Our Views: Get behind Louisiana coastal plan

The sheer size of Louisiana’s coastal crisis has, in a perverse way, limited this state’s response to one of its most pressing challenges. The problem of coastal erosion is so big, with Louisiana losing at least 16 square miles of land each year, that politicians, policymakers and the general public couldn’t seem to get their hands around the task they faced — and how to tackle it.

But a new coastal restoration and protection plan developed by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority is a step in the right direction. The plan, which has gained the support of a cross-section of experts who have dealt with coastal protection for years, deserves support from other quarters, too. We hope that the governor and state lawmakers can work together to advance the plan, which will require legislative approval to become a reality.

The public comment period on the plan will continue through Feb. 25. The public can read the plan at http://www.coastalmasterplan.louisiana.gov/2012-master-plan/draft-2012-master-plan/. The public comment period is intended to provide insights that might be used to tweak the plan before it heads to the Legislature, but it’s important to remember that no plan of this scale is going to make everyone happy.

The hard choices in this plan are a long-awaited acknowledgment that coastal restoration cannot be all things to all people. This is a $50 billion blueprint for restoring and protecting the coast over the next 50 years, assuming the cost will be paid by a mix of federal and state funds. Given the price tag, a strong federal role in funding this plan is vital.

The plan requires a lot of money, but not nearly enough to save all areas of the coast that have been damaged. The plan uses sound science to set priorities, directing spending where it can do the most good.

Sustained funding for coastal restoration and protection on this scale is far from guaranteed. In a time of fiscal austerity at both the federal and state levels, this kind of spending could prove a hard sell. But without a credible plan that demonstrates the state’s seriousness in facing this ecological crisis, the prospects for funding will be even worse.

A major factor in the state’s eroding coastline has been the levee system built around the Mississippi River over generations. The levees have limited the sweep of the river, diminishing its ability to bring sediment downstream and nourish the coast. This new plan would include diversion projects that bring some of that sediment back to the areas that need it the most.

“It’s a template through which we can make a convincing case to the rest of the nation,” David Muth, of the National Wildlife Federation, said of the plan.

“I’ve worked on past plans, and they weren’t worth the paper they were written on,” said Paul Kemp, a scientist with extensive experience in coastal restoration who works in Louisiana on behalf of the National Audubon Society.

Kemp stressed that the plan now being promoted by CPRA is different, offering specific choices and proven strategies to restore the coast. “The good news is that we can actually reverse land loss,” Kemp told a recent meeting of Advocate reporters and editors.

These kinds of victories require cooperation in pursuit of a common goal. That’s why it’s so important that lawmakers and the governor approve this plan, and move forward.