NATIONAL
ESTUARY
PROGRAM
SUPPLEMENTAL ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECT FUNDING TAPPED
The Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program (CBBEP) in Corpus Christi, Texas, received $1 .5 million for Supplemental Environmental Projects (SEP) as part
of a settlement between a pipeline company, the State of Texas, and the U.S. Department of Justice. The company agreed to this settlement after it had
more than 300 spills of crude oil, gasoline, and other oil products between 1990 and 1997 in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Louisiana, and Ala-
bama.
THE NATIONAL ESTUARY PROGRAM IN ACTION
Coastal Bend Bays & Estuaries Program
The Coastal Bend Bays & Estuar-
ies Program received funds like-
ly because the company's larg-
est spill, a 100,000-gallon oil
spill in 1994, caused a 12-mile
slick within the area served by
the CBBEP on Nueces and Cor-
pus Christi bays. Two additional
factors may have contributed to
the selection of the estuary pro-
gram as a recipient of these
funds. First, the CBBEP has a
long history of public involve-
ment, including strong relation-
ships with both industry and
state government; the program
was well known by both the
pipeline company and the Texas
Commission on Environmental
Quality. Second, all parties to
the settlement recognized that
the CBBEP could implement
habitat restoration projects with
very low overhead costs.
The CBBEP used the SEP funds
to secure an additional $2.5 mil-
lion in matching funds, and com-
pleted three land acquisition and
habitat protection projects:
• They worked with The Nature
Conservancy of Texas, the Texas
Commission on Environmental
Quality, the City of Corpus Christi,
and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service to conserve land with
high ecological value or devel-
opment pressure through either
acquisition or conservation
easements.
• The estuary program also part-
nered with the Texas General
EFFECTIVE
EFFICIENT
ADAPTIVE
COLLABORATIVE
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Land Office to protect six exist-
ing rookery islands and restore
approximately six acres of colo-
nial waterbird rookery island
habitat in Nueces Bay.
• In conjunction with the Texas
General Land Office and the
USDA Natural Resources Conser-
vation Service, the CBBEP plant-
ed smooth cord grass along
eroding shorelines to reduce ero-
sion and create marsh habitat.
The CBBEP experience under-
scores the importance of the
NEP management approach, and
highlights the importance of
public outreach and stakeholder
involvement.
In order to direct the funding to
CBBEP, the State of Texas, the
U.S. Department of Justice, and
the pipeline company had to
conclude CBBEP was a suitable
recipient. While the program's
location in the area affected by
the 1994 oil spill undoubtedly
influenced the decision, its track
record of communication with
the business community and a
history of success in project im-
plementation were also deciding
factors.
A streamlined planning process
made it possible for CBBEP to
deliver a spending plan for
$1.5 million in project funding
within one month in order to
meet a deadline set by the Texas
Commission on Environmental
Quality.
With project implementation re-
quired within 18 months of fund-
ing, the pressure was on and
CBBEP was able to tap the capa-
bilities of its partners in order to
meet the deadline.
Visit www.cbbep.org to learn
more about this and other
CBBEP efforts.
EPA's National Estuary Program
(NEP) is a unique and successful
coastal watershed-based program
established in 1987 under the
Clean Water Act Amendments.
The NEP involves the public and
collaborates with partners to pro-
tect, restore, and maintain the wa-
ter quality and ecological integrity
of 28 estuaries of national signifi-
cance located in 18 coastal states
and Puerto Rico.
For more information about the
NEP go to www.epa.gov/owow/
estuaries.
The NEP: Implementing the Clean Water Act in ways that are Effective, Efficient, Adaptive, and Collaborative.
EPA-842F09001
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