Louisiana Pulls the Plug on the Nation’s Largest Ecosystem Restoration Project

Louisiana once stood at the forefront of coastal defense, but now it’s retreating from both science and public will. The state has officially canceled the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion—the single-largest ecosystem restoration project in U.S. history and the cornerstone of the state’s own Coastal Master Plan.

This decision by Gov. Jeff Landry’s administration marks a sharp departure from the science-backed, publicly supported, nonpartisan approach that has defined Louisiana’s coastal restoration leadership for decades.

Twenty years ago, hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the Gulf Coast and caused an unprecedented level of damage to Louisiana’s coastal communities. Additionally, Louisiana has lost more than 2,000 square-miles of coastal wetlands since the 1930s. To safeguard south Louisiana from future storms, erosion, and sea-level rise, the state created the first-ever Coastal Master Plan in 2007—the first plan of its kind in the United States—which would invest $50 billion to restore the coast over 50 years. The state of Louisiana has updated the Coastal Master Plan with the latest science and planning four times since 2007. In every iteration, the crown jewel of this plan is the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion.

Barataria Basin, just south of New Orleans, is a large complex of wetlands that is experiencing some of the highest rates of land loss in the country. Without action, the Basin will lose an extreme amount of land—550 square miles over the next 50 years. Already, wetlands are eroding and converting into open water, while barrier islands further down the coast wash away, leaving both communities and wildlife vulnerable to storm surge and flooding.

Louisiana's wetlands were historically built by the Mississippi River’s nutrient-rich sediment, which would flood the basin during spring rains and provide a fresh layer of sediment to the wetlands nearby, anchoring the vegetation and providing habitat for a multitude of birds, fish, and other wildlife in this rich ecosystem. However, since the federal government leveed the Mississippi River following the devastating 1927 floods, the river’s sediments have funneled out to the Gulf of Mexico, and Louisiana’s once-vibrant coastal wetlands have withered for nearly a century.

The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion has been designed to build land by mimicking this natural process. This project would essentially construct a permeable gate in the river levee that allows sediment to pass through when the river water and sediment is at its highest, directing that much-needed sediment to the starving wetlands in the Barataria Basin. By reconnecting the river to the wetlands, sediment and freshwater from the river would build and maintain up to 40 square miles of land in the Barataria Basin over the next 50 years. Healthy wetlands are critical to not only buffer coastal communities from storms and sea-level rise, but also to provide freshwater habitats for birds like Roseate Spoonbills and Bald Eagles.

The public overwhelmingly supports sediment diversion projects, and over the past two decades, Louisiana's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority has been largely shielded from political interference. Five governors, Democrat and Republican alike, honored our state's commitment to science, transparency, and public input in our coastal planning, setting a national standard for others to admire and emulate.

The organizations that comprise the Restore the Mississippi River Delta coalition—National Audubon Society, Environmental Defense Fund, the National Wildlife Federation, and Pontchartrain Conservancy—have supported this project and each iteration of the state’s Coastal Master Plan since its inception. The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion is also a keystone project in Audubon’s vision for restoring the Gulf Coast following the BP oil spill.

After more than 15 years of extensive public engagement, research, and engineering, the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion broke ground in 2023. However, progress was abruptly halted soon after the Landry administration took office with little information and no public process. This month, the Deepwater Horizon Trustees responsible for overseeing the expenditure of funds from the BP oil spill settlement announced the project’s official termination, following the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ decision earlier this summer to suspend the project’s permit—both developments influenced by the Landry administration’s actions.

Louisiana has already spent roughly $560 million on permitting and design to support construction of the project. By cancelling this project without public input, the state is putting the integrity of its Coastal Program at risk. For 20 years, science-driven decision-making has helped Louisiana prioritize the most effective projects for implementation and secure over $21 billion in funding. Without a transparent public comment process, the state has chosen to disregard Louisiana's residents and stakeholders, jeopardizing both future funding and our ability to build a more resilient future.

Without this critical project, Barataria Basin and Louisiana’s coast will continue to lose crucial wetlands that buffer communities and wildlife from dangerous storm surge and sea-level rise. Furthermore, all other projects in the state’s Coastal Master Plan, implemented and built around this cornerstone project, will not be as effective in their own capacities. The cancellation of the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion will leave a stain on the legacy of Louisiana’s once nationally highly regarded coastal program and, more critically, will cost the state vital time and funding that we simply do not have to save our coast.

Restore the Mississippi River Delta issued a statement in response to the news, calling for a full public accounting of Louisiana’s actions in cancelling this cornerstone project:

"We call on our local, state and federal leaders to uphold the principles that have made Louisiana a global model for coastal restoration. We also urge the Louisiana TIG—charged with restoring the Gulf in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon disaster—to provide a full public accounting of why it is allowing the Landry administration to walk away from a thoroughly vetted project under construction, already backed by more than half a billion dollars in oil spill settlement funds."

Despite this heartbreaking setback, Audubon is unwavering in its commitment to Louisiana’s coast. We remain dedicated to science-based, large-scale restoration that protects both people and wildlife. Audubon will continue working hand in hand with decision-makers, communities, and partners to move meaningful coastal restoration projects forward. Even in the face of setbacks, we stand firm in our efforts to rebuild habitat, strengthen communities, and secure a sustainable future for the birds and people who call Louisiana home.