WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) and Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), with Representative Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.), today announced the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) has awarded $28.8 million for three projects to restore areas along the Mississippi Gulf Coast affected by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The funding is the second round of grants from the Foundation’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, created as part of the settlement by the U.S. Department of Justice, BP, and Transocean in the aftermath of the tragedy.

“The restoration of Mississippi’s Gulf Coast is imperative to preserving one of our state’s greatest resources,” Wicker said.  “These important projects represent another big step forward in our recovery efforts. I applaud our local, state, and federal partners for making today’s announcement possible.”

“Recovery from the long-term effects of the 2010 oil spill remains a priority, and the projects in this round of funding will advance that goal.  The award of this settlement money demonstrates that the recovery process, involving state and local officials, is moving forward as planned,” Cochran said.

“As a fourth generation resident of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, I would consider the passage of the RESTORE Act one of my proudest achievements in Congress,” said Palazzo.  “I’m pleased to see some of the initial funding flowing to Mississippi for these restoration projects as our hard work finally starts to come to fruition.”

Mississippi’s 2014 projects include:

• Utilization of dredge material for marsh restoration in coastal Mississippi;
• Invasive species management on coastal state land; and
• Reef fish assessment for Mississippi coastal and near-shore Gulf waters.

Additional information about NFWF’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund in Mississippi may be found here.