U.S. Senator David Vitter announced yesterday that his bipartisan legislation reauthorizing the National Estuary Program (NEP) for the first time since 2010 has been signed into law.
Vitter’s bill will provide critical funding for the Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program (BTNEP), which spans 4.2 million acres of wetlands in Louisiana and includes many of the state’s most diverse plants, animals and ecosystems.
“Home to thousands of unique plants and animals, Louisiana’s estuaries are essential to better protecting our coastal communities from natural disasters, and now that my bill is law, Louisiana can finally move forward in improving its estuary program ,” said Vitter .
“This is a big win and will certainly go a long way toward revitalizing the Barataria-Terrebonne NEP, ensuring our wetlands and diverse ecosystems will be around for decades to come.”
In 2015, Vitter and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse coauthored the reauthorization legislation to continue protecting and restoring critical estuaries.
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