive  

The new regulations can be viewed by clicking here, and scrolling to Section 22-7-4.5,"Dimensions, conditions, and restrictions for sign types."

"To me, the abandonment of signs is a sign of the lack of concern of a community," said Polly Campbell, one of the commission members. "We must change the way that they look so they are attractive and add to the value of St. Bernard Parish."

The move comes as parish government and various committees and commissions are trying to find ways to attract new residents and businesses to the parish.

Before Katrina and the levee breaks laid waste to most of St. Bernard in 2005, the parish had about 65,000 residents. Now, the parish population is estimated at about 40,000. That about 38 percent decrease has not only led to spotty housing and abandoned businesses, but also to a decreased tax base, and thus decreased financing for government programs.

What do with the empty lots that still dot the parish is another major question on the commission's agenda. Former St. Bernard Parish President Charlie Ponstein, who recently joined the commission, suggested on Tuesday that the parish introduce a swap program. The thought, in part, is that someone might be willing to exchange a lot in one area of the parish for a more preferable lot of equal value.

"Mr. Ponstein and I have been discussing this for the past couple of weeks," said parish Chief Administrative Officer Jerry Graves, who also sits on the commission. "I'm willing to draft an amendment to the distribution plan that addresses this process and present it at the next HRQL commission meeting."

Another commission member, Earl Dauterive, suggested that the plan also might free up lots in flood-prone areas that could then be donated to the Lake Borgne Levee District. "I can tell you now, the way flood insurance rates are, in the northern part of our parish, flood rates are going to go up enormously," Dauterive said, referring to the impending flood map changes. "So, I think it behooves us to allow people to swap for economic reasons as there are going to be certain parts of our parish that are going to be deemed nonbuildable for economic reasons.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. FEMA's Proposed New St. Bernard Parish Flood Map

"The flood insurance program will make some of these houses in the floodplain, in what they consider the floodplain, unsellable," he said. "I think (the land swap idea) is a no-brainer. People are going to want to swap their lots."

The parade of homes idea, giving lots to developers to build "model homes," likely would involve several areas across the parish, said Dauterive, who said he will draft a plan on specifics to present to the commission.

"St. Bernard I believe right now is very ripe for an influx of people, because every day there are people moving from Braithwaite up, there are people ready to leave New Orleans because of crime, and there are people looking to move to St. Bernard who left" after Katrina, he said.

In speaking of Braithwaite, Dauterive was referring to many of Plaquemines Parish's east bank residents who have decided to move behind St. Bernard's more substantial levee protection system after the devastation that befell them last August during Hurricane Isaac.

WASHINGTON -- Last month, Sens. David Vitter, R-La., and Barbara Boxer, D-Ca., warmly praised each other as they worked cooperatively to produce a water resources bill for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Still, both acknowledged there were going to be issues in which they wouldn't be able to work well together.  Such a time appears at hand, with...

WASHINGTON -- Last month, Sens. David Vitter, R-La., and Barbara Boxer, D-Ca., warmly praised each other as they worked cooperatively to produce a water resources bill for the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Still, both acknowledged there were going to be issues in which they wouldn't be able to work well together.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., is raising questions about EPA nominee Gina McCarthy. Harry Hamburg, The Associated Press archive

 Such a time appears at hand, with the panel holding a hearing Thursday for President Barack Obama's nomination of Gina McCarthy, to be administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

McCarthy, the agency's current assistant administrator, has been a major player for an agency that, according to Vitter, the committee's top Republican, has imposed unreasonable regulations and failed to deliver the transparency promised by President Barack Obama.

On the eve of her Thursday confirmation hearing, Boxer, the committee chairwoman, expressed concern that Republicans, led by GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, are attacking her even before she has a chance to explain her vision for the agency.

"This attack on Gina McCarthy is inexplicable given that she was previously confirmed by the Senate for a top EPA position without a single recorded 'no' vote, and she is one of the most qualified and bipartisan nominees to ever come before the Senate," Boxer said.

Boxer said that McCarthy served four Republican Governors in various capacities and that the agency's efforts to produce clean air has 80 percent from the public.

But Vitter and other Republicans on the Environment and Public Works Committee sent a letter to McCarthy Wednesday raising allegations that EPA remains "entrenched in a process of secrecy."

Among the five specific issues raised by the senators : their demand that the agency release data used to promulgate Clean Air Act rules so "the public can independently examine cost-benefit and other issues." It said EPA's response has been "wholly unresponsive."

