UPDATE: BKT 3/TEXAS STATE EXPENDITURE PLAN (SEP) AMENDMENT #2 – 2023

On January 17, 2024, Toby Baker, Deputy Chief of Staff, Office of the Governor, and Governor Abbott’s appointee to the RESTORE Council, received approval from the RESTORE Council of Texas’ State Expenditure Plan (SEP) Amendment #2 – 2023.

Amendment #2 – 2023 to TCEQ’s 2020 amendment #1 approved State Expenditure Plan (SEP) is adjusting the amount of funds authorized for two of the four programmatic areas. Under amendment #1 – 2020 $7,830,000 was available for the Nature Based Tourism (NBT) program and $23,680,000 was available for the Shoreline and Beach Restoration (SBR) program.

For approved amendment #2 – 2023 the funds available for the Nature Based Tourism (NBT) program will increase to $22,830,000 and the amount for the Shoreline and Beach Restoration (SBR) program will be reduced to $8,680,000. In approved amendment #2 – 2023, TCEQ will transfer $15,000,000 from the SBR program to the NBT program to address increased costs for the NBT projects to complete their approved scope of work and to help support the subrecipients’ management and oversite activities of the NBT program. The scope of work for the NBT program will not change and remain as stated in the approved amendment #1 – 2020. Overall, the amount of funds Texas will be authorized under the approved SEP amendment #2 – 2023 does not change. The approved amendment is only transferring funds between two of the four approved Texas SEP programs.

Though two approved programs (Removal of Debris and Restoration of Water Quality & Quantity) continue to have zero funding, they remain as part of the initially approved SEP to provide flexibility and enhance any opportunity for future funding consideration, in response to changes in need, readiness and priorities.