Vitter Introduces Amendment to Expedite Coastal Protection Funding

Press Release

U.S. Sen. David Vitter today introduced an amendment to expedite funding under the Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP), which was established under the 2005 Energy Policy Act to help energy-producing states and their coastal communities mitigate impacts from Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas production.

"When we created CIAP five years ago, I believed that it would help state and local governments by directing a portion of energy revenues to coastal protection projects," said Vitter. "It has provided some much needed funding for coastal restoration, but administrators have created new layers of bureaucratic delays that have taken the program off course. My amendment offers a much-needed fix to remove these unnecessary obstacles and allow the funds to be allocated in an efficient way."

The nearly $1 billion originally allocated for the program was intended to be disbursed by the end of 2010, but only around 15 percent of that amount has been awarded to date. The lengthy review process has resulted in an average wait time of nearly six months for the 115 grants that have been awarded. More than 120 grants are pending, and nearly 900 additional grant applications are expected over the course of the program.

"My amendment serves to streamline the process and help coastal states like Louisiana get the funds they urgently need. As we know all too well, time is of the essence when it comes to coastal restoration and hurricane protection projects," said Vitter.

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