Louisiana

Advocates: Killing Louisiana’s largest coast project might prove ‘impossible’

Published

2 years ago

March 12, 2024

Advocates: Killing Louisiana’s largest coast project might prove ‘impossible’

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Supporters of Louisiana’s costliest and most controversial coastal restoration project argue the state would face significant hurdles should it decide to cancel the project.

“Where we live, the water is coming up and the land is sinking and we are so fortunate to have this giant river that we can use,” said Kimberly Reyher, Executive Director of the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana.

For decades, Reyher and other coastal restoration advocates have dreamed of putting the Mississippi River to work, mimicking the power of the river to build land.

The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion Project would channel up to 70,000 cubic feet of river water and sediment per second — over 523,000 gallons– into Barataria Bay.

The project aims to build 28 square miles of land over 30 years, though computer models project that total would fall to 21 square miles after 50 years due to factors such as subsidence and sea-level rise.

In December 2022, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers granted the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority the necessary permits to build Mid-Barataria.

However, Plaquemines Parish recently ordered work on the project stopped while a parish lawsuit works its way through the courts.

A separate lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in New Orleans by the International Marine Mammal Project, contends that the Army Corps’ approval of the project violates the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Administrative Procedures Act.

COAST IN CRISIS

The administration of Governor Jeff Landry has sent mixed signals about its commitment to Mid-Barataria in recent weeks, citing the lawsuits and the project’s estimated $2.9 billion cost.

“There is a better way to do things without sacrificing our fishing industries and our culture and our heritage,” said charter boat captain George Ricks, who has spearheaded opposition to the project from many fishermen who fear the effects of freshwater entering the bay.

“We killed more dolphins during the Bonnet Carre Spillway opening than the BP oil spill,” Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser said at last month’s CPRA board meeting. “Nobody’s ever going to tell you that.”

Nungesser argues the state could spread the money more evenly around the coast without the project’s more damaging effects.

“Everybody who represents a parish at this meeting should be outraged,” Nungesser said.

However, many of the project’s supporters argue the state may find it challenging to re-direct the money.

Funding for the diversion flows, in three large pots of money, from fines and court settlements associated with the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

The largest chunk of that money, $2.26 billion, was provided by the federal and state trustees overseeing the oil spill settlement.

The money is aimed at restoring resources damaged during the spill.

For that reason, diversion supporters argue the state would find it difficult to simply wave a magic wand and redirect the funding.

Rehyer said channeling the money into other areas would be, “very complicated, possibly not possible.” Ricks argues that the CPRA could find a way to re-purpose the money.

“You could take that corridor that they built now for the Mid-Barataria Diversion and put a sediment pipeline and pump sediment in,” Ricks said. “We all want the sediment.”

Some critics have suggested building a smaller diversion as a compromise, but even that gets complicated since the Army Corps would have to sign off on any changes.

Through the permitting process, the Corps analyzed alternatives to the diversion, including ones that would send less water into the bay. At 70,000 cubic feet per second, the diversion would carry sediment into the surrounding waters.

However, computer modeling suggests a smaller flow of water might lack the velocity to deliver sediment while producing some of the same negative effects on fisheries and marine life. In other words, a smaller project might produce the same harmful effects without the benefits.

By Nungesser’s estimate, Louisiana has already spent over $300 million on project design, engineering, and early construction.

If it pulls the plug on the project, there has even been speculation the state might have to pay back the boards that control the money.

Louisiana has used hundreds of millions of oil spill dollars to restore barrier islands, and over the last year, the two largest marsh creation projects in history.

“Dredging builds land now. Land you can walk on that protects our communities,” Ricks said.

Reyher argues a diversion would have more lasting power, steadily delivering sediment for decades to come.

“As soon as you turn the dredge off, the land starts to sink,” Reyher said. “So, we can’t dredge our way out of this.”

CPRA Chairman Gordon Dove has said a comprehensive report on the various aspects of the diversion was being prepared for Gov. Landry.

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Louisiana

Louisiana bill would impose tougher penalties for operating unlicensed gambling websites

Published

9 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Louisiana bill would impose tougher penalties for operating unlicensed gambling websites

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New legislation in Baton Rouge would reclassify some illegal gaming-related offenses as racketeering law violations, elevating potential consequences.

