MEDIA ADVISORY: Jan. 10, 2012
CONTACT: DEP Press Office, 850.245.2112, DEPNews@dep.
DEEPWATER HORIZON NATURAL RESOURCE TRUSTEES HOST PUBLIC MEETINGS
~Public meetings in Ft. Walton Beach and Pensacola to solicit public comment on Early Restoration of the Gulf~
TALLAHASSEE – The Deepwater Horizon Natural
Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) Trustees (Trustees), including the
Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the Florida Fish and
Wildlife Conservation Commission, released the Deepwater Horizon
Draft Phase I Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment
(DERP/EA) on Dec. 15, 2011.To facilitate public comment on Early
Restoration, the Trustees will
hold a series of 12 public meetings across the Gulf States. The first
two meetings take place
in Florida this week.
The DERP/EA
is 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
DERP/EA describes the initial projects proposed to receive funding from
the $1 billion Early Restoration agreement announced by the Trustees
and BP on April 21, 2011. The DERP/EA describes eight proposed projects
for the
initial round of Early Restoration, two each in Alabama, Florida,
Louisiana and Mississippi.
These projects reflect the ideas and input
received by the Trustees through project solicitation and outreach
efforts. The proposed projects include shoreline marsh creation, coastal
dune habitat restoration, nearshore artificial reef creation, oyster
cultch restoration and construction of boat ramp facilities. The total
estimated cost of the proposed initial suite of projects is more than
$57 million.
Public meetings will be held:
Jan. 11, 2012
Emerald Coast Convention Center
1250 Miracle Strip Pkwy SE
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32548
6 – 9 p.m. CST Open House
7 p.m. CST Informational presentation and verbal public comment period begins.
Jan. 12, 2012
University of West Florida Conference Center
11000 University Parkway
Pensacola, FL 32514
6 – 9 p.m. CST Open House
7 p.m. CST Informational presentation and verbal public comment period begins.
Visit www.gulfspillrestoration.noaa.
About Natural Resource Damage Assessment & Early Restoration
NRDA is the process used by natural resource trustees to develop the
public's claim for natural resource damages against the party or parties
responsible for a spill and to seek compensation for the harm done to
natural resources and the services provided by those resources. The
Deepwater Horizon NRDA Trustees include NOAA, the U.S. Department of
Interior and state agencies from the five Gulf States - Florida,
Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
Early Restoration provides an opportunity to implement restoration
projects agreed upon by the Trustees and BP under the Framework
Agreement prior to the completion of the NRDA. The damage assessment
will continue while Early Restoration planning is under way. BP and
other responsible parties are obligated to compensate the public for the
full scope of the natural resource injury caused by the Deepwater
Horizon Oil Spill, including the cost of assessing such injury and
planning for restoration.
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