The Times-Picayune - Editorial: RESTORE Act Is on a Roll

Op-Ed

By Unknown

The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to direct 80 percent of Clean Water Act fines from the BP oil spill to Gulf Coast states with the passage of its transportation spending bill, and that's a huge milestone for this critical measure.

The Senate amended its $109 billion transportation bill last week to include the Restore Act. The vote to add the provision was decisive -- 76 to 22 -- and so was Wednesday's 74-22 vote to adopt the bill. The Senate votes showed strong support for helping Louisiana and its Gulf Coast neighbors recover from the 2010 environ mental catastrophe.

Now, it's up to the House to ensure that the job gets done and the majority of fine money goes where the damage occurred -- Louisiana, Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and Texas.

House Speaker John Boehner said that he might bring the Senate version of the transportation bill up for a vote if he's unable to get a consensus on the House bill. That seems the surest path to success. The House also amended its transportation bill to direct 80 percent of the fines to the Gulf Coast. But that bill has been stalled by a dispute over an unrelated issue -- increases in domestic oil and gas exploration.

Rep. Steve Scalise, who sponsored the amendment on the House side, said that the speaker is determined to pass a transportation bill and get it signed by the president. A meeting Tuesday will determine which route House leadership will take, Rep. Scalise said.

It's encouraging to see the Restore Act continuing to gain momentum, especially in a political atmosphere that has made passing any legislation challenging. Rep. Scalise pointed to strong bipartisan support and cohesion in the Gulf Coast legislative delegations. Along with Rep. Scalise, Rep. Cedric Richmond, a Democrat, also played a key role in advancing the measure on the House side.

The Restore Act also benefited from what its Senate sponsor, Sen. Mary Landrieu, called an unusual coalition of environmental, business and citizen-advocacy groups, including Women of the Storm. "You do not get a Senate vote like we did without major help,'' she said.

Sen. David Vitter also praised the Senate vote. "Passing this bill with the Restore Act included is … a big, big win in the fight to save our coast,'' he said.

As recently as a few weeks ago, the legislation was thought to be in trouble. The fact that it passed the Senate and enjoys strong support from House leadership is a real victory.

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