RESTORE Act Direct Component-- Non-Construction Activities

Under the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act), Subtitle F of P.L. 112-141, the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund (Trust Fund) was established in the Treasury of the United States. Eighty percent of the civil penalties paid after July 6, 2012, under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act in connection with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill will be deposited into the Trust Fund and invested. The RESTORE Act created five components through which funds will be disbursed. Treasury is publishing multiple funding opportunity notices as part of the RESTORE Act. This announcement applies only to the Direct Component, and is only for applications for eligible non-construction activities, including projects with or without a non-federal share for another federally funded project. This announcement also includes planning assistance needed to prepare the Multiyear Implementation Plan (Multiyear Plan) required by the RESTORE Act. For eligible activities involving construction and/or acquisition of real property, applicants should refer to the construction and real property acquisition funding opportunity announcement. Trust Fund amounts are available to carry out eligible activities described in the RESTORE Act. These are: 1. Restoration and protection of the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches and coastal wetlands of the Gulf Coast region. 2. Mitigation of damage to fish, wildlife and natural resources. 3. Implementation of a federally approved marine, coastal, or comprehensive conservation management plan, including fisheries monitoring. 4. Workforce development and job creation. 5. Improvements to or on State parks located in coastal areas affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. 6. Infrastructure projects benefitting the economy or ecological resources, including port infrastructure. 7. Coastal flood protection and related infrastructure. 8. Planning assistance. 9. Administrative costs. 10. Promotion of tourism in the Gulf Coast region, including recreational fishing. 11. Promotion of the consumption of seafood harvested from the Gulf Coast region. Eligible activities 1 through 7 listed above must be carried out in the Gulf Coast region.