AUSTIN — The Texas General Land Office (GLO) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) have extended the public comment period for the Coastal Texas Study by an additional 30 days to allow public stakeholders and the local community more time to comment on the Draft Report. The Coastal Texas Study Draft Report was initially released on Oct. 30, 2020, and was open for a 45-day public review and comment period ending on Dec.14, 2020. 

 
The new end date for the comment period will be Jan. 13, 2021, bringing the public comment period to a total of 75 days.

Throughout the study process, public feedback is critical to understanding the needs and opportunities along the Texas coast. The intent of the public comment period is to receive ideas and concerns from the citizens of Texas. Constituent feedback is a vital part of this process. The Texas GLO and USACE remain committed to ensuring the voices of the people of Texas are heard.

The GLO and USACE have already hosted four National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) required public meetings where attendees received a detailed overview of the Second Draft Proposal. The final two NEPA public meetings will occur Dec. 8, 2020, at which time the public will again have the opportunity to comment on the study if desired. Information about registration and times for these last two public meetings can be found on the Coastal Texas Study website.

In addition to the NEPA required public meetings, the GLO and the USACE have also held two public information sessions to answer the public's questions and explain study features. Videos from these public meetings can also be found on the study website.

The GLO and USACE have also made interactive GIS StoryMap technology available to the public to animate the complicated concepts discussed in the Draft Proposal. The GIS StoryMaps allow the public to: 

• See the difference in flooding this project could make in the Houston and Galveston areas
• Experience a virtual landscape with the proposed beach and dune systems in place
• Examine potential environmental impacts and review our proposed mitigation plans

The StoryMaps can be accessed here or through the Coastal Texas Study website.

View and download the report here. To submit a comment or ask a question by mail, e-mail, or phone, the public can see contact information and further instructions on the Coastal Texas Study website.