[{"_1":2,"_112":-5,"_113":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88,100],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6576697,"mediaKeyId","3069529-226d28f41c588d902e73d9145cc4b211","parentId",3069529,"title","CPRA highlights Atchafalaya appendix: boat‑launch upgrades and basin master planning","audioSeconds",250,"startMs",4700000,"endMs",4950000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3069529-226d28f41c588d902e73d9145cc4b211&start=4700&end=4950","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3069529-226d28f41c588d902e73d9145cc4b211/thumbnail_4700000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6576697/Louisiana/CPRA-highlights-Atchafalaya-appendix-boatlaunch-upgrades-and-basin-master-planning","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6576697-fe2bf69b7e1da9ddcb362b1e1ac6afc8/orig.mp4?Expires=1770939777&Signature=ZgpiPIeusBbf0RjWDiOuLqVqmuxPezYEvgGcD4hqTdNdpyTJaiIJzxkJLuqJR5QgHR~StnXukjtxu5R4-XL7wPBsfbsPLQ0GpAR4vyimRZMfqtRBAXejP7MOslSNr3qRYYPIiI29aa5gyS2AoSblgUJQJyep7WOIKlrNJaqpxthL-lI4Gdk8jBJLsM0kjmCj8xE5m4KZAx4BZO4mlwzrZ6lNYsOsatdiL~hYcwhStK0DkXTdwWvKg-Dxy0Xu7aFtnYzzS7unlCuyiVMkUVDHe3lYSdPPsEzanfqx7tbrPpUhO49HQvW6sfWvTnn-rUZorjKUostYepBDIv23LCUq4A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Louisiana - Boards & Comissions, Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Board","date","2025-04-21T16:20:13.587Z","article","CPRA staff presented the Atchafalaya Basin appendix to the FY26 annual plan on April 16, emphasizing that the basin’s projects are handled through a distinct outreach and selection process and describing targeted restoration, dredging and recreational access work for FY26.

Brian Lozina (CPRA) said the Atchafalaya appendix — included as Appendix D of the annual plan — focuses on water‑management, water‑quality, habitat restoration and public access projects tailored to the basin’s unique hydrology and cultural uses. He said CPRA has treated the basin as a discrete planning area since taking stewardship of the Atchafalaya program in 2018 and has preserved a dedicated public solicitation mechanism for the basin.

Lozina highlighted a recently launched Bayou Pigeon boat‑launch expansion in Iberville Parish. He said January’s groundbreaking began a project to overhaul and expand the existing launch, adding larger‑capacity ramps, deeper launch basins and improved parking and safety features. CPRA staff described an on‑schedule completion target before September of the same year, with construction staged to minimize impacts to commercial fishers during peak seasons.

Lozina also described an updated Atchafalaya Basin master plan effort: CPRA is compiling submitted projects and legacy studies, has received more than 20 project submittals in an initial solicitation, and plans additional public outreach and technical evaluation to integrate basin priorities into the broader coastal planning program.

The appendix lists multiple dredging and habitat projects (including Big Poydras / Big Potot ? — as recorded in early solicitations), recreational access improvements, and preliminary designs intended to improve navigation, fisheries habitat and water quality in times of low river flow. CPRA said projects will move through evaluation and board review as funding and technical assessment allow.

