Louisiana Restoration and Protection Efforts Should Be Authorized by Congress

(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 in coastal restoration and risk reduction efforts to strengthen the region’s multiple lines of defense from storms and coastal flooding. The provision, authored by U.S. Congressman Charles Boustany (R-LA) and now included in a package of amendments supported by congressional leadership, is expected to pass this week. If adopted and the full WRDA also passes, the President and Congress would have to seek funding for the project through the annual federal appropriations process.

Restore the Mississippi River Delta strongly supports the U.S. House of Representatives’ efforts to follow the U.S. Senate’s lead in including the authorization and released the following statement:

“It’s time to authorize this report and move it into action. More than 10 years after Hurricane Rita devastated the very area addressed in this study, we urge the U.S. House of Representatives to authorize this report to help better protect the people, wildlife and jobs of southwest Louisiana.

“This Chief’s report presents a strong vision for coastal restoration and protection that supports the state’s Coastal Master Plan and will have a tremendous impact on the future of this nationally significant region.”