Archive for Community Resiliency


Restoring the Lower 9th Ward: A resilient vision for New Orleans

May 7, 2012 | Posted by Delta Dispatches in BP Oil Disaster, Clean Water Act, Community Resiliency, Congress, Hurricane Katrina, People, Restoration Projects, RESTORE Gulf Coast States Act, Videos

This post was originally published on the National Wildlife Federation's Wildlife Promise blog.

By Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation’s Coastal Louisiana Organizer in New Orleans

What would you do if, in one day, you lost everything? I’m not just talking about your personal possessions; I’m talking about your entire community — your church, your grocery store, your school. The folks you meet in the video below, Warrenetta Banks and John Taylor, have lived out this scenario every day since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in 2005 and have chosen to respond with passion and dedication to recovery — advocating for smart, green urban planning on one side of the levee and a healthy wetland ecosystem on the other side of the levee.

Warrenetta and John are both lifelong residents of the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans. In the years since the catastrophic flooding, they’ve helped their community recover to be one of the “greenest” in the nation — solar panels, community gardens, and LEED certified homes are typical encounters as you walk down the street. That’s on one side of the levee.

Residents like Warrenetta and John understand all too well that the wetland ecosystem on the other side of the levee is critical to their future and safety. Healthy wetlands serve as a buffer to storm surges and winds and help the levees do their job to protect communities. National Wildlife Federation is one organization working closely with the Lower Ninth Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development (where Warrenetta and John work) to plan and gain funding for restoration of the 400-acre cypress swamp bordering the community (featured in the video) as well as the entire 58,000 acres wetland ecosystem the swamp is connected to, which once buffered much of the Greater New Orleans area from storms and provided important wildlife habitat.

Without healthy wetlands, coastal communities like the Lower Ninth Ward remain very vulnerable to disasters. Urgent funding is needed for restoration. The RESTORE Act, legislation now making its way through the U.S. Congress, will use a portion of Clean Water Act penalties from the BP disaster to fund projects that will restore Gulf Coast ecosystems, including wetlands that protect communities and provide critical habitat for gulf wildlife. Right now, you can make a difference in the future of the Gulf Coast. Learn more about the RESTORE Act and share your voice!

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Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan moves on to state legislature for approval

March 29, 2012 | Posted by Delta Dispatches in 2012 Coastal Master Plan, Community Resiliency, Diversions, Hurricanes, Restoration Projects

By David Muth, National Wildlife Federation

On March 21, Louisiana’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) unanimously adopted the revised Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast, which lays out a 50-year restoration plan for Louisiana’s coast. The Mississippi River Delta Restoration Campaign has worked closely with the state in the development of the plan, and many of our recommendations for improving and strengthening the draft were adopted in the final version.

Map depicting sediment starved wetlands and areas of wasted sediment in southeast Louisiana. Credit: CPRA 2012 Coastal Master Plan final draft

One such recommendation made by our campaign was to create clear paths forward for implementation of the nonstructural hurricane protection program and the design of a lower Mississippi River realignment. The final version of the plan also includes revisions supported by coastal stakeholders during the public review process, including relocating marsh creation or shoreline protection projects to locations that would help buffer vulnerable coastal communities. While these revised projects were not necessarily the best projects for optimizing land creation, they were justified because of the synergies they could provide with nearby protection projects. Even with these changes, 85% of the projects in the final plan were chosen by the Planning Tool to optimize land building in the face of less optimistic sea level rise scenarios.

Proposed Mississippi River diversions. Credit: CPRA 2012 Coastal Master Plan final draft

The final Coastal Master Plan revolutionizes the way Louisiana intends to move toward a sustainable coast. It proposes to spend $3.8 billion to reintroduce 50% of the peak flow of the Mississippi River into the most sediment-starved and deteriorating parts of the delta — a key goal of our campaign. This reintroduction could build up to 300 square miles of new delta over the next 50 years in the face of moderate subsidence and sea level rise. The plan also recommends designing a new navigation system to free up most of the remaining 50% of peak river flow for a new lower river alignment that will build additional new deltaic land. It also dedicates $20 billion toward the creation of over 200 square miles of marsh through sediment pipeline delivery to areas that cannot be reached by riverine reintroduction of sediment.

