HISTORY
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.
On January 6, 2014 The Water Institute of the Gulf, in collaboration with academic partners from Louisiana, submitted a proposal to CPRA that introduced a phased approach to systematically (1) develop and implement the Center of Excellence program, (2) administer a competitive grant program that rewards the best and most relevant research proposals, and (3) provide the appropriate coordination and oversight to ensure success metrics are tracked and achieved. On April 8, 2014, CPRA announced the Institute as Louisiana’s Center of Excellence.
In accordance with the federal regulations that will preside over funds administered as part of the RESTORE Act, CPRA submitted a grant application to the U.S. Department of the Treasury in July 2015 to apply for available funds for this program. On October 19, 2015, the U.S. Department of the Treasury approved the grant application.
The mission of LA-COE is to support research directly relevant to implementation of Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan by administering a competitive grants program and providing the appropriate coordination and oversight support to ensure that success metrics are tracked and achieved. The LA-COE is a separate program within The Water Institute of the Gulf, which is a not-for-profit, independent research institute dedicated to advancing the understanding of coastal, deltaic, river and water resource systems, both within the Gulf Coast and around the world.
OTHER CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE
The RESTORE Act Center of Excellence for Louisiana is one of five Centers of Excellence currently designated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Information the other designated Centers of Excellence can be found at these links.
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES
LA-COE operations follow guidelines established in the Standard Operating Procedures document. Click the button to download the Standard Operating Procedures for the LA-COE.
Acknowledgements
This project was paid for with federal funding from the U.S. Department of the Treasury under the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act). The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.