The State of Texas has unveiled RestoreTheTexasCoast.org, a dedicated online resource for Deepwater Horizon recovery efforts. RestoreTheTexasCoast.org features links and background information on the three funding sources available, RESTORE (Resources & Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States), NFWF/GEBP (Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund) and NRDA (Natural Resource Damage Assessment). The site also includes details associated with the state’s efforts to implement the RESTORE Act in Texas. Use of these funds will facilitate efforts to sustain a coordinated and integrated approach to appropriately respond to various coastal needs, both environmentally and economically.
With passage of the federal RESTORE Act, funds will be made available to the five Gulf States, including Texas, from civil and administrative penalties assessed against responsible parties associated with the one of the largest environmental disasters in U.S. history.
Plans are also underway for TCEQ Commissioner Toby Baker to hold four listening sessions later this year (in Corpus Christi, Galveston, South Padre Island and Beaumont), where participants can provide information on projects they want funded.