Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Trustees Call for Public Input on Early Restoration of the Gulf

On Dec. 14, 2011, the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees released the first in an anticipated series of plans to begin restoration of the Gulf of Mexico to compensate for natural resource injuries, including the loss of human use of Gulf resources, from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. The Deepwater Horizon Draft Phase I Early Restoration Plan & Environmental Assessment describes eight proposed projects (two each in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi) to receive funding from the $1 billion Early Restoration agreement between Trustees and BP.

"This is an important first step in the process of starting restoration of the damage caused by the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill," said Mimi A. Drew, Special Advisor to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard, Jr. and member of the Trustee Council speaking on behalf of the Florida trustees. "We appreciate the hard work and input of our fellow trustees, local governments and stakeholders that helped us to identify these projects, and look forward to the continued collaboration with these groups both at our upcoming public meetings and throughout the restoration process."

For more information visit, http://www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.gov/