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.

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...
Louisiana adds and updates its list of waterways with high mercury levels in fish
Louisiana

Louisiana adds and updates its list of waterways with high mercury levels in fish

Sep 24, 2026
Elise Plunk
Two new waterways have been added to a list where Louisiana officials warn people should limit or avoid eating certain fish species after high levels of mercury were detected in samples. The two new warnings are for Mermentau River and...
Fishermen question LNG industry’s efforts to boost Louisiana fisheries
Louisiana

Fishermen question LNG industry’s efforts to boost Louisiana fisheries

Sep 23, 2026
Elise Plunk
Two major players in the liquified natural gas industry in Louisiana covered part of the cost of a recent restocking of redfish in coastal waters, but fishermen are skeptical about whether it will be effective. They’re instead calling for more...
CPRA wants recreational anglers’ input on Birdfoot Delta project
Louisiana

CPRA wants recreational anglers’ input on Birdfoot Delta project

Sep 22, 2026
Elise Plunk
The state agency in charge of coastal restoration is looking for input from sport fishers on a plan to stop wetland loss at Mississippi River Delta. The Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority will hold a public meeting Oct. 6 in...
Louisiana’s affordable housing dollars redirected to storm-proof roofs
Louisiana

Louisiana’s affordable housing dollars redirected to storm-proof roofs

Sep 21, 2026
Elise Plunk
Louisiana has found more money to allow homeowners to upgrade their roofs to withstand hurricanes, but it will come at the cost of affordable housing. Gov. Jeff Landry confirmed Monday that $20 million in federal funds earmarked for affordable housing...
Former federal officials call foul on Trump’s endangered species action
Louisiana

Former federal officials call foul on Trump’s endangered species action

Sep 18, 2026
Elise Plunk
A coalition of former federal officials have come out against continued Trump administration changes to the Endangered Species Act. Seven former officials from top leadership at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration released...
Livingston Parish residents worry about CO2 pipeline proximity
Louisiana

Livingston Parish residents worry about CO2 pipeline proximity

Sep 17, 2026
Elise Plunk
SATSUMA — Residents are speaking out against the construction of a carbon dioxide pipeline they say will bring risks right up to their backyards and near community schools. Property owners near the planned CF Industries CO2 pipeline voiced their opposition...
Far offshore, scientists find fresh evidence of human harm to reefs
Louisiana

Far offshore, scientists find fresh evidence of human harm to reefs

Sep 15, 2026
Elise Plunk
An isolated reef off the coast of Louisiana and Texas holds within its corals a record of Earth’s history, and scientists are reading it to understand how nutrients from the Mississippi River are affecting the reef’s health amid rising threats...
Louisiana reports its first rabies case in a dog since 2014
Louisiana

Louisiana reports its first rabies case in a dog since 2014

Sep 11, 2026
Elise Plunk
A dog in Acadiana has been diagnosed with rabies, state health department officials confirmed Friday, marking the first canine case of the disease in Louisiana in more than 10 years. Rabies has been relatively rare in Louisiana dogs over the...