Credit: CPRA 2012 Coastal Master Plan final draft

Additionally, the plan provides for increased hurricane risk reduction for every coastal resident, by building resiliency for coastal communities through nonstructural measures such as elevating buildings, strengthening infrastructure and facilitating voluntary relocation. This fundamental shift away from the old standard of total reliance on levees, floodwalls and floodgates ratifies another fundamental goal of our campaign.

The Coastal Master Plan now goes to the Louisiana Legislature for adoption during the current session, which began on Monday and continues through June 4, 2012. If adopted, we move an important step closer towards implementing the goals of our campaign. Louisiana could become a world leader among vulnerable coastal areas in learning to live with the realities of future climate change and in learning to start living with water and natural processes rather than conducting a futile fight to the death against them.

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Final draft of the 2012 Coastal Master Plan approved by CPRA

March 23, 2012 | Posted by Delta Dispatches in 2012 Coastal Master Plan, Community Resiliency, Meetings/Events, Reports, Restoration Projects

This story was originally posted on the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana's Coast Currents blog.

By Scott Madere, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana

Click for a map of all projects in the final draft of the 2012 Coastal Master Plan.

With a unanimous vote of its members, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana (CPRA) approved the final draft of the 2012 Coastal Master Plan at its March 21, 2012 meeting held at the Louisiana State Archives.

The completed draft represents a milestone for Louisiana: a comprehensive science-based plan for coastal restoration and protection, built to last 50 years. The Coastal Master Plan represents thousands of hours of work from scores of contributors and CPRA staff members. As CPRA Director Garret Graves said, it is a document unlike any that has come before, detailed in its approach to Louisiana’s coastal crisis while considering possible limitations in funding and resources. “This plan for the first time ever puts us on a realistic trajectory for generations to come. It’s an achievable goal. It’s a fundamental shift in how we approach coastal planning for Louisiana,” said Graves.

The next step for the 2012 Coastal Master Plan is approval by the Louisiana Legislature, which will receive the document before March 26.

The final draft takes into consideration feedback entered after the introduction of the first draft, released to the public on January 12, 2012. The public comment period ended earlier this year on February 25.

“The comment period was very constructive,” said Graves. “We had over 2,000 comments received. Hundreds of people attended the public meetings that were held. Every single comment was read. Every single comment was considered, and every single comment was responded to.”

In addition to the general public, CPRA also sought the input of a 33-person framework development team, made up of governmental representatives, business and industry representatives, researchers and non-governmental organizations (including CRCL). Focus groups from the oil and gas, navigation and fisheries industries also played a key role in advising CPRA on the Master Plan.

“One of the things we want to do with these focus groups and the framework development team is understand a way to continue them,” said CPRA Chief of Planning, Kirk Rhinehart. “We got so much good dialogue. We learned so much from engaging with them that we want to make sure we continue that process.”

After considering and implementing public feedback, the final draft of the 2012 Coastal Master Plan differs somewhat from the original version released January 12. Here are many of the important differences between the two versions, broken down by coastal zone:

Click for a map of all projects on the Southwest Coast in the final draft of the 2012 Coastal Master Plan.

Southwest Coast

  • Plans to include 500 year-level flood protection for Lake Charles via levee have been changed to study alternate means of providing the same level of flood protection for the city.
  • CPRA will consider more shoreline protection for Cameron Parish.
  • CPRA will work with navigation interests to determine the best way to implement a salinity control structure in the Calcasieu Ship Channel at the Gulf of Mexico.
  • Hydrologic restoration for Gum Cove has been removed.

Click for a map of all projects on the Central Coast in the final draft of the 2012 Coastal Master Plan.

Central Coast

  • Planned oyster reef in West Vermilion Bay will be redesigned with possible realignment.
  • Bayou Chene flood control structure added.
  • Marsh creation projects moved from Pointe au Fer and Bayou Penchant in western Terrebonne Parish to eastern Terrebonne Parish, along the rim of northern Terrebonne Bay and near Isle de Jean Charles.

