the Louisiana coast is losing land
at an alarming rate, the result of years
of well-intentioned but unsustainable
practices. Since the 1930s Louisiana
has lost 1,880 sq mi of land. If nothing is
done to reverse this trend, it could lose an additional
1,750 sq mi of land over the next 50 years, greatly
increasing the risk of flooding and threatening critical
facets of infrastructure. As land and marsh areas
have disappeared, infrastructure once protected by
these features has to an increasing extent sustained
damage from hurricanes and other storms. From a
national perspective, infrastructure in coastal
Louisiana plays a key role in maintaining shipping along
the Mississippi River and facilitating oil and gas production.
Seeking to reverse this loss of land, the state has developed
the Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast, a 50-
year effort intended to provide long-term, sustainable coastal
protection by working with the natural processes of the Mississippi
delta and the coast. Although the project’s estimated $50-billion price tag is steep, the cost of doing nothing could
be much higher.
The loss of land in Louisiana has made the state more susceptible
to the ravages of hurricanes. Hurricanes Katrina and
Rita in 2005 and Hurricane Gustav in 2008 caused loss of
life, damage to property and infrastructure, and economic
losses as a result of closed ports, industries, and businesses. If
not halted or reduced, the loss of land within the Mississippi
delta will have drastic consequences. Entire communities
will have to be relocated, and future storms will damage energy
infrastructure, increasing the costs associated with energy
and storm response. In fact, Louisiana estimates that without
action to stem land loss, the state’s annual bill for flood damage
could be as high as $23.4 billion in 50 years.