“…It’s a little after 12:30 p.m. at the Port of New Orleans. Gov. Bobby Jindal has assembled a room full of local parish leaders and high-ranking state officials to unveil a four-point plan for revitalizing the Louisiana coast in the aftermath of the oil spill. It’s bold, transformative, even inspirational. In the absence of federal leadership, Jindal is forging ahead, taking control of a desperate situation.
Jindal is full of energy and enthusiasm as he commands the meeting. He works through his four items, then delves back in for a second go-around to explain them in more detail…
When the oil started spewing from the Gulf of Mexico three months ago, Jindal set his team in motion. The state’s emergency response website serves as the go-to source for information on the spill. Since April 22, it’s had more than 300 updates on everything from recreational fishing to requests for federal help.
Information overload? Not for Jindal. He’s constantly consuming data. This is evident at the daily briefing he attends on the oil spill. He asks pointed questions about the status of the cleanup, pushing for more details about oil sightings and skimmers…
Jindal’s four-point plan won’t be easy to implement or execute. He wants to put in place an ambitious coastal restoration project to restore the ecosystem, get fishermen back on the water quickly, lift the federal government’s offshore drilling moratorium and hold BP accountable for damages to the environment…
Through it all, Jindal has remained upbeat and optimistic…
Unlike Hurricane Katrina, which captivated the nation for months and years, the cleanup probably won’t generate the same level of attention or sympathy with the oil no longer flowing…
That’s not lost on Jindal. His response to last week’s good news: It’s too early to declare victory. ‘We have been fighting a war against this oil for months now and we know our battles don’t end even when the well is capped,’ he said.
Then, doing what he does best, he shifted from straightforward chief executive to awe-inspiring leader with a compassionate heart and optimistic outlook.
‘I have no doubt that we will come back stronger than ever before from this disaster, just as we have done in our recovery from four devastating storms in three years,’ Jindal said. ‘It’s the perseverance of the people of Louisiana that will ensure our successful recovery and fully restore our Louisiana Way of Life.’
If Jindal has no doubt Louisiana will persevere, it would be foolish to doubt him.”
Robert Bluey directs the Center for Media & Public Policy at the Heritage Foundation.
