Austin Walker
Dr. Rouse
HNRS 2013
2 May 2013
Louisiana Coastal Restoration Plans
“Louisiana is in the midst of a land loss crisis that has claimed 1,880 square mile of land
since the 1930s. Given the importance of so many of south Louisiana’s assets – our waterways,
natural resources, unique culture, and wetlands – this land loss crisis is nothing short of a
national emergency. (Coastal Master Plan Summary)” Our beloved coast accounts for roughly
thirty percent of the total coastal marshland of the United States. This mere third of the total
landmass of marshlands accounts for roughly 90% of the coastal marsh loss in the United States.
In addition, another interesting and scary statistic to take into account is that over two million
people lived in the southern coastal parishes that are at risk to be simply washed away. Two
million people accounted for over 47% of the state’s population in 2006, according to the US
Census estimates. Besides all of the important economic factors that Southern Louisiana
provides, this area is also one of the main reasons that Louisiana is referred to as “Sportsman’s
Paradise.” There are plenty of statistics to go around supporting the fact that the part of
Louisiana that is simply disappearing into the Gulf of Mexico is arguably one of the most
important parts of the United States of America. So what is the Louisiana government doing to
combat the constant problem that is plaguing the South? There are two main plans that have been
proposed in the past ten years, the Coastal Master Plan of 2007 and the Coastal Master plan of
2012. Though different in many ways, these two documents represent the combined effort of
many different people all with one combined goal – to save this important part of the country
that is simply disappearing.
The Coastal Master Plan of 2007 was submitted by Kathleen Blanco on April 30th of
2007. The introduction of the plan starts off with an indication that much of the document was
prompted by the disastrous hurricanes of 2005 that destroyed much of Louisiana. “The death and
devastation caused by hurricanes Rita and Katrina have strengthened our resolve to establish a
lasting legacy of coastal protection and restoration for south Louisiana. The passage of this
Master Plan is the first step in making that legacy a reality for our coastal communities today.
(CMP of 2007)” The actual stated goal of the Master Plan of 2007 is to “coordinate the efforts of
local, state, and federal agencies to achieve long term and comprehensive coastal protection and
restoration. (CMP of 2007)” The plan is broken down into two main areas: flood control and
wetland restoration. When drafted, Louisiana was losing land at a rate of over 15,300 acres per
year. This land loss rate was high enough to have multiple pipelines, navigation channels, and
fisheries flagged as high risk for loss.
Furthermore, the Coastal Plan of 2007 further focuses on hurricanes Katrina and Rita by
going on to state that around two hundred square miles of marsh were destroyed just because of
the hurricanes. Two hundred square miles is a lot of land. On top of that, over two hundred
thousand homes were damaged and over fourteen hundred Louisianans died – all due to
inadequate protection and planning. Outside of Louisiana, the two hurricanes accounted for a
massive spike in fuel prices, a decrease in energy reserves and multiple problems with shipments
all over the world markets. Louisiana is a gateway to the United States from the water and thusly
it is very important that the massive “port” of Louisiana be protected. The Master Plan of 2007
was intended to help with all of that. In addition to many specific goals, the plan was drafted
with the idea that it would be a living document that could evolve over the years to cater to the
unknown needs of the future.
Statistically speaking, the Master Plan of 2007 really seems to favor Statistics. Not even
three pages in and one is greeted with three very interesting statistics that should be brought
forward. From an energy infrastructure standpoint, “[Louisiana] produces or transports nearly
one-third of the nation’s oil and gas supply and is tied to 50% of the nation’s refining capacity.”
Secondly, “ten major navigation routes are located in south Louisiana. Five of the busiest ports
in the U.S are also located here.” Thirdly, “Louisiana provides 26% of the commercial fish
landing in the lower 48 states. (CMP of 2007). Looking at these statistics is simply awe
inspiring. Louisiana is just so important for so many different things, and that is exactly what the
plan of 2007 focuses on.
