Updated: Huh? We're going to BUY mud from Illinois? For Louisiana?!

Some unnamed Louisiana officials are thinking about it.

They are in early talks with Illinois to transport by barge or pipeline large amounts of mud to the Louisiana coast.

"The material we have here is very much like what the delta was built up with," said John Marlin, senior scientist with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

The biggest obstacle to the plan may be the cost of the 1,240-mile trip down the Mississippi River.

Last year, officials estimated it would cost $24,000 to bring a barge laden with 1,200 tons of sediment to Louisiana. Since then, the price tag has skyrocketed because of the jump in oil prices.

Wouldn't it be easier and cheaper to let the Mississippi River do the work like it used to do? It seems to me we're wasitng a lot of mud by letting it spill over the continentla shelf, instead of using it to repuild the marsh.

UPDATE: From the comments "Very interesting . . . according to the price officials estimated AND the annual amount of sediment (avg 230 million tons) moved through Louisiana as the Mississippi empties (beyond the continental shelf)we are throwing away $4.6 billion in the very commodity necessary to rebuild the barrier islands and wetlands of Louisiana. You know, I'm wondering if anyone in OMB has a clue about this . . . this sediment doesn't require a barge for delivery!"