Louisiana Governor Calls on President Trump to Expedite Coastal Infrastructure Projects

This morning, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards sent a letter to the Administration outlining the state’s coastal restoration and protection infrastructure priorities. In his letter, Governor Edwards proposes that the Administration give high priority status to five projects included in the state’s Coastal Master Plan: Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, Mid-Breton Sediment Diversion, Houma Navigation Canal Lock Complex, Calcasieu Salinity Control Measures, and River Reintroduction to Maurepas Swamp. These five projects are also priority projects supported by the Restore the Mississippi River Delta coalition.

“Infrastructure means more than roads and bridges – it’s also the large-scale coastal restoration and protection projects that protect those roads and bridges. These five projects proposed by Governor Edwards are exactly the types of infrastructure investments most appropriate for prioritization under the President’s recent executive order.

“Large-scale coastal restoration will provide long-term protection for Louisiana’s communities, ecosystems and nationally significant industries and economies. Sediment diversion projects harness the natural land-building power of the Mississippi River to build and sustain land, providing storm protection, hunting and fishing habitat, and a myriad of other environmental and economic benefits.

“Investing in Louisiana coastal protection and restoration will help protect the region’s vital industries – including fisheries, oil and gas, transportation and navigation – as well as create jobs and build a sustainable coastal economy. The urgent need to rebuild Louisiana’s coastal infrastructure is one of the most important issues facing our country.”

— Joint statement from Restore the Mississippi River Delta and Coast Builders Coalition