Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

WASHINGTON, DC – Nearly $100 million has been approved for habitat restoration projects in Louisiana after bipartisan legislation U.S. Congressman Garret Graves crafted was signed into law recently. This funding will provide $85.8 million for new restoration projects and an additional $13 million to develop new coastal solutions. The legislation also funded the Coastwide Nutria Control Program (CNCP), which pays licensed trappers a bounty of $6 per nutria tail during the trapping season.

Three major projects will receive funding from the legislation, supporting the restoration of 1,383 acres of marsh habitat along Louisiana’s coast:

• Breton Landbridge Marsh Creation (West) Project will create and nourish approximately 379 acres of marsh habitat in Plaquemines Parish
• No Name Bayou Marsh Creation Project will create and nourish approximately 468 acres of marsh in Cameron Parish.
• Northeast Turtle Bay Project will create and nourish approximately 536 acres in Jefferson Parish

“This legislation knocks out two rats with one trap. We’re directing millions toward coastal restoration efforts while funding the nutria police – both contributing to the same goal of protecting our state’s coast and people,” Graves said. “Coastal Louisiana is America’s coast. It is one of the most productive natural resource assets in the country and it’s worth saving. Every chance we can take to protect our communities – before a storm rather than after the fact – is the right investment. We will continue to push for more revenues to be directed to our coastal projects and for the bounty program to be funded so we can protect communities from hurricanes.”