U.S. Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council & White House CEQ Leadership Visit Louisiana

This week, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards welcomed the leadership of the United States Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council and the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) to Louisiana, where they toured key infrastructure projects, met with environmental justice and energy transition leaders, and engaged with the Governor, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell and several Cabinet officials, as they discussed ways to move key Louisiana projects forward.

The Permitting Council and CEQ leaders are visiting Louisiana to meet on-the-ground experts to learn how to best support infrastructure initiatives outlined in the Governor’s Climate Action Plan and Coastal Master Plan. They met with environmental justice community leaders serving Louisianans, including vulnerable communities of color, to discuss building back better with inclusivity. They also visited scientists and business leaders involved in the state’s energy transition and coastal resilience efforts. As part of the visit, the Permitting Council and CEQ joined a flyover tour to see the coastal wetland ecosystems and communities that will benefit from projects featured on the Federal Permitting Dashboard, the Mid-Barataria and Mid-Breton sediment diversion projects. A key component of the visit was a meeting with the Governor, where the Permitting Council and CEQ discussed the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act implementation, and how Louisiana can best position itself with respect to federal priorities of equity, climate, and workforce.

“Our partnership with the federal government allows us to move forward critical infrastructure projects that will make Louisiana’s communities safer and more resilient, and I am pleased to welcome the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council and White House Council on Environmental Quality to tour two major infrastructure projects in our state,” Gov. Edwards said. “These key projects will help build and restore wetlands, offering better protection to Louisiana’s coastal communities. Coordination with the federal government will help ensure that we have the resources and contacts we need to deliver these critical projects to Louisianans. I’m thankful that President Biden has prioritized transparency, accountability and partnership in the large-scale infrastructure projects happening in our country.”

“Working closely with state and local partners is key in the effort to transform our nation’s infrastructure,” says Christine Harada, Executive Director of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council. “The work going on here in Louisiana is a team effort that will not only restore our natural resources but will also make communities and the people who live in them more resilient from natural disasters and other environmental threats. Working side-by-side with leaders like Governor Edwards and Mayor Cantrell truly showcases the great things that can be achieved when the federal government empowers state and local leaders with the resources they need to invest in the future.”

“We’re grateful for the partnership with Governor Edwards and Mayor Cantrell to ensure that the historic investments from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law reach communities in greatest need, change lives for the better, and create good-paying union jobs,” said White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory. “The coastal restoration projects under way in Louisiana are proof that investments in America’s lands and waters provide massive returns in the form of storm protection for communities, clean drinking water for families, healthy and abundant fish and wildlife, and build a better America.”

Established in 2015 under Title 41 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST-41), the Permitting Council is a unique Federal agency charged with improving the transparency, predictability, and outcomes of the Federal environmental review and authorization process for certain large-scale critical infrastructure projects.

The Permitting Council works to ensure that environmental review of major infrastructure projects is predictable, providing a forum for resolving complex issues, ensuring transparency and accountability to the American people, and providing for efficient collaboration and coordination amongst the numerous agencies involved in the effort.

Projects covered under the FAST-41 program have permitting timetables that include all required federal permits and reviews. That information is published on the Federal Infrastructure Permitting Dashboard. The Dashboard serves as an online tracking system for projects and provides transparency and accountability throughout the permitting process.

The Council on Environmental Quality, which was created in 1969 by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), advises the President and develops policies on climate change, renewable energy, environmental justice, federal sustainability, public lands, oceans, and wildlife conservation, among other areas.

About the Projects

Harada and Mallory toured the sites of the state’s two planned sediment diversion projects, the Mid-Barataria and the Mid-Breton Sediment Diversions.

Once completed, the Mid-Barataria and Mid-Breton projects will help redirect water and sediment from the Mississippi river to build and maintain coastal wetlands damaged in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and reduce impacts from storm surge, sea level rise, and subsidence.

Thanks to the Federal Permitting Dashboard, the federal permitting and reviews of these projects have been coordinated by three consecutive Presidential administrations. According to the schedule on the dashboard, the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project is targeted to receive a permitting decision this year.

For more about Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan and ongoing work to restore Louisiana’s coast, visit coastal.la.gov/.