Groups Challenge Proposed Raids on Coastal Restoration Funds

(Washington, D.C.—February 10, 2016) In response to the release of President Obama’s fiscal year 2017 budget proposal and the U.S. Senate debate on energy legislation, national and local conservation groups working together on Mississippi River Delta restoration – Environmental Defense Fund, National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation and Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana – released the following statement:

“We oppose any efforts by the Administration or Congress that undercut commitments to restore critical ecosystems in Louisiana’s Mississippi River Delta, where we are losing 16 square miles of vital wetlands every year – a preventable coastal erosion crisis. 

“These wetlands, which are nationally significant for both our environment and economy, will be lost without concerted and immediate investments. And those investments – currently underway through implementation of the 2012 Louisiana Coastal Master Plan – absolutely depend upon Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) funding, which is constitutionally committed in Louisiana to a Coastal Trust Fund that supports that plan. Failure to honor that federal commitment would directly result in accelerated land loss, habitat destruction and further degradation of this world-class ecosystem.

“The Mississippi River Delta is a national treasure that is home to millions of Americans, provides vital wildlife habitat, and supports billions of dollars in seafood industries, navigation interests, and energy production. This landscape deserves our full attention, including a comprehensive restoration strategy dependent on continued GOMESA funding, which must not be withdrawn or constrained.”