"For too long," the letter said, "EPA has failed to deliver on the promises of transparency espoused by President Barack Obama, former Administrator Lisa Jackson (a New Orleans native) and by you."

A coalition of McCarthy supporters, many of them environmentalists, put out a news release Wednesday suggesting that Vitter is being hard on McCarthy because he has been a big recipient of contributions from the oil and gas industry, which opposes environmental regulations. It also describes Vitter as a skeptic of global warming despite what they say is overwhelming support for the theory from scientists.

Vitter maintains his tough questioning of McCarthy is based on his view that overly broad regulations by EPA can cost jobs and hold back economic recovery.

Even while praising Vitter during committee action on the water resources bill for his hard work and commitment to bipartisanship, Boxer predicted there would be days when that cooperation wouldn't be possible.

"We recognize where we can work together beautifully, where we see the world the same way," Boxer said. "We recognize where we don't. Instead of wasting time and energy on things that we can't do, we'll get to those issues. But we're very honest about it. These issues of infrastructure, whether it's a liberal or conservative - it brings us together."

• The first gathering of the East Bank Carnival Parade Advisory Committee raised concerns about inconveniencing Old Metairie residents and where to put reviewing stands and portable toilets if some parades move to Metairie Road. Read the recaps from WVUE, WWL television and WGNO. 
• The Jefferson Parish Planning Advisory Board meets Thursday at 5 p.m. in Gretna. The agenda has five West Jefferson cases, including a Race Trac convenience store at Belle Chasse Highway and Dale Avenue and the Wicked Needles tattoo parlor at 1901 Manhattan Blvd.

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Mary Landrieu's re-election campaign reported Thursday that it raised $1.2 million during the first quarter of 2013, leaving the three-term Democrat with $3.46 million in available cash for her 2014 race.  Landrieu's campaign reported that two prominent Republicans are helping her raise money, shipbuilder Boysie Bollinger and real estate investor Joe Canizaro. The campaign of former...

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Mary Landrieu's re-election campaign reported Thursday that it raised $1.2 million during the first quarter of 2013, leaving the three-term Democrat with $3.46 million in available cash for her 2014 race.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Sen. Mary Landrieu and Rep. Bill Cassidy NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune archive

 Landrieu's campaign reported that two prominent Republicans are helping her raise money, shipbuilder Boysie Bollinger and real estate investor Joe Canizaro.

The campaign of former Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, who announced his candidacy for the Senate last week, earlier announced he had raised $500,000 during the first three months of the year.

Detailed campaign reports are due next week.

Bollinger, who once served as Louisiana Republican chairman, said in a statement that "people know that at the end of the day, Mary always fights for our state."

"For me and many Louisianans, that's more important than anything else," said Bollinger, who operates Bollinger Shipyards in Lockport.

Landrieu, a Democrat in a state that has trended more Republican and conservative, is expected to face a difficult re-election bid in 2014 for what would be a 4th, six-year term.

In recent days, Rep. John Fleming, R-Minden, has said he won't enter the Senate race, and former Rep. Jeff Landry, R-New Iberia, has said he'll likely be busy raising money for his new conservative Super political action committee. Chas Roemer, son of former Gov. Buddy Roemer, is another potential GOP challenger, as is Tony Perkins, head of the socially conservative Family Research Council.

Cassidy responded with this comment:

"Apparently some Republicans support Mary Landrieu despite her voting with Barack Obama 97% of the time," Cassidy said. "Since a majority of Louisianans believe the policies of the last four years have us headed in the wrong direction, I am running for Senate to give those voters a clear choice and a different direction for Louisiana and America."

Landrieu maintains that she is one of the most independent Democrats, breaking with the president and fellow Democrats on proposals for higher oil and gas taxes, underfunding for the Army Corps of Engineers, among other issues.

"I have a proven record of fighting and winning for Louisiana, and I'm confident in the broad and deep support I have statewide." Landrieu said. "As the 113th Congress continues, I look forward to working with my colleagues to move toward a balanced solution to our budget challenges--one that protects and expands the middle class and achieves our goal of $4 trillion in deficit reduction during the next decade."

WASHINGTON -- Sen. David Vitter, R-La., criticized the Environmental Protection Agency Thursday for what he called a climate of secrecy, asking President Barack Obama's nominee to run the agency for assurances of greater transparency.  "I am concerned that the central functions of the agency have been obfuscated by ideology, frustrated by a severe lack of transparency, undermined by science...

