Governor Kay Ivey on Wednesday announced that the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (RESTORE Council) approved $81 million in funding decisions for restoration activities spanning Coastal Alabama.
The projects are designed to address damage in Alabama resulting from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.
Alabama’s newly approved projects include the following:
- Perdido River Land Conservation and Habitat Enhancements ($28 million)
- Coastal Alabama Regional Water Quality Program ($35 million)
- Perdido Watershed Water Quality Improvements & Restoration Assessment Program ($1.5 million)
- Enhancing Hydrologic Connectivity in Justin’s Bay (Mobile Bay) ($1 million)
- Enhancing Gulf Waters through Forested Watershed Restoration ($10 million to Alabama Forestry Commission)
- Gulf of Mexico GulfCorps Program ($2 million)
- Flow Decision Support Tool for Mobile and Perdido River Basins ($3.4 million)
- Tribal Youth Coastal Restoration Program ($225,000)
“These projects continue Alabama’s recovery from the Deepwater Horizon disaster by investing our restoration funds in large-scale regional programs such as water quality improvements and habitat conservation. These efforts restore our coast and contribute to its resilience. I thank the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Federal RESTORE Council for their continued leadership and collaboration in these efforts,” Ivey said in a statement.
In a statement of his own, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) Commissioner Chris Blankenship stressed the cooperative nature of the RESTORE Council work.
“The activities identified in Funded Priorities Lists are developed through collaboration among RESTORE Council members from all five Gulf States and six federal agencies with input from multiple stakeholders,” he remarked. “This investment in restoration brings Alabama’s DWH funded projects to more $850 million. ADCNR is honored to continue to work for the people of Alabama and to secure funding approval for the stewardship of our natural resources.”
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
