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Louisiana-Mississippi Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Working Group

Roadmap for Restoring Ecosystem Resiliency and Sustainability 

March 2010

I. Introduction

“And here on the Gulf Coast, we're working to make sure this region is protected in the 

event of a 100-year storm. We've already seen 220 miles worth of levees and flood walls 

repaired, and we are working to strengthen the wetlands and barrier islands that are the 

first line of defense for the Gulf Coast. This isn't just critical to this region's physical 

protection, it's critical to our environment, it's critical to our economy. That's why we're 

establishing an interagency working group that will be responsible for coordinating our

restoration efforts across the Gulf at all levels of government.”

- President Barack Obama, October 15, 2009

Coastal Louisiana and Mississippi face profound challenges. The degradation of coastal 

ecosystems (including wetlands and barrier islands) and the services they provide has direct 

and indirect impacts on the economy, communities, and environment of the region. Future 

impacts associated with storms, subsidence, and sea level rise will serve to only amplify the 

region’s vulnerability. Unless we stem the rapid rate of ecosystem loss in the region, the 

ecosystems and the services they provide will collapse, with negative consequences for the 

marine and terrestrial environment, national commerce, the maritime industry, energy 

security, fisheries, and the rich cultural legacy of the Louisiana and Mississippi Gulf Coast.

The Gulf Coast ecosystems are highly complex and dynamic and provide immense aesthetic, 

economic, and environmental value. Barrier island and wetland complexes of this region 

provide critical infrastructure and the first line of defense for coastal communities against 

powerful and persistent storms. They are also rich havens of biodiversity that provide essential 

habitat to a number of commercially and recreationally important species of fish, invertebrates, 

mammals, and birds. Moreover, wetlands can provide a flood attenuation function, which 

reduces the impacts of flooding associated with storms, and they could also reduce potential 

future impacts associated with climate change. These ecosystems also perform critical water 

filtration functions, removing and trapping contaminants and storing carbon. Collectively, the 

functions and services provided by these systems are considered key “ecosystem services” of 

the Louisiana and Mississippi coastal ecosystems.

Bold and decisive action is needed now to curtail the rate of wetland loss and barrier island 

erosion in the area and to restore some of these lost features and ecosystem services. Coastal 

Louisiana and Mississippi need a broader, more comprehensive approach than in the past that 

establishes joint Federal-State priorities and implements projects on the basis of both the best 

science available and the critical need of the region for multiple lines of defense against storms, 

floods, and land loss. Throughout the coast, but particularly with respect to the Mississippi 
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River, the Federal Government and States must work in partnership to recast river and coastal 

management priorities so that ecosystem restoration and sustainability are considered on a 

more equal footing with other priorities such as manmade navigation and structural 

approaches to flood protection and storm risk reduction. These important priorities are 

interrelated and cannot be considered in isolation, but rather must be viewed in the larger 

context of the region. 

A. Brief History

Home to more than two and a half million people, the historically and culturally diverse coastal 

regions of Louisiana and Mississippi provide innumerable economic, social, and environmental 

benefits to the nation. The region handles more water-borne commerce by volume than any 

other place in the country, produces or transports nearly one-third of the nation’s oil and gas 

supply, is tied to 50% of the nation’s refining capacity, and is home to the largest commercial 

fishery in the contiguous United States. The commercial value of the region is intimately tied to 

the major rivers and navigation channels in this region, including the Mississippi River, which 

are lifelines of our domestic economy. Additionally, this is an area of immense environmental 

value, where winding bayous, numerous bays and estuaries, and barrier islands provide 

sanctuaries and nurseries for fish and wildlife and for the people who depend upon the coast 

for their livelihood.

Sediment is the lifeblood of the Louisiana coastal ecosystem. Coastal Louisiana was formed 

over the course of seven thousand years by deltaic processes, including intermittent flooding of 

the Mississippi River, which delivered sediment to coastal regions. River management priorities

greatly restricted the natural process, leading to the staggering loss of coastal ecosystems. In 

Louisiana, communities, commerce, and ports have long relied on the extensive network of 

man-made flood protection and navigation structures for their existence. River management 

priorities thus historically centered on navigation and flood control. While clearly successful in 

meeting those two goals, those priorities created unintended consequences to the surrounding 

environment by accelerating wetland and barrier island erosion and sapping the flow of vital 

sediments that had sustained the system over time. Oil and gas industry canals, pipelines, and 

other infrastructure crisscrossed the landscape to accommodate exploration, development, and 

commercial activity related to these enterprises. As a consequence, since 1930 when much of 

this activity began, Louisiana has lost over 2,000 square miles of coastal wetlands, including 

barrier islands, marshes, and bottomland hardwood forests. 

