Louisiana officials are revising the master plan for combating flooding and storm surge damage and have abandoned the projection of no net loss of land by 2035.
The new master plan, to be released in 2017, is more pessimistic than the 2012 version. State officials had thought they could stabilize land loss in the next 20 years, and then be able to add land to the coast. They now say it would take much longer to break even, and that goal may be unrealistic.
New research shows that the rates of land loss and sea level rise rise will be far greater during the last 20 years of the 50-year plan than during the first two decades. Thus, the 2017 master plan, and any work done in the next 20 years is extremely urgent.
Officials will soon announce a list of as many as 200 projects that they will include in the 2017 plan. The plan will include initiatives to build wetlands and land, build and raise levee systems across the state, and raise or relocate homes and businesses still threatened by surges and sea level rise.
Related Stories
| Dec 15, 2011
NRDC charges Maine governor with weakening green wood requirement
The FSC program is administered through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and requires wood to be harvested in a sustainable way.
| Dec 15, 2011
Post-tornado, Tuscaloosa seeks to create walkable urban, retail areas
Block sizes initially were limited to a maximum perimeter of 1,750 feet, with no side of the block being longer than 500 feet.
| Dec 15, 2011
Allentown, Pa. city council asked to repeal union-friendly law
The mayor of Allentown, Pa. asked the City Council to repeal a year-old ordinance that forces contractors to hire union workers for large city projects funded with state and federal dollars.
| Dec 13, 2011
LEED-EB outpaces LEED for new construction
The U.S. Green Building Council's (USGBC's) LEED certifications for existing buildings standard is outpacing LEED for new buildings for the first time.
| Dec 13, 2011
Regulators charge pervasive abuse of construction workers in Connecticut
Federal and state regulators say they have uncovered what they call "widespread noncompliance" with minimum wage and overtime laws in Connecticut's construction industry.
| Dec 13, 2011
Philadelphia mayor signs order for project labor agreements
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter signed an executive order establishing project labor agreements for major public works projects in Philadelphia.
| Dec 13, 2011
Improved code requirements for attic ventilation
The Roof Assembly Ventilation Coalition (RAVC) participated in the development of the code.
| Dec 12, 2011
LEED-EB Outpaces LEED for New Construction
The U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC’s) LEED certifications for existing buildings standard is outpacing LEED for new buildings for the first time.
| Dec 12, 2011
Philadelphia Mayor Signs Order for Project Labor Agreements
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter signed an executive order establishing project labor agreements for major public works projects in Philadelphia.
| Dec 12, 2011
Improved Code Requirements for Attic Ventilation
The International Code Council (ICC) recently published the 2012 International Residential Code (IRC) that includes improved code requirements for balanced intake and exhaust for ventilated attics.
