In a packed state Capitol hearing room, members of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority said that it is time for action on hurricane protection.

"We're moving from a study posture to an implementation posture. We'll have approximately $1.1 billion that will be available to us over the next 24 months,” said Garret Graves, committee chairman

Authority chairman Garret Graves is the governor's director of coastal affairs, and he said the funding will help push about 150 projects off the drawing boards and into construction.

"By 2011, the five parish area around greater New Orleans surrounding New Orleans will have a protection system that it will be the strongest, the most resilient protection system that has ever been in place in Louisiana,” he said.

"The main thing that is happening on the state level, we've got the different agencies. The Department of Natural Resources, it has historically done all coastal work, and the Department of Transportation and Development that has done flood protection work, these guys are finally integrated. They are working together to actually try to accelerate projects. The proof will be in the pudding,” said Carlton Dufrechou from Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation.

Dufrechou is waiting for the Army Corps of Engineers to begin work to close the Mississippi River Gulf Outlet, calling that a critical first step. But he added that much more than $1 billion is needed for coastal restoration.

"Just on the east side of the river, we could spend probably a billion and a half dollars within the next three years."

During the meeting, authority members decided to ask Congress for help to avoid having the state forced to pay millions of dollars in operations and maintenance fees after a new structure is built buy the Corps to avoid storm surge pouring into the Industrial Canal.

The Corps is drawing plans for a gate to block storm surge from rushing into the Industrial Canal from the Intracoastal Waterway as it did during Hurricane Gustav. But state officials worry the maintenance will be turned over to the levee district.

"The levee districts don't have the resources, the expertise," Graves said.

"The cost of operating these things and maintaining them can get very expensive. The budget is so tight that had Mark and the authority had to deal with those issues, it goes beyond the budget that they have,” said Windell Curole, an Authority member.

The authority unanimously decided to ask Congress to have the Corps operate and maintain the new gate once it is built.