NFWF Announces $67.9 Million for Louisiana Coastal Master Plan Projects

​Projects funded as a part of initial investments as a result of criminal charges against BP and Transocean

WASHINGTON, D.C., Nov. 14, 2013 -- The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) today announced $67.9 million in funding for initial planning and engineering on priority barrier islands and river diversion projects in Louisiana. The projects, developed in coordination with the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), are designed to remedy harm or reduce the risk of future harm to natural resources that were affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The moneys are the first obligations from NFWF’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, created earlier this year as part of the settlement between the U.S. Department of Justice, BP and Transocean to resolve certain criminal charges against both companies in relation to the spill.

Provisions within the pleas direct a total of $2.544 billion to NFWF over a five-year period. In Louisiana, the plea agreements required that the funds be allocated solely to barrier island restoration projects and river diversion projects along the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers. NFWF must give appropriate consideration to Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan and the Louisiana Coastal Area Mississippi River Hydrodynamic and Delta Management Study.

“For decades, we have fought to protect and preserve our home -- the abundant natural resources, coastal areas and unique culture found here in south Louisiana.  We’ve certainly faced challenges, but these investments will give us the opportunity to make an historic down payment on a 50-year plan to protect our families and businesses, restore the natural processes that built Louisiana’s delta, and ensure that our coast continues to be both a Sportsman’s Paradise and a hub for commerce and industry,” said Governor Bobby Jindal.

The plea agreements that guide NFWF’s administration of the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund call for the funding of projects that are fundamental components of Louisiana’s comprehensive Coastal Master Plan: barrier islands and river diversions.  These investments are critical to the long-term sustainability of one of the most productive, unique and imperiled coastal and estuarine ecosystems in the world.      

“NFWF is proud to partner with the State of Louisiana to restore and protect its fragile coast," said Jeff Trandahl, Executive Director and CEO of NFWF. "We hope that these investments will prove integral to the historic undertaking that Louisiana has embarked upon in the implementation of its Coastal Master Plan.”