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RESTORE Act Eligible Activities The RESTORE Act requires that Direct Component (Pot 1) funds may only be used to carry out specified eligible activities in the Gulf Coast region, including: • Restoration and protection of the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches, and coastal wetlands of the Gulf Coast region • Mitigation of damage to fish, wildlife, and natural resources • Implementation of a federally approved marine, coastal, or comprehensive conservation management plan, including fisheries monitoring • Workforce development and job creation • Improvements to or on State parks located in coastal areas affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill • Infrastructure projects benefitting the economy or ecological resources, including port infrastructure • Coastal flood protection and related infrastructure • Planning assistance • Administrative costs of complying with this subsection • Promotion of tourism in the Gulf Coast Region, including recreational fishing • Promotion of the consumption of seafood harvested from the Gulf Coast Region Additional requirements for using Direct Component funds Additional conditions to receive Direct Component money from the trust fund are that a funded project or program is designed to restore and protect the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches, coastal wetlands, or economy of the Gulf Coast. Also, in the case of a natural resource protection or restoration project, the project must be based on the best available science. “Best available science” is defined in the RESTORE Act as science that maximizes the quality, objectivity, and integrity of information, including statistical information; uses peer-reviewed and publicly available data; and clearly documents and communicates risks and uncertainties in the scientific basis for such projects. 2014-09-22