The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council established under the federal RESTORE Act, voted to approve a Funded Priorities List that includes environmental projects and activities, some of which will directly benefit the state of Texas. The projects and activities will be funded using civil penalties resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon blowout and oil spill. This marks the first time the council has allocated project funds under the RESTORE Act.
TCEQ Commissioner Toby Baker is Governor Abbott’s appointee to the RESTORE Council.
“The FPL allocates approximately $140 million of project funding. This includes about $26 million for six projects in Texas,” said Baker.
The list of Texas projects includes land conservation in the Laguna Madre (Bahia Grande Coastal Corridor), Matagorda Bay, and the Bayou Greenways project area in Houston. It also includes marsh restoration in Galveston Bay, and the plugging of abandoned oil and gas wells in Padre Island National Seashore.
Specific information on all the projects included in the approved FPL can be found at http://www.restorethegulf.gov/
The Texas RESTORE webpage can be found at http://www.restorethetexascoast.org/