Gov. Edwards going to Europe to tour new flood control solutions

Gov. John Bel Edwards will travel to Europe on Friday for a 10-day trip to examine new flood control innovations in France and the Netherlands that could be implemented in Louisiana. 

Edwards will travel with a delegation of state and business leaders at the invitation of Netherlands Special Envoy for International Water Affairs Henk Ovink, according to a news release issued Thursday. 

The group will visit Amsterdam and Delft to see the country’s latest flood control and water management infrastructure innovations such as the Noordwaard polder — a low lying tract of farmland that acts as a floodplain or a spillway — and the Deltares Delta Flume project, which is the most advanced wave test facility in the world.

The governor will also travel to Normandy, France — the site of the 1944 D-Day invasion — to pay tribute to Louisiana’s World War II veterans and raise awareness about a $400 million capital campaign that will help fund new additions to the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. Those include the recent dedication of the Bollinger Canopy of Peace, the opening of the post-war focused Liberation Pavilion later this year, and a brick-and-mortar museum campus expansion scheduled for completion in spring 2023.

The delegation will depart on Friday, Aug. 5, and return on Sunday, Aug. 14. 

Edwards will use the trip to advance Louisiana’s economic interests in meetings with international companies. 

Executives from Shell will join the governor and economic development officials to discuss the energy industry’s transition and potential future investments in the state. Terminal Investments Limited, a company headquartered in Switzerland with dozens of shipping container terminals across the globe, will meet with the delegation to discuss supply chain challenges as the Port of New Orleans looks to expand Louisiana’s infrastructure.