|
Mike Plaisance,
President
Plaisance Dragline and Dredging
Ted Falgout, VP
Ted M. Falgout and Associates
Robert Naquin, Treasurer
Latter and Blum
Henri Boulet, Secretary
LA 1 Coalition
Tim Allen
Apache Louisiana Minerals
Charlotte Bollinger
Bollinger Shipyards
Chett Chiasson
Greater Lafourche Port Commission
Berwick Duval
Duval, Funderburk, Sundbery, Lovell and Watkins
|
Calendar
|
Governor's Advisory Commission
Wed, August 3-- 10am
Algiers Library
Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
Wed, August 17-- 9:30am
Lake Charles
|
State Coastal Plan Keeps the Focus |
State coastal officials are in the process of updating the Coastal Master Plan, the document that guides restoration work across Louisiana.
Each plan attacks the problem five years at a time, so frequent updates are necessary to keep pace with changing forecasts and cost estimates.
The plan itself is part of a 50-year guide, but thinking decades out about a problem that changes daily is less useful than the annual and five-year plans. The 50-year document is necessary to keep a big picture approach to restoration and flood protection, but the work is done much more incrementally.
For instance, in the current work, 155 projects were considered, but just 52 of those are in the final process of the plan.
The state simply cannot afford to do all the work that is necessary, so the experts have to pick and choose, hoping to spend the money where it can do the most good.
"I can't stress enough how big a driver this is for the coastal program and the coastal master plan," said Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Assistant Administrator Brian Lezina. "That's again one of the driving forces behind these projects is getting these things going to try and address some of these things."
In any given year, it is easier to see the land lost than it is to see the progress made. But the CPRA has a long and growing tradition of making a difference to the Louisiana coast.
Since 2007, the state has spent $18 billion across 20 projects. It has improved 256 miles of levees and built 45 miles of barrier islands and banks.
No single one of these projects is going to be the difference in whether our coast survives for further generations.
But together, they are accomplishing a great deal. And they are doing so without the necessary investment we deserve from the federal government.
The state has funneled as much money as possible into coastal restoration, and it still is likely not enough. But the signs of progress are everywhere.
The projects that build land or rehabilitate barrier islands are the projects that are truly making a difference for Louisiana.
Those projects probably will never end. Our fight against the encroaching sea - together with land loss, subsidence and sea level rise - will endure. And it will see wins and losses.
The important thing to remember is that the state does have a master plan that it is pursuing each year and periodically reviewing and adjusting.
This is a long, serious fight for the future of our region. Every step along the way is important, and the regular updating of the plan is a vital part of that process.
Editorials represent the opinion of the newspaper, not of any individual.
|
Quick Links
|
ROR is now on Facebook and Twitter-
Today!
|
|
ROR's combined annual meeting and coastal workshop provide advantage
Businesses and industry leaders spent a day with ROR, CPRA, and other coastal stakeholders learning how to take advantage of this growing business opportunity.
Business and industry once again teamed up with ROR to help our region better prepare for the growing business opportunities related to coastal restoration.
With guest speakers ranging from local officials to industry leaders to Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Chairman Johnny Bradberry, attendees were able to garner a wealth of knowledge on how restoring our coast can help restore our economy as well.
The morning also included a briefing on the State of the Water Management Sector by GNO, Inc. and the Restore the Mississippi River Delta Campaign, and how these restoration opportunities are providing great economic benefits to our communities. Later, the morning panel discussion featured leaders from the CPRA's Implementation Team who updated participants on the State's Annual Plan and 2017 Master Plan, and "How to do Business with the CPRA."
Other speakers and panelists for the workshop included Dr. Bruce Murphy of Nicholls State University, CPRA members, coastal industry leaders, and senior officials from regional levee and freshwater districts, as well as Lafourche and Terrebonne Parish governments.
The event, presented by ROR Platinum Member Chevron, ended with technical updates and breakout sessions on CPRA's 2017 Master Plan, Interactive Project Map and Flood Risk and Resilience Viewer, and sessions on bonding and business financing to detail business initiatives offered, to provide assistance to small businesses, and to educate on public bid law and contracting.
For more information, including presentations from the workshop, click here.
|
Support the Solution: Membership Renewal and Drive Happening Now
ROR's success is contingent upon support from people like YOU!
Once a year, Restore or Retreat mails Annual Reports and membership notices to gather like-minded coastal advocates to support our mission, a mission that has stayed consistent for over 15 years:
Restore or Ret reat (ROR) is a non-profit coastal advocacy group created by coastal Louisiana residents and stakeholders who recognize that the Barataria and Terrebonne basins are the two most rapidly eroding estuaries on earth, and that this erosion represents an economic and ecological crisis.
With a growing membership of businesses and individuals, ROR seeks to identify and expedite the implementation of aggressive, large-scale restoration projects to protect this irreplaceable region.
Without the support of our membership, ROR could not be the go-to restoration advocate our region. In our 16 years, we have accomplished together a tremendous amount of good for our coast. Below are some highlights: - Past success for the organization include initiating a $1 million reconnaissance level study for a major diversion in the Barataria and Terrebonne Basins. The study was used in multiple state and federal planning documents, and the information is still relevant in coastal projects.
- ROR has also hosted numerous field trips for decision-makers and influential media to restoration areas and project sites such as the Davis Pond and Caernarvon freshwater diversions, Caminada Headlands, Bubba Dove Floodgate, Wax Lake Outlet and more.
- ROR also hosts community gatherings throughout the year to educate the community and stakeholders on coastal issues. Past speakers for ROR events have included Senator Cassidy, Congressmen Scalise, Graves, and CPRA Chairman Johnny Bradberry.
- ROR participates in numerous local, state, and national coastal events and organizations, including Governor's Advisory Commission on Coastal Protection, Restoration and Conservation, LSU College of the Coastal and Environment and SeaGrant Advisory Committees, and the Framework Development Team for the 2017 Comprehensive Coastal Master Plan, just to name a few.
- ROR has also called for heightened state and federal attention to the Barataria and Terrebonne Basins through multiple planning efforts, including the State's Comprehensive Coastal Master Plan and post-spill planning efforts like the RESTORE Act implementation; Damage Assessment, Remediation, and Restoration Program (DARPP) through NRDA; and Gulf Benefit Fund of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
Thank you to those who have supported ROR throughout the years! And for those who are considering supporting our organization, check out more details on our work and join ROR on our website.
|
In the Field
ROR was recently in DC, at the CPRA monthly board meeting,
and up in the air!
|
ROR participated in a panel discussion for the "Natural Defenses in Action" report in Washington, DC. For more on the NWF report supported by Allied World, click here.
|
| ROR's John Lombardo and Simone Maloz accept a check from Stephen Peltier of the Bayou Community Foundation to support ROR's work to host 2017 Coastal Master Plan outreach meetings. |
|
ROR presented to a packed house at the July CPRA Board meeting at Nicholls State in Thibodaux.
|
|
ROR's Simone Maloz provides project details from CPRA on what Jefferson Parish President Mike Yenni will see from the air.
|
St. Bernard Parish President Guy McInnis prepares to take to the skies with David Muth of the Restore the MS River Delta Coalition as part of a coastal flyover hosted by ROR. |
|
|
|
THANK YOU to our supporters who allow us to continue working daily to save this irreplaceable region!
Sincerely,
|
|
|
|