Click for a map of all projects on the Southeast Coast in the final draft of the 2012 Coastal Master Plan

Southeast Coast

  • Marsh creation added to west side of Bayou Lafourche to protect LA-1 corridor.
  • Marsh creation for Lafitte area reconfigured, with project moved from the second implementation period to the first implementation period.
  • Size of marsh creation plan for Biloxi Marsh doubled, with oyster reefs also added.
  • Marsh creation project on Lake Borgne reconfigured.
  • Added marsh creation project to Central Wetlands area.
  • Projects to improve marsh areas and shoreline protection near the Lake Pontchartrain Barrier will receive planning dollars.

For All of the Louisiana Coast

  • Funding added for a Mississippi River realignment study.
  • Funding for parish-level nonstructural projects will be consolidated to implement across entire Louisiana coast.
  • Creation of a project development and implementation program, to discover solutions for the most difficult areas of Louisiana’s coastline to serve.
  • Explicit acknowledgement of climate change to be included in the Coastal Master Plan.

The next step for the 2012 Coastal Master Plan is approval by the Louisiana Legislature, where it will most likely be entered on or before March 26 as a Senate concurrent resolution. For a very detailed explanation of the approval process for the 2012 Coastal Master Plan, visit CRCL’s Coast Currents blog for Part Four of our Coastal Master Plan 101 series, “The Legislative Gauntlet.”

To view the final draft of the Coastal Master Plan, click here.

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CPRA conducts successful week of public meetings on 2012 Coastal Master Plan

February 7, 2012 | Posted by Delta Dispatches in 2012 Coastal Master Plan, Community Resiliency, Diversions, Meetings/Events, Reports, Restoration Projects

This story was originally posted on the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana's Coast Currents blog.

By Scott M. Madere, Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana

From Jan. 23-25, 2012, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) of Louisiana held a series of public meetings in New Orleans, Houma and Lake Charles to receive public feedback regarding the recently-released draft of the 2012 Coastal Master Plan. The public comment period, which continues until Feb. 25, is an essential part of refining the master plan before it reaches the Louisiana legislature for approval on March 26. The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) was present at all three public meetings and listened to hundreds of Louisiana residents express their concerns about the plan’s potential to address coastal land loss. No two venues were the same, as citizens in the three meeting locales brought up topics unique to their coastal zones.

CRCL Executive Director Steven Peyronnin expresses support for CPRA's efforts in constructing the 2012 Coastal Master Plan.

New Orleans – More than 270 people attended the first CPRA public meeting, held at the University of New Orleans. Governmental representatives from Plaquemines, Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes were on hand as well as commercial fishing interests from these and other communities near New Orleans. Many of the fishers present expressed concerns regarding the master plan’s reliance on large-scale sediment diversions from the Mississippi River to rebuild marshlands on Louisiana’s southeastern coast. In their view, these sediment diversions would introduce a volume of fresh water into the coastal zones which would be unfavorable to the commercial harvest of oysters and shrimp. Sediment diversions are a key element among the many tools available in the 2012 Coastal Master Plan for coastal restoration. The use of these diversions maximize the land-building potential of the plan and reconnect the Mississippi River with its delta.

Jefferson Parish President John Young requested that flood protection plans for Lafitte, Crown Point and Barataria be implemented on faster pace than originally planned in the 2012 master plan draft. There were also a number of non-governmental organizations present including CRCL, National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, Nature Conservancy of Louisiana, Gulf Restoration Network and the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation which expressed support for the processes and effort involved in creating the 2012 Coastal Master Plan.

More than 250 residents turned out for the CPRA public meeting in Houma.

Houma – The Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center played host to more than 270 attendees to CPRA’s second public meeting about the 2012 Coastal Master Plan. The Houma meeting’s comments were centered primarily on requests for more restoration projects on the eastern side of Terrebonne Parish, which includes Pointe aux Chenes, Isle de Jean Charles and other communities. Residents of these areas and representatives of the United Houma Nation and other Native American groups appealed to the CPRA representatives, asking for the inclusion of their communities in plans for restoration.

The 2012 master plan does feature restoration and protection projects in Terrebonne Parish. There is enhanced levee protection for Houma and highly-populated areas in the center of the parish, restoration for Timbalier Island, Isle Dernieres and other barrier islands, and marsh restoration in the form of a sediment diversion from the Atchafalaya River in western Terrebonne Parish.