Board members and basin stakeholders at the meeting welcomed the focused approach, and CPRA said it will continue public outreach and iterative planning in the basin.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","CPRA Board Meeting April 2025","oneSentenceSummary","CPRA presented the Atchafalaya Basin appendix to the FY26 annual plan, describing dredging, habitat, and recreation projects and announcing a Bayou Pigeon boat‑launch expansion and a basin master plan update following public solicitations.","taxTitle","Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Board, Boards & Commissions, Organizations, Executive, Louisiana","taxId",45335,"location","Louisiana","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6576702,"CPRA board adopts $~2 billion FY26 annual plan amid public debate over Mid Barataria diversion",6338,3014000,9352000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3069529-226d28f41c588d902e73d9145cc4b211&start=3014&end=9352","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3069529-226d28f41c588d902e73d9145cc4b211/thumbnail_3014000.jpg","/articles/6576702/Louisiana/CPRA-board-adopts-2-billion-FY26-annual-plan-amid-public-debate-over-Mid-Barataria-diversion","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6576702-6897c57d47dd2e8fd5b913cc89f29e49/orig.mp4?Expires=1770939777&Signature=YIpbEOCd2ZTuqFLSiALpgIZ4K29ieP4V8AoF4QOTN64jNTE922Hs-BoAlundu5GHqelFUnCVqKHw5uHqq277yGs~Q2IcDsTBGO0myx5n5Xmgw6WD-QvNszHQ7ZhHXntILo6mhuskbJhXjlbJeccHdsdtZwzuSjqW9G21HO7SlSHy4lcjTrmrE4EH2wTPMyjlZ4lba1eDBi4qW4bp7t5En~Q~KHxTyb9srjmfmw3WFziw8o7m67oonmXOPUnke72DVXbZpwns4XNKgkz-NJtdPQwd1iMuYKIKEo7rbthgyw~1wUaZlm~tnpZbmG1xGQZTuDfsCcccs4zghiAbcErWOQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority board voted to approve the agency’s fiscal year 2026 annual plan during its April 16 meeting after an extended presentation and a lengthy public comment period focused overwhelmingly on the proposed Mid Barataria sediment diversion.

CPRA Director Glenn LaDay presented the FY26 plan to the board, describing it as the agency’s largest annual plan to date with a total program value of approximately $1.98 billion. LaDay said the plan packages multiple revenue sources — including an estimated GOMESA allocation ($293 million in recurring revenue), Restore Act, NFWF, NRDA/Deepwater Horizon settlement allocations, federal appropriations and state surplus — to fund projects across coastal basins. He said FY26 anticipates $1.57 billion in construction commitments and keeps operating costs around 2 percent.

The board’s presentation included public outreach details: four public meetings (three in person and one virtual) and more than 200 public meeting attendees and 239 formal public comments during the draft plan comment period.

During the meeting, CPRA staff detailed regional projects proposed for FY26, including marsh creation, shoreline protection, levee and pump station work, pilot programs for home elevation and flood proofing under federal programs, and large‑scale initiatives such as Mid Barataria, the Lower Barataria and Lower Barataria land‑bridge concepts, White Lake restoration, Iberia–St. Mary hurricane protection, and the Chandeleur Islands restoration.

Public comment was extensive and polarized on Mid Barataria. Dozens of speakers urged the board to press forward: Lauren Burke of Audubon (and other conservation and science organizations) emphasized the project’s scientific basis and warned that halting a fully permitted, funded, under‑construction diversion risks losing billions in federal restoration funding and could undermine confidence in Louisiana’s coastal program. Multiple recreational‑and‑commercial‑fishing representatives, conservation groups, and regional residents called the diversion the region’s best chance to rebuild wetlands and sustain fisheries and urged the board to continue implementation.

Other speakers and some local officials raised financial and local‑impact concerns. Several board members and commenters noted a recent stop‑work or suspension on portions of the Mid Barataria contract and asked for clarification about the fiscal and legal consequences of pausing or canceling a major, partly constructed project. In response CPRA staff said they were compiling facts and figures, that legal counsel and administration were reviewing contract and cost details, and that agency staff were seeking options to preserve program continuity and to identify alternative or supplemental projects. CPRA also noted contingency funds and contractual mechanisms that the agency says exist to address cost changes.

After discussion and a motion to adopt the FY26 annual plan, the board conducted a voice vote and the motion passed; the chair stated the plan was approved and the vote recorded with no opposition noted in the transcript.

The board’s approved FY26 plan will be forwarded to the legislature as the agency’s spending and implementation program for the coming year. CPRA staff and several board members said they expect ongoing public and legislative scrutiny of the Mid Barataria contract and noted that if a project is paused or delayed, funds would be subject to reallocation processes in subsequent plans and through board action.

