Coastal Protection Authority Gets New Chairman

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Although the man taking the helm of the state's coastal restoration authority may not be as well-known as his predecessors, officials say the transition should be smooth because he's been involved with coastal issues for about seven years.

The Advocate reports Chip Kline has been named chairman of the state's Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Board as well as director of the Governor's Office of Coastal Activities, replacing Jerome Zeringue (zuh-RANG'), who has served in those positions for about a year.

Zeringue, who took over after Garret Graves stepped down in February 2014 to make a successful run for Congress, had a long history with coastal issues when he took over the top job.

In 2010, Kline was named deputy director in the Governor's Office of Coastal Activities.