What does "approval of the program" mean?
Programmatic authorization is the means by which the United States Congress creates new federal programs. It is the enactment of a law that outlines a program’s framework, including a program’s objectives, how long a program will be in effect, and an upper limit on the amount of money a program can spend. The LCA Study’s main objective is to achieve programmatic authorization for a coastwide restoration effort in south Louisiana.

What is "WRDA"?
WRDA stands for the “Water Resources Development Act,” an act that provides federal authorization of water resources projects. The act addresses the water resources of the country, helping to provide communities with economically justified and environmentally sound water resources solutions. It does so by authorizing water programs such as those sponsored and constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The LCA report is intended to meet the congressional requirements necessary to secure WRDA authorization in 2004. Even if WRDA authorization is secured, annual congressional funding will still have to be sought in order to fund the program’s planning and construction activities.

How will the resulting coastwide program itself be funded?
The funding or "appropriations" process is distinct from the authorization process. Appropriations levels for authorized programs have to be set each year in both the Louisiana and federal budgets. That means that the state and federal funding necessary to implement the program will have to be approved each year. In addition to WRDA, other efforts to secure state and federal authorization — and the subsequent funding — are ongoing.

How is the LCA Study being funded?
The LCA Study is being jointly funded and managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources, the respective federal and state agencies implementing the study. They are funding and managing the study in a 50/50 partnership.

How will the resulting coastwide program itself be funded?
The funding or “appropriations” process is distinct from the authorization process. However, future Federal appropriations will be dependent on obtaining Congressional approval under the Water Resources Development Act for a restoration program. The LCA Study will outline the process by which specific project authorizations will be obtained. The state and federal funding necessary to implement the program will have to be approved each year.

How will Louisiana fit into the funding process?
Submission of the LCA report to Congress for authorization requires Louisiana to indicate its intent to cost share in implementation of the comprehensive restoration plan. Once approval from Congress is secured, Louisiana will share in the cost of implementation.

What is the public’s role and how can they play a part?
More than simply staying informed, the public can participate in key points in the process, voicing their concerns and providing their knowledge to the study team, as well as to their state and federal representatives. The study has a web site at www.coast2050.gov. For further information, you can also contact Phyllis Darensburg with the Department of Natural Resources’ Public Information Office at (225) 342-8955 or Ms. Julie Morgan with the Corps of Engineers’ Public Affairs Office at (504) 862-2201.

How does the LCA Study differ from the Breaux Act/CWPPRA (Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act)?
The projects being proposed under the LCA Study are, in general, larger than CWPPRA projects. In essence, CWPPRA focuses on the most critical areas of degradation where quick action is needed before further damage to ecosystems can occur. The feasibility study, however, is capitalizing on more than a decade’s worth of restoration work done by the CWPPRA program. In particular, the information gained from the most successful CWPPRA projects is being incorporated into the feasibility study’s projects.