Projects

CPRA Receives Second Installment of RESTORE Act Funds

On May 7, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) announced the U.S. Treasury Department is awarding $3.2 million to Louisiana’s Center of Excellence Research Grants Program. This is the second installment in a RESTORE Act allocation of approximately $26.6 million over 15 years to support research relevant to implementing the CPRA Coastal Master Plan.

The grant money is a portion of the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund that was created using civil penalties resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, and will be used to fund research in one or more of the following eligible disciplines which will support the State’s Coastal Master Plan:

  • Coastal and deltaic sustainability, restoration, and protection, including solutions and technology that allow citizens to live in a safe and sustainable manner in a coastal delta in the Gulf Coast Region;
  • Coastal fisheries and wildlife ecosystem research and monitoring in the Gulf Coast Region;
  • Sustainable and resilient growth and economic and commercial development in the Gulf Coast Region;
  • Comprehensive observation, monitoring, and mapping of the Gulf of Mexico.

The first LA-COE grant of $4 million funded work by the Center of Excellence and awarded funds to 13 projects in 2017 for research and collaborative awards as well as graduate studentships. More information on those research projects can be found here.

The LA-COE will again administer a competitive grants process to fund research proposals relevant to Coastal Master Plan implementation, with a Request for Proposals expected to be released later this year.