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CPRA presents FY26 draft annual plan: $1.8 billion in projects, Gomesa and coastal fund finance large share
Summary
The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) told the Senate Finance Committee its FY26 draft annual plan lists roughly $1.8 billion in projected expenditures—about 80% for construction—funded largely by the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund and federal sources including GoMESA/RESTORE and NOAA awards.
The Senate Finance Committee heard a review of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority’s draft FY26 annual plan, which CPRA staff said lists about $1.8 billion in projected expenditures across 133 active projects. CPRA’s plan showed approximately 73 projects in construction, 53 in engineering and design and 7 in planning stages.
CPRA Executive Director Glenn Ladday and Senate Fiscal Services staff presented the mix of means of finance supporting the plan. Statutory dedications through the Coastal Protection and Restoration Fund and the Natural Resource Restoration Trust Fund account for a large portion of the recommended authority, while multiple federal programs (including RESTORE, FEMA hazard mitigation, NRDA and NOAA grants) supply most construction dollars. CPRA emphasized that about 80% of the draft annual plan’s dollars are construction costs.
Senate Fiscal staff and CPRA described the Gomesa/RESTORE and federal disaster recovery pots that have increased CPRA’s available budget authority in recent years. The annual plan includes ongoing technical work, monitoring and adaptive management funding along with major construction envelopes; the CPRA presenters said some spending increases reflect multi‑year capital work that will be executed in phases.
Why it matters: CPRA’s annual plan directs large state and federal investments for coastal restoration and protection projects that affect communities, ports and coastal infrastructure. The committee asked for parish‑level breakdowns and a clearer schedule of near‑term construction awards.
Ending: CPRA and Senate Fiscal agreed to provide a more detailed, parish‑level breakdown of projects and a timeline of expected construction awards for the FY26 plan.
