Access canals reduced the benefit of dozens of miles of wetlands between the city and the gulf.
Of course, that's not the oilmen's side of the controversy. It's the Nutria, the Nutria! they claim. (Nutria are imported South American rodents.) Supposedly they ate up the delta and that's the reason it's protection virtually disappeard, not 10,000 miles of unnatural canals.
See "Debate rages over role oil-gas industry has in Katrina disaster "
Usenet copy of report linked above
tags: new orleans katrina oil industry
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