Mississippi will receive more than $61.8 million during the next two years from the Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) to help protect coastal areas, U.S. Sens. Trent Lott and Thad Cochran announced April 16.The award is meant to back initiatives designed to protect the coast’s environments and to mitigate detrimental outcomes of energy exploration, according to a press release from Lott.
The money is being granted pursuant to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which allocates money from a portion of federal oil and gas royalties.
A portion of those royalties is marked by the CIAP.
“Communities in our coastal areas make this energy production possible, taking any risks associated with it,” Lott, R-Miss., said in his press release. “Making these funds available to areas closest to this activity makes sense. It’s fitting that this funding be available for local use, instead of staying in Washington.”
The CIAP award amounts will be the same for 2007 and 2008.
The annual amount awarded to Mississippi will be $20.1 million with Jackson, Harrison and Hancock counties receiving an additional $10.8 million to share based on the lengths of their coastlines and populations.
Jackson and Harrison counties will each receive about 40 percent of the $10.8 million, with Hancock receiving about 20 percent.
“I am pleased the Minerals Management Service has released funding to aid communities along the Coast as energy exploration and production continue to play a vital role in the Gulf economy,” Cochran said. “This allocation will allow south Mississippi’s citizens, resources and wildlife to remain vibrant as energy diversification and domestic production grow increasingly integral to our nation’s supply.”
The state will soon submit a CIAP state plan; if it is approved, the state and three eligible counties may submit grant applications for individual projects. The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources is coordinating CIAP for the state.
Thurston Dawson, a junior animal and dairy science major, said he is from the Coast and is happy to hear that Mississippi will be receiving such a large amount of money.
“It sounds like a great preventative measure taken by the state to protect the coastal areas,” Dawson said.
Lott said he encourages Mississippi citizens to submit any requests for assistance that could be funded through the program.
“Coastal impact assistance funding will provide very good opportunities to improve Mississippi’s coastal communities, and it will be especially helpful as we continue the ongoing Hurricane Katrina recovery and renewal effort,” Lott said in his press release.