About the RESTORE Act
On July 6, 2012, President Obama signed into effect the RESTORE (Resources and Ecosystem Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States) Act. The Act established the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund in the U.S. Department of the Treasury and directed 80% of the civil penalties paid after July 6, 2012, under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act in connection with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, to be deposited into the Trust Fund and invested. As part of this Act, 2.5 percent of funds will be dedicated to the establishment of Centers of Excellence in each of the five Gulf Coast States.
FLRACEP
FLRACEP engages a broad cross-section of participants with interest and expertise in science, technology, and monitoring (RESTORE Act regulations, sub-part H, section §34.704) in at least one of the eligible “priority disciplines.”
Florida RESTORE Act Centers of Excellence Program (FLRACEP) priority areas include coastal fisheries, wildlife, and ecosystem research/monitoring in the Gulf Coast Region; and comprehensive observation, monitoring, and mapping of the Gulf of Mexico. These priorities were selected from among the eligible RESTORE Act disciplines after a public scoping/public input process [see FLRACEP Program Rules and Policies_2016 (PDF) for additional details].
Other Centers of Excellence Research Grants Program Partners
- In Alabama, the Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council or such administrative agent as it may designate;
- In Louisiana, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Board of Louisiana through the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of Louisiana;
- In Mississippi, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality; and
- In Texas, the Office of the Governor or an appointee of the Office of the Governor.