The meeting moved afterward into executive session on personnel and contract matters.","The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority board voted April 16 to approve the agency’s FY26 annual plan, a nearly $2.0 billion spending plan that drew extensive public comment, with multiple speakers urging the board to proceed with the Mid Barataria sediment diversion and others warning about costs and local impacts.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6576707,"State ‘Drive’ reorganization plan would create Natural Resources Commission and remake energy and permitting offices",954,1696000,2650000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3069529-226d28f41c588d902e73d9145cc4b211&start=1696&end=2650","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3069529-226d28f41c588d902e73d9145cc4b211/thumbnail_1696000.jpg","/articles/6576707/Louisiana/State-Drive-reorganization-plan-would-create-Natural-Resources-Commission-and-remake-energy-and-permitting-offices","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6576707-3c599d12b586b9fd5d3d8558d94343a6/orig.mp4?Expires=1770939777&Signature=edGQnnV60htgKPPW0coc7NTIlhEzgnIrxGHN9151vGxQ1p6CkRRut34D-I~VbeMnHWWViAjf4uzBcr-F33hHk-1b7QKF6sHfaZVp4bSpyQvJrB4HetHpguo82OVuLt4B0nVQU~Ykm-KGL05QoahHOZKMRS1e2U99xxNLO5RHHs0l2HVjJt7Zqgprreoo4Mj0J8iSxfkXGN1ew~lgN6B6~b~Ecuy-d9OMNUCfZt91eD-mR9MHldsib~Y1xdokpHa2L2F9pCVjwaz1W2idd0d~Q6c4-FYhJCzRm8J~djJ4DrxR3IvZMLDGRQ78SsET2q5Fv9F9n3S7ql6EqKZxbnLQ-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Clay Parker, deputy director of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, briefed the board April 16 on the ongoing reorganization of the state Department of Energy and Natural Resources — the administration’s so‑called “Drive” initiative — and summarized legislation filed for the 2025 session.

Parker said the reorganization started under executive order in early 2024 and that the plan’s implementation depends on legislation now before the Legislature. The proposal would rename the agency to the Department of Conservation and Energy and create a seven‑member Natural Resources Commission expected to include agency heads from natural‑resource related state agencies and to provide a venue for strategic coordination, public outreach and a single place for intergovernmental coordination, federal response and legislative engagement.

The reorganization would also consolidate and clarify internal offices: a new Office of Permitting and Compliance to centralize engineering, ecology and geology permitting functions; an Office of Enforcement to centralize compliance and ensure risk‑based prioritization; an Office of State Resources (consolidating mineral, land, and water management functions); and an Office of Energy to retain and focus strategic energy functions including federal grants and grid resiliency work.

Parker said the department envisions the Office of Legal Services and the Office of the Natural Resources Commission as sub‑offices of the Office of the Secretary and that many operational changes would be implemented by regulation and internal reorganization after statutory authority is aligned.

He summarized legislation the department has filed for the 2025 session and the likely timeline if bills pass: Senate Bill 193 (general reorganization by Senator Hensgens), Senate Bill 97 (creating a coordinated use authority or Upland Resource Management Authority, by Senator Presley), House Bill 605 (expedited permitting procedures through the Office of Permitting and Compliance, by Representative Reiser) and House Bill 634 (the saltwater and oil assessment panel process, by Representative Jacob Landry). Parker said that, if enacted as filed, implementation would be effective July 1, 2025.

Parker described the saltwater and oil assessment process (SOPE) concept as a regulatory‑liability tool modeled on medical malpractice review panels; he said SOPE is intended to give expert regulatory review and a predictable path for resolving certain regulatory liability issues and is not intended to change private claims.

Board members asked clarifying questions during the presentation. Representative Drain asked whether the Drive initiative would move CPRA under the reorganized department; Parker said it would not. Another board member asked how permanent permitting streamlining would be accomplished; Parker said statutory structure would be created through legislation and that detailed procedural changes would follow through regulation and implementation after the statute passed.

Parker encouraged continued stakeholder engagement and provided an email for written comments. He also noted the department is considering an academic research institute concept — an Institute for Energy and Conservation — but that effort is not part of the 2025 bills.

