Dear John,

Today is the last day to send in your public comment supporting what would be the largest eco-restoration project in U.S. history. 

Called the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, this project would help to rebuild the wetlands of the Mississippi River Delta, which have been vanishing at an alarming speed for nearly a century. This is devastating not only for the wetlands' diverse wildlife, but also for the people who depend on these lands for both a living and a home. The restored wetlands would also serve as natural protections from severe weather events, which are worsening as a result of climate change.

Please, take a minute right now to send in your comment and protect the future of our coastal wetlands, ecosystems and communities. Take action, and help ensure we don't have to imagine a future without New Orleans.

For more details, please see below my earlier email to you on June 1st.

Thank you for standing with us,

Steve Cochran
Associate Vice President, Coastal Resilience

-------Original Message-------

From: Steve Cochran, Environmental Defense Fund
Sent: Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Dear John,

Today is the first official day of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. It's predicted to be another “above-normal” event following last year’s record-breaking season. This year, our nation’s most vulnerable communities must brace for the coming storms even as they struggle to recover from last year’s damage.

One of these vulnerable coastal areas is the New Orleans region. America without New Orleans is hard to imagine — its unique music, cuisine and culture are celebrated around the world. But if we don’t take action today to protect it from increasingly destructive hurricanes and sea level rise, we just might have to imagine that grim future. 

Will you help speak up for the communities of New Orleans and the wider Mississippi River Delta region today? Submit a public comment supporting the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion — an eco-restoration project that would rebuild natural protections against storm surge — before the deadline this Thursday, June 3rd. 

When prior generations leveed the Mississippi River, they severed the vital connection between the river and the wetlands it had built and sustained over thousands of years. As a result of this and other actions, Louisiana has lost a land mass equivalent to Delaware in less than a century. 

This ongoing land loss crisis has become even more dire as the effects of climate change worsen and intensify. That’s because the delta not only provides valuable land for human settlement and wildlife — it also protects communities from destructive storm surge. 

These are serious challenges. But with timely action, we can still protect the future of the Mississippi River Delta and all of its communities and wildlife. Our best hope lies in the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, a powerful project to reconnect the Mississippi River to build and maintain thousands of acres of wetlands into the future.

The sediment diversion project is exactly the kind of investment that Louisiana — along with other coastal areas around the country — needs to confront the challenges of a changing climate. President Biden’s American Jobs Plan also recognizes that revitalizing our economy must include investing in natural infrastructure that can help protect our coastal communities from sea level rise and hurricanes. And in Louisiana, wetlands are that vital infrastructure.

As the future of the New Orleans region hangs in the balance, Americans across the nation cannot afford to sit on the sidelines. Take action — help us overwhelm the Army Corps of Engineers with public comments supporting the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion today.

Thank you for standing with us,

Steve Cochran
Associate Vice President, Coastal Resilience