Introduction to the Coastal Master Plan 2012 Louisianas Coastal Master Plan for 2012, which was approved

on May 22, 2012, is the second of its kind, with the first being released in 2007. The Coastal Master Plan must be redone every five years according to Act 8, which was passed in 2006, and is a ground-breaking planning effort by the States Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. The future of Louisianas wetlands looks bleak, but together we can take bold action in order to restore the coast. This plan was based on a two-year analysis in collaboration with some of the best international specialists in the world. Figure 1. Red indicates areas likely to be lost over the next fifty Within this plan, the state has selected years; green indicates new land. (via Coastal Master Plan 2012 109 projects to improve the coastal ecosystem. So far, the plan has a $50 billion dollar price tag, but will probably cost a lot more, something Ill discuss in further reports. Louisianas coast has many assetsincluding waterways, culture, and natural resourcesthat must be protected. If we keep on doing what were doing nowwhich is next to nothingwe have the potential to lose up to an additional 1750 square miles. This would increase flooding risks and have drastic effects. We have to take bold actions in order to build land to sustain the coast of Louisiana. The many barrier islands that are likely to be lost (refer to Figure 1) reduce the impact of storm surges, which reduces flooding. If we do nothing, this loss of land will result in about $23.4 billion worth of flood damage by 2061. In terms like these, it is obvious to see the heavy toll taken by Louisianas land loss. 1880 square miles of Louisianas coast have already been lost, and we stand to lose an additional 1750 square miles over the next fifty years. This loss is caused by many different factors, both manmade and natural. Levees and floodgates, while they have helped control flooding in southern Louisiana, have channeled the Mississippi River and its tributaries into the Gulf of Mexico, which deprives the coast of nutrients and sediments needed to have a healthy coast. The dredging of canals for oil field purposes, while helpful in the immediate sense, also took a toll on the landscape by wearing the marshes down and allowing the salt water to seep into coastal basins. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill directly impacted the coast and underlined the need for a more resilient coastal ecosystem in order to be better prepared for this type of catastrophe. Without a healthy coast, Louisiana cannot have a healthy economic life.

A few examples of places deeply in need of this plan are Hackberry, LA, Lafitte, LA, and Louisiana Highway 1. Hackberry is important to our nations energy security. The salt domes house the nations four strategic petroleum reserves that have the capacity to hold 228 million barrels of crude oil. Hackberry has been severely impacted by recent hurricanes. The deterioration of the nearby Chenier Plain wetlands will only increase flooding risks, thereby putting Hackberry in even more jeopardy. Lafitte is a culturally significant town in southern Louisiana. By 2061, Lafitte could be experiencing flood depths up to 12 feet from a 50-year storm event. The increased risk would devastate the small fishing town. Louisiana Highway 1 connects the rest of the United States to Port Fourchon (see Figure 2), a very important port that is responsible for supplying 18% of the countrys oil. Highway 1 has experienced repeated closures as a result of hurricanes and even high tide. If Highway 1 were to be damaged beyond repair, the nation would lose $7 billion dollars in economic terms, not to mention the culture of

Figure 2. Port Fourchon, located on Highway 1, accounts for 90% of the offshore drilling projects in the Gulf of Mexico.

the towns that lie on the route of Highway 1. There is not another single region in the United States that offers a globally and economically important habitat. The infrastructure of southern Louisiana supplies protection for the infrastructure that supplies 90% of the nations outer continental oil and gas, winter habitats for migratory waterfowl, and 20% of the nations annual waterborne commerce. It is also home to over 2 million people, most of whom have lived in or around the coast their entire lives. The bond of the Louisiana people is based on fishing, hunting, and culture. The impact of Louisianas coast extends throughout the Gulf of Mexico. The federal Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force recognizes that Louisianas coast is important to the health and resiliency of the entire Gulf. The region of Louisiana is vital not only because of the economic aspects, but also because of the cultural aspects. It can be argued that no other state has as rich a heritage as Louisiana. However, to preserve this legacy for future generations, we must act quickly or risk

losing everything. According to the 2012 Coastal Master Plan, without action our communities will continue to wash away, our fisheries will collapse, and vital industries will not have the infrastructure or workforces they need to operate. The nation will face a $40 billion cost just to move these communities inward. Consumers would have to pay ridiculous increases in energy costs. Future storms like that of Katrina will be ten times worse in terms of damages. We must
Figure 3. Projects that have been or are being constructed.

Figure 4. Future projects in the 2012 Coastal Master Plan.

pursue bold measures in order to avoid this reality. None of the actions in this plan will cause more distress than continuing on the path we are on now.

Citizens can see their state washing away and fear storms as they approach the dilapidated coast. The state has taken a leadership role in specifying specific projects that will help sustain coastal communities (see Figures 3 and 4). These projects address the root causes of land loss and will allow citizens to return home more confidently after a storm. This plan has large scale [Grab your readers attention with a projects that take the entire coast into account as well as great quote from the document or smaller projects. Since the implementation of the first use this space to emphasize a key Master Plan in 2007, the state has leveraged 14 billion point. To place this text box federal dollars for a hurricane protection system. The anywhere on the page, just drag it.] federal Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) is providing about 496 million to mitigate impacts from

