The Louisiana Legislature has unanimously passed the 2023 Coastal Master Plan and the Fiscal Year 2024 Annual Plan, according to the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA).
The projects identified in the 2023 Coastal Master Plan will restore and maintain over 300 square miles of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands and reduce expected annual damage by up to $15 billion. This builds on the 26,000 acres of coastal land already restored and maintained and 83 miles of improved levees.
Highlights of the 2023 Coastal Master Plan include:
Another important measure – an imperative to protecting Louisiana’s valuable coast – is the FY24 Annual Plan. The plan projects revenues and expenditures of $1.62 billion that will be used to fund 147 projects across the coast.
The plan outlines 21 dredging projects, which will utilize 77.3 million cubic yards of sediment to nourish over 14,500 acres of land across coastal Louisiana in the coming year. It is estimated that an investment in the coast at this level will create nearly 9,000 jobs in the coastal sector.
2023 Coastal Master Plan
FY2024 Annual Plan