Posted on May 17, 2024
BATON ROUGE, LA – Gov. Jeff Landry and the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) today commended the Louisiana Legislature for unanimously passing the agency’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Annual Plan. Filed as House Concurrent Resolution (HCR) 25 by Rep. Ryan Bourriaque, the $1.71 billion FY25 plan is the largest single-year investment in the history of the State’s coastal program.
“I would like to thank our state lawmakers for recognizing the efficiency of Louisiana’s coastal program and CPRA’s dedication to maximizing funding to implement transformational projects for our coast,” said Gov. Landry. “Passing this plan ensures that we can continue to effectively fight against coastal land loss and preserve all that makes Louisiana beautiful and unique. The unanimous passage of this measure exemplifies my administration’s goal for a united government working toward a better future for the great state of Louisiana.”
The Annual Plan, which is required by the Louisiana Legislature to be updated each year, details projected revenues and expenditures and forecasts projects that will be undertaken by the state and its partners for the upcoming three years. The Annual Plan also gives an overview of the progress that Louisiana’s coastal program has made toward implementing previous Coastal Master Plans.
“With the passage of the Annual Plan and the support of the Louisiana Legislature and Gov. Landry, the CPRA will be able to continue building and implementing monumental projects to protect and restore our coast,” said CPRA Chairman Gordon “Gordy” Dove. “This funding will allow us to move projects from concept to construction as quickly as possible to offer the citizens of coastal Louisiana protection and peace of mind.”
The FY25 Annual Plan projects revenues and expenditures of $1.71 billion, which will be used to fund 136 projects across Louisiana’s coast. The plan includes 19 dredging projects, which will utilize 69.1 million cubic yards of sediment to nourish over 13,000 acres of marsh. It is estimated that an investment in our coast at this level will create over 11,000 direct jobs in Louisiana and around $670 million in labor income.
“The unanimous approval of the Fiscal Year 2025 Annual Plan represents our Legislature’s confidence in CPRA’s ability to design and build projects to protect vulnerable ecosystems and communities along Louisiana’s coast,” said CPRA Executive Director Glenn Ledet, Jr. “The majority of the $1.71 billion identified in the plan will go directly toward project implementation, with over $1.45 billion earmarked for planning, engineering and design, and construction of projects that will strengthen and fortify coastal Louisiana for generations to come.”
Rep. Bourriaque commended CPRA for the development of the FY25 Annual Plan and thanked his fellow legislators for their support of the ongoing efforts to protect and restore Louisiana’s coast.
“I want to express gratitude to my colleagues for acknowledging the urgency of the challenges we face along our coast and the importance of tackling them head on,” Rep. Bourriaque said. “I cannot overstate the importance of Louisiana’s coast, which impacts everything from tourism and local culture to our presence in the global economy and our ability to mitigate inevitable natural disasters. I was proud to carry this measure through the legislature this session to ensure that CPRA can continue to implement projects to protect our invaluable coast.”
Read the House Concurrent Resolution: HCR25.
View the FY2025 Annual Plan
