Alabama will receive $87 million for coastal restoration projects following a decision by the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council to approve more than $403 million in funding.
The state funding aims to address environmental damage resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill under the council's fourth funded priorities list.
Unanimously approved on June 10 by the federal and state council, the restoration plan includes representatives from five gulf states and six federal cabinet departments. Governor Kay Ivey announced the allocation on June 11, noting that the projects will support coastal communities and waterways.
A $24 million allocation will fund the construction of a 100-acre (40.5-hectare) wetland restoration cell in Upper Mobile Bay, which will establish "the foundation for future wetland restoration efforts". Alabama Port Authority Director and Chief Executive Officer Doug Otto explained that the initiative will use routine dredging material from port berths to restore critical habitats.
The largest single project is the $38 million restoration of Dauphin Island's west end, covering 160 acres (64.7 hectares) of beach, 40 acres (16.2 hectares) of sandy water bottoms, and three and a half miles (5.6 kilometres) of linear dunes.
This effort is designed to protect vulnerable coastal communities and estuarine habitats in the Mississippi Sound, including 30,000 acres (12,140.6 hectares) of conservation lands.
The Coastal Alabama water quality program will receive $9.5 million to plan and implement municipal infrastructure improvements over the next 10 years.
"The vote of approval for this FPL is a culmination of a lot of good work," said Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship. He highlighted that the joint initiative with the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality to rebuild Grand Batture Island and protect shared wetlands is the first Deepwater Horizon restoration project to span state borders, funded at $11.95 million.
The remaining allocations include $1.8 million for an Environmental Protection Agency program to remove litter from local waters and $1.5 million for a US Department of Agriculture land conservation scheme.