Plaquemines Point residents urge dropping E‑114 alternative, cite old‑growth cypress and cultural heritage

At the Capital Area Road and Bridge District meeting a string of residents and conservation representatives urged the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development and project consultants to remove a northern alternative, labeled E‑114, from further consideration. Laura Como, identifying herself and neighbors as landowners of a 60‑acre forest in Sunshine, Louisiana, said the AE LeBlanc natural area contains old‑growth cypress trees she described as 220–360 years old and alleged more than 150 heritage trees lie in the path of the E‑114 alignment.

Como said she and neighbors have submitted coring results and other documentation to Atlas and DOTD and argued the route would have “significant negative impact” to the forested wetlands, wildlife habitat and local cultural resources. She referenced multiple recognitions for the site, including state natural‑area designation and listings by conservation organizations, and cited a state statute transcribed in the meeting as "RS 342785.5," which she said prohibits cutting cypress trees on certain public lands (as stated in her remarks).

Other speakers made complementary claims: Philip LeBlanc framed the forest as carbon‑sequestering and urged prioritizing routes across cleared farmland rather than old forest; Steven LeBlanc described the area’s pollinator habitat and commercial value to local apiarists; Harvey Stern of the Louisiana Purchase Cypress Legacy said the E‑114 ranking in the screening table appeared to rely on wetland quantity rather than wetland quality and urged that the NEPA environmental assessment examine high‑quality and rare habitat values rather than only acreage.

Atlas and DOTD responses recorded in the meeting: consultants said desk‑based wetland data was used in screening and that formal field delineations will occur during NEPA (wetland impacts will not be fully known until field studies). Paul Vaught and consultant staff acknowledged a contractor entry incident on private property and said the situation has been “rectified”; DOTD staff and the district chair emphasized the NEPA process provides the opportunity for statutory protections and that the district itself is not the final decision maker on site selection—its role is funding and keeping the process on schedule.

What remains: residents asked that E‑114 be removed before NEPA begins; consultants said written and field evidence submitted now will be evaluated in the environmental assessment and that findings could require conversion to an EIS if significant impacts are identified. The public was urged to remain engaged in the formal NEPA hearings and comment opportunities.