Sub title
CIAP Grant to Fund Louisiana Pelican Habitat and Marsh Restoration Initiative
Release Date
08/25/2011
New Orleans, LA
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) today announced it has awarded a $401,851 Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) grant to Calcasieu Parish in Louisiana. The grant will provide funding for Phase I of a marsh and pelican nesting habitat restoration project on Rabbit Island in Calcasieu Lake.
Created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, CIAP provides funding to the six Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas producing states to conserve and protect the coastal environment. CIAP is an ongoing program with grant funding that is allocated based on the offshore energy revenues collected by the United States.
"CIAP grants enable us to support vital coastal wetland restoration efforts, and the Rabbit Island project in Louisiana is a wonderful example. We need to work hard to preserve our fragile ecosystems; partnering with states and their coastal communities to support habitat and marsh protection is an important part of that effort," said BOEMRE Director Michael R. Bromwich.
The grant will be used to fund the development portion of the Rabbit Island restoration project. This first phase will provide funding for planning, engineering and design, topographical studies, side scan sonar and magnetometer surveys, field investigations, permitting and final plans and specifications for the conservation initiative.
The next phase, expected to be developed in the near future, will provide additional funds for the construction needed to restore approximately 200 acres of pelican nesting habitat and marsh to Rabbit Island. This will be accomplished through the addition of sediment dredged from the nearby Calcasieu Ship Channel. In addition, 2,500 linear feet of limestone will be added to the west corner of Rabbit Island for shoreline protection.
CIAP received $250 million in appropriated funds for each of the Fiscal Years 2007-2010, to be disbursed to six eligible OCS oil and gas producing states: Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, California, Mississippi and Texas.
Created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005, CIAP provides funding to the six Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas producing states to conserve and protect the coastal environment. CIAP is an ongoing program with grant funding that is allocated based on the offshore energy revenues collected by the United States.
"CIAP grants enable us to support vital coastal wetland restoration efforts, and the Rabbit Island project in Louisiana is a wonderful example. We need to work hard to preserve our fragile ecosystems; partnering with states and their coastal communities to support habitat and marsh protection is an important part of that effort," said BOEMRE Director Michael R. Bromwich.
The grant will be used to fund the development portion of the Rabbit Island restoration project. This first phase will provide funding for planning, engineering and design, topographical studies, side scan sonar and magnetometer surveys, field investigations, permitting and final plans and specifications for the conservation initiative.
The next phase, expected to be developed in the near future, will provide additional funds for the construction needed to restore approximately 200 acres of pelican nesting habitat and marsh to Rabbit Island. This will be accomplished through the addition of sediment dredged from the nearby Calcasieu Ship Channel. In addition, 2,500 linear feet of limestone will be added to the west corner of Rabbit Island for shoreline protection.
CIAP received $250 million in appropriated funds for each of the Fiscal Years 2007-2010, to be disbursed to six eligible OCS oil and gas producing states: Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, California, Mississippi and Texas.