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The Ins And Outs Of State Budget Cuts On Coastal Protection And Restoration

The Jindal administration is set to announce state cuts to cover a $1.6 billion budget gap. For the first time budget reductions will include the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority.

A host of environmental organizations, including Environmental Defense Fund, have been speaking out against the proposed 5 percent cut to CPRAs budget.

WWNO Coastal Reporter Jesse Hardman spoke with Environmental Defense Fund's Steve Cochran, a native of Louisiana and the director of his organization’s Mississippi River Delta Restoration Project. Cochran talked about how he initially reacted to the news that the CPRA would lose some funding, "something as central to the overall protection of our coastline of our people who live here and the economies that are necessary, just simply shouldn't be cut."

Cochran also covered the logistics of the CPRA cuts, mostly administrative, and how this might impact other funding for the state's Coastal Master Plan. 

Support for WWNO's Coastal Desk comes from the Walton Family Foundation, Kabacoff Family Foundation and Greater New Orleans Foundation.

As the new Coastal Reporter, Jesse Hardman will draw on 15 years of worldwide experience in radio, video and print journalism. As a radio reporter he has reported for NPR, BBC, and CBC, and for such familiar programs as Marketplace, This American Life, Latino USA, and Living on Earth. He served as a daily news reporter and news magazine producer for WBEZ in Chicago.

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