Slip Sliding Away

For more than 20 years now, we’ve been hearing about how
Louisiana is losing a football field of coastline every 30
minutes or so.


Although progress has been made addressing this very real
problem, climate change has continued to make the situation more
dire, as temperatures increase and storms become more frequent
and intense.


What exactly is the status of Louisiana’s efforts to protect and
rebuild its coastline? Where are we in the battle against mother
nature? 


To get a readout on how close we are in Louisiana to slip-sliding
away into the Gulf of Mexico, we turn to Chip Kline. Chip is
Executive Assistant to the Governor for Coastal Affairs, and
board chair of the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration
Authority, the state agency in charge of saving the Louisiana
coastline, which is no small task.


In 2023 the CPRA will oversee some $1.35 billion in coastal
projects – the largest amount ever in the more than-decade-long
history of the state’s coastal program. Those projects include
things like sediment diversions, rebuilding marshland, the
construction of flood protection structures and water management
efforts.  


Chip has served as chair of the CPRA board since 2018, where he
has overseen policy initiatives. He also manages the day-to-day
operations of the Governor’s Office of Coastal Activities, which
means he is responsible for integrating the functions of all
state agencies as they relate to coastal protection and he has
been integral in advancing the objectives of the State’s Coastal
Master Plan in Louisiana and Washington, D.C. which means he has
to be well versed on technical and engineering topics while also
comfortable navigating the often choppy political waters of Baton
Rouge and DC. 


Kodi Guillory is President of Sustainable Design Solutions, a
Baton Rouge based civil engineering specializing in water
treatment plant design, wastewater treatment systems, water
quality, coastal restoration permitting, marsh creation design
and shoreline protection design.


Water and preventing us sliding into the water is a booming field
to be in these days in south Louisiana, and Kodi is one of the
area’s leading experts. She spent nearly seven years on the staff
of the CPRA as an engineering supervisor, where she designed and
implemented many of the agency’s projects before going out on her
own in 2019 to create sustainable design solutions.


Out to Lunch is recorded live over lunch at Mansurs on the
Boulevard. You can find photos from this show by Erik Otts. at
itsbatonroug.la. And check out more conversation about Baton
Rouge's love/hate relationship with water and our 
never-ending (hopefully) struggle with water  


See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.