oil and gas production through shoreline protection, marsh creation, and other strategies. 90% of the CIAP projects, as of the completion of the 2012 Coastal Master Plan, are underway of complete. We need to keep this momentum going and even push it even further. In this way, we can protect our communities and sustain the coast. The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) mandate is to develop, implement, and enforce a comprehensive protection and restoration master plan for Coastal Louisiana, defined by the area in Louisiana that falls south of the Old River Control Structure. The CPRA is currently working to create a safe and sustainable coast to protect the communities of Louisiana, the nations critical energy structure, and our bountiful natural resources. Thus far, the CPRA has built/improved 159 miles of levees, benefited 19405 acres of coastal habitat, secured $17 billion in state and federal funding, identified and used dozens of different funding sources for projects, moved 150 projects from design into construction, constructed projects in 20 parishes, and constructed 32 miles of barrier islands. The Coastal Master Plan was developed by taking a look at the next 50 years for Louisiana. This plan presents the best use of dollars based on what is known today. Given the rapid price change that is part of our landscape, we can neither turn back the clock nor keep the coast exactly as it is today. We must create a new coast with a mix of different projects and funding. Through these projects, a sustainable and safer coast will emerge. Since 2007, the CPRA has built more levees, restored more land, and invested more dollars than ever before. This will ensure that future generations get to experience Louisianas coast like we have. Louisianas coast loses 16 square miles of land every single year. The Master Plan makes it possible for there to be no net loss of land after 20 years and gain of land within 30 years. The graph to the left shows the two possible scenarios evaluated: Future Without Action and Master Plan. If there is no action, we stand to lose almost 1800 square miles of land in the next 50 years, which is double the land lost since 1930. With the Master Plan, we will actually begin gaining land in 30 years. Within 50, 800 square miles of land could potentially be re-built. This option does not complete reduce land loss right away, but it can help in the years to come. The plan was developed through a ground-breaking technical effort and scientific research. The projects analyzed can increase sustainability and protection for communities throughout the state. This

Master Plan includes a wide variety of projects with goals like protection, which uses a combination of restoration, nonstructural, and targeted structural measures to provide, increased flood protection for all communities, and restoration, which uses an integrated and synergistic approach to ensure a sustainable and resilient coastal landscape. The plan has broken down Louisiana into three regions: the Southwest Coast, the Central Coast, and the Southeast Coast. Protection measures for the Southwest Coast are included for places with like Lake Charles and Abbeville, which are densely populated. Restoration if Chenier ridges and Gulf Shore protection provide additional storm protection. The restoration of wetlands in Figure 5. Projects included in the Master Plan. this area will limit saltwater intrusion and maintain the input of fresh water in the wetlands. In the Central Coast, levee production is included for communities such as Houma, Morgan City, and New Iberia. Restoration of the barrier islands will provide extra protection in this area. In the Southeast Coastal area, the main idea is to sustain key protection systems, like the Greater New Orleans area and the area between Golden Meadow and Larose. Nonstructural measures are also included for this particular region. The plan, in terms of restoration, is to use sediment from the Mississippi River to sustain and rebuild land habitats including cypress swamps and barrier islands. Though these are the only named areas in the plan, the plan improves flood protection for every community into Louisiana and therefore will reduce expected annual damage from flooding by $5.3 to $18 billion. Levees are planned to be built that can reduce or eliminate risks for a 100 year

Figure 6. Sediment currently wasted that will be utilized in the Coastal Master Plan.

storm in places like Abbeville, New Iberia, Houma, and Golden Meadow. The plan also creates measures that will reduce or eliminate the risk for a 500 year storm. The land building benefits will continue well beyond 50 years. This plan includes a 20 billion dollar investment in sediment mining and marsh creation projects, which will be land for areas in dire need. The restoration projects in the plan contribute to overall risk reduction across the coast by reducing storm surge. Through this, the plan supports coastal industries, their infrastructure, and the workforce they depend on. The sustainability that will be provided by this plan will support economic stability and recreational fisheries. It will allow transition to the changing environment using a wide variety of projects. This plan supports the goals of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Forces Regional Ecosystem Restoration Strategy and provides the framework for these goals. The projects will use up to 50% of Mississippis sediment diversions (see Figure 6), in addition to sediment and water from the Atchafalaya River. The budget of the Master Plan is currently set at $50 billion and is split into budgets for different project types and land building as shown by the two graphs below. The first graph shows the distribution by project type. The second graph shows how much land will be built by each type of restoration projects.

The budget of $50 billion reflects existing and potential funding sources. The plan will be altered as more money becomes available. The current budget helps to allow the makers of this plan to improve protection for communities and to turn the tide of land loss for the first time in a century. Despite all the good this plan will do, they will not be able to make up for the last fifty years of land loss. The CPRA is committed to doing everything they can for the coast in order to secure a sustainable future. The CPRA, in creating this plan, also evaluated what could be done with more than $50 billion in order to see exactly how much it would take for this plan to build or sustain large amounts of land to maximize protection for the communities in Southern Louisiana. Additional funds, it was shown would greatly improve the ability of the program to protect at-risk communities and build coastal land. A $100 billion budget by 2061 would allow the program to achieve a net gain of land even in the less optimistic scenario. The state of

Louisiana would be able to build and sustain between 910 and 1240 square miles of land at a rate between 6 and 18 square miles per year. Our coast is in the midst of a land loss crisis that requires immediate action. We have tools to combat this land loss and make a difference for Louisiana citizens and assets. The CPRA hopes that this plan will encourage all those who live in coastal Louisiana to come together. We can either embrace it or become victims of this challenge. We must look forward, not back, and use every opportunity available to us in order to create a sustainable coast. The Master Plan offers projects to reach that goal.

**All Figures courtesy of the Louisiana 2012 Coastal Master Plan**

Resources The 2012 Coastal Master Plan is the Way Forward. Louisianas 2012 Coastal Master Plan. Coastal Preservation and Restoration Authority, 2011. Web. 31 Jan 2014. < http://www.coastalmasterplan.louisiana.gov/> Louisiana 2012 Coastal Master Plan.