Restore the Mississippi River Delta, a coalition of national and local conservation organizations comprised of the National Wildlife Federation, National Audubon Society, Environmental Defense Fund and the Pontchartrain Conservancy, strongly supports the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. Following the correspondence the federal trustee agencies sent to the state in response to the status of the project, the coalition issued the following statement: “We have been concerned for some tim...| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
(New Orleans, LA – December 13, 2024) – Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry recently issued a response letter to the Deepwater Horizon federal trustees and other state and federal agency representatives regarding the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project. Using the river to restore Louisiana’s disappearing coast has long been one of Restore the Mississippi River Delta’s primary goals. The coalition of national and local conservation organizations comprised of the National Wildlife Fed...| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion (MBSD) has been a cornerstone of every Coastal Master Plan since 2007, supported by robust science, overwhelming public support and bipartisan leadership. Recent political shifts from leadership on this project – and the potential implications for Louisiana’s world-renowned coastal program—are deeply concerning for Louisiana’s future.| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Yesterday, Louisiana voters strongly supported a Constitutional Amendment to direct federal revenues received by the state from Outer Continental Shelf alternative or renewable energy production to be deposited into the Coastal Trust Fund and used for state restoration and protection initiatives. Restore the Mississippi River Delta, a coalition of national and local conservation organizations comprised of the National Wildlife Federation, National Audubon Society, Environmental Defense...| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
The once-in-a-generation Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion has broad support across Louisiana – but now faces political jeopardy| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Questions remain about future of Louisiana’s coastal program to address ongoing land loss crisis NEW ORLEANS (Nov. 21, 2024) — Restore the Mississippi River Delta, a coalition of national and local conservation organizations comprised of the National Wildlife Federation, National Audubon Society, Environmental Defense Fund and the Pontchartrain Conservancy, strongly supports the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion. Following today’s hearing of the Louisiana Senate Committee on Transp...| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
(New Orleans, LA – January 15, 2024) Today, Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) released its Draft FY26 Annual Plan for public review and comment. The Annual Plan reflects which projects in the Coastal Master Plan will move forward in a given fiscal year and, upon its adoption by the CPRA Board and the approval of the Legislature, provides the authority to expend funds originating from the state, federal government and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Resto...| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
The project will benefit more than 45,000 acres, providing a wetland buffer that can reduce storm surge for communities stretching from the Greater Baton Rouge to the Greater New Orleans regions.| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
"Today’s approval of the Annual Plan is a win for Louisiana’s coast, its people and its economy. We hope this vote is an affirmation of CPRA’s commitment to its own processes and science over the last two decades – including that Louisiana will stand by the proven evidence that shows diversions work. Louisiana should continue to invest in projects that will create thousands of acres of land, provide a regional workforce, reduce storm surge and protect communities and industries for ge...| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Two new surveys released today show widespread bipartisan support for reconnecting the Mississippi River to its wetlands through sediment diversion projects, including the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion.| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Simone’s primary role as campaign director of the coalition, Restore the Mississippi River Delta, is to support the staff’s daily work towards achieving a future Mississippi River Delta that includes a just, climate-resilient coast where people and nature thrive. Simone’s work centers around implementing the coalition’s goals, which include advancing priority projects, protecting and pursuing critical coastal funding, and working/laying the foundation to secure an equitable, safe and ...| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
The state of Louisiana has withdrawn the state and federal permit applications for the Mid-Breton Sediment Diversion, effectively cancelling another cornerstone project of the state’s coastal program.| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Listen Now: In the final episode of Delta Dispatches, host Simone interviews two young rising leaders in coastal restoration, Kylie Miller and Franziska Trautmann. The episode delves into their backgrounds, experiences, and insights on tackling Louisiana’s coastal challenges. Kylie Miller shares how her education, volunteer, and leadership experiences inspired her to focus on a career in the environmental field. Franziska Trautmann, co-founder and CEO of Glass Half Full, talks about the inn...| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Every six years, Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority develop the Coastal Master Plan (CMP), a blueprint for how the state will address its land loss crisis and protect communities, industries and ecosystems. The CMP isn’t a pot of money or a list of construction-ready projects. Instead, it’s a science-based framework that guides which projects move forward, how they are prioritized and how Louisiana positions itself to compete for funding. The CMP is designed to be ...| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
