At our Nov. 17 Breakfast with the Newsmaker event, The Lens’ environmental reporter Bob Marshall will interview Steve Cochran, campaign director of the Restore the Mississippi River Delta Coalition.
They will discuss the Changing Course design competition during which contenders were asked to answer the question, “What is the best way for the state to have a sustainable coast and viable port in the next century?”
The top answers were shocking: Move the mouth of the river northward between Port Sulphur and English Turn to capture more sediment; help communities and industries south of U.S. 90 resettle above that line to avoid sea level rise; and dredge a shorter, deeper shipping channel to capture more of the world’s trade.
Because those ideas aren’t in the state’s current 50-year, $92 billion plan to achieve a sustainable coast, it raises serious questions:
What is the science that would make any of this necessary?
Does this mean the state’s Coastal Master Plan is inadequate?
How much would this cost, how long would it take — would the public even accept it?
Join us on Nov. 17 to ask questions and learn more. If you’d like to pose a question in advance, please email Anne Mueller by Nov. 16.
To learn more, we invite you to read the following articles.
Experts: Talk now about drastic changes, or deal with coastal crisis later
Increasing estimates for sea-level rise bring questions on coastal plan
Financial benefits of short-lived coastal restoration aren’t clear
EVENT DETAILS
Date: Thursday, Nov. 17
Time: 8 to 9 a.m. Doors open at 7:30 a.m.
RSVP: Please click here or email amueller@TheLensNola.org
Location: Basin St. Station, 4th floor, 501 Basin St. at St. Louis Street
Parking: Complimentary parking is available with a dashboard parking pass that is distributed by a Basin St. Station staff member who will be standing in front of the building the morning of the breakfast. This map shows the location of the parking lot and access points.
EVENT RECORDING will be available the week after the event.
Breakfast with the Newsmakers is a business-social event that aims to engage The Lens’ audience with one another and with the people making news around New Orleans. Newsmakers events are open to the public. They are free to Lens members, with a $10 suggested donation for non-members.