JACKSON, Miss. – Today State Auditor Shad White released an audit of the Gulf Coast Restoration Fund (GCRF) showing 62% of GCRF funds awarded by the Legislature went to projects without the recommendation of the GCRF Advisory Board or the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA).
“This money paid to Mississippi as a result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is critical for the future of the coast,” said State Auditor White. “These projects should be high-impact and have clear performance metrics attached. My concern is that, under the legislature’s current method for selecting projects, politicians may fund projects that don’t meet those criteria.”
The GCRF was created to help Mississippi’s coastal communities recover after the 2010 BP oil spill—the largest in US history. The spill released over 205 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of America. The MDA, working with the GCRF Advisory Board, administers GCRF funds. This means they receive recommendations from the community about how to spend the money and recommend to the Legislature worthwhile projects that have performance metrics, timelines, and proof of required matching funds.
“While MDA can recommend certain projects be funded, the Legislature still has the legal power to ignore their recommendations and spend money on what they want,” said White. “I worry that, in the future, projects may be funded just because a politician likes the project, not because the project is well-designed and meets a vital need.”
Mississippi began receiving BP settlement funds for the GCRF in 2018. From 2018 to 2033, the Fund will receive over half a billion dollars to be spent on projects intended to boost the coast’s economy.
Analysts at the State Auditor’s Office also compiled the full list of projects funded with GCRF dollars thus far, which can be found in the appendix on the GCRF report.
The full report can be found on the Auditor’s website by clicking on the “Reports” tab and searching “Gulf Coast Restoration Fund.”