AUSTIN — Today, February 8, 2019, the United States Army Corps of Engineers Colonel Lars Zetterstrom and Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush announce the closure of the Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration Feasibility Study (Coastal Texas Study) public comment period at midnight tonight. Following the National Environmental Policy Act procedures, the public comments will now undergo review.  All comments will be reviewed and considered for the draft proposal.
 
“I would like to personally thank all of the citizens that have offered their comments on this critical study of National significance,” Colonel Zetterstrom said.  “More than 1,200 citizens attended the seven public meetings we held in November and December of 2018, and we have received thousands of comments on the plan to date.  We want to stress that all of these comments will be evaluated equally.  The input thus far has been invaluable and going forward, the responses will ensure that our decisions will be based on the best available information.”
 
“As we move forward with the Coastal Texas proposal, it is important for us to remember the study remains in the draft stage,” said Commissioner Bush. “We have overwhelmingly heard from the community regarding their concerns and comments on this project. It is our goal to take the community’s thoughts into account and build a consensus on a plan to protect the coast. The Texas General Land Office remains committed to working with the USACE to ensure the voices of the people of Texas are heard and improvements are made based on the input that we have received.”
 
The GLO and USACE (study team) continues to improve the draft proposal, and have met with the Severe Storm Prediction, Education and Evacuation from Disasters (SSPEED) Center, Gulf Coast Community Protection and Recovery District (GCCPRD), and Texas A&M University at Galveston to evaluate the work that other studies have done. The study team is currently coordinating with gate design experts from around the world on ways in which we can reduce the impacts associated with the gate system.
 
Additional information and updates can be found on the Coastal Texas Study Website at coastalstudy.texas.gov.

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