The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council approved the Initial Funded Priorities List (FPL) pursuant to the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act). The FPL includes funding for seven projects in Louisiana totaling approximately $52 million.
Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan projects receiving funding include:
- Golden Triangle Marsh Creation Project ($4.3 million; planning)
- Mississippi River Reintroduction into Maurepas Swamp Project ($14.2 million; planning)
- Biloxi Marsh Living Shoreline Project ($3.2 million; planning)
- West Grand Terre Beach Nourishment and Stabilization Project ($7.3 million; planning)
- Lowermost Mississippi River Management Program ($9.3 million; planning)
Two additional projects, Jean Lafitte Canal Backfilling ($8.7 million; implementation) and Bayou Dularge Ridge, Marsh and Hydrologic Restoration ($5.2 million; planning) are also located in Louisiana. These two projects, submitted for funding by federal members of the Council, are complementary to and consistent with the master plan and will directly benefit coastal Louisiana.
In addition to voting on the FPL, the Council also voted to approve the Spill Impact Component Rule. The approval will direct nearly 35 percent of funding allocated to this component of the RESTORE Act from both the Transocean settlement ($244.8 million) and the Clean Water Act civil penalties outlined in the proposed consent decree with BP ($1.32 billion) to Louisiana, resulting in approximately $541 million for the coastal program. The rule will become effective once the consent decree is finalized. Upon finalization funds currently available from the Transocean settlement, amounting to almost $85 million, will become accessible for projects included in the state’s multiyear implementation plan.
