U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., introduced the Regional Ocean Partnership Reauthorization Act of 2026 on Feb. 5, 2026.

If passed by Congress and signed by the President, the Act will reauthorize Regional Ocean Partnerships (ROPs) for the next five years and bring continued support for voluntary, intergovernmental coordination to address ocean and coastal issues. The Gulf of America Alliance is the ROP for the Gulf of America, designated by the governors of the five Gulf states: Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. Three other ROPs are also currently authorized: the Northeast Regional Ocean Council, Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean, and the West Coast Ocean Alliance.

Regional Ocean Partnerships have operated for nearly two decades and were formally authorized by Congress in 2022. They focus on issues that are identified by the member states, provide a voice for a wide variety of stakeholders, and foster intentional, efficient coordination on shared priorities. Regional Ocean Partnerships also leverage public and private funding to accomplish objectives common to multiple stakeholders across the region, reducing duplication.

“It is important for states to work together to provide solutions for the issues our coasts face today,” said Senator Roger Wicker. “This bill promotes regional collaboration, builds stronger database portals, and leverages funding to strengthen our blue economy and protect natural resources.”

“Regional Ocean Partnerships sustain intentional, efficient coordination among stakeholders,” said Chris Blankenship, Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and Chair of the Alliance Management Team. “Each ROP focuses on issues that are priorities for their region, as identified by its members. This puts states in the driver’s seat on addressing common issues in a voluntary and collaborative way.”

The Gulf of America Alliance would like to thank Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) for introducing the reauthorization bill as well as the leaders of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas, Chairman) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash., Ranking Member) along with co-sponsors Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Sen. Christopher Murphy (D-Conn.), Sen. Katie Boyd Britt (R-Ala.), Sen. Christopher Coons (D-Del.), Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.), Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Sen. Margaret Wood Hassan (D-N.H.), Sen. Edward Markey (D-Mass.), and Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) for their commitment to recognizing the value of regional collaboration and the benefits to our country.

Go to Congress.gov to follow the progress of S.3791.

The Gulf of America Alliance is pleased to announce a new partnership with Alabama Power as it becomes the most recent organization to join the Alliance’s Gulf Star Program. They are also the first organization to join in the state of Alabama.

The Gulf Star Program is a unique public-private partnership that leverages contributions from agencies and businesses to address key priority issues specific to the region. The Alliance provides additional capacity for these projects to reduce barriers that are often a challenge for small communities and organizations, such as high administrative burden and match requirements. All projects in the Gulf Star Program accomplish actions co-developed by the five Gulf states to support healthy beaches, clean waters, productive ecosystems, and thriving coastal communities.

As a part of this collaboration, Alabama Power is funding a project that will expand the Native Plant Producer Network to schools in Mobile and Baldwin counties, Alabama. Objectives include:

• providing hands-on STEM opportunities for middle and high school students;
• growing native plants for restoration; and
• restoring marshes to improve habitat

“At Alabama Power, we believe in doing more than just keeping the lights on. We also believe in the power of education to spark opportunities and we know that this project will make a tangible difference for students of Baldwin and Mobile counties,” said Stacey Turner, Alabama Power Vice President of Environmental Affairs. “Programs like this reinforce our mission to strengthen our communities, and we look forward to partnering with the Gulf of America Alliance on this vital work.”

“We are excited to start the new year by announcing this partnership with Alabama Power, which further underscores our mission to enhance the environmental and economic health of the entire Gulf,” said Laura Bowie, executive director for the Gulf of America Alliance. “We are hitting the ground running with this project and can’t wait to see what’s next with Alabama Power as our new partner.”

Alabama Power joins the following Gulf Star partners: 1PointFive, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine’s Gulf Research Program, Shell, Motiva Enterprises, Valero, Oxy, Freeport McMoRan, Sempra Infrastructure, Chevron, Williams, Clean Gulf Associates, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the five Gulf states.

By any measure, 2025 was an incredibly productive year for the Gulf of America Alliance, whether it’s from our leadership, our dedicated staff, or our invaluable supporters. In 2025 we moved forward vital projects, added Gulf Star partners, secured more funding, engaged key stakeholders, and so much more. 

Here’s a snapshot of this year’s work: 

95% – Percentage of our actions in progress or complete as part of our current Governors’ Action Plan IV

69 – Active projects This is our largest single-year number of projects ever! Forty-four projects are federally- funded and 25 are funded through our Gulf Star Program. This represents more than $22 million total in current projects.  

2 – New Gulf Star partners This year we were excited to welcome Williams and Sempra Infrastructure to our growing team of organizations who help move our work forward. Stay tuned for more partners to come in 2026.

$6.8M – New funding This includes $6 million in new federal funding and $800,000 in private funding through our Gulf Star Program, demonstrating broad support from our stakeholders.

457 – Number of attendees at All Hands Meeting in Biloxi, Miss. Coastal scientists and stakeholders from 135 organizations, representing state and federal agencies, academia, non-profit organizations, and the private sector, met to build partnerships for a healthier Gulf.

3,895 – Number of derelict crab traps removed from across the five Gulf states, along with 2,100 pounds of aquaculture debris; this work was led by the Wildlife & Fisheries Team

7 – Communities supported This is a vital part of our coastal community resilience work, supporting planning and implementation projects with communities Gulf-wide. This work was led by the Coastal Community Resilience Team.

65 – Vessels removed Led by our Marine Debris Cross-Team Initiative, this work included vessel removal in Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas.

1,990 – Projects in the Deepwater Horizon Project Tracker; this work, led by the Data & Monitoring Team, centers on restoration, research, and recovery projects resulting from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill

2,409 – Acres of cropland using improved farming practices This is part of work by the Water Resources Team to reduce excess runoff that enters local waterways in the Bayou Lafourche watershed in Louisiana, using innovative farming practices.

414 – Registered for tropicalization webinars Topics included ways tropical species are expanding their ranges north as temperatures warm, mangrove expansion, and related management challenges in Florida, Louisiana, and Texas. This work was led by the Habitat Resources Team. 

7 – Number of Ocean Guardian Schools Focused on coastal watershed stewardship, students at these schools implement a community or school-based conservation project. Schools supported in 2025 are located in Port Arthur, East Houston, and Galveston County, Texas; Pointe-Au-Chien, Morgan City, and West Feliciana, Louisiana; and Robertsdale, Alabama. This effort is led by the Education & Engagement Team. 

2.5 – Acres of habitat restored Local high-school students gained hands-on experience in STEM-related career opportunities while growing native marsh grasses. These grasses were used to create a living shoreline in Flour Bluff (near Corpus Christi in the Texas Coastal Bend).  This work was led by the Integrated Planning Cross-Team Initiative.

30 – Residents engaged to discuss how newly rebuilt marshes reduce flood risk for nearby homes; this will better inform residents as they work to lower their insurance rates. This project is led by the Human Benefits of Nature Cross-Team Initiative.