The Obama administration and Louisiana lawmakers criticized a House GOP-authored spending bill headed to a floor vote that would hinder restoration of the Everglades and Louisiana coastal wetlands.

The administration released a statement yesterday that criticized the 2012 Energy and Water appropriations bill (H.R. 2354) but stopped short of threatening a veto.

In its three-page critique, the administration noted in the section concerning Army Corps of Engineers spending that the bill "provides excess funding for the Corps' construction program while also underfunding some of the highest priority construction projects," including restoration of the Florida Everglades.

The administration also said that the prohibition on "new starts" would prevent a handful of "priority" projects from launching, including the $35.6 million start of a project aimed at rebuilding Louisiana coastal wetlands, which were battered by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill last year, as well as a congressional study to examine flood risks nationwide.

In an emailed statement today, Louisiana Republican Rep. Steve Scalise echoed the importance of the Louisiana project and said he was working on amendments to his party's spending bill.

"Coastal restoration is vital to the protection of our Gulf ecosystems and communities, and we must restore America's wetlands that have eroded while also restoring the barrier to weaken future storms and protect our communities from flooding," Scalise said. "I am currently working on amendments to the bill in order to improve it and ensure that we stay true to our commitment to fiscal discipline while also protecting our valuable natural resources."

Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) agreed with the administration's critique and blasted House Republicans, according to a statement printed in the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

"The proposed Energy and Water funding bill is a bad joke because it does not redress decades of environmental erosion," Richmond said. "Apparently, House Republicans have forgotten that Louisiana's coast is integral to America's domestic oil supply. Wetlands are also our greatest natural form of flood protection and critical to our hurricane protection system. Banning new programs to restore wetlands would be a slap in the face to Louisiana and the entire Gulf Coast."