CPRA Board Moves Forward with Coastal Restoration Plan

Plan includes full funding for Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, despite a construction halt announced by the state

BATON ROUGE, La. (April 16, 2025) – Today, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) board voted to approve the Fiscal Year 2026 Annual Plan, which maintains full funding for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion (MBSD) and other critical coastal restoration and protection projects.

Restore the Mississippi River Delta, a coalition of national and local organizations working to restore Louisiana’s coast, issued the following statement:

“Today’s approval of the Annual Plan is a win for Louisiana’s coast, its people and its economy. We hope this vote is an affirmation of CPRA’s commitment to its own processes and science over the last two decades – including that Louisiana will stand by the proven evidence that shows diversions work. Louisiana should continue to invest in projects that will create thousands of acres of land, provide a regional workforce, reduce storm surge and protect communities and industries for generations to come.

“We are particularly encouraged to see the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion remain fully funded. This project has been at the heart of every Coastal Master Plan since 2007, and today’s vote should ensure that it will continue moving forward. The Mississippi River built this state, and the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion will help rebuild it.

“The Annual Plan is just a promise to invest in project implementation – now we need to see the real work continue on all of the projects included in the plan. Approval is the first step towards action, and action is what our coast desperately needs. With coastal land loss accelerating and Louisiana losing a football field of land every 100 minutes, now is the time to move forward—not backward—on projects that will restore and sustain our coast.”

The Annual Plan, which fully funds MBSD, now moves to the state legislature for final approval.

Today’s approval of the Annual Plan comes on the heels of two new statewide polls released earlier this week, with the following key findings:

• 83% of voters from the southeast region support the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion to build and maintain land over time.

• A strong 82% percent of informed Louisiana voters support using sediment diversions to build new and sustain existing wetlands in Louisiana, a figure up from 80% in 2023. Additionally, a majority of voters in the Greater New Orleans region support the completion of the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion when given background on the project.

• 93% of Louisiana voters approve of the state having a comprehensive plan to deal with land loss using the latest science, which Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan does. This position has maintained supportive sentiment of Louisianians over recent years (92% approval in both 2021 and 2023).

• Among residents in the southeast region of Louisiana, 91% describe the issue of coastal land loss in Louisiana as a major problem or a crisis.

• Coastal Louisiana’s ability to withstand hurricane storm surge and sea level rise drives 81% of the voters’ support for sediment diversions.

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 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 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.