(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Sen. David Vitter announced that $14 million in federal funding for the Louisiana Coastal Area Ecosystem Restoration project was included in the U.S. Senate Energy and Water Appropriations Bill, which passed out of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee last week.
“The Louisiana Coastal Area Ecosystem Restoration plays a vital role in preserving our vanishing coast,” said Vitter. “This federal funding will help south Louisiana create a healthy and sustainable ecosystem.”
The Louisiana Coastal Area Ecosystem Restoration project funding will help identify and explore long-range, large-scale ecosystem restoration strategies to restore and protect coastal Louisiana.
The study area includes 20 parishes, from Mississippi to Texas –Ascension, Assumption, Calcasieu, Cameron, Iberia, Jefferson, Lafourche, Livingston, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Martin, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne and Vermilion parishes.
Study features include barrier island restoration, marsh creation and river diversion. Components of this project will develop alternative plans to restore and protect the natural and human environment to create a sustainable ecosystem.
“While committee passage is only the first step in the legislative process, it is an important one for securing funding for this project,” Vitter said. “I will continue to work with my colleagues to help keep this federal funding in the final bill.”
The Energy and Water Appropriations Bill is expected to move to the U.S. Senate floor for a vote later this year.
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