BATON ROUGE - State and parish leaders announced massive investments in the river parishes, which was announced by the Port of South Louisiana.

The investments come after the Department of Interior removed thousands of acres in St. John Parish from national landmark status.

The decision will allow development along an eleven mile stretch along the west bank of the river in St. John Parish. DEQ Secretary Aurelia Giacometto and other parish leaders say this will allow them to still protect the region while bringing jobs to the area.

Last year, a large grain export facility withdrew its plans to build an $800 million complex in the area in the face of opposition involved with the historic landmark status.