Right now, there is exactly one public process open on the 10,356-acre Sunstripe Solar project near Hineston — a 16-square-mile buildout on the Rapides–Vernon parish line — and it closes soon. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is taking comments on the project's federal wetlands permit until August 2, 2026. After that, this window is gone. The bigger local moments — the parish-mandated community meeting, the planning commission review, the police jury votes — are all still ahead, but this is the one that's live today.

You don't need to be an expert, and you don't need to oppose the project. By law, the Corps has to consider what you send.

The essentials#

  • Permit number: MVN-2026-00184-WLL (put this on whatever you send)
  • Deadline: August 2, 2026
  • Read the notice first: permit MVN-2026-00184-WLL

Three ways to comment:

  • Online: the Corps' Regulatory Request System — rrs.usace.army.mil/rrs — search "MVN-2026-00184-WLL" and attach your comment.
  • Email: Project Manager Michael Herrmann, [email protected]
  • Mail: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, New Orleans District, Attn: Michael Herrmann, Public Notice MVN-2026-00184-WLL, 7400 Leake Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118-3651

What to actually say#

A comment is evidence, not a vote — five hundred identical postcards count as one argument made five hundred times. What carries weight is specific, local, firsthand knowledge tied to the factors the Corps must weigh: flood hazards, water quality, fish and wildlife, and the rest. The road that floods, the well you drink from, the creek the transmission line would cross.

We've written the full playbook in two evergreen guides:

For how this permit fits into the three other approvals the project still needs, see How a solar project gets permitted in Louisiana.

Part of Kingfish's coverage of the Sunstripe Solar project.

Spot an error? Receipts welcome: [email protected].