[lbi_editorial_note inner_content=”Put the text on top of iStock No. 11930781.” timestamp=”1:45pm on July 28, 2015″]
Coastal footprint
New money from the federal government and BP give Louisiana a historic opportunity to expand its coastal protection and restoration efforts, says Chip Kline, chairman of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Board and executive assistant to the governor for coastal activities. “In the next 10 years, we will likely determine the footprint of the state of Louisiana,” Kline told the Press Club of Baton Rouge last week. For fiscal year 2015-16, CPRA has an operating budget of more than $880 million, with nearly $600 million going to construction of coastal restoration and hurricane protection projects, Kline says. If an agreement reached in principle with BP to settle claims for oil spill damage is accepted by the court, Louisiana would receive an additional $500 million per year over the next 15 years to address coastal issues. That means moving away from “smaller-scale restoration projects” to projects in the $300 million to $400 million range with “more of a substantial impact” on saltwater intrusion and coastal land loss, Kline says. “You’ve got to take a step back and really look and think big picture: Which areas can be saved and should be saved?” he says.
—David Jacobs
