Outgoing senator hopes to pass coastal legislation.

LOUISIANA La. — As U.S. Sen. John Breaux steps down from his seat this year, he hands over a 20-year fight to save the state’s coast.

When the Senate reconvenes in September, Breaux hopes to pass legislation reauthorizing the Coastal Wetlands Planning and Restoration Act through 2019.

The legislation, known for its author as the Breaux Act, pays for restoration projects using money from taxes on imports, fishing equipment, and fuel for small engines and motorboats.

The U.S. Geological Survey National Wetlands Research Center in UL Lafayette’s University Research Park is the “science provider” for projects funded through the act, said Bob Stewart, center director.

On Friday, Breaux toured the research center, which has produced more than 2,500 maps and monitors Breaux Act projects.

“(Breaux) is a legend in his own time” for pushing past party ties to secure funding to find a solution to coastal erosion, Stewart said.

The rest of the story

Marsha Sills
msills@theadvertiser.com