Louisiana Governor Testifies to U.S. Senate on Examining Shoreline and Riverbank Restoration in the Face of Climate Change

February 24, 2022

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards testified before the United States Senate Environment and Public Works Committee for a field hearing in Delaware on the importance of coastal restoration in the face of climate change on February 23, 2022. Governor Edwards specifically mentioned state-level efforts to restore Louisiana’s coastline in the aftermath of multiple hurricanes and the ongoing climate crisis.

Excerpts of the governor’s submitted testimony can be found below:

” Your Committee’s focus on restoring shorelines and riverbanks to address climate change resonates with me, as we strive in Louisiana to save our coast from its land loss crisis. Additionally, I am grateful that you and your colleagues passed a disaster supplemental to help us recover from Hurricanes Ida, Laura, and Delta, as well as the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This funding has given Louisiana a historic opportunity to make significant progress for our coast.”

“Louisiana has developed an ecosystem restoration program that is as comprehensive and forward thinking as any other such plan in the world. We are attempting to restore a coastal ecosystem where over two million people live and where billions of dollars of industrial investment and critical infrastructure exist. The importance of our working coast to our state and the country cannot be overstated. We must restore and protect it.

Ensuring that the Corps has the authority and direction to increase its focus on coastal, shoreline, and riverine ecosystems is of the utmost importance to the overall sustainability of the State of Louisiana.”

Follow this link to read the Louisiana Governor’s full written testimony that was submitted to the committee.

Follow this link to report a typo or other issue.