National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees (NRDA), RESTORE Act Trustees, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
The Deepwater Horizon Accident, which occurred April 20, 2010, spilled millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico over a 3 month period. The responsible parties for the spill are required to restore natural resources lost or damaged by the accident. Civil fines and criminal penalties paid by the responsible parties are being used by the Gulf of Mexico states for oil spill cleanup and natural resource restoration. Private landowners should watch for new projects to be approved in the coming years, especially as the Deepwater Horizon civil case is settled and the funds are distributed to the grantors for administration.
There are 3 funding authorities charged with managing and dispersing the funding received from the responsible parties:
- National Fish and Wildlife Foundation via the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund (current and future funding)
- Government Trustees Restoring the Gulf (NRDA – Natural Resource Damage Assessment) (early restoration funding and future funding)
- Civil Penalties Funding Gulf Restoration (RESTORE Act) (future funding)
Texas has asserted its claim to an amount of the funding awarded for projects along the Texas coast.
Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund Projects
Many conservation agencies are already in the process of implementing projects that were funded as part of the Deepwater Horizon criminal case plea agreements from the NFWF Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund. NFWF has been administering funds for restoration project since 2013 and will continue until 2018 (List of projects approved in 2013 and 2014).
Of particular interest for private landowner along the coast will be the Gulf Coast Migratory Waterfowl Habitat Enhancement Program for creating freshwater wetland habitat on private lands in the Texas Chenier Plain and Mid-Coast.
NRDA Funded Projects
BP is providing $1 million in funding for early restoration projects on the Gulf Coast as part of its responsibility to fund natural resource restoration damaged by the spill. Currently $1 billion has been approved for 54 early restoration projects. Three of these are in Texas: artificial reef creation off the Texas coast, Galveston Island State Park Beach Redevelopment, and Sea Rim State Park Improvements. NOAA hosts the Gulf Spill Restoration website on behalf of the NRDA Trustees, as well as a map of all currently funded Gulf Spill Early Restoration Projects.
RESTORE Act Funds
The Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act (RESTORE Act), signed into law July 6, 2012, establishes the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund in the US Treasury. Eighty percent of civil penalties levied under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act in connection with the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill will be deposited in this trust fund when the civil case is settled. This money plus the interest generated by the Trust Fund will be disbursed according to the following:
- Direct Component – US Treasure (35%)
- Texas – Texas Governor’s Office and the Texas RESTORE Act Advisory Board (7% of total)
- Comprehensive Plan Component and Spill Impact Component – Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (30% plus interest and 30%, respectively)
- NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program – NOAA (2.5% plus interest)
- Centers of Excellence Research Grants Program – US Treasury (2.5% plus interest)
- In Texas, two Consortia have been selected to establish Centers of Excellence in Texas
- Texas OneGulf led by Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi’s Harte Research Institute
- The Subsea Systems Institute led by University of Houston
- In Texas, two Consortia have been selected to establish Centers of Excellence in Texas
Project Proposals are Currently Being Considered
In order the facilitate project submission and review by the three funding sources, the RESTORE The Texas Coast website was created as a single location where project proposals for all three sets of funds can be submitted for review by all funding organizations and where the public can receive news on approved projects.
In the News
On July 2, 2015, BP came to an agreement with the federal government and the 5 gulf coast states to pay $20.2 billion in damages and penalties for its role in the Deepwater Horizon Accident. Gov. Greg Abbott announced that Texas is likely to receive $788 million of these funds, which will be used for reinvestment in the Gulf communities impacted by the spill. Read more about the BP settlement…
