A coastal erosion project in Louisiana meant to protect against a hurricane's powerful effects is now at the center of a political storm. Kati Weis reports.

Louisiana

A proposed $3 billion coastal erosion project in Louisiana, designed to divert Mississippi River sediment to rebuild about 17,000 acres of land over 30 years, has been cancelled by Governor Jeff Landry. The project, which had already received $600 million in funding, was intended to protect communities from hurricane storm surges by restoring wetlands that have been rapidly disappearing.

The cancellation followed opposition from local commercial fishing interests, who argued the project would harm their industry and increase flooding risks for some residents. While advocates highlighted the long-term benefits of large-scale restoration, critics favored smaller, less disruptive marsh projects. The ongoing loss of wetlands continues to threaten both the local ecosystem and economy.

Coastal erosion project in Louisiana at center of political storm

Tropical Storm Dexter churning off the East Coast could become the first Atlantic hurricane of the season. It's not expected to threaten the U.S., but the National Weather Service is predicting an above-normal hurricane season. In tonight's In Depth, CBS' Katie Weiss reports on a coastal erosion project meant to protect against the hurricane's powerful effects, now at the center of a political storm. Louisiana's coast is under threat. A quarter of the state's wetlands have disappeared in the last 100 years, an area the size of Delaware. The wetlands are a critical buffer that shield Louisiana communities from monster hurricanes. We want more protection. We want more redundancy. Massive flood walls and these man-made marshes are helpful. You can reduce storm surge up to a foot with just a mile of coastal wetlands. Alicia Renfro and Samoma Laws, with the non-profit Restore the Mississippi River Delta, say that's not enough. A tough lesson that we learned after Katrina, we have to think long-term. We also have to think bigger. It's been 20 years since Hurricane Katrina exposed the extent of the coastal erosion. Since then, satellite images show even more loss of marshland, an estimated 200,000 acres. If these marshes aren't here anymore, what happens? I think that's a future we don't want to think about. They believe a proposed $3 billion project would have been the best way to save Louisiana. We are very short on money, we're short on natural resources, and we are short on time. The project would have diverted Mississippi River sediment to rebuild about 17,000 acres of land over the next 30 years. That would have the potential to absorb up to 10 feet of storm surge. But not everyone could see the benefits. Third-generation oysterman Mitch Juricich filed suit to stop it. Why were you so opposed to this project? Because I know what it would have done to our fishing industry, our commercial fishing industry here. When you look around this harbor, full of commercial boats, full of life, it would have just totally wiped us out. Government records also showed it would have increased flooding and storm surge to some homes south of the site. This month, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry scrapped the project, even though $600 million was already spent. It's not my fault that y'all wasted money. It's your fault. Because you pushed this down our throat, knowing we didn't want it. Juricich says smaller man-made marshes like this one could be cheaper and wouldn't sacrifice his community for the rest of the state. But it's only a temporary fix. They are dependent on those coastal wetlands that are disappearing. And once those wetlands are gone, the fisheries collapse. Doing nothing isn't an option. A race to save this bayou region for everyone. Katie Weiss, CBS News, New Orleans.

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