Mississippi’s coastal priorities are somewhat different than Louisiana’s. In light of the 

catastrophic impacts from Hurricanes Camille to Katrina, the State has focused on the goal of 

storm damage risk reduction. In the past, Mississippi’s barrier islands and coastal wetlands 

served to absorb or reduce some of the impacts from coastal storms. Unfortunately, the 

Mississippi coast is increasingly vulnerable because tropical storm events, changes in hydrology 

and freshwater inflow, and rapid coastal development have severely diminished the ecosystem 

services provided by wetlands and barrier island complexes. The State’s vulnerability is 

multiplied by the shallow bathymetry of the Mississippi Sound and the “funneling effect” 
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caused by the protrusion of the Mississippi Delta. In addition, loss of mainland ecosystems and 

freshwater flow due to rapid development has resulted in reduction of various ecosystem 

functions, including habitat for critical and endangered species, storm surge attenuation, loss of 

flood storage capacity, and degradation of water quality. Maintenance of the barrier islands is 

critical to the continued existence of the Mississippi Sound estuary and the critical ecosystem 

services it provides, as well as to the reduction of the effects of coastal storms. 

Over the past forty years, the Federal Government and States have come to better understand

the value of these coastal wetland and barrier island ecosystems and the services they provide. 

As a result, we are now committed to the importance of restoring and protecting these coastal 

ecosystems. Yet, despite this commitment, coastal ecosystems continue to deteriorate at an 

extraordinary annual rate, threatening the communities and nationally significant infrastructure 

of the region while also making them more vulnerable to hurricanes and tropical storms. The 

region’s lucrative commercial and recreational fishing industries are equally threatened. The 

continued loss of wetlands and barrier islands threatens not only the economies of Louisiana 

and Mississippi, but also the economy of the nation as a whole. The impacts to this ecosystem 

will likely be exacerbated by climate change, particularly sea level rise. Actions are needed that 

will ultimately improve the economic, ecosystem, and community resilience of this region.

B. Existing Federal Actions and Commitments

A number of congressionally authorized, Federal programs exist to help restore and protect 

Gulf Coast ecosystems. However while these efforts provide tangible benefits, they touch only 

a relatively small portion of the Louisiana and Mississippi coastal area. Further, many of these 

projects are still quite a long way off from implementation, demonstrating that the 

implementation process may simply be too lengthy to deal with the urgency of the coastal 

situation. Federal programs include: 

Initiative Year Commenced

Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and 

Restoration Act (CWPPRA) 1990

Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) 2005

Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Plan 

(LACPR)* 2005

Mississippi Coastal Improvements Program 

(MsCIP)* 2005

Louisiana Coastal Area Program (LCA)* 2007

*Additional authority and appropriations are required for most construction activities included 

in these initiatives.

The Coastal Wetlands Planning Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) focuses on marsh 

creation, restoration, protection, and enhancement as well as barrier island restoration. The 

program is the oldest and largest Federally funded restoration program in Louisiana and 
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currently provides approximately $80M (Federal) for small -scale coastal restoration projects 

from revenues from sport fishing and small-engine gas taxes (Sport Fisheries Restoration and 

Boating Trust Fund). The State of Louisiana cosponsors the program at a 15% cost share rate. To 

date CWPPRA has authorized 144 active restoration projects including 82 that have been 

completed and 15 that are under construction. CWPPRA has also planned and designed several 

larger-scale projects which may be constructed by CIAP or LCA (see below). CWPPRA features 

Federal/State interagency decision-making and well-established stakeholder involvement.

The Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) was authorized in the Energy Policy Act of 2005 

and is administered by the Minerals Management Service (MMS) under the Department of the

Interior (DOI). It provides grants to coastal oil and gas producing States from Outer Continental 

Shelf (OCS) revenues for coastal restoration and infrastructure construction to mitigate 

activities arising from mineral exploration.

The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration (LACPR) Final Technical Report will outline 

the potential tradeoffs that would need to be made in order to implement comprehensive 

solutions in coastal Louisiana for hurricane and storm damage risk reduction. The report is 

undergoing final review by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), after which it will be 

reviewed by the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works. Feedback has been requested

from the State of Louisiana on the State’s priorities regarding the tradeoffs among various 

restoration and protection alternatives. Further feasibility analysis is required to support 

project authorization.

The Mississippi Coastal Improvement Program (MsCIP) Comprehensive Plan was developed to 

analyze and design comprehensive improvements or modifications to existing improvements in 

the coastal areas of Mississippi to reduce storm damage, prevent saltwater intrusion, preserve 

fish and wildlife, prevent erosion, and for other purposes. The Final Comprehensive Plan and 

Chief’s Report have been completed and transmitted to Congress by the Assistant Secretary of 

the Army for Civil Works. Significant parts of the Program include:

• Fifteen “interim” projects that were authorized, and funded ($110 Million) in 2006 

following Hurricane Katrina. Most of those fifteen projects are now either underway or 

complete. 

