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
Codes and Standards | Sep 10, 2020
Fannie Mae programs provide incentives for multifamily solar
Affordable housing projects can find PV installations to be cost-effective.
Codes and Standards | Sep 9, 2020
Corporate pledges accelerate net-zero building movement
World Green Building Council drives goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
Codes and Standards | Sep 8, 2020
Study will examine elevator airflow amid COVID-19 pandemic
Researchers to investigate risk of airborne transmission.
Codes and Standards | Sep 4, 2020
Updated selection, application guide for plastic glazed skylights, sloped glazing released
Part of suite of skylight documents by Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance.
Codes and Standards | Sep 3, 2020
Turner Construction takes strong stand against racism
Shuts down work sites for anti-bias training.
Codes and Standards | Sep 2, 2020
California releases guide for state water policy
Water Resilience Portfolio is roadmap for meeting water needs as climate changes.
Codes and Standards | Aug 31, 2020
Fenestration alliance updates fenestration sealants guide
First update to 2009 document.
Codes and Standards | Aug 25, 2020
Platform will allow researchers to test energy system integration at scale
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) recently launched the Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) platform.
Codes and Standards | Aug 20, 2020
Wariness of elevators may stymie office reopening
Workers could balk at returning to high-rises.
Codes and Standards | Aug 19, 2020
Existing laws may be restricting efforts to cut carbon emissions
Outdated policies favor fossil fuels.
