County to get Coastal Impact money

By John Lowman
The Facts

Published April 18, 2007

Brazoria County will receive $1.1 million for coastal protection.

Eventually.

The U.S. Department of the Interior this week allocated $48,591,202 to Texas for the Coastal Impact Assistance Program, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn said in a press release Monday. Funding will be used for coastal protection and restoration including conservation, planning assistance and infrastructure projects.

Authorized in the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Department of the Interior, through the Minerals Management Service program, will distribute $250 million annually in fiscal years 2007-2010 to six coastal states that host offshore energy production, including Texas, Alabama, Alaska, California, Louisiana and Mississippi. Twenty percent, or $48.6 million, will be available to Texas. About $31.6 million is available directly for the state and $17 million for coastal political subdivisions, or specific counties.

Money will be sent to the state and distributed from there, according to Jim Suydam with the General Land Office. Of the funds, 65 percent will be reserved for competitive bid projects and 35 percent to items already submitted by Texas counties.

Brazoria County projects include work at San Luis Pass, Quintana Beach, shoreline stabilization and the San Bernard River Sand Source project. When the money will appear is the $1.1 million question.

“The way I understand it, we’re going to get $4 (million) to $5 million over a three-year period,” Pct. 1 Commissioner Dude Payne said. “This $1.1 million is our allocation for 2007-08. We'll actually get that much or more in 08-09 and the same thing next year.

“... They keep moving the date, so who knows?” he said. “They’re saying now probably late summer. At one time it was April, so now I’m not sure. There's no doubt it’s going to be there. We just don’t know when.”

GLO staff members are helping local entities fill out paperwork and meet both federal and state requirements, Suydam said. From there, projects are submitted to Texas Gov. Rick Perry for approval, then there’s a 30-day public hearing process.

Afterward, items are due to the Minerals Management Service this fall.

“We’re helping local officials wind their way through the federal process, but they get to pick what they want to submit,” Suydam said. “There’s quite a bit of process left.”

Jan Edwards, with Friends of the River San Bernard, hopes projects there make the cut.

“We started these coastal impact studies and applied for grants,” she said. “We were waiting to find out who was going to get the grants at the end of last year. Now we don’t know if the money is available or not.”

The San Bernard project “has a very good chance of being funded,” Suydam said.

So do many projects once the process is completed, Cornyn’s release states.

“The Texas coast is vital to the economy of both the state and the nation. It must be protected,” Cornyn said. “Energy is fundamental to our quality of life and economy in Texas and America. So too is the preservation of our coastal lands and habitats. Through responsible stewardship, we can fulfill our responsibility in both areas — increasing domestic energy supplies without harming our Texas coastline.”

Minerals Management Service is accepting state plans for review and approval, which is required before states can apply for funding, Director Johnnie Burton said in a release.

The agency will begin accepting grant applications for the funding in October. All funds will be disbursed through a grant process. A final plan for at least the first year’s funds should be submitted to the Minerals Management Service for approval by July 1, 2008.

For information on the funds, visit www.mms.gov/offshore/CIAPmain.htm.