Louisiana moves to officially cancel its largest and most controversial coastal project

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The State of Louisiana has reached an agreement to cancel the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion Project, according to the board that controls much of the project’s funding.

The announcement was made in a statement from the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group, a board comprising representatives from state and federal agencies that oversee funds from the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

“The decision follows CPRA’s determination, as the Lead Implementing Trustee for construction of the sediment diversion, that the project is no longer viable due to multiple factors, including the suspension of a federal permit by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and ongoing litigation,” the statement said.

Supporters saw Mid-Barataria as the centerpiece of Louisiana’s coastal restoration efforts, an ambitious plan to divert up to 75,000 cubic feet of water per second into Barataria Bay.

Studies showed the project would build 21 square miles of land over the course of 50 years.

However, the administration of Gov. Jeff Landry criticized the project’s rising costs, now pegged at $3.1 billion, and its negative effects on oysters, brown shrimp and other fisheries.

As part of the termination process, the trustees’ statement said, the project’s authorized budget has been reduced from $2.26 billion to $618.52 million, reflecting funds already spent.

The resolution allows CPRA to use funds to close out the project, the statement said.

CPRA Chairman Gordon Dove has suggested the state could replace the project with a smaller diversion the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was examining before earlier administrations decided to move forward with Mid-Barataria.

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