R Street Institute

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Letters to the Tampa Tribune: Great promise

Dec 10, 2013
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issues: Conservation
originally published in Tampa Tribune
Regarding your editorial “Coming to the aid of the Gulf of Mexico” (Our Views, Dec. 5), you are absolutely correct that the RESTORE Act presents an exceptional opportunity for Florida and other Gulf Coast states to invest in projects and infrastructure that support the coast’s interconnected ecology and economy.

But this is just an opportunity — not a guarantee. To ensure that the funds are spent effectively and as intended, it is critical that the funds be allocated and spent in a fully transparent manner, with benefit-cost analyses posted online long before decisions are made. Further, funds must be spent effectively on public goods, not on pet projects and lining the pockets of special interests.

The RESTORE Act shows great promise for the Gulf of Mexico. Whether it delivers on that promise will be up to how it is implemented.

Daniel M. Rothschild
Washington, D.C.

The writer is senior fellow at the R Street Institute.

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