The position of residents in the eastern part of the parish is that western Terrebonne is either uninhabited or very lightly populated, and the money spent restoring the marsh there should be moved to protect communities in the east.

Restore the Mississippi River Delta Campaign Director Derek Brockbank speaks before CPRA in Lake Charles.

Lake Charles – More than 150 people braved heavy thunderstorms to attend the third and final CPRA public meeting on the master plan, and their voice was fairly united in seeking shoreline protection for Cameron Parish in the form of rock barriers.

CPRA has a number of marsh protection projects slated in the Cameron/Calcasieu area, including new proposed salinity control structures. The idea is to build the wetlands around Lake Charles and Cameron to bolster its risk reduction capacity with regard to hurricanes and floods. A long-term solution in the master plan for flood protection in Lake Charles includes a significant levee build within the next 50 years as well.

Cameron Parish residents and their supporters in Calcasieu are asking for a more direct line of defense by placing breakwater barriers on the Cameron shoreline. Cameron Parish governmental officials like Police Jury President Darryl Farque were very determined to make the point  that they wish to see this kind of protection added to the plan.

Lake Charles Mayor Randy Roach also asked CPRA to not draw political differences between Calcasieu and Cameron when considering projects, as they are “one place hydrologically” in nature.

Overall, the week saw a high degree of public interest in the 2012 Coastal Master Plan, and CPRA executed three very successful consecutive days of public meetings. No opinion was turned away during these meetings, and extra time was allotted past the meeting schedule to accommodate public opinion. The public comment phase of the 2012 Coastal Master Plan is a vital step in creating the best plan possible for Louisiana and continues until Feb. 25. CRCL would like to encourage those who wish to comment on the plan to do so at CPRA’s  Coastal Master Plan website: http://www.coastalmasterplan.louisiana.gov/2012-master-plan/public-comment-form/

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Louisiana Coastal Master Plan public meetings start today

January 23, 2012 | Posted by Delta Dispatches in 2012 Coastal Master Plan, Community Resiliency, Diversions, Meetings/Events, Restoration Projects, Science

By David Muth, National Wildlife Federation

Louisiana’s Draft 2012 Coastal Master Plan, released Jan. 12, is the most ambitious ecosystem restoration plan proposed in United States history and is the first to lay out a comprehensive vision for how a coastal state will cope with land loss, subsidence, and projected sea-level rise over the next half century. With an expenditure of $1 billion per year over 50 years, split equally between protection and restoration, Louisiana could build or prevent the loss of 550-850 square miles of deltaic, estuarine and coastal marshes, swamps, and barrier islands, as well as protect coastal communities from storm surge and rising sea levels. Fifty billion dollars seems like an large sum, until you consider that the 2005 hurricanes alone coast American taxpayers $175 billion.

An unprecedented aspect of the master plan is the proposal to divert half the flow of the Mississippi River back into the delta for restoration purposes — restoring the river’s capacity to build land and re-establishing a vital natural process, not just rebuilding natural habitat. Also unprecedented is the proposal to invest almost $13 billion in measures that increase community resilience to flooding. These measures, including elevating and flood-proofing homes, protect flood-prone property and allow communities to continue to live in close connection to a wetland-based economy and culture.

However, it is also clear that some parts of Louisiana’s coast and wetlands cannot be saved in their current form — there is neither enough time nor sufficient resources to stop or reverse the physical forces that are destroying them. This will be a very difficult and painful reality for some coastal residents and communities. Hard truths will surface in the coming days and weeks as details of the technical analysis are examined, but leaders and planners have a responsibility to base their decisions firmly in reality and help people cope with anticipated changes.

Louisiana's agencies and legislators need to hear that the public supports a comprehensive science-based plan that creates new wetlands and increases hurricane protection for people living in the coastal zone while laying out achievable transition plans for coastal residents in areas that cannot be preserved.

