Louisiana’s governor has declared a state of emergency as concerns over the rapid erosion of the state’s coastline mount.
Governor John Bel Edwards has declared the state of emergency as an alarm bell to the federal government to take legislative action and expedite the environmental and federal permitting review process in relation to the state.
Edwards said he is asking for the support of President Donald J. Trump to speed up the said processes, which are hampering the implementation of the state’s 50 year restoration and protection masterplan.
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The Two-Way, a local media outlet, said that Louisiana has developed a $50 billion, 50-year plan to recover its coastlines and wetlands and protect them from the onslaught of hurricanes. The masterplan is mainly funded through a 2010 settlement with oil firm BP after litigation over an oil spill in the state’s coastal waters.
The emergency declaration is meant to complement the said plan, according to
The Two-Way.
According to Edwards, if the state does not take action over the problem, it stands to lose 2,250 square miles of productive land to erosion over the next 50 years.
Edwards explained that land resources are important to the state’s energy, maritime transportation and trade sectors, among others.
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