CRCL announces Southwest Louisiana Coastal Restoration Roadshow

Events will educate residents, connect them with state restoration efforts

July 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana will host a series of free public events in southwest Louisiana starting August 11. The Southwest Louisiana Coastal Restoration Roadshow will be comprised of six gatherings in Lake Charles, Cameron and Abbeville. People attending will view presentations about coastal issues and projects, and they’ll participate in forums during which they can share their views about coastal flooding, changes they have witnessed and the types of projects they’d like to see implemented. The series is funded by CITGO, which has worked with CRCL to plant tens of thousands of trees in the region.

The first meeting at each location will focus on the type of projects that are eligible to be part of Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan, how projects are selected and other types of funding opportunities. The second meeting will deal with refining ideas and preparing them to be submitted to the state.

The Lake Charles roadshow events will take place August 11 and September 24 at the Southwest Louisiana Entrepreneurial and Economic Development. The Cameron events will be August 12 and September 23 at the Cameron Parish Library on Marshall Street. The Abbeville events will be on August 13 and September 25 at the RiverFront Grill.

Partners in the roadshow events are the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act and the state Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority. Elected officials and state and federal agencies are also being invited to participate.

“Restoration is such an important issue for the people of southwest Louisiana, and we hope the roadshow will help them become better educated and better connected with what we’re doing to preserve our coast,” said Ethan Melancon, the government affairs director at CRCL. “We also hope it will help inform coastal restoration agencies and other organizations to better understand the issues facing southwest Louisiana.”

CRCL invites anyone living or working in southwest Louisiana to participate in the roadshow. To register, go to the CRCL website.

CITGO Lake Charles Vice President and General Manager Sterling Neblett said: “For over a decade, our CITGO Caring For Our Coast program has been dedicated to protecting vulnerable habitats through restoration, education, and volunteer efforts. Our success in these endeavors is made possible by vital partners like the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. Notably, through our work with CRCL, Team CITGO volunteers have planted 163,000 plants, covering more than 152 acres of land. We are proud help protect and sustain our beautiful coast.”

CRCL was Louisiana’s first statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to coastal restoration. While CRCL has evolved over the years, growing from a small policy shop to a multifaceted organization with expertise in policy, science, outreach and on-the-ground restoration, the coalition-building character of the organization has remained central. The organization runs the state’s only large-scale Oyster Shell Recycling Program. Through its Native Plants Program, it has planted more than a million trees and plants in coastal Louisiana, including many in southwest Louisiana. The organization also educates students through its Future Coastal Leaders Program and trains midcareer professionals through its Coastal Leadership Institute.

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The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to unite people in action to achieve a thriving, sustainable Louisiana coast for all. 

CITGO Petroleum Corporation is a recognized leader in the refining industry and operates under the well-known CITGO brand. CITGO owns and operates three refineries located in Lake Charles, La.; Lemont, Ill.; and Corpus Christi, Texas, and wholly and/or jointly owns 42 active terminals, eight pipelines and three lubricants blending and packaging plants. With approximately 3,300 employees and a combined crude capacity of approximately 807,000 barrels-per-day (bpd), CITGO ranks as the fifth largest and is one of the most complex independent refiners in the United States. CITGO transports and markets transportation fuels, lubricants, petrochemicals and other industrial products, and supplies a network of approximately 4,000 locally owned and independently operated branded retail outlets, all located east of the Rocky Mountains. CITGO Petroleum Corporation is owned by CITGO Holding, Inc.