• In 2009 Congress authorized and appropriated $439 million for barrier island restoration 

and other restoration opportunities. The USACE is currently completing the planning, 

engineering and design of the barrier islands component of MsCIP with a view towards 

initiating construction in 2011. 

• Fifteen additional long-term elements that are recommended in the Final 

Comprehensive Plan, twelve for implementation and three for further study. Once the 

MsCIP Comprehensive Plan is authorized, implementation of the program elements can 

be funded and initiated.

The Louisiana Coastal Area (LCA) Near-Term Plan was developed to protect, preserve, and 

restore all of coastal Louisiana. The Plan was authorized by Congress in the Water Resources 

Development Act of 2007, but most of the Plan’s elements have yet to be fully studied and 
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developed. The USACE and the State of Louisiana have initiated studies on two program 

elements and twelve of the fifteen project elements that were included in Title VII of the 2007 

Water Resources Development Act, and have set out the following timeline:

• The study for the Beneficial Use of Dredged Material Program is expected to be 

completed in spring of 2010.

• The Barataria Basin Barrier Shoreline Restoration project study is scheduled to be 

completed in early 2011. 

• Six projects (Terrebonne Basin Barrier Shoreline, Small Diversion at Convent/Blind River, 

Amite River Diversion Canal Modification, Medium Diversion at White’s Ditch, Convey 

Atchafalaya River Water, and Multi-Purpose Operation of Houma Navigation Canal Lock) 

are being combined into a single study that will be completed by December 2010. 

Study results may require reauthorization for these elements due to their total costs. 

• Four project elements (Land Bridge between Caillou Lake and the Gulf, Gulf Shoreline at 

Point au Fer Island, Modification of Caenarvon Diversion, and Modification of Davis 

Pond Diversion) are being combined in a study that will be completed in 2011. Study 

results may require reauthorization due to their total costs.

• The Demonstration Project program will be initiated in 2011 through the Science and 

Technology Program of the LCA Program.

• In addition one element, Small Diversion at Hope Canal, is being considered for 

implementation under the CWPPRA program.

• The MRGO de-authorization was completed in July 2009. USACE is further developing 

an ecosystem restoration plan for the area.

• Though not technically an element of Title VII, USACE is engaged in the evaluation of a 

diversion at or near Violet that is consistent with the project that is authorized under 

section 3083 of WRDA 2007.

• USACE is also engaged in Southwest Louisiana with the Southwest Coastal Feasibility 

Study, which investigates several types of coastal restoration and protection measures.

Most of these projects are intended primarily to improve ecosystem function but also provide 

some incidental benefits such as flood attenuation and storm damage risk reduction. These 

projects are not necessarily meant to provide large-scale restoration or sustainability functions. 

Rather, they are meant to serve as an interim response to prevent damage beyond a “point of 

no return” so that future projects – selected on the basis of a shared long-term Vision – will 

have a better chance of success.

In addition to these programs, the Mississippi River Commission, established by Congress in 

1897, is charged with improving the condition of the Mississippi River, fostering navigation, 

promoting commerce, and preventing destructive floods. In the discharge of its responsibilities 

providing water resources engineering direction and policy advice to the Administration, 

Congress, and the Army, it is in a key position to help support the Working Group implement 

the goals of this Roadmap.
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There is an ongoing Federal process to modernize the 1983 Economic and Environmental

Principles and Guidelines for Water and Related Land Resources Implementation Studies (P&G), 

which serves to guide USACE actions. Within this revision there is a proposed commitment that 

Federal water resources planning and development should both protect and restore the 

environment and improve the economic well-being of the nation for present and future 

generations. The revised P&G also seeks to consider both monetary and non-monetary 

benefits to justify and select a project that has the greatest net benefit, and to avoid unwise use 

of floodplains through the evaluation of the services gained and lost by an action. 

Beyond these USACE initiatives, Federal agencies also implement restoration and protection 

actions through a variety of other means. These include the Environmental Protection Agency’s

(EPA) Gulf of Mexico Program and National Estuary Program, and the National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program. 

Federal agencies are actively involved with and supported by regional entities such as the 

Governors’ Gulf of Mexico Alliance. Federal land management includes two units of the 

National Park System, fourteen units of the National Wildlife Refuge System, and the National 

Estuarine Research Reserve at Grand Bay, Mississippi. Moreover, Federal agencies are funding 

and implementing restoration projects in Grand Isle, Louisiana and Bayou DuPont, Louisiana

under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). A common theme of these efforts 

is the shared understanding of the need for restoration and protection of the coastal system, 

the benefits of collaboration among Federal and State agencies, and the importance of science 

to improve shared understanding of ecosystem function. 

