Oil Spill Recovery Acts passes first committee hurdle

A Florida senate committee this week took the first steps in providing economic assistance to counties impacted by the BP oil gusher.

The Senate Community Affairs Committee unanimously passed five oil spill recovery bills this week.  

Four of the bills are requests to Congress that any insurance or loss payments be exempt from federal taxation and requires BP to pay for extended unemployment benefits caused by the oil spill.

The fifth bill, called the Oil Spill Recovery Act, would provide the Office of Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development the flexibility to waive certain requirements and use state economic development incentives for businesses that relocate from other states to the Florida counties affected by the oil spill including Franklin and Gulf Counties.

It would also allocate three fourths of any fines or settlements from BP to the seven counties of coastal Northwest Florida and direct the State Board of Trustees to evaluate the need for establishing or modifying multi-state compacts in order to provide a more coordinated response to oil spills.

State Senator Don Gaetz said “Northwest Florida was seriously and disproportionately affected not only by the spill but also by perceptions created by the spill.
“Evidence provided to the Senate indicates that sales and bed tax receipts were down by 40 percent or more in parts of our area and down by nearly a third overall in the seven coastal counties of Northwest Florida.”

 The Oil Spill Recovery Act will next be considered by the Appropriations Committee on Transportation, Trade, Tourism and Economic Development next week. 


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