"Officials Unveil $627M in BP-Funded Restoration Projects"

"Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and state officials today announced the latest and largest slate of proposed projects to be funded by BP PLC to restore environmental damage and lost public use from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill."



"The 44 projects unveiled today, totaling $627 million, are spread across the Gulf of Mexico and range from creating barrier islands off the Louisiana coast to building a causeway and beachfront promenade in Mississippi. They are part of the unprecedented agreement with BP under which the company provided a $1 billion down payment on what it will owe for restoration through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) process.

'The Gulf of Mexico watershed is a large and diverse landscape that is critical to our nation's culture, economy and environment,' said Jewell, who visited Louisiana to unveil the list. 'Today's announcement is an important step as we work to not only restore the natural resources that were impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, but to also build back the resiliency of the region. This is good news for the economy, with restoration work supporting jobs and strengthening the tourism industry.'"

Annie Snider reports for Greenwire December 6, 2013.

Source: Greenwire, 12/09/2013