Elise Plunk

Elise Plunk

[email protected]

Elise Plunk is an environmental reporter for the Louisiana Illuminator and Report for America corps member based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She grew up in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, and graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Florida, where she was a reporter for WUFT news and editor-in-chief of Atrium Magazine. Elise's work is a part of the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk, which offers free coverage of agriculture, water and environmental issues from a network of reporters centered around the Mississippi River Basin to news outlets across the nation.

2 major coastal projects get go-ahead from BP oil spill settlement trustees
Louisiana

2 major coastal projects get go-ahead from BP oil spill settlement trustees

Oct 20, 2026
Elise Plunk
Two major coastal restoration projects got the final go-ahead to begin construction in Louisiana, together restoring up to 1,700 acres of coastal shoreline and wetland habitat at a total cost of $265 million. The East Orleans Landbridge and Raccoon Island...
FBI investigate white-powder letters sent to election offices Louisiana, 3 other states
Louisiana

FBI investigates white-powder letters sent to election offices Louisiana, 3 other states

Oct 16, 2026
Elise Plunk
Federal officials are investigating letters containing an unidentified white powder that were mailed to elections offices and capitol buildings in multiple states this week, including Louisiana. Officials in Arizona, Ohio and Oklahoma also reported receiving the letters, prompting building evacuations...
Amendment 7 would let New Orleans use federal money for private lead-pipe removal
Louisiana

Amendment 7 would let New Orleans use federal money for private lead-pipe removal

Oct 15, 2026
Elise Plunk
Louisiana voters will decide Nov. 3 whether public money can be used to remove potentially harmful lead pipes from private property. Its approval would immediately give New Orleans access to more than $150 million to tackle a small portion of...
Alabama coastal restoration project could inform Louisiana work on lower insurance rates
Louisiana

Alabama coastal restoration project could inform Louisiana work on lower insurance rates

Oct 14, 2026
Elise Plunk
A flood reduction project on an island off Alabama’s coast is helping Louisiana researchers understand how coastal restoration can decrease both risk and insurance prices in other Gulf Coast communities. The report from The Water Institute, a Baton Rouge-based research...
Unknown white powder in letter shuts down Secretary of State’s office
Louisiana

Unknown white powder in letter shuts down Secretary of State’s office

Oct 13, 2026
Elise Plunk
An unknown white powder was found Tuesday afternoon in a letter sent to the Louisiana Secretary of State’s office in Baton Rouge, according to a social media post from Secretary of State Nancy Landry. Deputy Secretary Trey Williams confirmed that...
Louisiana ends amberjack season for recreational fishermen
Louisiana

Louisiana ends amberjack season for recreational fishermen

Oct 13, 2026
Elise Plunk
Greater amberjack season will close in Louisiana waters overnight for recreational fishermen after anglers caught over 335,000 pounds in 43 days. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries issued an emergency declaration to close the amberjack season for recreational fishers...
Terrebonne tackles removal of hundreds of sunken boats from its bayous
Louisiana

Terrebonne tackles removal of hundreds of sunken boats from its bayous

Oct 08, 2026
Elise Plunk
Along the twisting network of bayous in Terrebonne Parish lie hundreds of boats, many of them submerged in hurricanes, others accidentally run aground or simply abandoned. Several vessels have sat for years with no one and no money available to...
Marsh-building river diversions have local support at the Bird’s Foot Delta, but money still needed
Louisiana

Marsh-building river diversions have local support at the Bird’s Foot Delta, but money still needed

Oct 07, 2026
Elise Plunk
VENICE — Fishermen and property owners in lower Plaquemines Parish are optimistic about a plan for how to rebuild lost wetlands at the Mississippi Delta, though state officials still need to line up more than $150 million to pay for...
AI apocalypse? Most Louisiana candidates for Congress stay vague on regulation
Louisiana

AI apocalypse? Most Louisiana candidates for Congress stay vague on regulation

Oct 05, 2026
Julie O'Donoghue Elise Plunk
Most candidates running for Congress in Louisiana agree there should be some federal regulations placed on artificial intelligence. But at this point they are mostly offering generalities, without providing specifics about any limitations they would favor. Their remarks come amid...
Data centers drive debate in Louisiana’s congressional races
Louisiana

Data centers drive debate in Louisiana’s congressional races

Oct 05, 2026
Elise Plunk Julie O'Donoghue
As data centers pop up across the country, debate around what role elected officials have, if any, on monitoring and restricting their resource use and development has become part of the political conversation. In Louisiana, Democrats running for Congress in...
Underground utility damage topped $515M in Louisiana last year
Louisiana

Underground utility damage topped $515M in Louisiana last year

Oct 01, 2026
Elise Plunk
Damage to underground utility lines cost Louisiana ratepayers an estimated $515.5 million every year to fix, according to a new report. The new findings from Common Ground Alliance, a nonprofit trade association dedicated to protecting utility infrastructure, show damage to...
Cheniere Energy closing in on $138M tax break for LNG expansion in Cameron Parish
Louisiana

Cheniere Energy closing in on $138M tax break for LNG expansion in Cameron Parish

Sep 28, 2026
Elise Plunk
A company that’s expanding its liquified natural gas facility in Cameron Parish is one step away from getting a $138 million break on its local property taxes. The Louisiana Board of Commerce and Industry, whose members are appointed by the...