The Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States (RESTORE) Act established the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund to allocate penalties paid from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig drilling explosion and offshore oil spill. The Trust Fund is distributed by federal agencies or councils through five different components.
The U.S. Treasury Office of Gulf Coast Restoration (OGCR) administers the RESTORE Act Direct Component federal grant awards to “restore and protect the environment and economy of the Gulf Coast region.” The OGCR approved the Pinellas County Multiyear Implementation Plan (MIP) in November 2015 to fund four initial MIP project applications.
Pinellas County is proposing an amendment to this original MIP to fund 4 additional projects. The County’s MIP Amendment will include four projects based on priorities identified by Public Works, Utilities, and Parks & Conservation Resources departments. The projects are eligible for funding based on 1) Restoration and protection of the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches, and coastal wetlands of the Gulf Coast Region, 2) Infrastructure projects benefitting the economy or ecological resources, 3) Mitigation of damage to fish, wildlife, and natural resources, and 4) Promotion of tourism in the Gulf Coast Region, including recreational fishing.
Please review each project summary and provide any comments on the proposed plans.