WASHINGTON -- Sen. David Vitter, R-La., criticized the Environmental Protection Agency Thursday for what he called a climate of secrecy, asking President Barack Obama's nominee to run the agency for assurances of greater transparency.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., wants more transparency at EPA. Alex Brandon, The Associated Press

 "I am concerned that the central functions of the agency have been obfuscated by ideology, frustrated by a severe lack of transparency, undermined by science the agency keeps hidden, and implemented without regard for economic consequences," Vitter said at the confirmation hearing for Gina McCarthy, currently EPA's assistant administrator. Vitter is the top Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.

McCarthy said she's committed to "keep my door and my mind open, and look forward to working closely with all members of this committee as well as stakeholders, businesses and communities across the country."

Under questioning by Vitter, McCarthy, who served four Republican governors as a state government administrator, denied that she had ever used a personal email account to keep EPA business from Freedom of Information requests. Vitter also asked McCarthy whether she had used instant messaging (IM), which he says the current acting administrator has singled out as a problem because such messages are quickly deleted.

"One good thing about being 58 is that I don't' even know how to use IM," McCarthy responded.

After the hearing, Vitter didn't reveal how he'll vote on McCarthy's confirmation, but seemed pleased with her promises of more transparency.

"McCarthy did make some promises today like providing cost-benefit analysis for rulemaking and producing the data behind EPA's science, which has long been kept a secret, and I intend to follow up with her immediately," Vitter said. "We still have a lot of unanswered questions, and while she did acknowledge the EPA's horrible transparency record, acknowledgement doesn't equal action. The days of the EPA claiming benefits from extremely costly regulations and just saying 'trust us,' desperately need to come to an end."

Democrats on the panel defended the EPA and praised McCarthy for her role in EPA's 2009 finding that carbon emissions endangered public health, which is the basis for the agency's regulatory role in controlling carbon emissions and climate change.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said that senators on the panel have to decide whether to accept the arguments of some Republicans that climate change is a hoax or the views of leading scientists who are "telling us that global warming is the most serious planetary crisis that we in the global community face, and that we're going to face this crisis in a serious manner."

McCarthy said she is committed to working on solutions for global warming, but doing so in a common sense way that doesn't cause major disruptions to the U.S. economy.

Vitter won some backing for his chargers of EPA secrecy from the Society of Environmental Journalists - 1,350 reporters and editors who specialize in environmental coverage. The group issued a statement that said reporters face substantial hurdles getting their questions answered about air pollution, water quality, oil and gas operations and other issues.

During the hearing, Committee Chairwoman Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said that EPA under former administrator Lisa Jackson, a New Orleans, native wasn't the only agency management team that used faux email addresses. Jackson used the email address, Richard Windsor, but Boxer said Deputy Administrator Marcus Peacock during the George W. Bush administration used the address: tofu@epa.gov.

That prompted Vitter to say that of all the faux names he's heard from EPA email accounts, "I personally vote for tofu. I think that is even more on the mark," than Windsor, said Vitter, noting that some had likened Windsor to royalty that doesn't need to be responsive.

McCarthy said she didn't use personal or fake email addresses to communicate with staff.

About tofu, she said, "I'm a meat eater."

• Two contrasting views are offered on Kenner Mayor Mike Yenni's first community meeting on his $47 million plan to refinance municipal debt and 10-part package of improvements for major thoroughfares. The administration's take is predictably warm, blogger Walt Bennetti's reliably negative.
• Over at the Library Chronicles, blogger "jeffrey" mulls East Jefferson's debate over changing the Mardi Gras parade route, seeing it as a sign of Metairie Carnival's  "identity crisis. It is less popular and less sure of itself that it has been in decades, and this is a direct reflection of the decline of the suburban ideal writ large."
• On the topic of parade standards, Sheriff Newell Normand told WGNO: "If you're not strong enough financially, you're not strong enough as a krewe to meet the minimum requirements, you have no business parading. If you don't meet the minimum requirements by the deadlines that are imposed by the parish ordinance, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office is not going to be on the street."
• The Fat City food truck festival, an effort to inject new life into Metairie's former nightlife district, is set Monday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Location: 18th Street and Edenborn Avenue.

According to staffers for Sen. David Vitter, R-La., a banking representative invited to take a look at draft bank legislation by the Louisiana senator and Democrat Sherrod Brown of Ohio, leaked the details. The bill is intended to reduce the risk to taxpayers from mega banks by requiring them to maintain higher levels of capital. Vitter and Brown call...

