Louisiana Legislature continues unanimous support for state’s coastal projects

Decision reflects urgent need to get critical restoration and protection projects into construction as land loss crisis continues

(BATON ROUGE, La. – May 22, 2020) Today, the Fiscal Year 2020 Coastal Annual Plan passed on the Louisiana Senate floor, finalizing its approval. The annual plan guides funding used to implement the 2017 Coastal Master Plan, the 50-year vision for priority coastal restoration and risk-reduction projects to restore and protect Louisiana’s coast.

The legislature’s decision reflected the nearly universal belief of Louisiana voters that their officials should prioritize the state’s coastal land loss crisis. Recent polling shows 98 percent of voters say officials should work to maintain as much of Louisiana’s coast as possible. 

The 2020 plan marks the first to anticipate nearly $1 billion of funds toward critical coastal projects. Its three-year outlook suggests Louisiana residents could see this level of dedication continue through 2023. These investments would provide economic stimulus and create jobs at a time when our state desperately needs both, even before they save lives and reduce the economic toll of future disasters.

Restore the Mississippi River Delta – a coalition of national and local conservation groups working together to address Louisiana’s land loss crisis including Environmental Defense Fund, National Audubon Society, the National Wildlife Federation, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation and Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana – released the following statement:

“In a unanimous vote, the Louisiana Legislature has once again demonstrated its commitment to addressing the state’s land loss crisis. The vast majority of the annual plan’s $1 billion in projected funding will put shovels in the ground to complete critical coastal projects to help protect people from flooding while bolstering the economy.

“To avoid losing another 4,000 square miles of our coast, we need to continue to act with this urgency in the years to come. There is no time to lose.”

About Restore the Mississippi River Delta:

Restore the Mississippi River Delta is working to protect people, wildlife and jobs by reconnecting the river with its wetlands. As our region faces the crisis of threatening land loss, we offer science-based solutions through a comprehensive approach to restoration. Composed of conservation, policy, science and outreach experts from Environmental Defense Fund, National Audubon Society, the National Wildlife Federation, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana and Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, we are located in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Washington, D.C.; and around the United States. Learn more at MississippiRiverDelta.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Media Contacts:

Jacques Hebert, Environmental Defense Fund, 504.264.6849, jhebert@edf.org

Lauren Bourg, National Audubon Society, 225.776.9838, lauren.bourg@audubon.org

Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation, 504.442.2702, moorea@nwf.org

James Karst, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, 504.220.7899, james.karst@crcl.org

John Lopez, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, 504.421.7348, jlopez@saveourlake.org