The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, serving as Chair of the
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, approved the
Florida State Expenditure Plan Thursday, Sept. 27, to the State of Florida and the Florida Gulf Consortium, which will direct $292 million in Component 3 RESTORE Act funds to 69 diverse environmental and economic projects and programs in 23 Florida Gulf of Mexico counties, including Escambia County.
This allows the Gulf Consortium to begin submitting project applications for the 69 projects identified in the plan. Escambia County has one project in the plan, the implementation of the Bayou Chico Contaminated Sediment Remediation Project. Funding from the plan was divided equally between the 23 counties.
The approval is based on findings that the SEP is complete and meets all requirements contained in the RESTORE Act, the U.S. Department of Treasury’s implementing regulations, and the council’s SEP Guidelines.
Escambia County District 4 Commissioner Grover Robinson, who serves as the Gulf Consortium's Chairman, remarked on the importance of yesterday's events by saying, "We are very excited about the approval of the Florida State Expenditure plan. This is a culmination of five years of work and cooperation with and between federal, state and local governments. The ambitious plan implements environmental restoration projects across 23 counties from the Perdido River in my county of Escambia to Key West in Monroe County. I am incredibly proud of the work that has been done and the goals that will be accomplished to make Florida better. I'd like to thank everyone who participated in this endeavor, which will benefit all Floridians."
The Gulf Consortium is a public entity created in October 2012 by Inter-local Agreement among Florida's 23 Gulf Coast counties, from Escambia County to Monroe County. The counties formed the consortium to meet requirements of the RESTORE Act to develop a State Expenditure Plan for economic and environmental recovery following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The
Consortium Board of Directors consists of one representative from each county government and six non-voting Governor appointees.
