Regional business leaders of south Louisiana came together today at a press conference to call for specific action from President Obama and members of Congress to prevent what they said “will turn an ecological catastrophe into an economic calamity” as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The Business Council of Greater New Orleans and the River Region; Greater New Orleans, Inc. (GNO, Inc.); and the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention and Visitors Bureau (NOMCVB) joined other regional business and political leaders to present a platform of solutions to address the negative financial and economic impact of the oil spill. The coalition, under the rallying cry of “Move Forward Now,” asks that the President immediately authorize three specific actions that could mitigate the damage to the economy. In addition, a fourth point of the platform supports the Mayor of New Orleans’ call for BP’s investment in New Orleans and the surrounding area’s hospitality industry.

You can read the media announcement and download the Move Forward platform here.

Leaders at the Business Council of New Orleans have addressed the Gulf of Mexico oil spill by publishing a letter to the editor in New Orleans Times-Picayune . In this letter, BCNO calls on President Obama to “act now.”

The authors, Greg Rusovich, Merritt Lane and Bob Brown say: “As the oil continues to contaminate the barrier islands and marshes that are the state’s first defense in flood protection, the entire region is at risk, not only from a geographic shift, but also from an economic and tourism threat. Our entire way of life in Southeast Louisiana is being shattered.”

Read the full article online at nola.com