In the 200th episode of Delta Dispatches, host Simone Maloz celebrates this milestone by welcoming special guests to discuss the crucial work of restoring Louisiana's coast.| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Louisiana’s bounty – its fisheries, wildlife, and abundant natural resources – are at risk without large-scale restoration projects like this.| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Because there’s no one cause to Louisiana's land loss crisis, there’s no one solution. Learn more:| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Listen Now: In the 200th episode of Delta Dispatches, host Simone Maloz celebrates this milestone by welcoming special guests to discuss the crucial work of restoring Louisiana’s coast. Simone is joined by Charles Sutcliffe, the resilience climate and coastal policy specialist for the National Wildlife Federation, who talks about his extensive experience in coastal policy and resilience. The episode also introduces Donnie Davidson, the new Science Policy Research Fellow. Finally, making a n...| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Listen Now: In this episode of Delta Dispatches, host Simone Maloz discusses the importance of coastal restoration in Louisiana’s Bayou Region with Bren Haas, Program Director at Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program (BTNEP), and Jennifer Armand, Executive Director of the Bayou Community Foundation (BCF). Bren talks about his role at BTNEP, the organization’s work in water quality and habitat preservation, and their upcoming events including the White Boot Gala. Jennifer hi...| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
NEW ORLEANS (Aug. 27, 2025) — As the 20th anniversaries of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita approach, Restore the Mississippi River Delta—a coalition of national and local conservation groups—issued the following statement reflecting on the significant progress made in Louisiana’s coastal restoration over the past two decades while underscoring the urgency to maintain momentum: “Twenty years ago, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita changed Louisiana forever. More than 1,800 lives were lost, and ...| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
In this episode, Simone Maloz reflects on the 20th anniversary of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and interviews Jessica Dandridge and Sidney Coffee.| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Listen Now: In this episode of Delta Dispatches, Simone talks with Allie Olsonoski of the Environmental Defense Fund and Katie Freer from the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) about the importance of the Louisiana Coastal Master Plan and the development process of the upcoming 2029 Plan. Allie discusses her work tracking priority projects within the MRD coalition, while emphasizing the importance of community relationships. Katie shares insights on the origins and goals of t...| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Listen Now: In this episode of Delta Dispatches, host Simone Maloz discusses Louisiana’s coastal restoration efforts, featuring conversations with Charles Allen and Arthur Johnson. Charles Allen, Community Engagement Director with Audubon Delta, recounts his extensive experience advocating for coastal restoration and community involvement in Louisiana’s environmental initiatives. Arthur Johnson, CEO of the Lower Ninth Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development (CSED), shares i...| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
In the return episode of Delta Dispatches, host Simone Maloz is joined by Dr. Alisha Renfro and Steve Cochran to discuss Louisiana’s coast, its people, wildlife and jobs, and why restoring it matters. Today we explore the ecological, economic, and community significance of the Louisiana’s coast and the challenges and implications following the state's decision not to move forward with the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion.| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Restore the Mississippi River Delta is a coalition working to rebuild coastal Louisiana’s nationally-significant landscape to protect people, wildlife and jobs.| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
NEW ORLEANS (July 17, 2025) – The State of Louisiana has officially canceled the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion—the largest single ecosystem restoration effort in U.S. history and the cornerstone of the state’s own Coastal Master Plan. The project’s termination was announced by the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group (TIG), the entity responsible for overseeing the expenditure of Natural Resources Damages funds from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and follows the U.S. Army Corps ...| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
