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Committee backs bill to create inland water policy authority for noncoastal Louisiana
Summary
Senators and agency officials told the House Appropriations Committee that Senate Bill 97 would create a CPRA-like coordinating authority for water planning outside the coast, focused on navigation, economic development and recreation; the committee reported the bill favorable as amended.
The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday reported Senate Bill 97 favorable after lawmakers and agency officials described a proposal to centralize water planning and coordination in noncoastal Louisiana.
Senator Presley said the bill would help North and Central Louisiana plan strategically for water use, navigation and recreation as part of long-term economic development. “Two things are necessary for economic development… one is power, obviously, and the second is water,” Presley said.
Tyler Gray, Secretary for the Department of Energy and Natural Resources, and other witnesses said the proposal creates an independent coordinating authority—modeled structurally on the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA)—that would focus on planning, coordination and a limited set of finance options rather than a broad new regulatory regime.
“From a structure standpoint it’s like CPRA, but the mission will be totally different,” Gray said, noting the authority would emphasize planning, coordination and leveraging local millages or waterway district funding where possible.
Lawmakers asked about boundaries, taxing authority and whether the entity would duplicate other offices. Presley and Gray said the authority would have geographic bounds that exclude the coast, would not have independent taxing power, and would emphasize coordination with existing entities such as the Red River Waterway District, ports, and the Office of Public Works.
Amendments adopted in committee aligned enforcement language with existing CPRA statute and added technical clarifications. Representative Horton moved the bill favorably as amended; the committee reported Senate Bill 97 favorable as amended.
Supporters said the authority would improve the state’s ability to coordinate with federal partners such as the Army Corps of Engineers and to plan for navigation- and water-dependent economic projects across river systems and inland waterways.
