Scalise Introduces Gulf Coast Restoration Act

Washington, DC -- Congressman Steve Scalise yesterday introduced the Gulf Coast Restoration Act, H.R. 6112. The bill requires that at least 80 percent of the fines assessed to BP under the Clean Water Act be directed to a separate fund for distribution to Gulf States affected by the disaster for the purpose of implementing coastal restoration and other mitigation projects.

“The nation clearly saw the impact the BP oil spill had on the Gulf Coast as well as the national importance of our wetlands and ecosystem,” Scalise said. “It is only proper that the Gulf Coast states receive the lion’s share of the fines BP will have to pay as a result of this disaster. Coastal restoration is vital to the protection of Gulf ecosystems, environments, and communities and we must restore America’s wetlands that have eroded while re-establishing this barrier to weaken future storms and protect our communities from flooding. I will continue working with the bi-partisan coastal restoration coalition to pass my bill into law in order to provide the money necessary to restore our coast and our way of life.”

BP will be required to pay between $1,100 and $4,300 in fines and penalties per barrel of oil spilled. This is expected to amount to a total of between $5 billion and $20 billion. Authorized uses of the new fund created in H.R. 6112 include: conservation, protection or restoration of coastal areas; mitigation of damage to fish, wildlife, or natural resources; and the implementation of federally approved marine, coastal, or comprehensive conservation management plan. A copy of the bill can be found at https://thomas.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.6112:

Since the 1930’s, more than 2,300 square miles of Louisiana’s vital marshlands have disappeared. An estimated 200 square miles of coast were destroyed in 2005 by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita alone. Scalise has been a long-time proponent of comprehensive hurricane and flood protection as well as coastal restoration efforts.

In August, Scalise led a broad, bi-partisan coalition calling for President Barack Obama to support a full and complete plan to restore Louisiana’s eroding coastline, specifically by supporting a reinvestment of fines collected by BP for coastal restoration. The President has not yet responded to this call. 

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Contact: Stephen Bell
202-226-9113