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Amite River Basin Commission details $2M NRCS grant and state bond allocations
Summary
Chief adviser Paul Sawyer told commissioners ARBC received a $2 million NRCS award and has state bond allocations including $4 million in priority‑1 capital outlay and $63 million in priority‑5 funds; a scoping document for NRCS work is being prepared and reimbursements tied to a Saint Helena property are expected.
Paul Sawyer, chief adviser to the Amite River Basin Commission, told commissioners at the July 14 meeting that ARBC has multiple funding streams moving forward, including a $2 million Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) award secured through Congresswoman Julia Letlow and state capital outlay allocations.
"ARBC has been allocated $4,000,000 in priority 1 state bond... and $63,000,000 priority 5 in capital outlay," Sawyer said, adding that the State Bond Commission will consider an initial $2,000,000 allocation this week and the remainder later in the year. He said ARBC is developing a scoping document for the NRCS grant, which the commission will submit to NRCS "in the next couple of weeks" and expects to have approved and available for Upper Amite restoration work.
Sawyer also reported outstanding reimbursements tied to ARBC's Saint Helena property purchase of approximately $50,000 are being processed and should be resolved by the end of the month.
Why it matters: The combination of federal NRCS funding and state capital outlay awards gives ARBC resources to advance local restoration and flood-risk projects in the Upper Amite, but Sawyer and commissioners emphasized the timing of allocations and approvals will determine when work can begin.
Other funding notes from the meeting: Sawyer said ARBC is coordinating cash-flow details with the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) for funds routed through CPRA, and that the commission is pursuing opportunities to accelerate access to state bond dollars. He also noted ARBC participated in a recent sea-level summit and that the Corps’ senior civil-works leadership acknowledged ARBC’s previously adopted resolution supporting streamlined project delivery.
The commission did not take a separate vote on these funding updates; the session recorded discussion and commitments to finalize scoping materials and continue coordination with state and federal partners.
