Congressional Action Needed to Guarantee Proper Use of Oil Spill Money

You would think that it would be a given that money paid as penalties by BP for the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico would go for recovery of the environment and economy in that area.

But that would be too direct and sensible for those who govern us. Without Congressional action, 100 percent of the billions of dollars in penalties will go into the general treasury. And from there . . . Who knows? Maybe to a solar plant in California or a cowboy poetry festival in Nevada.

That’s why passage of the RESTORE the Gulf Coast Act (H.R. 3096) is so important. It specifies that 80 percent of the Clean Water Act penalties be used for restoration of the Gulf Coast environment and economy.

A companion bill in the Senate has passed out of committee and now awaits a full vote on the floor.

“The RESTORE the Gulf Coast Act represents a thoughtful, fair and state-centric approach that balances both environmental and economic considerations,” said Mike Nussman of the American Sportfishing Association.

“In addition to the bill’s focus on habitat restoration and business recovery, ASA supports the inclusion of a funding mechanism for fisheries data collection and research. Recreational fishing opportunity in the Gulf and throughout the nation faces numerous threats from natural disasters to ever-increasing regulations. It is critically important that we invest in short- and long-term fisheries data collection to help gather the science needed to properly manage fish stocks.”

Support Restoration of Gulf Fisheries, Communities

Tell your representatives and senators in Congress to support the 2011 RESTORE the Gulf Coast Act (S. 1400).

When enacted, the bill would direct critical funding to the Gulf of Mexico region to help improve fisheries habitat and data collection, as well as revitalize coastal communities.

“ASA fully supports the 2011 RESTORE the Gulf Coast Act,” said Mike Nussman, president and CEO of the American Sportfishing Association.

 “The combination of the biological impacts and the public’s perception of the extent of those impacts caused severe economic harm to the region. We applaud the Senators for their leadership and urge Congress to move swiftly to pass this legislation which will help bring back the local economies and allow us to restore habitat and better understand the Gulf’s fisheries and their habitat.”

RESTORE the Gulf Coast Act allocates a portion of the funds equally to the five Gulf Coast states for ecological and economic recovery, and establishes the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council to develop and fund a comprehensive plan for the ecological recovery and resiliency of the Gulf Coast.

The act also establishes an endowment that includes funding for needed fisheries stock assessments and ecosystem monitoring.

Click here to view a fact sheet of the bill.

Also, click here or on the poster to learn about the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation.

Anglers Recommend Actions for Improving Gulf Fishery

Captain Sammie Faulk, my guide for a great trip out of Lake Charles. We caught reds, trout, and flounder. Click on photo to go to his website.

In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, concerned sportsmen groups have produced a report with recommendations for restoration of the Gulf of Mexico’s fisheries, fish and wildlife habitat, and economy following last year’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

“This report enables policymakers to frame decisions informed directly by recreational anglers – one of the most important stakeholder groups in the Gulf,” said Whit Fosburgh, president and CEO of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP). “We took the time with our partners to forge specific recommendations representing the strong consensus of recreational anglers throughout the region.”

According to the TRCP, recreational fishing in the Gulf of Mexico contributes $41 billion in economic output in the Gulf Coast region annually and supports more than 300,000 jobs.

“As awful as this crisis and its fallout have been, an opportunity exists to reset some of our fisheries management and habitat protection practices in the Gulf with targeted investments that should have been taken before the spill,” said Ken Haddad of the American Sportfishing Association.

The TRCP report “presents recommendations on habitat restoration and improvement, both inshore and offshore, such as research on sargassum beds and the creation of new reefs. It offers guidance on improving fishery monitoring, data collection, and research management, such as funding more frequent full new stock assessments.

“The report also addresses the impacts on recreational fishing businesses, along with angler interest and confidence, and advises how to publicly promote fishing in the region as well as how to remove impediments to fishing.”

BP Money to Help Restore Coastal Wetlands

Here’s good news: Under a recent agreement, BP will provide $1 billion toward “early restoration projects in the Gulf of Mexico to address injuries to natural resources caused by the spill.”

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says this:

“This early restoration agreement, the largest of its kind ever reached, represents a first step toward fulfilling BP’s obligation to fund the complete restoration of injured public resources, including the loss of use of those resources by the people living, working and visiting the area.  The Trustees will use the money to fund projects such as the rebuilding of coastal marshes, replenishment of damaged beaches, conservation of sensitive areas for ocean habitat for injured wildlife, and restoration of barrier islands and wetlands that provide natural protection from storms.”

“Coastal marshes” and "wetlands" are keys words in that statement. Because we diverted flow from the Mississippi River out of Louisiana marshes for decades (for flood control and to allow for development), we degraded and destroyed many of them long before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In fact, about half of Louisiana’s coastal wetlands have been lost because of diversion and saltwater intrusion, and 25 to 30 square miles still are destroyed each year.

If these funds are used wisely, they should help bring back the marshes/wetlands lost over the years, as well as mitigate damage done by the oil spill.

To learn more about the campaign to restore Louisiana’s wetlands, go to Vanishing Paradise.