MEDIA ADVISORY: Louisiana's 2012 Coastal Master Plan to be Released at Noon Thursday

At noon CST on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012, the draft of the new coastal master plan for Louisiana will be available online at www.coastalmasterplan.la.gov.

The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) will host a conference call for news media only from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, to answer questions. To join the conference, dial [not for distribution; for media only]:

Phone: 888-278-0296
Passcode: 1005793

The public is invited to review the draft master plan during the comment period from Jan. 12 to Feb. 25, 2012. The CPRA will also conduct three public meetings to gather public comments. Each meeting will include an open house from 1 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and a public hearing from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

• Jan. 23, 2012, University of New Orleans, Lindy Boggs Conference Center Auditorium
• Jan. 24, 2012, Houma Terrebonne Civic Center
• Jan. 25, 2012, Lake Charles Civic Center

Louisiana's Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast is based on a two-year analysis involving some of the state's best scientists as well as national and international specialists. The state used this analysis to select 145 high-performing projects that could deliver measurable benefits to our communities and coastal ecosystem over the coming decades. The plan shows that if these projects were fully funded, at a price tag of $50 billion, we could substantially increase flood protection for communities and create a sustainable coast.

Louisiana is in the midst of a land loss crisis that has claimed 1,883 square miles of land since the 1930s. Given the importance of so many of south Louisiana's natural assets-its waterways, natural resources, unique culture and wetlands-this land loss crisis is nothing short of a national emergency, one that takes a daily toll on the lives of coastal residents. To address this crisis the Louisiana Legislature passed Act 8 in 2006, which created the CPRA and required it to develop a coastal master plan every five years. The first master plan was approved by the legislature in 2007. The new master plan, now under public review, will be submitted to the legislature for approval in this spring.

For more information contact CPRA Public Information Director Chuck Perrodin at (225) 342-7615 or chuck.perrodin2@la.gov.