(The Center Square) — The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority met on Wednesday to discuss environmental and navigational issues affecting the state’s coastal regions, with particular attention to the Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan and the ongoing Lower Mississippi River Comprehensive Study.
During the session, CPRA representatives emphasized the importance of incorporating the Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan into broader ecosystem restoration and water quality management efforts. While the plan is part of the state’s overarching environmental strategy, it’s not the primary focus of the current LMR study.
“I think the study is not going to specifically target the hypoxia issue. There are other efforts underway, but that is a plan that we are looking at and looking at ways that the modifications that might come out of this study could provide benefit to it,” U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District Commander said.
Modifications from the study could potentially align with or benefit the hypoxia reduction efforts. Jones acknowledged the importance of this aspect but noted that the study’s primary focus remains on other priorities, although potential benefits to hypoxia management are considered.
Hypoxia reduction remains a critical component of CPRA efforts, aiming to decrease the size of the Gulf’s “dead zone,” an area of low oxygen that can kill fish and other marine life.
The Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan, a federal initiative, aims to cut nutrient pollution and improve water quality in the Gulf and Mississippi River Basin. The target is to shrink the hypoxic zone to under 5,000 sq. km by 2035, with a short-term goal of reducing nitrogen and phosphorus runoff by 20% by 2025.
In 2022, Louisiana received $60 million over five years from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, marking the first dedicated funding to implement the Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan.
“Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be a priority in a lot of programs,” Rep. Jerome Zeringue, R-Terrebonne, said. “It’s important to at least the Gulf of America, and especially here on the coast of Louisiana, that we look at that and try to address it.”