Take the next step by attending one of three public meetings this week:

  • New Orleans, Jan. 23, University of New Orleans Lindy Boggs Center (map)
  • Houma, Jan. 24, Terrebonne Civic Center  (map)
  • Lake Charles, Jan. 25, Lake Charles Civic Center, Contraband Room (map)

Each meeting will include an open house from 1-5:30 p.m. and a public hearing from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The open house in particular offers an opportunity to learn one-on-one from the plan formulators about the specifics of the master plan.

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NWF Releases Comprehensive Guide to Louisiana Nonstructural Programs

November 23, 2011 | Posted by Elizabeth Skree in Community Resiliency, Reports

Over the past few months, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) has contracted the National Hazard Mitigation Association (NHMA) to develop a white paper report that captures the state of nonstructural mitigation in Louisiana. The report, "Safe, Secure, and Sustainable: Advancing Nonstructural Hazard Mitigation in Coastal Louisiana," describes the challenges and impediments that have plagued the nonstructural programs of the past and provides recommendations to improve programs at both the local implementation and national policy levels.

Chris Pulaski (NWF) and Alessandra Jerolleman (Executive Director, NHMA)

Report appendices include a 300-page comprehensive reference guide with a summary of dozens of mitigation programs and funding sources, as well as a timeline and list of organizations and agencies working on mitigation issues in the state.

"We hope this report will serve as a comprehensive resource for anyone working on nonstructural issues in Louisiana and throughout the Gulf Coast," said Chris Pulaski, Coastal Louisiana Organizer at NWF. "We have assembled a comprehensive collection of nonstructural programs—past and present, national and local, provided an assesment of their capabilities and limitations, and organized them for easy reference."

The report will be introduced at the upcoming 5th annual Association of State Floodplain Managers National Flood Proofing Conference and Exposition in Sacramento, CA. For conference information and registration, please visit www.floods.org.

A final version will be available for download in early December.

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New Orleans Restoration Project Will Increase Resiliency, Create Jobs

November 22, 2011 | Posted by Elizabeth Skree in Community Resiliency, Hurricane Katrina, Job Creation, Meetings/Events, Restoration Projects

By Elizabeth Skree, Environmental Defense Fund

Central Wetlands Assimilation Project groundbreaking ceremony (Credit: Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation)

On Nov. 10, the City of New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish broke ground on the important and innovative $10 million Central Wetlands Assimilation Project. On hand for the ceremony were New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, St. Bernard Parish President Craig Taffaro, members of the New Orleans Sewerage and Water Board and approximately 75 others representing community organizations, environmental non-profits and other interested parties. All agree the project is a critical first step towards restoring the entire Central Wetlands Unit, mitigating historical impacts of the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO) channel, improving fish and wildlife habitat, and creating new jobs in restoration and ecotourism.

The Central Wetlands Assimilation Project is a vital step to restore impacted wetlands in the Central Wetlands Unit, a 30,000-acre area east of downtown New Orleans, containing open water that was once a thriving cypress forest just over the levee from urban communities like the Lower 9th Ward and Chalmette.

However, in the early 1960s, construction of the MRGO shipping channel negatively impacted and dramatically altered hundreds of thousands of acres of coastal ecosystem surrounding the Greater New Orleans area including the Central Wetlands.  The MRGO inundated the area with saltwater, killing the cypress trees in the Central Wetlands and leaving behind open water. In 2005, the lack of a coastal wetland buffer contributed to catastrophic flooding during Hurricane Katrina, worsening the damage it caused in the Lower Ninth Ward and St. Bernard Parish.

New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu

The Central Wetlands Assimilation Project will provide fresh water and nutrients needed to reduce salinity and encourage plant growth—by redirecting and reusing treated wastewater and effluent from the East Bank Sewage Treatment Plant into the area—rather than discarding all of it into the Mississippi River. Restoring freshwater flows and taking maximum advantage of the resources available serves as a model for all coastal Louisiana restoration efforts.

The Central Wetlands Assimilation Project is also an important first step to showing that environmental restoration equals economic restoration, creating recreation opportunities, improving habitat and creating new jobs. In fact, restoring the entire Central Wetlands Unit has the potential to create 680 direct and indirect restoration related jobs, according to a study by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).

