Alabama is set to become one of four states to receive a portion of more than $353 million from the U.S. Department of the Interior.
The funding will support coastal conservation and restoration projects, hurricane protection programs, onshore infrastructure projects, and activities to implement marine and coastal resilience management plans within the Yellowhammer State. Funds will also be allocated to Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, and their coastal political subdivisions, such as counties or parishes, due to their location on the gulf.
Alabama will receive $39,798,817.84 from the Interior Department; Mobile County will receive $5,285,384.75 and Baldwin County will get $4,664,319.75. That’s a total of $49,748,522.34 being pumped into the state and its gulf region.
The ability to distribute the generated funds comes from the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) which began a revenue-sharing model for oil and gas producing gulf states so that they could receive a piece of the revenue that was created from offshore oil and gas leasing in the gulf.
GOMESA also allocates a percentage to the Land and Water Conservation Fund.
The distribution of funds will be the largest ever since GOMESA began in 2009. Since the legislation’s enactment, $1.65 billion has been given to coastal states and their CPS.
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.
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