The Restore the Mississippi River Delta has identified 19 priority projects in the Mississippi River Delta that, if underway in the next five years, can signal the beginning of an era of stewardship and healthy recovery for not just the delta, but for the entire Gulf Coast.| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Restore the Mississippi River Delta is concerned about Louisiana’s rapidly disappearing coast, and we know you are, too. We want to keep you informed of the most critical issues currently facing our coast. This blog is part of an ongoing series expressing our concerns about recent shifts in our state’s successful and popular coastal program, including changes to the structure of our coastal program, the protection of coastal funding, and implementation of cornerstone projects in our scien...| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
NEW ORLEANS (June 4, 2025) — This week, the Louisiana Legislature approved the state’s FY26 Annual Plan for Coastal Protection and Restoration. Heralded as a nearly $2 billion investment for coastal investments, the actual total is closer to $1.4 billion because two major projects included in the plan have been cancelled due to political interference, a disregard for science and public trust: the Mid-Barataria and Mid-Breton Sediment Diversions. Restore the Mississippi River Delta, a coal...| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Letter urges Governor Landry to resume construction of the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion and maintain a science-based approach to restoration.| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Restore the Mississippi River Delta is concerned about Louisiana’s rapidly disappearing coast, and we know you are, too. We want to keep you informed of the most critical issues currently facing our coast. This blog marks the fourth in a series expressing our concerns about recent shifts in our state’s successful and popular coastal program, including changes to the structure of our coastal program, the protection of coastal funding, and implementation of cornerstone projects in our scien...| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Voters statewide and on the coast recognize that coastal land loss is having a direct impact and want to see action.| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Skip to a section 1. CLAIM: The Mid-Barataria sediment diversion is being imposed upon residents who do not want it. 2. CLAIM: Dolphins are a “canary in a coal mine” that will become “virtually extinct” because of the diversion. 3. CLAIM: The diversion will destroy our way of life and jobs in Plaquemines Parish. 4. CLAIM: We can “dredge” our way out of our coastal land loss crisis. 5. CLAIM: “It’s not a freshwater diversion. It’s a polluted water diversion.” ... Read The ...| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
What’s the Difference Between Neptune Pass and Mardi Gras Pass?| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
In the final miles of the Mississippi River, two naturally occurring diversions on the east bank of the Mississippi River provide vital real-world examples of the power of the river. Their differences – and similarities – are instructive examples for the future of restoration projects along the river.Both Neptune Pass and Mardi Gras Pass are diversions on the east bank of the Mississippi River in Plaquemines Parish that formed naturally and continue to build land in their outfall areas. T...| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
40 leading scientists express overwhelming support for Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Project estimated to create $1.9 billion in new sales for Plaquemines Parish and more than 3,000 jobs across five parishes| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
The Coastal Master Plan contains more good projects than we have money to implement. For the first time in decades, the Louisiana Legislature decided not to close a critical coastal funding gap with available state surplus dollars.| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Lifting the stop work order on the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion is a necessary and critical next step forward for Louisiana’s quickly disappearing coastal wetlands, which protect our coastal communities, businesses and ecosystem. We expect and call for the project to move forward as planned, without further delay.| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
A new policy brief released today highlights research showing that coordinating and prioritizing how the state of Louisiana times investments in coastal restoration is a critical element in planning and implementing projects to maximize their benefits.| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Today, Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Board approved the state’s historic $1.7 billion Annual Plan for coastal spending for Fiscal Year 2025.| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Restore the Mississippi River Delta strongly supports the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion.| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Louisiana’s new governor, Jeff Landry, announced several key coastal appointments to his administration this week.| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Researchers released a new report examining the growth potential for wind in the Gulf of Mexico, including estimates of revenue from federal offshore wind lease bids, rents and operating fees.| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
For 50 years, Wax Lake Delta near Morgan City has been building large amounts of new wetlands, a sign of hope for the future of the Mississippi River Delta| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
Today, the State of Louisiana broke ground on the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, the largest single ecosystem restoration project in U.S. history and a monumental milestone decades in the making.| Restore the Mississippi River Delta
