Every year, The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) must release a Coastal Annual Plan that inventories projects, presents implementation schedules for these projects, and identifies funding schedules and budgets. The plan offers funding projections for the two following fiscal years as well. The current draft Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Plan (July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2023) is accepting public comments until Saturday, February 26, 2022.
This is a major milestone for Louisiana as the plan has, for the first time in the coastal program’s history, topped $1 billion in total expenditures! With a “50-year, $50 billion” Master Plan, this is the level of funding required to make the progress the Master Plan aims to achieve.
What’s even more encouraging than this level of funding is the fact that a great majority of the expenditures over the next three fiscal years will be going directly to the construction of projects. The $1.28 billion plan anticipates spending a whopping 81% of that sum directly on construction of projects.
After several devastating hurricane seasons across Louisiana’s coast, this level of spending (which means, this level of work) is more critical than ever.
Now is your opportunity to show your support (and express any questions or concerns) to the State as they accept public feedback on their draft plan. Once the CPRA Board approves a final version of this plan, it will go to the Louisiana Legislature for final approval. This is your chance to be involved. Speak up for our coast.
Key takeaways highlighted by CPRA for the FY 2023 plan include:
- 92% of total expenditures will go toward project implementation and maintenance.
- 114 active projects: 76 in construction totaling more than $1 billion; 33 in engineering and design totaling over $80 million; $11 million for five projects in planning.
- 8 active projects in Southwest Louisiana, 39 in South Central Louisiana, and 67 in Southeast Louisiana.
- 18 dredging projects are slated for construction, using more than 79 million cubic yards of dredged material to create or nourish over 14,000 acres of coastal wetlands.
The draft plan can be viewed online along with an interactive map of project highlights.
Comments will be accepted until February 26, 2022. Take action today to show your support for this much needed progress for our coast!
LWF supports the State’s FY23 Annual Plan. You can read our comments here:
LWF FY23 Annual Plan Comments_2.25.22
For some background on the State’s coastal program, check out the Community Guide to Coastal Restoration.