In addition to investments in wetland restoration arising out of ARRA and the supplemental 

appropriation of $439 million for barrier island restoration in Mississippi, the President’s Fiscal 

Year 2011 Budget supports a number of ecosystem restoration activities on the Gulf Coast, 

including $35.6 million in coastal restoration activities for the USACE in Louisiana, a $5 million 

increase for Fish and Wildlife Service activities along the Gulf Coast, and a $5 million joint 

initiative between NOAA and DOI for integrated ocean and coastal mapping. Within the USACE 

budget, $19 million was requested for construction on the LCA Program elements such as the 

Beneficial Use of Dredged Material Program and the Demonstration Projects. This is one of 

only two new construction starts in the President’s FY2011 budget for the USACE. The 

remaining $16.6 million will be dedicated for ongoing studies and design work for LCA projects, 

as well as the related Science and Technology program focusing on coastal wetland restoration. 

II. An Interim Roadmap for Louisiana-Mississippi Coastal Restoration

A. The Working Group

The Obama Administration has brought new energy and focus to Federal work in the Gulf 

Coast. The President has helped to cut through bureaucratic red tape to make sure residents of 

the Gulf Coast have access to the tools and funds they need to rebuild their lives and 

communities.
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In 2009, President Obama established the Louisiana-Mississippi Gulf Coast Ecosystem 

Restoration Working Group (“Working Group”) to coordinate Federal actions among the 

various agencies, working groups and task forces working within the region, and to work with 

the States to develop a shared long-term Vision for the region. Comprised of high-level political 

appointees from NOAA, EPA, the Departments of the Army, Homeland Security, the Interior, 

and Transportation, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and the Council on 

Environmental Quality (CEQ), the Working Group expects that their enhanced focus on 

Louisiana and Mississippi will achieve concrete, measurable, and significant restoration and 

protection results. 

The most important aspect of the Working Group is the Federal Government’s reaffirmation of 

its partnership with the States of Mississippi and Louisiana and its commitment to coordinate 

its actions with those of the States. The Administration applauds the ongoing leadership that 

the congressional delegations and States have shown in making coastal restoration and 

protection a priority and commends the States for developing and implementing long term 

restoration plans. In particular, the Louisiana State Master Plan and the Federal-State 

partnership of the Final Comprehensive Plan for MsCIP represent important steps in addressing 

the challenges facing the region. The Working Group acknowledges and values the efforts of 

the States and congressional delegations to date and does not seek to duplicate those efforts. 

Rather, the Working Group envisions a partnership in which shared restoration priorities are 

selected on the basis of the best available science and through the lens of adaptive 

management. 

This document will serve as a Roadmap for guiding the immediate near-term actions to be 

undertaken by the Working Group. The Roadmap will help to coordinate Federal restoration 

and protection activities and complement longer-term planning processes already underway. 

Given the high-priority, high-visibility nature of coastal Louisiana and Mississippi issues, the 

Working Group will provide leadership and oversight in implementing the actions described in 

this document and will draw on the expertise of staff from across the agencies, congressional 

delegations, and States. Recognizing however that providing for sustainability of the region will 

take a committed effort over many years, it may be necessary to establish a new and enduring 

entity to provide long-term leadership, shared responsibility, and coordination to resolve the 

difficult challenges facing the region. 

Federal agencies recognize and expect that their enhanced focus on Louisiana and Mississippi 

coastal restoration and protection will translate into concrete, measurable, and timely results. 

Toward that end, this Roadmap includes in Section III a list of specific actions that are designed 

to yield meaningful results. To gauge the success of specific initiatives in this Roadmap – and to 

define the success of Federal activities overall – the agencies will develop clear and concrete 

milestones and measures of success. 

This Roadmap represents only one step in the Federal Government’s renewed commitment to 

the region, and this Roadmap will require periodic re-evaluation and revision to be effective. 

Federal agencies will carefully monitor progress on the actions set forth in this Roadmap, gauge 
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the success of existing efforts, and realign, curtail, or cancel those efforts not achieving results. 

Additionally, as Federal, State, and local priorities evolve, and as this process drives toward a 

shared long-term Vision, the Roadmap and its actions will be revised to fit these evolving 

priorities.

B. Strategic Approach

1. Work with Federal and State Partners to Articulate a Shared Long-Term Vision

Prior to developing this Roadmap, the Working Group met with the States, congressional 

offices, local governments, and the public to assess the most critical needs in the region. 

Numerous planning efforts in the past twenty years have contributed to a sense of frustration 

and “plan fatigue.” Many stakeholders sought immediate action to address the urgency of 

coastal land loss and the failure of critical ecosystem services. However, these stakeholders 

also stated that prior planning efforts were largely ineffective because they took place in 

different regional, district, or other administrative divisions across Federal and State agencies 

that were subject to a wide variety of mandates and planning, decision-making, or approval 

processes. 

This Working Group seeks to define a shared Federal-State Vision for ecosystem sustainability 

of the lower Mississippi River, its delta, and the Louisiana and Mississippi coastal plains. This 

shared Vision will be the framework by which trade-offs or conflicting goals may be addressed

and decisions made. 

