The Deepwater Horizon oil spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees will hold a public meeting on September 28, 2016, at the Renaissance New Orleans Pere Marquette French Quarter Area Hotel. The Trustees will present an update on their work since the historic settlement with BP and describe current and future restoration planning activities and opportunities for public engagement. The settlement with BP included a provision for up to $8.8 billion in damages for injuries to natural resources.
The settlement also established seven geographically-focused Trustee Implementation Groups and allocated funds among the groups based upon the type and magnitude of injuries caused in each area. Representatives of the seven Trustee Implementation Groups will give updates on the planning and implementation of restoration projects for the natural resources injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The groups are responsible for restoration in these geographic areas: Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Open Ocean and Region-wide.
This meeting will serve as the first annual meeting of the Trustee Council and the Region-wide Trustee Implementation Group.
The Trustees encourage the public to attend an open house where the Trustees and Trustee Implementation Group members will be available for conversations and questions. The public meeting, beginning at 6:30 PM, will include a presentation and a public comment session.
If you are unable to attend the public meeting, you will be able to view the meeting presentation and transcript on the Trustees’ website soon after the meeting concludes.
The Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustees represent five states—Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas—and four federal agencies—Department of the Interior, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Trustee Council was established shortly after the oil spill to determine the type and magnitude of injuries caused by the spill to the Gulf of Mexico’s natural resources. Their injury assessment helped to determine the amount of damages BP was required to pay for those injuries. The Trustees also developed a programmatic restoration plan. The settlement funds are allocated in accordance with that plan.
