to the Corps for fiscal 2024 that the administration may distribute soon. The real money comes from the Corps construction account. To compete for that money, we must have what’s called a “new start designation,” and to have a new start designation, we need to get through the preliminary engineering design. The shovel-ready ecosystem restoration projects that the GLO is overseeing are the fastest ways to a new start designation because they can be posted for bids more quickly than the larger infrastructure projects. GCPD is prepared and able to match this amount because of funds previously appropriated by the Legislature. FN: What are the stakes if we don’t build the barrier system? GCPD: Seventy-three percent of our goods are moved via trucking. If we were to experience what Louisiana experienced in 2020, with two storms in six weeks only 12 miles apart, that would have a devastating impact not just on daily life but on the environment, business operations and supplies. Our most important supply chain is the human supply chain, or the folks who operate the product supply chains. They need to be protected from storms, or at least be given the tools to recover faster. Ports of entry are the backbone of today’s globalized economy. The central message we want to convey is that coastal storm surge protection is not just a regional problem. Houston-Galveston is a region of the state where supply chains originate and benefit manufacturers, businesses and farmers across Texas and across the country. When you consider the amount of global trade that flows through the infrastructure on the Texas coast, that’s when you see the true costs of failing to address this issue. This is clearly an issue of national, and even global, proportions. More information is available on the GCPD’s website at gcpdtexas.com. Stay tuned for additional coverage from the Comptroller’s office on the Coastal Texas Project. This article has been reprinted with permission. It was originally published in Fiscal Notes: A Review of the Texas Economy. To access the original publication, scan the QR code. https://comptroller.texas.gov/economy/fiscal-notes/ infrastructure/2024/gulf-coast-protection/ 27 DEALERS’ CHOICE
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