The process going forward will require more robust collaboration and cooperation between the 

Working Group, the States, Congress, Tribes, local governments, and the public, including 

community leaders, non-profit organizations, the business community, and the scientific 

community. A shared Vision will help reconcile many of the inconsistencies in existing planning 

and prioritization efforts and provide a framework for jointly evaluating necessary trade-offs. 

The Vision will allow the Federal Government and its partners to collaboratively set realistic and 

measurable goals for protection, conservation, and restoration of wetlands, barrier islands, and 

the coastal ecology. 

This Vision for successful restoration and sustainability should focus on:

• Enhancing essential coastal processes and the ecological services they provide. 

Successful restoration of coastal ecosystems and the services they provide will require 

bold action, smarter use of natural resources (such as the Mississippi River), and 

targeted investment of public funds. Although more can certainly be done to restore 

ecological sustainability, we must not overstate our ability to restore some historic 

configuration of the coast, and it is unlikely that the current map of coastal Louisiana 

and Mississippi will be maintained. 

• Incorporating a multiple lines of defense strategy. Ecosystem sustainability and 

resilience should be considered on a more equal footing with other priorities such as 

navigation, and structural approaches to floodplain management, and storm risk 
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reduction. An integrated water resource management approach is necessary because it 

recognizes the inherent role that the ecosystem plays in protecting these other interests

but also acknowledges the critical role of structural and non-structural solutions. This 

integrated approach would reduce impacts on valuable infrastructure (including costly 

deterioration and diminished capacity) and would address the inevitable tradeoffs 

which will be part of achieving long term coastal sustainability and resilience. 

• Safeguarding the region’s rich cultural history and economic resources. Coastal 

restoration must achieve more than just ecological benefits. Restoration of the 

ecosystems and the services they provide is needed to maintain the region’s rich 

cultural tradition, to sustain the lives and livelihoods of communities, and to contribute 

to the protection of critical infrastructure.

• Addressing the potential impacts of accelerated sea level rise and subsidence as a 

strategy to protect communities, infrastructure, and to restore ecosystems and the 

services they provide. Portions of coastal Louisiana and Mississippi are experiencing 

higher rates of relative sea level rise than anywhere else in the country. Due in part to 

subsidence, the potential impacts of climate change threaten to accelerate the rate of 

sea level rise and coastal land loss even further, leaving coastal communities and 

infrastructure more exposed to the impacts of coastal storms. Addressing these 

challenges in the Gulf region can serve as a case study for how we address climate 

adaption in other regions where bold action is needed.

Based on these considerations, the Federal Government and States must reconcile many of the 

inconsistencies in existing planning and prioritization efforts, jointly evaluate trade-offs that will 

likely be necessary, and collaboratively set realistic and measureable goals for protection, 

conservation, and restoration of wetlands, barrier islands, and other coastal features.

2. Promoting Science-based Decisions

To successfully sustain and enhance the coastal areas of Louisiana and Mississippi, the Federal 

Government and States must be able to leverage limited resources in a manner that yields 

maximum benefits to the ecosystem, consistent with the shared Vision. 

Ultimately, successful implementation of the shared Vision must be based on access to the best 

available science in such a form as to be useful for management decisions. This Working Group 

will assess current capacities and identify gaps in science so to be able to sufficiently implement 

the Federal-State Vision on the basis of the best scientific information. Furthermore, priorities 

must be implemented according to the principle of adaptive management to account for 

uncertainties that will undoubtedly arise. This will ensure that State and Federal investments 

can be altered if they are not achieving the desired results, ultimately improving the overall 

effectiveness of restoration and protection efforts.

To optimize efficiency, this Working Group will assess both internal and external efforts and 

capabilities to ensure that it is not duplicating scientific and technical studies. Within the 

Federal Government, the Working Group will seek mutually beneficial partnerships with other 
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Federal agencies, entities, and initiatives currently at work in the region, including the LongTerm Disaster Recovery Work Group, the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force, the Geospatial 

Data Working Group, the Federal Interagency Floodplain Management Task Force, the Hypoxia 

Task Force, and the Climate Change Adaptation Task Force. In particular, the Working Group 

will ensure that activities identified in the Roadmap are consistent with the priorities, 

approaches, and Work Plans of these entities and will not result in a duplication of efforts. 

Outside the Federal Government, the Working Group will actively engage with entities such as 

the Gulf States through the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA) on a range of issues, including

sediment management.

3. Resolve Policy and Process Obstacles Impeding Progress

The Working Group will also evaluate a suite of barriers that have hindered implementation of 

past restoration efforts. Every plan proposed in the region in the last twenty years has 

recognized the extraordinary rate of coastal wetland and barrier island ecosystem loss in 

Louisiana and Mississippi and the importance of large scale action to address the problem. A

range of policy and procedural barriers have persisted in preventing the promised protection, 

conservation, and restoration actions from fully materializing. 

