Conservation Groups Insist Federal Agencies Act with Urgency on Key Restoration Project
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New proposed timeline for Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion “completely unacceptable” (Baton Rouge – March 15, 2017) At this morning’s Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Board meeting, Col. Michael Clancy of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stated that the new target date for issuing a permit, in consultation with other federal agencies, on the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion is October 2022 – two years behind the schedule proposed by the state of Louisiana. In response, Restore the Mississippi River Delta – …
Louisiana Governor Calls on President Trump to Expedite Coastal Infrastructure Projects
Conservation groups, Coast Builders Coalition support investments in large-scale coastal restoration and protection (NEW ORLEANS – March 8, 2017) This morning, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards sent a letter to the Administration outlining the state’s coastal restoration and protection infrastructure priorities. In his letter, Governor Edwards proposes that the Administration give high priority status to five projects included in the state’s Coastal Master Plan: Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, Mid-Breton Sediment Diversion, Houma Navigation Canal Lock Complex, Calcasieu Salinity Control Measures, and …
Nine Organizations Ask Governor Edwards to Reject Proposed Cuts to Coastal Fund
Proposal strips $9.3 million from Executive Department budget and would negatively impact CPRA (NEW ORLEANS—January 24, 2017) Earlier today, nine separate organizations focused on restoring Louisiana’s coast – Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, Restore or Retreat, Louisiana Wildlife Federation, America’s Wetland Foundation, National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, Environmental Defense Fund, and The Nature Conservancy – sent a letter to Governor John Bel Edwards urging him to reject a proposal by Representative Lance Harris (R-Alexandria) that …
New Poll Shows Majority of Louisianians View Coastal Land Loss as a “Crisis”
Majority say coastal wetlands are important to them personally, support the state’s Coastal Master Plan (NEW ORLEANS – Jan. 11, 2017) Statewide, 93 percent of Louisiana voters say that protecting Louisiana’s coastal wetlands needs attention with 56 percent calling this issue a “crisis,” according to a new poll released today. Additionally, an overwhelming 95 percent of Louisiana voters say Louisiana’s coastal areas and wetlands are important to them personally, with 73 percent saying they are “very important.” A substantial majority …
Louisiana Releases Draft 2017 Coastal Master Plan to Meet Challenges of Land Loss
Conservation groups stress need to act with urgency, leverage most powerful restoration projects (NEW ORLEANS – January 3, 2017) This morning, Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) released its draft 2017 Coastal Master Plan that, if approved, will serve as the blueprint for the state’s coastal restoration and protection activities over the next 50 years. CPRA is legally required to update its master plan every five years to account for the best available science. This update builds on prior …
RESTORE Council Meets to Approve Key Comprehensive Plan
Experts from national conservation groups working on Gulf restoration available for interviews (New Orleans, LA – December 16, 2016) Today, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration (RESTORE) Council approved its updated Comprehensive Plan to restore Gulf Coast ecosystems and their natural resource dependent economies following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. The plan will serve as the guide for spending more than three billion dollars in restoration and recovery funds — an integral component of one of the largest ecosystem restoration …
New Analysis Outlines Substantial Coastal Restoration Cost-Savings Opportunities
Executing marsh creation sooner and leveraging bonding can save hundreds of millions of dollars (Baton Rouge, LA – December 13, 2016) Earlier today, Coast Builders Coalition in conjunction with Restore the Mississippi River Delta released a new analysis prepared by The Water Institute of the Gulf (the Institute) that outlines opportunities for the state of Louisiana to achieve substantial cost savings as it advances its 50-year, $50-billion Coastal Master Plan. The analysis, “Changing Restoration Costs,” examines the opportunities that exist …
$245 Million Dedicated to Louisiana Coastal Restoration Projects
Mid-Barataria and Mid-Breton Sediment Diversions Will Receive $193 Million from NFWF (New Orleans – November 15, 2016) Today, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) approved a nearly $370 million investment in Gulf Coast restoration, with $245 million dedicated to five coastal restoration projects in Louisiana. The funding includes $193 million for the engineering and designing of two key restoration projects in Louisiana, the Mid-Barataria and Mid-Breton Sediment Diversions. In response to this announcement, Restore the Mississippi River Delta – …
