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Letter to The Honorable Karen G. Mills Administrator Small Business Administration

Date: April 29, 2010
Location: Baton Rouge, LA
Issues: Business and Consumers Oil and Gas Environment

April 29, 2010

The Honorable Karen G. Mills
Administrator Small Business Administration
US Small Business Administration
409 3rd Street, SW
Washington, DC 20416

Dear Administrator Mills:

As Louisiana continues to address the impact of the April 20th Deepwater Horizon oil spill, I am writing to request your consideration of activating all appropriate Federal disaster declaration clauses within the Small Business Administration that would allow SBA to assist the many small businesses in Louisiana that are going to be impacted by this tragic event both on land and on the water. One specific request is that SBA consider temporarily suspending loan repayments for Louisiana coastal businesses that are impacted by the oil spill and those who have 2005 and 2008 SBA disaster and economic injury loans as a result of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Ike and Gustav.

Your early commitment to assistance by enacting these provisions will greatly aid our maritime related industries and provide assurances to our small businesses that economic recovery options are forthcoming while the clean-up work begins.

In coastal Louisiana our communities are driven by two primary industries that provide great benefit to the nation's commerce; oil and gas and commercial and recreational fishing. Both sectors are vital employers and important components of our parishes' economies and many are small businesses. As the 120-mile oil slick bears down on Louisiana and moves into State waters, we are working with our fisherman and local community leaders to quickly address the economic impact of the oil spill's effects.

The state is therefore requesting assistance via SBA to assist coastal businesses and communities that will have to address both the immediate and long-term financial impacts of this event. We look forward to working with you and ask that you enact the appropriate provisions within SBA so that we can begin the process of assuring businesses in our impacted coastal communities that economic and financial assistance that are needed can be counted on to help keep or return Louisiana businesses to commerce.

Sincerely,

Bobby Jindal
Governor


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