Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion Faces Delays

(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 organizations committed to coastal Louisiana restoration including Environmental Defense Fund, the National Wildlife Federation, National Audubon Society, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, and Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, 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.”