(Photo from Gulf Coast Business Council)
- The funds are part of the BP Oil Spill settlement received by the state of Mississippi. Lawmakers will ultimately decide how the funds are spent during the 2026 legislative session.
The Gulf Coast Restoration Fund Advisory Board is recommending the Mississippi Legislature fund $69,000,000 in projects during the 2026 legislative session.
The funds are part of the BP Oil Spill settlement received by the state of Mississippi. Started in September 2018, the Mississippi Gulf Coast Restoration Fund has provided funding to businesses and organizations looking to bring increased economic activity to the Gulf Coast region. Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to, local governments, nongovernmental organizations, higher education institutions, community colleges, ports, airports, public-private partnerships, private for-profit entities, private nonprofit entities and local economic development entities.
The Advisory Board narrowed down and reviewed all 89 submitted projects which totaled more than $383 million. The group settled on 15 projects to recommend for funding along with placing $7 million in a Regional Research & Development Revolving Loan Fund.
The idea for the revolving loan trust fund is to support targeted industry development and recruitment across the six-county region. The fund would provide gap financing alongside traditional financing and have the money revolve back into the fund so it can be deployed again to multiple projects over time.
Those 15 projects being recommended are:
- Gulfport/Biloxi Regional Airport Runway Extension $3,500,000
- Long Beach Harbor Complex Restoration $7,000,000
- Bollinger MS Bulkhead Rehabilitation $5,000,000
- Memorial Hospital Multispecialty Center $8,000,000
- HCDC I-10 & Canal Road Site Development $4,000,000
- William Carey University Campus Student Housing $3,200,000
- Stennis International Airport Site 1 Hangar Development $7,000,000
- Superior Optical Facility Expansion $5,000,000
- City of Moss Point Natural Gas Pipeline Extension $2,800,000
- George County Industrial Park Water System $1,000,000
- Stone County Industrial Park Acquisition and Sewer $2,500,000
- Pearl River Industrial Park Speculative Building $8,000,000
- Pass Christian Downtown Redevelopment $2,000,000
- USM Research Foundation Gulf Blue Accelerator $1,000,000
- Mississippi Songwriters Performing Arts Center $2,000,000
Jamie Miller, President of the Gulf Coast Business Council and Chairman of the Advisory Board and said he was proud of the work accomplished by the Advisory Board.
“It was grounded in transparency, public engagement, and with the goal of identifying projects that have the greatest potential for regional impact,” Miller said in a statement. “The board is committed to recommending projects that meet the statutory intent, leverage private investment, and create long-term economic opportunity across the Coast.”
The recommendations were sent to the Mississippi Development Authority ahead of the December 1 deadline for consideration in the 2026 legislative session. Bill Cork, Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority, thanked the Advisory Board for their work.
“The recommendations provided by the advisory board serve as valuable guidance to MDA as we develop our final recommendation to the Mississippi Legislature,” Cork said.
Frank Corder
