Louisiana’s Coastal Program at a Crossroads

What does the draft spending plan tell us about the future of the coast?

The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) has released its draft Fiscal Year 2027 Annual Plan and is accepting public comments through February 17. But what is the annual plan and what does this draft tell us about the new direction the coastal program has taken under the Landry Administration?

The annual plan is a few things rolled into one. It is a statement of priorities, a necessary procedural document for the expenditure of funds, and a public relations campaign that plays out across meetings, press releases, the CPRA Board and ultimately culminates in a vote by the legislature.

Annual plans succeed when they translate the long-term vision laid out in the Coastal Master Plan into action. The further an annual plan diverges from the roadmap produced by the master plan’s famously rigorous, scientific and publicly-informed process, the less likely it is to be using public funds wisely to protect coastal communities and restore eroding habitats.

This year’s draft represents a relative return to normalcy compared to the farce last year when CPRA spent months presenting a plan that included $575 million for the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, even as it was actively working to cancel the project — which many consider vital for the future of the greater New Orleans area.

This year’s draft includes 100 different projects across the coast but still does not really answer question of what comes next when these cornerstone projects are off the table.

The administration’s presentations on alternatives have focused on land bridges, a smaller diversion and barrier islands, but the plan contains little information about what benefits the new projects will provide, when they might be built and what the overall risk profile of the Barataria and Breton Basins and southeast Louisiana might look like in the future under this approach. There’s also the question of how these proposed projects will be funded.

Financially speaking, the cancellation of the two large-scale sediment diversions means this year’s annual plan is much smaller than last year’s by around $700 million. Without the two major sediment diversions, we have little idea how CPRA plans to spend the rest of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill penalties, and there has been no discussion about the agency’s long-term goals for these funds. The public deserves more transparency and stronger stewardship of precious resources.

By their nature, annual plans need to be an ambitious, expansive take on what could happen in a given fiscal year. Of course, reality often gets in the way, and many projects outlined in any given annual plan do not move forward as initially planned.

However, CPRA could improve transparency by publicly reporting what work the agency was able to do in a given year so observers have a better understanding of the health and sustainability of the coastal program and how obstacles like permitting, land rights, staffing, or procurement issues are affecting progress. This information should inform the next six-year Coastal Master Plan, which will be published in 2029.

Coastal issues are key to Louisiana’s future, and CPRA should know that the public is paying attention.