A number of these barriers were raised during Working Group meetings with key stakeholders 

both in the region and in Washington, DC. Inadequate coordination within and among Federal

agencies impedes movement of projects to construction. Water resource policies in some 

cases inhibit ecosystem restoration efforts such as those designed to use sediment to greater 

ecosystem benefit. Inconsistent or opaque priority-setting undermines cooperation and 

support for projects. Incomplete research needs and science challenges all aspects of planning, 

priority setting, and project design. In addition, budget constraints can compound these 

impediments and delay restoration efforts.

Improving cooperation and coordination between various Federal and State entities through a 

new governance model will help align and move forward restoration plans and projects. A 

greater emphasis on research and data sharing will improve project planning and design as well 

as adaptive management over time. Considering possible statutory changes needed to address 

obstacles that cannot be overcome through administrative remedies will ensure greater 

alignment of Federal actions. Reconsidering critical policies, regulations, and even statutes

such as those governing sediment management and mitigation will help, rather than hinder, 

restoration efforts. The exploration of alternative financing mechanisms could foster progress 

on projects.

The resolution of these issues will not solve all of the problems in the region, but they do 

represent the most urgent short-term objectives and actions identified by the Working Group 

as necessary to advance restoration and protection efforts in the region. 

III. Short-term Objectives and Actions 
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This Roadmap outlines a set of near-term actions to align ongoing programs and projects in 

support of the approach set forth by the President in creating the Louisiana Mississippi Gulf 

Coast Ecosystem Restoration Working Group. In implementing the Roadmap, the Working 

Group will take action, in cooperation with Federal and State entities and with affected 

stakeholders, to cut across and coordinate among the program- or issue-specific “stovepipes” 

common to the Federal Government, emphasizing agencies’ enhanced commitment to 

collaborative and interdisciplinary solutions both among Federal agencies and with State and 

local authorities. It is intended to complement existing efforts in the region and, operating

within existing authorities, to develop an integrated Vision and reformed governance structure

to catalyze action on certain high priority issues and projects.

1. Develop an integrated State-Federal long-term Vision for the future of the Louisiana 

and Mississippi coastline and recommend a governance structure or other StateFederal entity needed to execute the Vision.

In the near-term, the Working Group will partner with the States of Louisiana and Mississippi, 

to develop the shared Vision for ecosystem sustainability described in Section II.B.1. Prior to 

releasing this Vision, the Working Group and State partners will review the numerous regional 

and national collaborative efforts currently underway and evaluate potential long-term changes 

that could aid in implementing the Vision. Federal agencies and their State counterparts will

identify joint priorities and opportunities for more robust collaboration. 

Federal Action:

i. In spring 2010, CEQ and OMB will request that Louisiana and Mississippi designate 

senior State officials to collaborate with the Working Group to develop a long-term 

vision and recommend a governance structure or other forum for Federal-State 

decision-making.

ii. By summer 2010, conduct outreach and listening sessions with the public and key 

stakeholder groups to receive input on defining the Vision and goals and developing 

governance recommendations.

iii. By fall 2010, complete a shared long-term Vision for the future of the coasts of Louisiana 

and Mississippi.

iv. In spring 2011, release a proposal outlining recommendations for a governance 

structure or entity to implement the Vision. This proposal may include immediate 

actions that may be undertaken by the Administration or recommendations for 

legislative changes.

2. Identify near-term interim projects and the actions needed to expedite 

implementation. 

While the States and Working Group engage in developing the Vision for the coast, they will 

also work toward the implementation of interim projects that contribute to reversing the 

extent of ecosystem degradation. Ongoing studies, mapping, and data collection – among 

other efforts – will help to inform the identification of near-term priority projects. The Working 
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Group should draw these near-term priority projects from relevant project lists, including 

CWPPRA Project Priority Lists, the LCA Ecosystem Restoration Study, and MsCIP. The Working 

Group should select from among these projects carefully, with special consideration for areas 

with the most critical need and potential long-term benefits, consistent with a strategy that 

accounts for a diversity of structural and non-structural solutions to storms, floods, and land 

loss. 

Federal Actions

i. By fall 2010, in consultation with the States and other affected stakeholders, produce a 

list of near-term priority projects the Federal Government should prioritize for 

implementation, focusing on most critical need and long term benefits.

3. Improve science, analytical, and data management efforts. 

Louisiana and Mississippi need long-term sustainable solutions, and decisions must be made to 

allocate resources to areas of highest need that also have the highest likelihood of success. 

Future actions must be prioritized according to scientifically and technically valid criteria for 

what will constitute future priority actions. 

