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Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Coast 2050

Coastal land loss and CWPPRA (Breaux Act)

1. How much coastal wetland loss is happening in Louisiana?

• 25-35 square miles per year

2. Can we really stop this process?

• Not entirely. Land loss is a natural process in delta systems.
• Historically, uninhibited land gain balanced the loss.
• Man’s intervention into these systems has severely hampered the natural land gain mechanisms while increasing the land loss rate.
• River diversions are one strategy to rebuild and replenish the wetland base that drives biological productivity on the coast.
• Breaux Act projects from Priority Lists 1-7 are projected to stop 14% of the loss over 20 years.
• Caernarvon and Davis Pond Freshwater Diversions are projected to stop 9% of the basin wide loss over 20 years.

3. What is the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act? Why is it important?

• The Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, and Restoration Act (CWPPRA), also known as the Breaux Act, was signed into law in 1990. It insures that state and federal monies ($40 million per year) are available for coastal restoration and conservation efforts.

4. So if we have the Breaux Act, do we need more?

• Yes! The Breaux Act was a good step, but it is not enough.
• It is estimated that work authorized to date through this effort would reduce land loss by about 14%.

Coast 2050

5. What is Coast 2050 trying to accomplish?

• Coast 2050's goal is to obtain public opinion and input on restoring our coast, from all marsh users and to use this information in the development of technically sound ecosystem management plans.
• Coast 2050 seeks multiple-use objectives from the public so wetland restoration strategies can be developed with public input to meet these objectives.
• If the entire public can recognize the consequence of no action, there may be a willingness to accept planned habitat and land changes in order to achieve long-term benefits of coastal restoration.
• Coast 2050 seeks this public input, through such mechanisms as public meetings and local parish contacts.
• The Coast 2050 effort is a way to discuss the needs of our coast and to plan to make it a great place to live for our children and grandchildren.

6. What will Louisiana and the nation get for their money if we restore coastal marshes?

• Protection of a commercial fishing industry that harvests more than 1.1 billion pounds of finfish and shellfish annually.
• Protection of habitat for more than 5 million wintering waterfowl.
• Continued revenue from hunting, recreational fishing, and ecotourism. Recreational fishing revenues contribute more than $235 million per year to Louisiana’s economy.
• Protection of natural gas production worth $7.4 billion per year.
• Protection of coastal zone refineries, which produce $30 billion worth of petroleum products every year.
• Protection of a waterborne commerce industry that moves 400 million tons of products through coastal channels every year and handles more commodities than the entire west coast combined.
• Assurance that our children and grandchildren will have these unique natural resources.
• Protection of towns and cities in the coastal zone from damage by hurricanes and storms.

7. Who is in charge of Coast 2050 ?

• Coast 2050 is a partnership between the Breaux Act Task Force, chaired by Colonel Thomas F. Julich, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers District Engineer; the State Wetlands Authority, chaired by Dr. Len Bahr, Governor Foster’s Executive Assistant for Coastal Activities; and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Coastal Zone Management Authority, which is under the administration of DNR Secretary Jack C. Caldwell. These three entities are ultimately in charge of guiding the Coast 2050 initiative.

8. Who is on the Coast 2050 teams?

• The Strategic Working Group makes policy and is comprised of representatives of the Breaux Act Task Force and the State Wetlands Authority.
• The Coastal Zone Management Working Group consists of parish government. representatives and parish Coastal Zone Management Advisory Committees.
• The Planning Management Team and Regional Teams consist of federal and state coastal scientists and engineers from agencies, academia, and the private sector. In addition, the Regional Teams have volunteers from the region.

9. What can the average person do to get involved and help conserve our coast?

• Through Coast 2050, public input and participation is being sought at a grander scale.
• Come to Coast 2050 meetings in your region.
• Tell us what you want your coast to look like in 2050.
• Get involved with your local Coastal Zone Management Advisory Committee (CZMAC) or your local parish contact.
• Tell your local officials of your hopes and concerns about the future.
• Stay informed about coastal restoration in your area--what works and what doesn’t work.

10. After the Coast 2050 strategic planning effort, how will concerns about a specific project be communicated to the agencies making project decisions?

• Projects are recommended to the Breaux Act Task Force by agencies, local governments, landowners and the general public through a series of state wide meetings.
• After projects are initially chosen by the Breaux Act Task Force (representatives of five federal agencies and the Governor’s Office of Coastal Activities), one of the federal agencies is identified as the lead agency.
• The state of Louisiana, through the Department of Natural Resources, usually serves as the nonfederal sponsor (a 15% state match is required).
• It is the responsibility of these agencies to keep local government and the public informed and to obtain comments through direct communication and public meetings.
• Parish Coastal Zone Management groups often serves as points of local contact.
• Local governments also serve as contact points with state and federal agencies.
• Annual reports are presented to the Legislature and a comprehensive report is presented to the US Congress.

11. How can the public be assured that projects work as proposed after project implementation?

• The Breaux Act Restoration Plan provides for scientific monitoring of projects.
• If a project is not meeting its goals, modifications are made. Sometimes it may be necessary to deactivate a project.
• Science and engineering can sometimes produce unexpected outcomes; the best chance we have for building a project that works well is to have the best information on a project as early as possible. For this reason, qualified field biologists monitor project effects on water quality, hydrology, soils and sediments, vegetation, wildlife, and fisheries throughout the project life.

12. Do we have to lose our levees to rebuild our marsh?

• No!
• Although levees and the leveeing off of the Mississippi River have been identified as one of many causes of coastal land loss, the Breaux Act Task Force and the State Wetlands Authority do not propose that we degrade existing levees.
• The Coast 2050 effort is designed to recognize the value of our existing and proposed levee systems and other infrastructure and to account for such in coastal restoration planning.

13. Is there an effort to educate young people regarding the land loss risks and restoration needs?

• Yes. Programs such as the Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service’s Marsh Maneuvers Program, the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program, and CD-ROMs produced under the Breaux Act, target young people from kindergarten through high school.