These 16 South MS projects could get total of $69 million from BP oil spill settlement
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- South Mississippi advisors recommend 15 projects and a revolving loan, totaling $69M.
- Funds derive from BP settlement; Legislature can spend up to $69M for 2026 appropriation.
- Business leaders urge projects that leverage private capital, create high-paying jobs.
An advisory board is recommending 16 of the 89 projects — and a revolving loan fund — proposed for millions of dollars the state Legislature has to spend on South Mississippi during the 2026 session.
The grant money for economic recovery comes from a settlement the Gulf states reached with BP and related companies over the 2010 oil catastrophe. The Mississippi Legislature controls the funding — a total of $477 million arriving in annual increments of about $30 million through 2033.
The Legislature has skipped funding for the last two years after overspending, and will have $69 million for the coming year.
The Gulf Coast Restoration Fund Advisory Board, a volunteer group of business leaders, spends months reviewing projects, then recommends top picks to the state. The Mississippi Development Authority also weighs in on top projects legislators should consider.
However, the Legislature does not always follow the business community’s advice. Over four years, the Legislature has appropriated more than $200 million to projects in the six southernmost counties. But the funding has produced only a few projects that promise the kind of transformative economic impact the business community envisioned.
For this round of funding, the Gulf Coast Business Council hopes the Legislature will be strategic in choosing projects that create high-paying jobs and leverage private investment.
Highest ranked South MS projects listed
Former MDA director Jamie Miller now heads the business council and also chairs the advisory fund board.
“I’m proud of the work accomplished by the advisory board,” Miller said in a news release. “It was grounded in transparency, public engagement, and with the goal of identifying projects that have the greatest potential for regional impact.
“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 list of top recommendations “reflects a balance of investment across infrastructure, workforce development, healthcare, and innovation,” the news release says. “Project selection was based on several factors, including applicant readiness, alignment with regional needs, and appropriate leveraging of public to private investment.”
The Top 16 projects and funding amounts the board recommends are listed below, in the order they ranked:
- 1. Gulfport/Biloxi Regional Airport Runway Extension — $3.5 million.
- 2. Regional Research & Development Revolving Loan Fund — $7 million.
- 3. Long Beach Harbor Complex Restoration — $7 million.
- 4. Bollinger MS Bulkhead Rehabilitation — $5 million.
- 5. Memorial Hospital Multispecialty Center — $8 million.
- 6. Harrison County Development Commission Interstate 10 & Canal Road Site Development — $4 million.
- 7. William Carey University Campus Student Housing — $3.2 million.
- 8. Stennis International Airport Site 1 Hangar Development — $7 million.
- 9. Superior Optical Facility Expansion — $5 million.
- 10. City of Moss Point Natural Gas Pipeline Extension — $2.8 million.
- 11. George County Industrial Park Water System — $1 million.
- 12. Stone County Industrial Park Acquisition and Sewer — $2.5 million.
- 13. Pearl River Industrial Park Speculative Building — $8 million.
- 14. Pass Christian Downtown Redevelopment — $2 million.
- 15. USM Research Foundation Gulf Blue Accelerator — $1 million.
- 16. Mississippi Songwriters Performing Arts Center — $2 million.