According to staffers for Sen. David Vitter, R-La., a banking representative invited to take a look at draft bank legislation by the Louisiana senator and Democrat Sherrod Brown of Ohio, leaked the details. The bill is intended to reduce the risk to taxpayers from mega banks by requiring them to maintain higher levels of capital. Vitter and Brown call them "too-big-to-fail banks" because they are so large that their failure could tank the national economy, pressuring government to provide bailouts.

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., is working on a bill to force big banks to maintain higher levels of capital. Harry Hamburg, AP archive

Sure enough, after the information was leaked, the proposal got a negative assessment from Rob Nichols, the Financial Services Forum's chief executive officer. "Raising required capital to comically high levels will severely restrict banks' ability to lend to businesses and job creators," he said.

But the details about the bill prompted Bloomberg editors to write an editorial in which they rejected Nichols' gloom and doom projections. "It would be more accurate to say the current level of equity at the largest U.S. banks is comically low," last week's Bloomberg editorial said. "The typical U.S. enterprise has equity of about 70 percent of assets."

The New York Times also did a favorable blog on on the legislation, which would require large banks to keep more cash on hand to avoid a repeat of the 2008-09 bank collapse that tanked the economy and led to huge federal bailouts. There's no word when Vitter and Brown will release their final legislation. Prospects for passage are uncertain.

A reason to be grateful

Former Louisiana Republican Party Chairman Boysie Bollinger has a good reason for breaking with his party and backing Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu for re-election in 2014.

Landrieu helped enact legislation to speed work at Bollinger Shipyards on fast response cutters. Her efforts came at the same time that the Coast Guard was seeking to recoup millions of dollars from the Lockport shipyard for producing "unseaworthy and unusable" deep-water cutters.

Landrieu has said Bollinger employs a highly skilled workforce that has performed well for the Coast Guard. Doing the work more quickly on the fast response cutters, she said, would produce efficiencies that will save taxpayers $30 million. She said the project provides hundreds of well-paying jobs.

In announcing this week that he and fellow Republican fundraiser Joe Canizaro are helping Landrieu raise money for her 2014 campaign bid, Bollinger said, "People know that at the end of the day, Mary always fights for our state." Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, has announced that he will challenge Landrieu in the 2014 Louisiana Senate race.

White House honors 2 Louisiana residents for climate change work

On Thursday, the White House honored two Louisiana residents for helping prepare their communities for climate change. Given Champions of Change awards were 12 people, including Patrick Barnes of New Orleans and Orlando, Fla., and Rebecca Templeton of Thibodaux. Since Hurricane Katrina, Barnes, president and CEO of BFA Environmental, has taught entry-level job skills and certifications to more than 300 at-risk young adults who are now qualified to work as environmental technicians, helping make their communities less vulnerable to climate change.

Templeton, executive director of Bayou Grace Community Services, mobilizes residents to help combat Louisiana's coastal land loss by promoting restoration efforts. Nancy Sutley, chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, said it's important to recognize those "who are doing smart, innovative work to protect the health, safety and prosperity of their communities in the face of climate change."

Vitter gets a well-done from ASPCA

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) put out a "well done" mention for Sen. David Vitter, R-La., and three other senators for reintroducing legislation to strengthen laws against animal fighting. Their bill would make it a federal offense to attend an organized animal fight, and would impose additional penalties for bringing a minor to an animal fight.

In 2008, Louisiana became one of the last states to ban cockfighting after strong pressure from the ASPCA and politicians, including Vitter. "Animal fights are cruel and gruesome spectacles conducted solely for profit and entertainment," said Nancy Perry, senior vice president of ASPCA government relations. "A host of other dangerous and illegal activities are frequently associated with animal fighting, including drugs, weapons, and gambling, and this measure would help law enforcement pursue the spectators who drive the market for animal fighting."

White House backs Landrieu ban on horse slaughter

Speaking of allegations of animal cruelty, the White House last week, via President Barack Obama's 2014 budget, endorsed efforts by Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., to ban using tax dollars for federal inspections of horse slaughtering plants.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it has received at least six applications to open horse slaughtering processing plants, and must approve at least one of them, unless Congress bans the inspections.

Landrieu had proposed legislation to do exactly that. Landrieu says the process is inherently cruel to horses, and that horse meat can be dangerous because many of the animals are administered drugs banned for human use.

Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, said: "It's a fool's errand to inspect tainted horse meat, and this administration is wise to reject that path and to embrace the idea, even indirectly, that horses belong in the stable and not on the table."

Without inspections from the Department of Agriculture, the domestic horse meat industry would be unable to open processing plants.