The Alabama Trustee Implementation Group has approved its first restoration plan and environmental impact statement (EIS). The restoration activities described in the plan will address natural resource injuries from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This restoration plan focuses on lost shoreline recreational use opportunities and is consistent with the Trustees’ programmatic restoration plan.
The restoration plan identifies six preferred projects in Mobile and Baldwin counties. The total estimated cost of the projects is $70.7 million. The projects include:
- Gulf State Park Lodge and Associated Public Access Amenities – $56,300,000
- Fort Morgan Pier Rehabilitation – $3,075,000
- Laguna Cove Little Lagoon Natural Resource Protection – $4,400,000
- Bayfront Park Restoration and Improvement (engineering and design only) – $1,000,000
- Dauphin Island Eco-Tourism and Environmental Education Area – $4,000,000
- Mid-Island Parks and Public Beach Improvements (Parcels B and C) – $1,900,000
We began this restoration planning effort in July 2016 by conducting scoping and requesting project ideas from the public. We considered these ideas as we identified potential projects and screened them for inclusion in the draft restoration plan and EIS. We made the documents available for public review and comment, and we held public meetings in Dauphin Island and Gulf Shores in January 2017. The comment period closed on January 30. The final restoration plan and EIS reflect revisions to the draft plan resulting from public comments and continuing Trustee project development.
On May 16, 2017, the Alabama Trustee Implementation Group signed a Record of Decision associated with this final restoration plan and environmental impact statement.