To list everything that the plan of 2007 plans on accomplishing would be near impossible
in a five page paper as the main document is near 100 pages, but there are three major aspects
that the plan of 2007 wants to accomplish. Restoring sustainability to the Mississippi River
Delta, to the Chenier Plains, and Hurricane Protection. Hurricane protection in this plan is setup
to be directly proportional to the assets that are at risk. What this means is that more important
assets are going to be at the top of the line and little shacks are going to be at the very bottom.
The idea isn’t to help Skipper Boudreaux keep his shrimping boat and dock intact – it is on a
broader scale to protect large areas and more specifically industrial assets that produce major
economic impacts. The main idea of the Chenier Plains plan is to manage water and
sedimentation problems. The plan is to reduce the impacts of saltwater intrusion and to manager
the surface fresh water supplies. Lastly, the Mississippi River Delta part of the plan is to
reconnect the Mississippi River to the wetlands throughout controlled diversions which will
restore flows of water so the ecosystems can retrain sediment and nutrients (CMP of 2007).
Onward to the Coastal Master Plan of 2012. Comparing the two documents the first thing
one will notice is the major difference between the two documents. Pictures. Wow. There are so
many HD pictures in the plan of 2012 that show that people are actually working and trying to
accomplish what is being proposed. After all, the plan in itself is made to appeal to congress
members so they vote for it…and the pictures have to help even just a little bit! On a more
serious note, the Coastal Plan of 2012 starts off with a brief summary of what has been
accomplished since the plan of 2007. In short, the plan of 2007 yielded to many miles of levees
being built, near 20,000 acres of coastal habitat being helped, $17 billion in federal and state
money being raises, and over 170 projects being worked on to benefit the south!
“The 2012 Master Plan is the Way Forward!” “Making realistic, on the ground progress
toward restoring coastal habitats and protecting communities – demonstrating our commitment
to the coast- is at the heart of the 2012 Coastal Master Plan. (Coastal Master Plan of 2012)” This
plan differs greatly from the plan of 2007 as it looks forward 50 years and gives a massive set of
guidelines on what can, should, and needs to be accomplished. Whereas the plan of 2007 mainly
focused on fixing problems created in the past, the plan of 2012 looks forward on how to fix
future problems from occurring.
This master plan predicts that by fifty years from now, there could be $23.4 billion in
damages done by flooding alone. The plan can reduce that by near $18 billion dollars. Well. That
is a lot. On top of that, the Master Plan of 2012 is broken up into two overall goals for multiple
areas: Protection and Restoration. Protection is defined as “using a combination of resources to
provide increased flood protection for all communities.” Restoration is defined as “using an
integrated and synergistic approach to ensure a sustainable and resilient coastal wetland.” These
two goals are broken up into three coasts: Southwest, Central, and Southeast. It further has goals
set to improve flood protection for every community in coastal Louisiana. Overall, the plan is
asking for $100 billion dollars over the next fifty years to aid in the protection of all of Southern
Louisiana. This plan is based off of modern research provided by the state using state of the art
technical analysis to provide for the comprehensive needs of the entire coast as a whole.
All in all, both plans are great because they try to fix many problems that are wrong with
the Louisiana coast. The plan of 2007 is focused mainly in fixing the problems of the past and is
not nearly as forward looking as the plan of 2012. The Coastal Master Plan of 2007 mentions
hurricanes a lot and is structured to fix many of the areas that Katrina and Rita broke. On the
flipside, the Coastal Master Plan of 2012 is forward looking and plans fifty years into the future.
This plan is setup to not only help the current generation of Louisianans, but also multiple
generations into the future.
Works Cited
"Coastal Protection AndRestoration Authority." Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.
"Louisiana Coastal Erosion: Facts and Figures." Louisiana Coastal Erosion: Facts and Figures. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.
"Louisiana's 2012 Coastal Master Plan." Louisianas 2012 Coastal Master Plan 2007 Master Plan
Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.
"Louisiana's 2012 Coastal Master Plan." Louisianas 2012 Coastal Master Plan The 2012 Master Plan
Is the Way Forward Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.
"Restore or Retreat." Restore or Retreat. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 May 2014.