The Alabama Department of Conservation announced Monday that interested parties can begin submitting project proposals they wish to be funded through Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) monies.

GOMESA is a law that dates to George W. Bush’s presidency in 2006. The law allowed big increases in the amount of oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.

As part of the law, more than one-third of the revenues produced from Outer Continental Shelf drilling are put into a pool of money. That money is distributed to the coastal regions of the four states with increased drilling on their portion of the coastline: Alabama, Lousiana, Mississippi and Texas.

That revenue, known commonly as GOMESA funds, must be used for “coastal conservation, restoration and hurricane protection,” according to Dept. of the Interior.

Details for how to submit a proposal are available at the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ website.

In 2019 GOMESA funds paid out $28 million that provided for 16 different projects in Alabama according to a statement from Governor Ivey in November.

The entirety of Alabama’s GOMESA-eligible area is represented in the U.S. House by Congressman Bradley Byrne (AL-01).

“Alabama’s Gulf coast is a gem worth protecting, and the GOMESA funds we have received over the years have been indispensable for coastal restoration and hurricane preparedness,” commented Byrne in December.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.