Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion Faces Delays

Coastal restoration groups urge officials to redouble efforts to save time

(NEW ORLEANS, LA – March 20, 2019) Today the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) announced that the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion is facing a delay of at least several months in completing the permitting phase of this keystone restoration project.

In response to these timeline updates, Restore the Mississippi River Delta, a coalition of national and local conservation groups issued the following statement:

“Today’s news comes less than a year after combined state and federal efforts around the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion shaved 22 months off the original schedule. We were encouraged by that initial progress, but are disappointed to hear of setbacks. We appreciate the need to ensure the analysis is based on best available science, but we also recognize the need to act with the urgency that our collapsing coast demands. We urge the state to develop measures to avoid further delays as we move forward.

“Using the Mississippi River is the most effective approach available to address disastrous land loss in the Barataria Basin. We need to work together to identify every possibility for efficiency, optimizing time and resources to advance the schedule and get these diversion projects operating. We really have no time left to lose.”

Contact:

Emily Guidry Schatzel, National Wildlife Federation, 225.253.9781, schatzele@nwf.org

Ronna Kelly, Environmental Defense Fund, 415.293.6161, rkelly@edf.org

Emily Falgoust, National Audubon Society, 337.853.0233, efalgoust@audubon.org

Marc Stevens, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, 225.337.6500, marc.stevens@crcl.org

John Lopez, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, 504.421.7348, jlopez@saveourlake.org

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 threatening 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, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation and Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, we are located in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Washington, D.C.; and around the United States. Learn more at MississippiRiverDelta.org and on Facebook and Twitter.