Governor Phil Bryant issued the following press release:
Gov. Phil Bryant Announces Restoration Projects
Jackson, Miss.–
Gov. Phil Bryant
announced 15 restoration projects today in Biloxi. They total more than
$114 million and primarily focus on water quality, marine resources and
land acquisition for conservation. The majority
of the funds ($60 million) target improving water quality.
The
projects will be administered by the Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality and were announced as part of MDEQ’s Mississippi
Restoration Summit.
“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 Deepwater Horizon oil spill,” Gov. Bryant said.
“This latest round is another component of our efforts to improve our
natural resources for wildlife, for marine life, for sportsmen, for
recreation and for beach visitors.”
The
projects are funded by three sources: The RESTORE Act (Bucket 1 $27.34
million and Bucket 3 $49.8 million), the National Fish and Wildlife
Foundation ($16.1 million),
and the Natural Resource Damage Assessment ($21 million). By category,
the funding for water quality totals $60 million, $27.3 million for
marine resources, $18.3 million for coastal habitat conservation and
restoration and $8.64 for support of the economy.
RESTORE Act Projects:
Mississippi Gulf Coast Water Quality Improvement Program (Two projects -- $45 million and $11 million) -- This
program will begin to identify and repair the areas along the coast
that are having issues with water quality. With this initial investment,
there is an expected decrease in the number of beach advisories.
University of Southern Mississippi Oyster Hatchery ($7.7 million)
– The money will fund the acquisition
of an oyster hatchery and research center. The hatchery is state of the
art and will be operated by the University of Southern Mississippi.
Pascagoula Oyster Reef Relay and Enhancement ($3.5 million)
– The enhancement will invest money in relaying
oysters from unharvestable reefs to harvestable reefs and using the
best science to select locations and to maximize oyster production.
North Rail Connector Planning Assistance ($550,000)
-- This project is the number one economic development
priority in Jackson County. The funds will pay for planning,
strategizing and permitting needs that will move the rail connector
forward.
NOARC ($2.75 million)
– The National Oceans and Applications Research Center is designed to
create the
sky-to-sea market in Mississippi. It will attract new industries for
environmental monitoring to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and establish an
area for them to demonstrate their technologies.
Salvation Army Center of Hope ($1.32 million)
-- The Center for Hope will bolster workforce development
for the Coast. Located in North Gulfport, it will provide activities
such as job skills for the labor force so that people have a better
opportunity to invest in themselves and their families.
Mississippi Coast Coliseum and Convention Center ($3.52 million)
-- The Coliseum and Convention center
has the capacity to be a world-class facility and attract larger
conference audiences. In order to do this, the coliseum needs to make
site improvements. This project will support capacity improvements at
the facility.
Compatibility, Coordination, and Restoration Planning (Two projects totaling$1.8 million) – Funds support
of restoration planning.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Projects:
Mississippi Marine Mammal and Turtle Conservation, Recovery and Monitoring Program ($9.9 million)
–
This project will invest over $9.9 million in dolphins and sea turtles
and will help its partners lead the Gulf in restoration and research.
This project will also help establish Mississippi State University as a
leader in marine veterinary science.
It
is a partnership among Mississippi State, the University of Southern
Mississippi, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality and the
Mississippi Department
of Marine Resources.
Coastal Bird Stewardship in Mississippi ($6.2 million)
– This provides $6.2 million for coastal bird
assessment and stewardship of the species and its habitat. Partners are
Mississippi State, National Audubon Society, the Mississippi Department
of Environmental Quality and the Mississippi Department of Marine
Resources.
Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Projects:
Graveline Bay ($11 million) – Money will be used to purchase key tracts to conserve habitat and invest
in restoration at Graveline Bay. The project will protect wildlife for generations to come.
Grand Bay ($6 million) – This project fulfills the same purpose as the Graveline Bay investment.
Upper Pascagoula River Nutrient Reduction Alternatives ($4 million) -- An investment of $4 million will
improve water quality on the Pascagoula River, one of most important rivers in the state and the southeast.
8 comments:
Incoming from Fondrenites, liberal lawyers, Jacktown Real Estate Saleswomen, angry democrats who ran a truck driver for governor and other socialist bedwetters in 3...2...1.
What happens to some of the benefits of these projects when the EPA is abolished as has been proposed by President Trump?
1:54. What about using the Restore funds for building shopping malls in the metro area? The tri-county area seems to be good at siphoning off coast money for that...
2:57 - The idea of 'shopping malls' is passe. It so 80s. Nobody builds or restores shopping malls today. Let the government rent them all and turn them into jails. Turn your cap around.
I question the funds for the Coliseum.
The Coliseum competes with the casinos and doesn't have nice hotel accommodations within walking distance. The nearby hotel is cheap , dated and wasn't " all that" when brand new.
Frankly , this amount won't make it the least bit more competitive and the claim of making it "world class" is laughable.
Putting that money toward cleaning up the beach water would be money well spent but you really need to move the sewage dumping out past the barrier islands. Repairing the sewage pipes and reducing the other waste being dumped won't do it.
Meanwhile my state agency still uses 1 ply. I'm cashing out my retirement!
But i bet you the House Management Committee has a contract for 2-ply with Aloe for those Legislative Tushes. And we will never know about it because the Legislature does not have to be transparent as every other entity of State Government...
Not true, 7:04. Chris Epps was instrumental in establishing the Statewide Toilet Tissue Contract. He forfeited a green Chevy panel-truck that delivered. Getchur facts skraight before you poast.
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