Posted on September 27, 2016

This autumn is packed with opportunities to weigh in on restoration plans in Louisiana and throughout the Gulf.

Now is an important time to show your support for strong restoration plans, based on the best science, which will do the most good for the Gulf and our Louisiana coast. Check out the calendar below for upcoming public meetings.

Gulf Coast Restoration

Thank you to everyone who joined the RESTORE Council meeting this week in New Orleans. If you weren’t able to make it, please submit your thoughts via our online form.

The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration (RESTORE) Council is holding public meetings to hear from people like you on a plan that will serve as the blueprint for their restoration in the Gulf.

Congress created the Council soon after the Gulf oil spill and the council published its first Comprehensive Plan in August 2013. The recently revised draft plan will administer more than $3 billion on Gulf restoration.

Upcoming Dates: Sept. 29, 2016 – - Open house: 5:00 p.m. Meeting: 6:00 p.m., CST Sea Scout Base 7509 Broadway Galveston, TX, 77554

Oct. 4, 2016 – - 2:00 p.m., CST Webinar – Register to attend the webinar

A related but separate restoration group, the “Deepwater Horizon Trustee Council”, will be holding a public meeting in New Orleans on September 28 at 5:30pm at the Renaissance Hotel at 817 Common St., New Orleans.

During this meeting, they will present updates on the work of the Trustee Council and each Trustee Implementation Group : Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Open Ocean, and Region-wide.

The Oil Pollution Act authorizes certain federal agencies, states, and Indian tribes – collectively known as natural resource trustees – to evaluate the impacts of oil spills and to plan and carry out restoration efforts. The Trustee Implementation Groups will develop restoration projects and plans to accomplish the significant work needed for the Gulf. Development of these projects is guided by the programmatic restoration plan finalized in 2016 as part of a legal settlement with BP for up to $8.8 billion.

Louisiana Coastal Master Plan

Coastal Master Plan, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) – in – partnership with Restore or Retreat and numerous community partners throughout coastal Louisiana—will host a series of six Community Conversations during October to update residents on the master plan and receive valuable input and feedback that will be used in developing the draft plan, which will be released in January 2017 for formal public comment and review.

Each Community Conversation will include an open house beginning at 5:00 p.m. designed to share information about the master plan and ongoing efforts by CPRA and its community partners. Dinner served to all participants at 5:40 p.m., followed by a CPRA presentation at 6:00 p.m. and group discussion about the master plan, potential projects and programs, and more.

The Community Conversation schedule is as follows:

• Tuesday, October 4: Buras

• Thursday, October 6: Dulac

• Wednesday, October 12: Lake Charles

• Thursday, October 13: Larose

• Tuesday October 18: Lafitte

• Wednesday, October 19: New Orleans

Interested attendees must RSVP for a spot at the meeting. For more information, please contact masterplan@la.gov or ror.rsvp@gmail.com.