Within the future defined by the Vision, priorities must be guided by science. The Working 

Group should assess decision-makers’ most critical needs for scientific data and analysis, and 

work toward resolving those deficiencies. In working towards resolving those deficiencies, 

however, special care must be taken not to duplicate efforts and studies already underway or 

completed. Therefore, the Working Group must ensure that data is managed in a way that 

encourages the free exchange, sharing, and integration of this information. The Working Group 

should also strive wherever possible to partner with Federal and non-Federal entities such as 

the LCA Science and Technology Program, the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, the Louisiana and 

Mississippi Coastal Science Consortium, and various Federal working groups and task forces 

(such as the CWPPRA Task Force, the Ocean Policy Task Force, the Climate Change Adaptation 

Task Force, etc.) to engage in mutually beneficial studies, data sharing, data management, etc. 

With a common Vision, information, and tools that resource managers can use, the Federal 

Government and States will be able to more effectively and transparently make future 

decisions for the coast.

Federal Actions:

i. By fall 2010, work with Federal, State, academic, and other geospatial experts to 

identify, inventory, and assess data relevant to restoration and protection and to assess 

where critical gaps exist and to begin to identify data and analysis needs to support 

project selection criteria. Work closely with the LCA Science and Technology Program

and other related Federal and non-Federal programs in these actions.

ii. By fall 2010, complete a review of existing economic data and work with experts to 

identify mechanisms needed to more fully incorporate values for ecosystem services 

into decision processes, including cost-benefits analyses.
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iii. By winter 2010, present a draft approach for assessing ecosystem services provided by 

federally supported coastal ecosystem restoration projects in the region. This approach 

will improve agency decision-making and build off of a summer 2010 workshop on 

regional ecosystem services sponsored by the Gulf of Mexico Alliance. The approach 

will also examine agency-led efforts to assess ecosystem services for restoration 

projects in the region (e.g., CWPPRA).

iv. By fall 2011, conduct a regional assessment and workshop to identify relevant ocean 

and coastal data management issues for the region, determine the availability and 

characteristics of existing topographic and bathymetric data, prioritize and coordinate 

geospatial data collection activities for the region and assess technologies needed for 

data acquisition, and provide easy access to and disseminate all topographic and 

bathymetric data, including associated metadata. This effort will include a review of 

existing information concerning the potential for coastal inundation as a result of sea 

level rise, land subsidence, and storm surge associated with a changing climate. 

4. Improve sediment management.

The wise management of sediments for wetland creation, enhancement, and sustainability is of 

critical importance to the region, especially given the high rate of subsidence and the potential 

future impacts of climate change. To successfully sustain and enhance coastal ecosystems, a 

broad sediment management effort is needed that may include large scale diversions, 

supplemented by dedicated (sediment) dredging, the beneficial use of material dredged for 

channel maintenance, and other means of capturing all available sediment resources. 

However, since any new, large-scale diversion project is realistically still several years away, in 

the near-term sediment will be returned to the system primarily through the beneficial use of 

dredged material or dedicated dredging. In the meantime, the Working Group will continue to 

work with the marine transportation community and other stakeholders to address potential 

impediments to implementing diversion projects, such as induced shoaling.

Beneficial use of dredged material is strongly supported by both the Federal and State 

Governments, but remains an issue primarily because of the related expense and cost share 

implications. Many Federal, State, and local stakeholders argue that beneficial use is often not 

practical because the current application of the Federal Standard places too much cost burden 

on the non-Federal partner since the non-Federal partner must share in the costs of any 

disposal method that is more costly than the Federal standard. Including consideration of the 

long term costs, in addition to initial disposal costs, in decision making might indicate that 

beneficial use is the less costly alternative.

Federal Actions:

i. By summer 2010, convene an agency roundtable to coordinate with the USACE on its 

upcoming annual Operations and Maintenance dredging activities and identify 

opportunities, priorities, and available funding with the goal of increasing the amount of 

dredged material that is used beneficially. Thereafter, consult with the States to ensure 

alignment of Federal and State dredged material placement priorities. 
EOP | Louisiana-Mississippi Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Working Group | 14

ii. By summer 2010, coordinate with the Governors’ Gulf of Mexico Alliance to assist in 

their ongoing effort to develop a sediment management plan.

iii. By fall 2010, produce a review of Federal and non-Federal funding, including:

• Federal programs and funding available for sediment management in the region.

• Non-Federal sponsor cost-sharing requirements, and other non-Federal funding.

• Opportunities to leverage Federal and non-Federal funds for more beneficial use 

and sediment management projects.

• Opportunities for other Federal agencies to purchase dredged material.

iv. By fall 2010, hold a forum to engage restoration experts and the navigation industry to 

articulate both the immediate and long-term challenges and needs facing navigation 

interests. 

v. By fall 2010, the USACE will review the basis for, and consistency of, its application of 

the existing statutory “Federal Standard” and “Base Plan” and will present to the 

Working Group its conclusions and any recommendations for possible changes. The 

Working Group, in collaborative discussions, will provide input to the Army on the way 

ahead.

vi. By winter 2010, provide policy and process recommendations that address immediate 

safety and channel stability concerns while allowing for project implementation.

