BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana is celebrating the organizations around the state working proactively toward a more sustainable and resilient coast. Gov. John Bel Edwards officially proclaimed April 24th – April 28th as Coastal Industry Week for the state.

“I am proud to proclaim Coastal Industry Week in Louisiana to bring well-deserved attention to the significant efforts being made to create jobs that will lead to solutions to help protect the rich history, culture, diverse ecosystems, and valuable natural resources of our vast coast,” said Gov. Edwards. “The challenge is a big one as all of those areas are being threatened by ongoing land loss and increased flooding risk. Louisiana’s future depends on the hundreds of organizations and companies working tirelessly to design, build, and operate projects that will restore our fading coast, and this week is an opportunity to highlight their important work.”

Louisiana has invested over $21.4 billion in coastal protection and restoration projects since 2007, benefitting 55,807 acres of habitat (87.2 square miles), 369 miles of levee improvements, and 71.6 miles of barrier islands and headlands.
Louisiana’s coastal industry offers a wide variety of employment opportunities with higher than average state wages, including engineers, scientists, contractors, advocates, and more. Driven by CPRA’s Coastal Master and Annual Plans, it will support almost 9,000 jobs statewide with $578 million in labor income in Fiscal Year 2024 according to GNO Inc.

“I would like to thank Gov. Edwards for his continued, unwavering support of our coastal program and the efforts we are making to protect and restore our coast,” said CPRA Chairman Chip Kline. “Having someone in the highest office in the state who recognizes the importance of continuing to increase opportunities for individuals and businesses in the coastal sector is crucial to our mission. Continuing to grow Louisiana’s coastal industry has become increasingly more important as we continue to utilize the best science and engineering available to design and implement innovative projects along our coast.”

Coastal Day at the Louisiana Legislature kicked off the week with a packed agenda including a business networking and matchmaking event at the LSU Center for River Studies. The event, a collaboration between CPRA and the Coastal Technical Assistance Center (CTAC), gave companies and organizations in interested in coastal work the opportunity to connect and discuss shared goals. Experienced prime contractors and sub-contractors working in the coastal and water management sector were also matched up and given the chance to communicate their needs and future opportunities to work together.

“Dedication and investment into Louisiana’s coastal industry helps us ensure future generations can continue to enjoy the things that make our state special,” said CTAC Program Director Laci Meloncon. “We’re honored to play a role helping local companies get involved with one of the most important issues Louisiana faces.”

Coastal advocates and organizations from around the state also flooded the halls of the Capitol on Monday, hosting discussions on coastal sustainability, the changing climate, and the ongoing energy transition.

To complement the Coastal Day discussions, CPRA is hosting four technical lunchtime webinar sessions throughout Coastal Industry Week on topics relevant to the projects being implemented in the coastal zone. The webinars will consist of presentations on design and construction project details, followed by time for questions and discussion.

Webinar Topics:

• Tuesday, April 25th: “CPRA Contracting Overview and Update”; Rudy Simoneaux
• Wednesday, April 26th: “CRMS Sites Capture Coastal Change – Insights from Louisiana’s Coastwide Reference Monitoring System”; Leigh Anne Sharp
• Thursday, April 27th: “Master Plan Data Viewer and Data Accessibility”; Stuart Brown
• Friday, April 28th: “Louisiana’s Coastal Vegetative Planting Program”; Shane Faust

Link for all webinars listed above: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82288159275

CPRA will also host a project forecast on upcoming partner-led construction projects that will be advertised for bid within the next 12 to 18 months.

• When: Tuesday, April 25
• Time: 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
• Where: Virtual via Zoom – https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84055534221

If you have any questions about Coastal Industry Week, please contact coastal@la.gov .
About CTAC:
The Coastal Technical Assistance Center (CTAC) is a program generated and funded through Louisiana Economic Development (LED) and the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA).

LED and CPRA identified a need to assist Louisiana-based, small businesses in obtaining contracts with entities involved in the restoration and recovery efforts of coastal Louisiana. Facilitating such efforts fall to longtime partner of LED and Regional Economic Development Organization, the South Louisiana Economic Council (SLEC).

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