Coastal authority’s plan clears House panel

Lawmakers on the House Transportation, Highways and Public Works Committee on Monday unanimously approved the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s budget for the coming fiscal year.
It details a nearly $1.5 billion, three-year effort for funding and executing coastal protection and restoration efforts.
The plan estimates a revenue increase of roughly $1.76 billion between fiscal year 2017-19, catalogs ongoing conservation efforts already underway and sets new goals, such as the upcoming Bayou Tigre Flood Control Project near New Iberia and Bayou Bonfouca Marsh Creation at Slidell.
The authority’s board chairman Johnny Bradberry, Gov. John Bel Edwards’ executive assistant for coastal activities, said the Gulf Coast’s future is far from secure, despite considerable progress on last year’s initiatives.
“The next few years will be the most critical for (the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority),” he said. “Now it’s time to act — to pick up the pace.”
The Fiscal Year 2016-17 plan also functions as the latest in a series of yearly reports tracking the progress of the state’s ever-evolving Coastal Master Plan, which was first developed in 2007 and receives an update every five years.
The Coastal Master Plan, due to be presented the Legislature in April 2017, will include a greater emphasis on flood risk reduction and increased attention to communities with coast-reliant economies.
The plan now heads to the House Natural Resources and Environment Committee for further approval before making its way to the full House chamber.
Contact Quint Forgey at burlforgey5@gmail.com.