5. Improve the effectiveness of mitigation policies in support of the long-term Vision for 

the Louisiana and Mississippi coasts.

Coastal restoration activities in Mississippi and Louisiana may benefit from alternative 

mitigation approaches, such as pooling resources to increase the scale of some restoration 

projects (as the State of Louisiana has requested for the New Orleans Hurricane and Storm 

Damage Risk Reduction System). In some situations these actions could increase the chance 

that restoration undertaken for compensatory mitigation purposes will better complement 

larger regional restoration priorities.

Federal Actions:

i. By fall 2010, assess the benefits and consequences of aggregating compensatory 

mitigation funds for better ecosystem results, and make a policy recommendation on 

their use for project construction based on legal consultation.

ii. By winter 2010, review the feasibility of using mitigation banks and other methods of 

combining and using mitigation funds for larger scale, higher impact projects. In 

addition, review Federal compensatory mitigation policies and procedures to ensure 

they support speedy and effective implementation of coastal restoration projects.

6. Recommend modifications/improvements to existing Federal funding programs or 

funding streams to facilitate an improved Federal investment strategy for the coast.

A number of funding sources exist to support needed restoration and protection activities, 

including CIAP, managed by MMS, oil and gas revenue sharing payments to the Gulf Coast 

States under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006 (GOMESA), various Natural 
EOP | Louisiana-Mississippi Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Working Group | 15

Resource Conservation Service programs, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act 

(NAWCA), various mitigation programs, disaster assistance programs, and Community 

Development Block Grants. These programs have the potential to provide the States with 

hundreds of millions of dollars annually to support and complement coastal restoration efforts; 

however, in some cases, the States have encountered various obstacles in receiving funds due 

or in accessing these funds for restoration activities. For example, because of the current fiscal 

crisis facing many States, various laws requiring non-Federal cost share amounts may be 

impeding or delaying construction or restoration activities. Further, various laws governing 

non-Federal cost share might intentionally or unintentionally impede or delay construction of 

many needed restoration activities. In addition, other fiscal laws limit the extent to which 

activities funded by a particular appropriate may be supported by other, more general Federal 

funding sources.

There is a great need for targeted and effective use of available money. Additionally, States 

and agencies should seek to expand funding opportunities beyond traditional mechanisms and 

agency budgets (e.g., annual appropriations for the USACE). Although it is acknowledged that 

an infusion of additional funds may be required to fully address the ecosystem restoration and 

protection needs in the region, these interim actions will seek to ensure that all existing 

available funding mechanisms are being used to their greatest effect.

Federal Actions:

i. By summer 2010, the MMS will commence an outreach effort to provide technical 

assistance to States and local governments on how to apply for these funds so that they 

can access them more efficiently.

ii. By summer 2010, work with the Long-Term Disaster Recovery Working Group to assess 

the existing Federal hazard mitigation and related programs and develop options for 

promoting non-structural mitigation in support of restoration and protection (e.g., an 

interagency program, coordinated funding guidance for grant programs).

iii. By winter 2010, catalogue other Federal and non-Federal funding mechanisms that 

might be available to fund coastal restoration activities in Louisiana and Mississippi and 

develop a process for ensuring that any such funds provided go toward projects that are 

coordinated with Federal-State priorities.

iv. By winter 2010, make a final determination about whether CIAP and GOMESA may be 

used as the non-Federal share for other Federal restoration projects. If the Working 

Group determines that the funds can be used for the non-Federal share of projects, it 

will develop the guidance and process for doing so.

v. By winter 2010, determine feasibility of streamlining the CIAP process and recommend 

proposed changes for eliminating delays and streamlining duplicative reviews. 

vi. By spring 2011, identify cost-sharing requirements that could be modified to facilitate 

efficient and effective progress on priority restoration projects. 

IV. Conclusion
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Restoring coastal ecosystems in the region for the many services they provide will require 

clarity of purpose, cooperation and coordination, accountability, and creative approaches that 

are guided by science. Success in this endeavor isn't just critical to this region's physical 

protection, it's critical to our environment and to our economy. 

This Roadmap is but the first step toward a goal that will require sustained effort and 

engagement well past the date that these actions are completed. As such, the most important 

aspect of the Roadmap is the Federal Government’s reaffirmation of its partnership with the 

States of Louisiana and Mississippi and its commitment to coordinate its actions with those of 

the States. The Obama Administration is firmly committed to developing an effective long-term 

partnership. Together, the Federal Government and its State partners can engineer the 

fundamental changes necessary to sustain and enhance this national treasure.