Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council allocates first RESTORE Act project funds

The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council approved a Funded Priorities List (FPL) this week, which will determine environmental projects and activities that are to receive the first round of funding from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill civil penalties.

The projects on the FPL were selected based on their ability to create a base that future projects can build on, restore the Gulf Coast region’s environmental health and promote its ecosystems and economy. Listed projects include both those that will impact the ecosystem in the near future as well as planning activities.

The council was created by the federal RESTORE Act (Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast Act of 2012), and the FPL marks its first allocation of funds from the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund toward environmental projects.

“The FPL allocates approximately $140 million of project funding. This includes about $26 million for six projects in Texas,”  Texas Commission of Evironmental Quality Commissioner Toby Baker, who is on the RESTORE Council, said. “Today’s vote represents a significant milestone in our work to restore the Texas coast and the entire Gulf Coast in general. You can look at this first FPL as a down payment toward future projects that will build upon what we’ve started here.”