SAMPLE LETTER TO OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS

REQUESTING TO ADD DAUPHIN ISLAND

The Honorable Jo Bonner                                                                                 United States House of Representatives                                                           2236 Rayburn House Office Building                                                                    Washington, DC 20515

The Honorable Jeff Sessions
United States Senate
335 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-0104

The Honorable Richard Shelby
United States Senate
335 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-0104

Dear: ________________

"On June 18, 2009, by a vote of 95 to 6, the Senate passed the $106 Billion War Supplemental appropriations bill, sending it to President Obama for signature.  The House passed a similar funding bill earlier in the week and the differences in language between the two chambers of Congress have been reconciled by conference committee.  The President should sign the bill into law during the last week of June.  The Mobile Press-Register and the Biloxi Sun Herald carried stories on this bill in their June 19 editions. 

An important feature of the funding bill is that it contains a provision to make available  $439,000,000 to strengthen Mississippi's barrier islands (i.e., Petit Bois, Horn, and ShipIslands).  That work will be done at 100% federal expense.  What is significantly left out of this appropriation is DauphinIsland.  DauphinIsland is not included in the restoration work even though it suffers from the same erosion problems that are affecting the MississippiIslands.  In fact, DauphinIsland is the lead barrier island in the chain of four barrier islands that collectively form Mississippi Sound.  To date, none of our elected representatives seem to understand that a weakened DauphinIsland will have long term adverse consequences on the Alabama coast line as well as the Mississippi barrier islands.

Less than 5 miles separate DauphinIsland from PetitBoisIsland.   While no restoration work will be performed on DauphinIsland under the new law, 4,000,000 cubic yards of sand are proposed to be taken from Alabama sources for use in repairing PetitBoisIsland’s erosion problems.  It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever that three barrier islands on Mississippi’s coast are included in this restoration effort, while Alabama’s only barrier island continues to be forgotten by our Congressional leaders as it erodes away, creating ecosystem problems that will  eventually have to be addressed in the future and at much greater costs.  One only has to look at the scope of the coastal restoration work that is underway in Louisiana to understand the eventual costs that will be incurred if attention is not placed on DauphinIsland now. 

We need much more aggressive action by Alabama’s elected representatives in Congress to include DauphinIsland in the Mississippi Barrier Island Restoration process.  I respectfully ask that you seek out and find a way for a portion of the $439,000,000 to be directed to address DauphinIsland’s erosion problems.  A stable DauphinIsland will benefit Alabama’s southwest coastal mainland communities; oystermen and other workers in our local seafood industry; recreational fishermen; and the valuable coastal recreation assets that are important to the MobileCounty economy.  We must make our Mississippi neighbors realize that including DauphinIsland in the Mississippi Sound barrier island restoration work will pay dividends to them as well.

Sincerely,