AUSTIN- After spending several days meeting with top officials in WashingtonD.C. and Louisiana, Representative Debbie Riddle (R - District 150) saidthe Deepwater Horizon oil spill has triggered an economic domino effectthat could spell disaster for the Houston area.

"It doesn'tmatter if a drop of oil ever hits Texas shores," Riddle said. "Theeffects of fishing bans and drilling moratoriums combined with theenvironmental fallout are going to cost Texas millions of dollars andthousands of jobs unless we get this situation under controlimmediately."

Riddle, who chairs the National Foundation forWomen Legislators (NFWL), visited last Friday with U.S. Coast Guardofficials at the White House before travelling to Louisiana to meet withBP executives, members of the Louisiana legislature, and fishermenalong the Gulf Coast regarding containment strategies and the potentialimpact of the disaster on Texas businesses.

The trip wascoordinated by Riddle and the NFWL as a way for the Foundation's membersto educate themselves on the spill, as well as communicate theirconstituent's viable solutions to the proper authorities.

"Thereare Houston-based businesses with some of the world's top scientistsand engineers who have developed real strategies for how to solve theseproblems," Riddle said. "But they can't get through the bureaucraticred-tape to get the ideas into the hands of the people who can reallyuse them."

But Riddle said the meetings made another realityclear: the link between the Houston economy and the Louisiana fishingindustry.

"When shrimpers can't catch it, then our Houston-areabusinessmen can't process it, and our restaurants and grocery storescan't sell it," Riddle said. "That means we lose businesses and jobs,and our state economy loses millions more dollars in revenue, and that'sonly one of many industries that could be impacted."

Efforts bythe NFWL members to relay their constituents’ ideas have already made animpact, and Riddle believes local companies may soon have a seat at thetable as the clean-up continues.

Over the last month NFWL’sEnergy, Natural Resources & Agriculture Policy Committee has jumpedinto action to emphasize the importance of bringing the nation togetherto find solutions, forming NFWL’s Deepwater Horizon Oil SpillCoalition.  Women legislators, who are active with the Coalition andserving as Team Leaders for the Committee in their states, are workingto implement an organized strategy utilizing state leaders to helpmitigate the economic impact.

"This is an opportunity to fostertrue innovation," Riddle said. "The solutions that are going to beproduced by these partnerships don't just help fix this current mess,but they will also help us solve our future energy problems by helpingus safely tap our domestic fossil-fuel potential."

“RepresentativeRiddle is working with a network of elected women leaders from all 50states who believe that now is not the time to point fingers, butinstead work together as a nation to identify and implement solutions,”said Robin Read, NFWL’s President & CEO.

“Despite being inthe middle of a recession, it is important for the Administration,federal labs, universities, high-tech industries and the oil and gasindustries to work together in facing this challenge,” Read said.  “ThisCoalition is committed to facilitating this communication, cuttingthrough the red-tape and bringing real solutions and collaborations tothe table.”

Through critical public-private partnerships, theNFWL Coalition is able to determine the best technologies and methods toassist with clean-up efforts – efforts that will have an impact on theGulf Coast’s wildlife, land, and economic viability.