Program Overview

The RESTORE Act: Long Term Recovery Funding


The federal Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies
(RESTORE) Act was signed into law in 2012 in response to the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill. It
established the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund in the U.S. Treasury Department (Treasury).
Deposits come from 80 percent of all administrative and civil penalties paid by responsible DWH
parties under the Clean Water Act. RESTORE Act funding is distributed by “Buckets.”

The RESTORE Act also established the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (RESTORE
Council), which is charged with developing and overseeing its implementation. The RESTORE Council
is composed of the heads of six federal agencies and the governors of the states of Alabama, Florida,
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) administers four out of five federal Buckets:

    • Direct Component (Bucket 1). Funding equally divided between the five Gulf states. Available for projects following Treasury approval of a state Multiyear Implementation Plan (MIP).  

    • Council-Selected Restoration Component (Bucket 2). Periodic release of funds for ecosystem restoration. Projects must be consistent with the RESTORE Council’s Comprehensive Plan and outlined in a Funded Priorities List (FPL). 

    • Spill Impact Component (Bucket 3). Allocated based on the effect of the DWH oil spill in each state. Available for projects following the RESTORE Council’s approval of a State Expenditure Plan (SEP). 

    • Centers of Excellence Research Grants Program (Bucket 5). Available to non-governmental entities, including institutions of higher education, for research into science and technologies that support coastal sustainability.

    route funding buckets

    A map showing the counties eligible for RESTORE grant funding

     

     

     

    Gulf Coast Region

    RESTORE funds are available to eligible entities in the following counties:

    Aransas, Brazoria, Calhoun, Cameron, Chambers, Galveston, Harris, Jackson, Jefferson, Kenedy, Kleberg, Matagorda, Nueces, Orange, Refugio, San Patricio, Victoria, and Willacy.