Louisiana Oil Spill Trustees Fund $22.3 Million in Restoration Projects
Draft plan advances key restoration projects, sets stage for future sediment diversions (New Orleans — Oct. 20, 2016) Today, Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), along with the other state and federal agencies comprising the Louisiana Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Trustee Implementation Group, announced the release of its first Draft Restoration Plan. This plan proposes $22.3 million in restoration projects in Louisiana to address environmental damages resulting from the 2010 Gulf oil disaster and lays out a vision …
Conservation Groups Say White House’s New Guidance Will Help Fast Track Gulf Restoration
Obama administration prioritizes Gulf restoration by enabling coordination among agencies and programs (Washington, D.C. – Thursday, October 20, 2016) Today, the Office of Management and Budget and the White House Council on Environmental Quality released guidelines for federal agencies to use in the review and permitting of restoration projects for the Gulf Coast. These guidelines will be used as a blueprint for the Gulf Coast Interagency Environmental Working Group, which is the coordinating body for federal agencies working on restoration …
State of Louisiana Advances Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion
CPRA Issues EIS Public Notice for crucial restoration project (New Orleans, LA – October 12, 2016) Today, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) announced that it is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Mid-Barataria sediment diversion. With this move, CPRA advances this key restoration project through the federally-mandated National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, which will provide opportunities for the public and stakeholders to learn more about the project and provide feedback into how the project …
Louisiana Restoration and Protection Efforts Should Be Authorized by Congress
Coalition Supports U.S. House Efforts to Include Southwest Louisiana Coastal Feasibility Study in WRDA (New Orleans – Sept. 27, 2016) Language to be added to the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) to authorize a signed U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Chief’s Report for the Southwest Coastal Louisiana Feasibility Study should be adopted, according to Restore the Mississippi River Delta – a coalition of national and statewide conservation organizations working in Louisiana. The study recommends more than $3 billion in investments …
Historic Louisiana Flooding, Katrina Anniversary Serve as Stark Reminders of Need for Increased Resilience
State’s Master Plan Should Prioritize Community Protection along with Coastal Restoration (New Orleans – August 25, 2016) Louisiana recently experienced unprecedented flooding that killed 13 people and damaged more than 110,000 homes. This slow-moving storm overwhelmed communities far outside of the 100-year flood zone, including some communities previously impacted by Hurricanes Rita (2005) and Isaac (2012). Next week also marks the 11th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which pummeled the Gulf Coast, killing nearly 2,000 people and devastating communities and the …
Tagged K11, KatrinaGulf Restoration Groups Applaud Updated RESTORE Council Comprehensive Plan
Updated plan an important component of largest ecosystem restoration program in U.S. history FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jacques Hebert, National Audubon Society, 504.264.6849, jhebert@audubon.org Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org Elizabeth Van Cleve, Environmental Defense Fund, 202.553.2543, evancleve@edf.org Rachael Bishop, Ocean Conservancy, 202.280.6232, rbishop@oceanconservancy.org Andrew Blejwas,The Nature Conservancy, 617.785.7047, ablejwas@tnc.org (New Orleans — August 23, 2016) Today, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration (RESTORE) Council released a draft update to its Comprehensive Plan, guiding restoration of the Gulf Coast …
Tagged comprehensive plan, RESTOREIndependent Scientists Release Recommendations for Building Land in Coastal Louisiana
Sediment Diversions Present Opportunity to Rebuild Louisiana’s Coast, Protect against Rising Seas FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jacques Hebert, jhebert@audubon.org, 504-264-6849 (New Orleans – July 21, 2016) Today, the Sediment Diversion Operations Expert Working Group – a team of leading scientists and community experts with decades of experience working in coastal Louisiana – released key recommendations for operating Mississippi River sediment diversions to most effectively build and maintain land while considering the needs of communities, wildlife and fisheries. Sediment diversions are …