Louisiana Cancels $1.8 Billion Coastal Restoration Project

As of October 10, 2025, Louisiana has canceled another major coastal restoration project – the $1.8 billion Mid-Breton Sediment Diversion on the east bank of Plaquemines Parish. The project, which was part of the state's Coastal Master Plan, aimed to channel fresh water and sediment from the Mississippi River to the dying coastal marshes of Breton Sound.

This cancellation comes just months after the state scrapped the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project, despite having $3 billion available from the Deepwater Horizon settlement and $560 million already spent. The Mid-Breton project had not yet begun construction.

Coastal officials cite the ballooning costs as the primary reason for the cancellation. The state has over $8 billion set aside for coastal restoration, but the Mid-Breton project's price tag had risen from several hundred million dollars to an estimated $1.8 billion.

Environmentalists and conservation groups have criticized the decision, arguing that it goes against accepted science and the interests of Louisiana residents. They warn that the cancellation could jeopardize other coastal restoration efforts in the state, as these initiatives rely on the sediment diversions for their long-term sustainability.

Louisiana has been grappling with the loss of over 2,000 square miles of coastline since 1932, a problem exacerbated by climate change and the lack of fresh water and sediment reaching the marshes due to levee construction along the Mississippi River. The state's Coastal Master Plan, which the Mid-Breton project was a part of, represents years of bipartisan work and investment to address this critical issue.