HISTORY
On July 6, 2012, President Obama signed into effect the RESTORE (Resources and Ecosystem Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States) Act. The Act established the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund in the U.S. Department of Treasury and directed 80% of the civil penalties paid after July 6, 2012, under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act in connection with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, to be deposited into the Trust Fund and invested. As part of this Act, 2.5 percent of funds will be dedicated to the establishment of Centers of Excellence in each of the five Gulf Coast States.
On January 6, 2014 The Water Institute, in collaboration with academic partners from Louisiana, submitted a proposal to CPRA that introduced a phased approach to systematically (1) develop and implement the Center of Excellence program, (2) administer a competitive grant program that rewards the best and most relevant research proposals, and (3) provide the appropriate coordination and oversight to ensure success metrics are tracked and achieved. On April 8, 2014, CPRA announced the Institute as Louisiana’s Center of Excellence.
In accordance with the federal regulations that will preside over funds administered as part of the RESTORE Act, CPRA submitted a grant application to the U.S. Department of the Treasury in July 2015 to apply for available funds for this program. On October 19, 2015, the Treasury approved the grant application.
The mission of the Center is to support research directly relevant to implementation of Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan by administering a competitive grants program and providing the appropriate coordination and oversight support to ensure that success metrics are tracked and achieved. The Center is a separate program within The Water Institute, which is a not-for-profit, independent research institute dedicated to advancing the understanding of coastal, deltaic, river and water resource systems, both within the Gulf Coast and around the world.
LA-COE Research Needs
The mission of LA-COE is to support research directly relevant to implementation of Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan by administering a competitive grants program and providing the appropriate coordination and oversight support to ensure that success metrics are tracked and achieved. LA-COE is a separate program within The Water Institute, which is a not-for-profit, independent research institute dedicated to advancing the understanding of coastal, deltaic, river, and water resource systems, both within the Gulf Coast and around the world.
The research priorities for this competitive grants program cover the following five topic areas:
- Topic 1: Hydrology and Hydrodynamics of Riverine, Estuarine, and Coastal Systems
- Topic 2: Estuarine and Coastal Ecology
- Topic 3: Geotechnical, Structural, and Coastal Engineering
- Topic 4: Deltaic Geology, Geomorphology, Subsidence, and Sediment Dynamics
- Topic 5: Human Dimensions
The LA-COE Research Needs document expands on these key research needs, including articulation of the scientific and technical problems underlying these needs and potential outcomes. The Research Needs document was developed in coordination with a technical working group comprised of researchers from Louisiana academic institutions, the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA), The Water Institute, an external review board, and public feedback.
STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR THE LA-COE
LA-COE operations follow guidelines established in the Standard Operating Procedures document. Click the button to download the Standard Operating Procedures for the LA-COE.
Success Metrics
Success metrics listed in Standard Operating Procedure Version 1 were used to track the progress of LA-COE, including the projects listed under RFP1. More information about the success metrics of the competitive grants process, research progress, research accomplishments are outlined in the Technical Memorandum linked to here.
OTHER CENTERS OF EXCELLENCE
The RESTORE Act Center of Excellence for Louisiana is one of five Centers of Excellence currently designated by the U.S. Department of Treasury. Information about the other designated Centers of Excellence can be found at these links.
Project Tracker
LA-COE is one of many Deepwater Horizon funding programs. This tracker is a centralized directory of projects funded as a result of Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Projects funded under RFP1 of LA-COE can be found here as well as projects from other funding programs.