The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) this week announced 19 new restoration projects at the Mississippi Restoration Summit in Biloxi. When implemented, these projects will add more than $83 million to the total already being spent on restoration projects in the wake of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The projects announced for 2017 are from two funding streams – the RESTORE Act and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
“These projects will continue our efforts to ensure funds are spent in the most effective and strategic ways to restore and enhance our natural resources and our economy following the oil spill,” said Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant.
“We believe the Mississippi Restoration Summit is an excellent way to interact with the public and explain where we’ve been, where we are, and where we are headed with all aspects of restoration funding including these new projects. It has been our goal since the spill happened in 2010 to effectively utilize the funding available to identify projects that will enhance our valuable natural resources and bolster the economy,” added Gary Rikard, MDEQ Executive Director.
In addition, MDEQ released two related proposals for public review and comment through January 15, 2018:
- Mississippi’s amended Multiyear Implementation Plan (MIP). The MIP is a list of projects and programs proposed for funding under Bucket 1 of the RESTORE Act. Mississippi’s amended MIP includes one amended and seven proposed projects totaling more than $17 million.
- Mississippi’s 2017 State Expenditure Plan (MSEP) Amendment. The MSEP is a list of projects and programs proposed for funding under Bucket 3 of the RESTORE Act. Mississippi’s 2017 MSEP Amendment includes three amended and four proposed projects totaling more than $26 million.
Full information on all of Mississippi’s restoration efforts and its related proposals can be found here.
