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CPRA interim director: FY26 annual plan approved; draft Chandeleur restoration out for comment and river reintroduction grant awarded
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Summary
Interim CPRA Executive Director Clay Parker reported the FY26 annual plan cleared both chambers, described 105 active CPRA projects, a public comment period for the draft Chandeleur Islands restoration plan and a $60 million Restore grant for the river reintroduction to Marapah Swamp.
Interim CPRA Executive Director Clay Parker told the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Board that the agency’s fiscal year 2026 annual plan has been unanimously approved by both the House and Senate floors and will take effect July 1.
Parker said CPRA currently has 105 active projects: 38 in construction, 64 in engineering and design, and 3 in planning. He highlighted a handful of items the board will see soon: a draft restoration plan for the Chandeleur Islands opened for public review with a comment period running through July 16; the preferred alternative’s estimated cost at about $360,000,000 and a proposed allocation of $247,000,000 from Deepwater Horizon settlement funds via the Trustee Implementation Group.
Parker also said the agency was awarded a $60,000,000 Restore grant for the river reintroduction into Marapah Swamp, which he described as “the final major source of construction funding needed to fully deliver this $488,000,000 project” slated for completion in 2029.
He summarized priorities in the FY26 plan: support for 146 active projects (operation, maintenance and monitoring for 163 projects), 77 projects in construction and 21 dredging projects that are expected to place more than 71 million cubic yards of sediment to create or nourish more than 16,000 acres. Parker called the planned Shindler Island restoration “the largest barrier island restoration in the state's history” and highlighted the Lakeborn Marsh Creation Project as one of the largest marsh efforts in the nation.
Board member Mr. Bourgeois and others noted a recent congressional fly‑in in Washington, D.C. to advocate for streamlined delivery and continued federal support for Morganza to the Gulf and other major projects; Parker said CPRA participated with local partners in those meetings.
Parker closed the update by announcing the retirement of long‑time staffer Kenneth Ballinger, who the agency said has 34 years of service and substantial work on vegetative planning and large restoration projects.
Why this matters: the FY26 annual plan authorizes the next 12 months of project implementation and maintenance at state level, and the public comment period and grants cited determine near‑term timelines for habitat and restoration projects with multi‑million dollar price tags.
