How effective governance can streamline restoration efforts—Louisiana CPRA Case Study

Louisiana's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) is a highly successful restoration program that demonstrates how strategic institutional design can achieve restoration at scale and speed. Since 2007, the CPRA has secured nearly $22 billion, completed 150+ projects, and benefited over 55,000 acres of coastal habitat through three key strategies: centralized authority, evidence-based planning with public buy-in, and constitutionally protected funding. This case study illustrates how effective governance can streamline restoration efforts.

The Environmental Policy Innovation Center (EPIC) works to improve the permitting process to accelerate ecological restoration—funding should go towards nature, not paperwork. EPIC's strategic framework for smart permitting focuses on three approaches: getting through the process faster, fundamentally changing the process, and raising the bar on avoiding impacts. 

If you're working on permitting reform or have a restoration project story to share, please reach out to Danielle Bissett, Restoration Permitting Policy Lead, dbissett@policyinnovation.org. Let's learn from what's working and identify where we still need innovative solutions!