WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) today issued the following statement regarding the Administration’s Gulf Coast Recovery Plan unveiled by Navy Secretary Ray Mabus:

“This study is one of the many proposals Congress will be reviewing to determine a path forward to assist the Gulf Coast in ongoing recovery efforts.  We need to make sure that the states lead the restoration efforts of the coast and build resiliency for future natural or man-made disasters.  Any action done in Washington should not interfere with our local and state governments.  Mississippians do not want more government bureaucracy and unnecessary funding conditions that would burden our rebuilding efforts.  I will work with my colleagues to help streamline this recovery process, utilize existing federal and state partnerships, and make sure funding benefits those directly impacted by the BP oil spill.”

Senator Wicker participated in a conference call late Monday evening with Secretary Mabus and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson for a briefing on the report.

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