Senate committee reports SR7 backing CPRA’s $1.5 billion FY2027 coastal protection plan

The Senate Committee on Natural Resources on March 25 voted with no objection to report SR7 favorably after the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority presented its FY2027 annual integrated coastal protection plan.

Michael Haire, executive director of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, told the committee the plan packages roughly $1,500,000,000 in project authority across fiscal years and reflects board-approved priorities after three in-person public hearings, one virtual hearing and about 300 public comments. "This is really a comprehensive coast‑to‑coast plan," Haire said, adding that the plan includes a three‑year outlook for programming and does not represent a shortfall in revenue but rather projects not yet programmed for later years.

Why it matters: CPRA says about 93% of expenditures in the plan will go directly to project implementation (engineering, construction, operations and maintenance). Haire said the agency now lists about 143 active projects, 18 dredging efforts and an eventual footprint of about 12,000 acres from projects when completed. He estimated the program supports roughly 10,000 direct jobs and about $636,000,000 in labor income to the state.

CPRA highlighted regional priorities and specific projects. Haire described a southwest program that includes the recently announced "Capucho Sabine Hydraulic Restoration," which he said carries a Restore‑funded phase of about $120,000,000 for phase one and anticipates additional funding for a second phase to restore roughly 9,000–12,000 acres of marsh. In south‑central Louisiana, CPRA emphasized land‑bridge alignments from the 2023 master plan and a proposed roughly 90‑mile system intended to fortify the southern end of the basin and complement barrier‑island protection.

Haire also described federally coordinated work at Grand Isle, saying rock placement bids are underway with an objective of placing rock in the water by July 1, and he noted a recent FEMA award of about $74–76 million to rebuild West Belle Headland that provides additional dollars CPRA can reprogram for other projects.

Senators asked for follow-up details. Senator Lambert queried the status of the Union diversion and the AIMA diversion feasibility work; Haire said feasibility funding is included (noting "table 19" in the plan) and offered to provide project numbers and a written response. Haire described federal partners’ growing interest in non‑structural measures such as home elevation and noted pilots in Jefferson Parish and Lafitte; he said roughly 4,000 homes in the southwest are being identified for non‑structural measures.

Official action and next steps: Chair moved that SR7 be reported favorably and the motion passed with no objection. Haire and CPRA staff said the resolution follows a two‑step legislative process and will be routed to a committee across the hall. The CPRA annual plan and related materials are posted on the agency’s website for public review, CPRA said.

Sources and attribution: Direct quotes and policy details in this article come from CPRA's remarks to the Senate Committee on Natural Resources (March 25, 2026). Where the transcript contained unclear spellings of project names or dollar figures, the article retains CPRA's numeric descriptions but flags approximate ranges (for example FEMA award cited as "about $74–76 million").

Ending: The committee reported SR7 favorably; the resolution and requested follow‑up information will move forward to the next step in the legislative process.