DMR seeking public comment on CIAP

BILOXI — The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources (DMR) is proposing the addition of seven projects to the Mississippi Coastal Impact Assistance Program (CIAP) Plan. DMR is seeking public input before the revised plan is submitted for federal approval.

The state CIAP Plan was approved in Feb. 2009 by the U.S. Department of Interior’s Minerals Management Service (MMS) and included 129 projects, but not all CIAP funds were allocated in the plan. DMR is proposing to add the following projects. If approved, they will be implemented through subgrants.

• MS.R.731: $2.5 million to the City of Biloxi to acquire, protect and restore 1.26 acres across from the Mississippi Sound and the Biloxi Lighthouse

• MS.R.762: $2.7 million to the City of Gulfport to construct a 1.5-mile interpretive boardwalk and bike trail corridor within Jones Park

• MS.R.763: $2 million to the Long Beach Port Commission to expand the size of the Long Beach Small Craft Harbor in an environmentally sustainable fashion

• MS.R.764: $3 million to the City of Pass Christian to expand the size of the Pass Christian Harbor in an environmentally sustainable fashion

• MS.R.766: $896,750 to Hancock County to implement the Hancock County Greenways plan by providing five environmentally sustainable comfort stations

• MS.R.802: approximately $3.37 million to the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies to evaluate trends for bottlenose dolphin strandings, provide vital resources to improve live and dead marine mammal stranding response, collect and study biological samples from stranded marine mammals and conduct research, conservation and education programs.

• MS.R.704: $500,000 to acquire 27 acres to create a waterfront park that bisects Moss Point for green space, conservation and public use

Comments may be submitted to DMR, Attn: CIAP Coordinator, 1141 Bayview Ave., Biloxi, MS 39530, by fax to (228) 523-4179 or online at www.dmr.state.ms.us/ciap. The deadline for comments is Sept. 4, 2009