Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force
Garret Graves, Chair of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana (CPRA)
Garret Graves is currently the Chair of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana (CPRA). The CPRA was established after Hurricane Katrina as the state agency leading hurricane protection, flood control, ecosystem restoration and other community resiliency efforts. His efforts to restructure and streamline Louisiana's coastal programs and agencies resulted in increasing output by more than 500 percent. The authority currently oversees a $17 billion coastal resiliency and hurricane protection program.
Prior to joining the State of Louisiana, Mr. Graves served for 13 years as a policy advisor to Senator John Breaux, Congressman Billy Tauzin, as well as the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee. During this time, he advised Members of Congress on energy, environment, water resources, transportation, maritime, defense, trade, foreign affairs, and budget issues. Mr. Graves was also staff director of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Climate Change and Impacts.
Following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, he was appointed as lead trustee for the Natural Resources Damage Assessment process and directs the state's oil spill recovery efforts.