For Immediate Release: July 8, 2009
Contact: Chris Macaluso
(225) 342-3968
chris.macaluso@la.gov

BATON ROUGE -- The Louisiana Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration is accepting public comments regarding proposed revisions to its Coastal Impact Assistance Plan.

The proposed revisions, appendices and original plan can be viewed by clicking the following link: http://www.lacpra.org/ciap.
The public comment period ends August 4, 2009.

Revisions to the original plan that was submitted by the State and accepted by the federal Minerals Management Service in November of 2007 were made necessary primarily because of changes in the amount of CIAP funding allotted to Louisiana.

The Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) was established by Section 384 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to help producing states and their coastal political subdivisions to mitigate impacts from Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas production.

If you have difficulty downloading the proposed revisions to the Louisiana Coastal Impact Assistance Plan, please contact Greg Grandy either via email at gregory.grandy@la.gov or by phone at (225) 342-7308.

Comments regarding the Louisiana CIAP proposed revisions are due no later than August 4, 2009. Please submit comments either via email to:

info@lacpra.org or gregory.grandy@LA.gov

or via regular mail to:
LA OCPR
P O Box 44027
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-4027
ATTN: Greg Grandy

or via delivery to:
LA OCPR
450 Laurel St, Suite 1501
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
ATTN: Greg Grandy

For more information about Louisiana's ongoing coastal restoration and hurricane protection efforts, please contact Chris Macaluso at 225-342-3968 or by email at chris.macaluso@la.gov.

The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority's mandate is to develop, implement and enforce a comprehensive coastal protection and restoration master plan. For the first time in Louisiana's history, this single state authority will integrate coastal restoration and hurricane protection by marshalling the expertise and resources of the Louisiana Office of Coastal Protection and Restoration, and other state agencies, to speak with one clear voice for the future of Louisiana's coast. Working with federal, state and local political subdivisions, including levee districts, the CPRA will work to establish a safe and sustainable coast that will protect our communities, the nation's critical energy infrastructure, and our bountiful natural resources for generations to come. The CPRA of Louisiana was established by Act 8 of the 1st Extraordinary Session of 2005.