Additional resources:

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Nickelodeon Video Highlights Chalmette Students' Coastal Restoration Efforts

October 28, 2011 | Posted by Elizabeth Skree in Community Resiliency, Hurricane Katrina, Meetings/Events, Restoration Projects, Videos

By Amanda Moore, National Wildlife Federation

Nickelodeon's "The Big Help" teamed up with National Wildlife Federation (NWF) for Earth Day 2011 to spotlight outstanding students making a difference in their communities through environmental stewardship. Sure enough, the search for awesome kids ended in St. Bernard Parish, where students in Chalmette High School's Leadership Initiative have planted over 50,000 cypress trees since Hurricane Katrina. The students, who experienced first-hand the massive destruction of Katrina and the BP oil disaster, are very much aware of the importance of a healthy environment and are happy to get dirty and help restore their wetlands, protect their levees and provide wildlife habitat through the planting program.

The stars of Nickelodeon's Victorious were on hand to give the students a thrill and lead a day of filming and fun. Footage highlighting student efforts and explaining the plight of the Louisiana wetlands played throughout Earth Day on Nickelodeon. Nickelodeon also donated $25,000 to St. Bernard Parish Schools to support the Leadership Initiative. Check out photos from the day here.

NWF's Amanda Moore worked with Nickelodeon and St. Bernard Parish Schools on the shoot. "We were so glad to share the efforts of students in St. Bernard with kids across the nation," said Amanda. "Having experienced so much loss and destruction in the last few years, the students have reacted with an eagerness to help their community recover and restore the coast. They have an amazing perspective and are an inspiration."

Watch the video below about the day from our friends at Nickelodeon.

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Video: New Orleans community members tour local restoration projects

September 26, 2011 | Posted by Elizabeth Skree in Community Resiliency, Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO), Restoration Projects

By Happy Johnson, National Wildlife Federation

On September 9, life-long community residents and civic leaders from New Orleans' Historic Lower 9th Ward took a boat tour of the Inner Harbor Navigation Canal Surge Barrier (IHNC), to see the structure up close and engage in discussions with local non-profit representatives about the critical importance of hurricane protection and ecosystem restoration.

The tour was sponsored by the Lower 9th Ward Center for Sustainable Engagement and Development (CSED), Lake Pontchatrain Basin Foundation, Gulf Restoration Network and the National Wildlife Federation. Other highlights of the tour included the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, the Bayou Bienvenue flood gate at the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet (MRGO), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers shoreline protection projects and the Central Wetlands. The coastal ecosystems surrounding the aforementioned flood protection structures are vital to community protection.

Our observations and discussions with community members were guided by one key question: How do we restore our wetlands and protect our communities?

Check out the video below to learn more about the tour.

">http://youtu.be/F7Sfi_NX3h4

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Building a Blue Ribbon Resilient Community in Plaquemines Parish

May 20, 2011 | Posted by Elizabeth Skree in Community Resiliency, Meetings/Events

By Karla Raettig, National Wildlife Federation

As part of its Blue Ribbon Resilient Communities initiative (BRRC), America’s Energy Coast (AEC) held its second BRRC Leadership Forum on May 16 and 17 in Belle Chasse, Louisiana.  The focus of the forums is to bring key stakeholders together to discuss the threats and opportunities in communities throughout the Gulf Coast.

The Belle Chasse forum focused on how to ensure a safe and prosperous future for Plaquemines Parish because rapid land loss has dramatically increased the risks of damage from storm surge.  After presentations from scientists, members of the non-governmental organization (NGO) community, and local and state government officials, the attendees focused on answering the following key questions:

  • How do we protect what we value based on how vulnerable we are and the threats we face?
  • How do we prioritize solutions with what we value?
  • Where do we start?

Answering the questions resulted in lively and at times difficult discussions, but forum attendees shared a widespread consensus that the future of Plaquemines Parish depends on swift action to utilize the sediment of the Mississippi River to rebuild marsh and land.

Forum participants also agreed that solutions will involve all levels of government, and that community knowledge and needs must be at the heart of the solutions.  AEC will circulate the findings from the forum throughout the parish for feedback from the community before producing final findings.

America's Energy Coast has additional forums planned throughout the Gulf Coast.  Its final forum is planned for New Orleans in March 2012.  More information can be found at http://www.futureofthegulfcoast.org/.

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