President Trump’s Budget Proposal Abandons Louisiana Coastal Restoration
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Groups call on Congressional leaders to fight for GOMESA funding, and other critical programs that protect communities and wetlands. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (NEW ORLEANS – May 23, 2017) Earlier today, President Trump unveiled a budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2018 that would significantly set back coastal restoration and protection efforts in Louisiana. The proposal upends the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA), which is a commitment from Congress to share offshore energy revenues with four of the Gulf states …
More than 100 Leading Businesses and Organizations Voice Support for Coastal Master Plan
As legislature considers plan, 109 businesses and other groups urge passage in statewide ads (Baton Rouge, LA—May 2, 2017) As Coastal Day is celebrated at the legislature this week, ads signed by more than 100 Louisiana businesses, chambers of commerce, associations and non-profit organizations in support of the 2017 Coastal Master Plan will be running in newspapers across the state. The master plan, the state’s 50-year blueprint for coastal restoration and protection efforts, is updated every five years with the …
Leading Businesses Call on Louisiana Legislature to Pass the Coastal Master Plan
Following today’s approval by the CPRA Board, plan now moves to state legislature for passage (Baton Rouge, LA—April 19, 2017) Today, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) Board unanimously approved the 2017 Coastal Master Plan, the state’s blueprint for coastal restoration and protection efforts. The plan, which is updated every five years with the best-available science, now moves to the state legislature for passage. More than 40 Louisiana businesses, associations and chambers of commerce expressed their support for …
New Poll Shows 88 Percent of Louisianians Support the 2017 Coastal Master Plan
Overwhelming majority want their state legislator to pass the plan, protect restoration funding (NEW ORLEANS—April 3, 2017) An overwhelming 88 percent of Louisiana voters want their legislators to vote for the 2017 Coastal Master Plan, according to a new statewide poll released today. The master plan is the state’s science-based blueprint for large-scale restoration and protection of Louisiana’s critical coastal areas. The draft plan will soon be finalized and is expected to be approved by the Coastal Protection and Restoration …
New LSU Study Underscores Regional Economic Costs of Coastal Land Loss
Study also shows economic benefits of implementing state’s Coastal Master Plan (Baton Rouge – March 22, 2017) Louisiana could lose as much as $3.6 billion in homes, businesses and other infrastructure over the next 50 years if the state takes no action to curb its coastal land loss crisis, according to a new study released today by the Louisiana State University (LSU) Economics & Policy Research Group. The study, “Regional Impacts of Coastal Land Loss and Louisiana’s Opportunity for Growth,” …
Conservation Groups Insist Federal Agencies Act with Urgency on Key Restoration Project
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 …