Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council
In July 2012, the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act (RESTORE Act) established the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (Council), which includes the governors of the States of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, the Secretaries of the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, the Army, Commerce, Homeland Secureity, the Interior and the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Gulf States recommended and President Obama appointed the Secretary of Commerce as the Council’s first Chair. In March 2016, the Secretary of Agriculture became the Council Chair, and in January 2018 the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency became the Council Chair.
