The Escambia County RESTORE Act Advisory Committee voted last month to approve the ranking of all 124 RESTORE applications in Escambia County, taking a significant step toward selecting projects to be funded by direct component RESTORE funds. The ranking marks the final recommendation from the committee to the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners for the allocation of direct component funds, part of a three-year process undertaken by the committee. Tasked with developing the project selection criteria and being an interface with the public, the Escambia County RESTORE Act Advisory Committee also developed the county needs assessment and reviewed and ranked the 124 project applications received in Escambia County. The Escambia County RESTORE Act Advisory Committee will present the project rankings to the board Thursday, April 7 at the 5:30 p.m. Board of County Commissioners meeting, where the board will vote to sunset the committee.
- Click here to view the scored and ranked list of 124 RESTORE project applications.
- Click here to view the RESTORE project applications separated by category.
The direct component funding, or pot one of RESTORE money, is just part of the approximately $70 million Escambia County is expected to receive over the next 16 years as part of the final settlement of the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Escambia will also be eligible to apply for funding from other sources of oil spill funding, including Triumph Gulf Coast, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation or NFWF, and the Natural Resource Damage Assessment or NRDA programs.
During the three-year review and ranking process, the Escambia County RESTORE Act Advisory Committee collaborated with the public to overcome many challenges while maintaining cooperation and camaraderie. The final rankings are a product of the passion and commitment citizens of Escambia County have for improving the local economy and environment, and the list provides a useful tool for County Commissioners as they continue narrowing down RESTORE projects.
Once the Board of County Commissioners selects the projects to receive RESTORE direct component funding, the county will draft a Multi-Year Implementation Plan and initiate a 45-day public comment period. Public input will be reviewed and necessary updates will be made before the MYIP is submitted to the U.S. Treasury Department for final review and acceptance.
Formed in October 2012 by the Escambia County Board of County Commissioners, the Escambia County RESTORE Act Advisory Committee consists of nine members, two of which are unrestricted, at-large positions. One position represents the city of Pensacola, and the remaining six members represent the financial industry, the business industry, transportation, government, local environmental advocacy organizations and citizens-at-large. The purpose of the committee was to develop a plan, solicit public input and set goals for Escambia County’s use of any funds received from the RESTORE Act.
RESTORE, or the Resources, Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act, passed in 2012, was the federal action which provided for the allocation and use of funds gained through civil penalties arising out of the Deepwater Horizon blowout and subsequent oil spill.
