BATON ROUGE — Louisiana officials and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have agreed to a joint effort to cut red tape and speed up coastal resilience projects in Louisiana.

The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) made the commitment after the "Summit at Sea Level" in Baton Rouge.

Organizers said the goal of the event was to find ways to better deliver on coastal projects and position Louisiana as a model for the rest of the country.

Key leaders included Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Adam Telle, USACE Deputy Commanding General for Civil and Emergency Operations Maj. Gen. Jason Kelly, executive leadership from CPRA and DOTD and Gov. Jeff Landry along with members of his administration.

Attendees identified 19 priority actions aimed at reducing administrative red tape, aligning permitting requirements and shortening project delivery timelines.

Those include allowing non-federal sponsors more opportunities to implement civil works projects, creating long-term efficiencies in real estate agreements and eliminating the need for borrow pit waivers.

Other actions include working toward a "Nonstructural for Louisiana" program that would allow the state to implement the residential nonstructural component of congressionally authorized projects. That effort currently covers more than 10,000 buildings across Calcasieu, Cameron, Vermilion, St. Mary, Iberia, St. Martin and St. Tammany Parishes.

Additional items call for establishing clearer communication between CPRA and USACE on dredging activity, incorporating Louisiana's coastal use permit requirements into existing USACE digital platforms to eliminate duplicate filings and providing real-time permit status tracking through a public-facing dashboard.

The agencies also plan to accelerate final construction contracts for the Grand Isle beach nourishment and hurricane protection initiatives, expedite permitting for the Louisiana International Terminal and prioritize outstanding regulatory reviews for key industrial infrastructure, including the Donaldsonville fertilizer plant expansion.