RISEE Act Would Provide Much Needed Long-term Funding for Louisiana’s Coast

Media Statement of Restore the Mississippi River Delta Leaders

(New Orleans, LA.- July 21, 2022) Today the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources advanced the Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies and Ecosystems (RISEE) Act. This act would direct funding to the National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund from revenue generated by offshore wind production, and would expand restoration funding for the Mississippi River Delta and the Gulf Coast by eliminating the revenue sharing cap under the 2006 Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA). Restore the Mississippi River Delta has written in support of the RISEE Act previously, noting that it is an important piece of legislation that will provide critical funding to bolster community and natural resource resilience in the face of climate-related threats. In response to today’s news, the coalition issued the following statement:

“Coastal Louisiana is in a particularly vulnerable position given the increasing impacts of climate change. As our wetlands disappear and seas rise, the future of our region hangs in the balance. There is an urgent need to identify long-term, sustainable funding to advance implementation of Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan to protect communities from growing flood and climate-related threats. These additional funds will help to advance critical restoration and resilience projects that are needed to protect people, wildlife and vital infrastructure across our region, and in coastal communities across the nation.”

Media Contact:

Jacques Hebert, Environmental Defense Fund, 504.250.3699, 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

Amanda Roberts, Pontchartrain Conservancy, 615.336.3439, amanda@gambelpr.com

Restore the Mississippi River Delta

Restore the Mississippi River Delta is working to secure a just, climate-resilient coast where people and nature thrive. As our region faces the crisis of land loss and climate change, we seek to advance an equitable, safer and flourishing coast for Louisiana’s communities, ecosystems and economy. 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 Pontchartrain Conservancy, 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.