No board vote was taken on the Drive initiative during the meeting.","CPRA deputy director presented the Department of Energy and Natural Resources reorganization (the \"Drive\" initiative), explaining a proposal that would create a Natural Resources Commission, consolidate permitting and enforcement offices, and reconstitute the department as the Department of Conservation and Energy if legislation passes.",{"_33":101,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":102,"_41":103,"_43":104,"_45":105,"_47":106,"_49":107,"_51":108,"_53":109,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":110,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":111,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6576712,"CPRA reports completed shoreline protections, selects contractor for Chandeleur Islands restoration",920,230000,1150000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3069529-226d28f41c588d902e73d9145cc4b211&start=230&end=1150","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3069529-226d28f41c588d902e73d9145cc4b211/thumbnail_230000.jpg","/articles/6576712/Louisiana/CPRA-reports-completed-shoreline-protections-selects-contractor-for-Chandeleur-Islands-restoration","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6576712-a1cd22b55eece70f0785890709289696/orig.mp4?Expires=1770939777&Signature=aanJUMR3E09Qgq00fRQOcwdakuAYUWhll73randXoAOZq93ELIo55W-wWJ7aacHGb756cOXOpE5fw6KKn1YpC~VjAVKWyp1sJEmXROyKZWUMBvlvCR0bng0ZdpV53NjfXQ~XQi-hGq2DMvcTnIQHOLhlSKiOhSaz6K3aJhf2K5lRD0q9slJlMX2~yAndZgsGI4wYvBKsvDcxYLGjOvOC9V~5vNGuk4fQr0GJpN5wQmu-B1Wmxu9jxIclgWRyBIbmDaVu49UZlqWCpjEOQcQA4XJVATaV5fCajxBg2Ycmz79hNWUvAxvFGnn7lsFqupKcTsSoBDoEANrj4AFpLTTMYg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) on April 16 told its board that a string of shoreline‑protection and restoration projects across the state have moved into construction or been completed and highlighted new contract selections as the agency prepares major work this year.

CPRA Director Glenn LaDay told the board the agency currently has 106 active projects: 38 in construction, 64 in engineering and design, and 4 in planning. He said two projects — the Rockefeller reach shoreline protection (NE 35) and a Rockabello shoreline project — were recently completed and are being transitioned into operations and maintenance.

The agency emphasized a completed rock revetment in the Rockefeller area in Cameron Parish. LaDay said the finished reach is roughly 1.2 miles of shoreline protection and that the state and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plan to advance a related design and construction effort (NE 41) this fall that could provide up to about three miles of additional protection for that stretch of coast.

LaDay also described a roughly $24.7 million, multi‑phase shoreline protection and marsh‑creation project along the Lake Pontchartrain shoreline (destrehan/LaBranch reach), noting that construction work — including dredging access, placement of geotextile and rock — is planned through the fall.

On larger restoration work, CPRA announced it has moved into the reconstruction phase for the Chandeleur Islands restoration project, the agency described as the largest barrier‑island restoration in state history. LaDay said Wheat's Marine has been selected as the construction‑management‑at‑risk (CMR) contractor and will begin preconstruction services, including constructability review and cost estimating.

LaDay also highlighted ongoing federal–state partnerships: dredged material beneficial‑use plans tied to navigation projects, the Port Fourchon shoreline protection phases moving to bid, and the Fridgey (Fritchie) Marsh mitigation project constructed as compensatory mitigation for the New Orleans to Venice levee work. He said the Corps of Engineers is financing a share of the Fritchie Marsh work and will conduct monitoring before transferring operations and maintenance responsibilities to the state and parish.

CPRA staff underscored the multi‑source funding for projects, including GOMESA, Restore Act funds, state surplus, parish contributions and other federal appropriations. LaDay said the FY26 annual plan — discussed later in the meeting — relies on those pooled dollars to keep construction moving across coastal basins.

The presentation included video and photo documentation of completed and in‑progress work: the Rockefeller revetment, the Lake Pontchartrain shoreline dike construction, dredging operations at Breton Sound and restoration activities at marsh mitigation sites. Board members commended CPRA on the coordination with parishes, the Corps, and local contractors.

LaDay closed by noting ongoing outreach activities (town halls, partner briefings) and by thanking staff and federal partners. He said CPRA will provide further updates on NE 41 and the Chandeleur preconstruction work as those efforts proceed.

The board did not take a separate vote on individual project highlights during the implementation update, but later voted to approve the agency's FY26 annual plan, which incorporates funding authorities for many of the projects reported during the update.","At its April 16 meeting the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority presented an implementation update highlighting completed shoreline protection work in Cameron Parish, the start of construction on multiple large restoration projects, and selection of Wheat's Marine as construction manager at risk for the Chandeleur Islands restoration.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

CPRA highlights Atchafalaya appendix: boat‑launch upgrades and basin master planning

CPRA board adopts $~2 billion FY26 annual plan amid public debate over Mid Barataria diversion

State ‘Drive’ reorganization plan would create Natural Resources Commission and remake energy and permitting offices

CPRA reports completed shoreline protections, selects contractor for Chandeleur Islands restoration