The Texas General Land Office (GLO) and the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers have announced the release of the Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration Study Draft Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Impact Statement.
Since 2015, GLO and USACE have worked cooperatively on the feasibility study formulating risk reduction solutions to address coastal storm risks to the vast and important Texas coastline.
“ Texas is not a state that happens to have a coast, Texas is a true coastal state ,” said Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush . “ One storm can cost many lives and billions of dollars in damage, so the expense of doing nothing far outweighs the investment to protect and enhance our coast.”
“ The Coastal Texas Study is about protecting our people, our economy and our national security. The options selected are proven to be effective in mitigating the deadly effects of storm surge on our state. I thank the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and look forward to continuing this vital cooperative effort, ” added George P. Bush.
“ The Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration Feasibility Study builds on the work of scientists, engineers and other experts from Rice University’s Severe Storm Prediction and Evacuation from Disasters (SSPEED) Center, Texas A&M University Galveston (TAMUG), Gulf Coast Community Protection and Recovery District (GCCPRD) ,” said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District Commander Col. Lars Zetterstrom .
The released draft environmental impact statement includes the Tentatively Selected Plan (TSP) which uses a multiple lines of defense strategy to reduce risks to the communities and infrastructure along the entire Texas coastline.
The TSP develops an integrated comprehensive plan for the coast of Texas that includes constructing surge gates to reduce coastal storm damage risks to the Houston Ship Channel, levees along Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island, beach and dune renourishment along the lower coast, and nine landscape scale ecosystem restoration projects to increase resilience and reduce risks to the coast of Texas. The estimated cost is $23 to $31 billion.
The Coastal Texas Study complies with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and considers the impacts the project will have on natural, economic, social and cultural resources. The GLO and USACE entered into a cooperative agreement to create the Coastal Texas Study in 2015. The final feasibility report and EIS is expected in 2021.
The Corps and the GLO are planning a series of public meetings on the report in late November and early December. For a detailed timeline of the events please visit the Corps website .