Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States

The Office of Gulf Coast Restoration (OGCR), which is part of the U.S. Department of Treasury's Office of Capital Access, administers the Direct Component program and Centers of Excellence Research Grants Program, which are designed to rebuild the economy and ecosystems of the U.S. Gulf Coast. These programs are two of the five grant programs authorized by the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act (RESTORE Act), which was signed into law on July 6, 2012. The Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund created by the RESTORE Act provides funding for the five grant programs established by the RESTORE Act and derives its funding from civil and administrative penalties obtained from the parties responsible for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Direct Component program funds planning and implementation projects designed to promote the economic and ecological recovery of the U.S. Gulf Coast. To be eligible for Direct Component grants, projects must be for one of the 11 eligible purposes listed in the RESTORE Act and Treasury’s implementing regulations at 31 CFR 34.201 and be selected via a public engagement process. Only the 47 entities named in the RESTORE Act are eligible to apply for Direct Component grants. These eligible entities are the state governments of Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi, as well as 23 Florida Gulf Coast counties, and 20 southern Louisiana parishes. Examples of Direct Component- funded projects include improvements to levees and other flood protection structures; construction of and improvement to water treatment facilities; beach, dune, and marsh nourishment; workforce development facilities and programs; construction of and improvements to infrastructure including roads, bridges, port facilities, and other facilities; and development of programs to promote tourism and the region’s fishing and aquaculture industries. The Centers of Excellence Research Grants Program provides grants to the five eligible Gulf Coast States named in the RESTORE Act and Treasury’s implementing regulations at 31 CFR 34.702, to establish centers of excellence to conduct research on the Gulf Coast Region. The Gulf Coast State recipients make competitive subawards with their grants to nongovernmental entities and consortia in the region, including institutions of higher education, to establish of centers of excellence that focus on science, technology, and monitoring in at least one of the eligible disciplines outlined in the RESTORE Act and Treasury’s implementing regulations at 31 CFR 34.704(b). Generally, the scientific research is focused on the health and sustainability of the Gulf, its ecosystems, and wildlife.