We left New Orleans the following day, driving east on I-10 toward Baton Rouge. For many miles, the turnpike rises high above low-lying wetlands. This is part of an area known as the Bonnet Carre Spillway, the emergency run-off for flood waters. Needless to say, the water was higher than normal.

As we spanned the miles of uninhabited marsh, the traffic thinned and I had a chance to think about what I had seen during our trip to New Orleans. The City had received a lethal strike from the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States. Months after Katrina and Rita, the citizens were still reeling from their effects. Reeling, but alive.

Many of my friends in Oklahoma had said, "Don’t rebuild New Orleans. It’s a waste of taxpayer money."

To this I say, "Ridiculous!"

Not just New Orleans, but the entire Gulf Coastal Region was affected by the worst hurricane season on record.. This region, extending from Florida to Texas, is the home of most of the nation’s refining capacity. Knock it out and the entire country grinds quickly to a halt. The Gulf of Mexico supplies 25 % of the nation’s oil and one third of its natural gas. Knock out this region and you may as well turn off the lights in the rest of the country. Houston and New Orleans are two of the largest seaports in the United States. Most of the nation’s coffee, for instance, enters the country through New Orleans.

Shut down the Gulf Coastal Region and America won’t even have a cup of java to sip while it ponders its lack of electricity.

http://www.ericwilder.com  http://energyissues.blogharbor.com