Louisiana has already stepped up its enforcement of its gaming laws related to potential illegal gaming but a new bill in the state legislature would give prosecutors’ actions more teeth. The proposal would elevate certain crimes involving unlicensed gaming in the state to a racketeering charge with more severe penalties linked to convictions.

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Louisiana bill changes classification of gaming-related charges

Louisiana Rep. Bryan Fontenot has pre-filed HB 53, which could rewrite the state code as it pertains to unlicensed gaming sites. The legislation has been provisionally assigned to the House Committee on Administration of Criminal Justice, as the 2026 session does not begin until March 9.

Under the proposal, the state’s definition of racketeering would expand to include “gambling, gambling by computer, gambling on cockfights, gambling by electronic sweepstakes, unlawful wagering, and bribery of sports participants.” Under current statutes, racketeering convictions carry penalties of fines of “not more than one million dollars, or imprisoned at hard labor for not more than 50 years, or both.”

Additionally, racketeering convictions that result in sentences of fines of at least $10,000 revoke recipients’ eligibility for parole. The enactment of this bill as currently composed could have a significant impact on the operation of sweepstakes-based online casino sites for real money in Louisiana.

At the same time, many of the companies in that space have already ceased potentially infringing actions within Louisiana.

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Louisiana has already been off-limits for sweepstakes casinos

In 2025, Louisiana gaming regulators and law enforcement took multiple actions to restrict residents’ access to unlicensed platforms for playing casino games online. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill shared a public notice about the illegality of sweepstakes-based online gaming sites, in addition to issuing cease-and-desist orders to the companies affiliated with those sites. As a result, many of the operators of those sites geofenced Louisiana out of their service areas.

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board supplemented that action with its additional cease-and-desist letters. Fontenot’s bill could add additional weight to these demands if it becomes law.

There is currently no legal framework for playing online casino games or redeeming casino bonus codes in Louisiana. While online sports wagering is legal in most of the state, officials in Baton Rouge have not yet tackled the issue of iGaming.

Even if voters in Louisiana someday do clear the way for the utilization of Fanatics Casino promo codes, that would involve licensed gaming and not affect the implementation of Fontenot’s bill. However, such deliberations do not seem imminent.

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If HB 53 becomes law, Louisiana could levy some of the toughest penalties for illegal gaming activity in the United States. Many potential targets of prosecution have already pulled out of the state.

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Louisiana

Governor’s Office of Strategic Community Initiatives | Office of Governor Jeff Landry

Published

22 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Governor’s Office of Strategic Community Initiatives | Office of Governor Jeff Landry

Driving Louisiana Forward Program

Commerical Driver’s License (CDL) Training

In partnership with the Louisiana Workforce Commission and South Louisiana Community College, this program aims to provide African American males with financial assistance to obtain Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) training, strengthening the resilience and contributions of this key demographic and improving equitable access to workforce opportunities. This initiative aims to reduce high unemployment rates within this community but also focuses on ensuring participants come from rural and economically disadvantaged areas.

Earn your CDL Class A license with this comprehensive classroom and behind-the-wheel program to drive tractor[1]trailers, dump trucks, tow trucks, delivery trucks, tanker trucks, and flatbed trucks.

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Louisiana

Landry asks Louisiana’s Washington delegation to redraw federal judicial districts

Published

1 day ago

February 26, 2026

Press Room

Landry asks Louisiana’s Washington delegation to redraw federal judicial districts

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Gov. Jeff Landry is asking Louisiana’s congressional leaders to amend the state’s federal judicial districts, citing caseload growth and public safety concerns.

Landry sent letters to Speaker Mike Johnson, Sen. John Kennedy, Congressman Cleo Fields, and Congresswoman Julia Letlow requesting the change.

The request

Louisiana is currently divided into three federal judicial districts: Eastern, Middle, and Western. Landry is asking that West Feliciana Parish be moved from the Middle District to the Western District.

In the letters, Landry cited significant growth in the Middle District and an increased caseload for its judges. He said a major driver of the Middle District docket is Louisiana State Penitentiary.

Public safety argument

Landry said moving West Feliciana Parish into the Western District would improve judicial efficiency and better address public safety needs in East Baton Rouge Parish and the state.

He said East Baton Rouge Parish continues to battle violent crime. According to the Baton Rouge Police Department, recent numbers show violent crime in the parish has decreased.

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