Mississippi Receives First Planning Grant from RESTORE Council
(JACKSON, Miss.) – Gary Rikard, Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), announced Friday that the State of Mississippi will receive a planning grant to develop projects and programs in the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (RESTORE Council) has awarded a RESTORE Act Oil Spill Component Planning grant of $1.4 million to MDEQ on behalf of the state.“I am very happy to report that the RESTORE Council has formally awarded our planning grant for Bucket 3 today. This grant to Mississippi marks the first grant that the RESTORE Council has awarded to any state. The grant will allow us to fully vet and consider Bucket 3 projects that will make a real difference,” said Gary Rikard.
The grant funds will be used to develop and implement the Mississippi Planning State Expenditure Plan (MSEP) which will consist of projects and programs for funding in the three coastal counties in accordance with the Oil Spill Impact Component, or Bucket 3, of the RESTORE Act. A wide variety of projects are eligible under Bucket 3, and MDEQ will actively engage the public for suggestions and the final plan will also have a public comment period.
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