PORT ARANSAS, Texas — The U.S. Department of Commerce has answered an SOS from the UT Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas.
The department's Economic Development Administration awarded a $5 million grant to the institute today.
Some of the funds will be used to repair several academic buildings that were damaged by Hurricane Harvey.
And some will be used to create the Center for Coastal Ocean Science.
That grant is also being matched with $1.2 million in local funding.
