Louisiana Legislature Unanimously Approves Plan Funding Coastal Restoration and Protection

(BATON ROUGE) Today, the Fiscal Year 2019 Coastal Annual Plan passed unanimously on the Louisiana Senate floor – its last stop during this 2018 regular session. This plan is the annual funding vehicle that supports the implementation of the 2017 Coastal Master Plan, the 50-year vision for priority coastal restoration and risk-reduction projects to restore and protect Louisiana’s coast. 

National and local conservation groups working together to address Louisiana’s land loss crisis – Environmental Defense Fund, National Audubon Society, the National Wildlife Federation, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation and Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana – released the following statement:

“We have no time to lose when it comes to addressing Louisiana’s land loss crisis. Our state needs projects turning dirt, and quickly, if we are to avoid a future where we lose an additional 4,000 square miles of our coast. The legislature’s unanimous approval of the Coastal Annual Plan recognizes that urgency. Delay is not an option.

“Louisiana again has demonstrated how it is a global leader in dealing with land loss and planning for its future. The state continues to demonstrate a true commitment to putting science ahead of politics and acknowledging that – despite geography, political party or background – we are all united in combating a common enemy: continued coastal land loss.”