$320 Million of BP Money Released for Barrier Island Restoration in Louisiana
(Lafitte, LA—April 30, 2013) Today, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal announced that BP
has agreed to fund approximately $320 million in barrier island restoration
projects in Louisiana. This funding will come from the $1 billion in early
Natural Resource Damage Assessment funds that BP agreed to invest in
restoration of damaged natural resources resulting from the 2010 Gulf oil
disaster.
Three leading national conservation
organizations working on Mississippi River Delta restoration — Environmental Defense Fund, National Wildlife Federation and National Audubon Society — released the
following joint statement in response to the announcement:
“More than two years after BP’s
initial pledge, it’s about time that a large amount of early Natural Resource
Damage Assessment funds be released for work in hard-hit Louisiana. These
dollars, still only a portion of the $1 billion BP down payment, will restore
four barrier islands directly affected by the 2010 BP oil disaster, that
provide important habitat for birds, fish and other wildlife.
“We are glad to see the Natural
Resource Damage Assessment process is moving forward, because Gulf Coast
restoration has waited long enough. The Mississippi River Delta is an economic
and environmental cornerstone for the Gulf region and the entire nation, and
barrier island restoration projects are an important component of necessary
comprehensive coastal restoration. These projects will materially advance
implementation of Louisiana’s 2012 Master
Plan for a Sustainable Coast, the foundation of the effort to
reverse wetland loss in the Mississippi River Delta.
“We encourage the Natural Resource
Damage Assessment trustees, the state of Louisiana, the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Department of Interior (DOI) and BP to
continue to work together on projects like these that will restore Louisiana’s
coast following the harm done during the BP oil disaster.”
The early Natural Resource Damage
Assessment projects will restore four barrier islands, from Terrebonne Parish
to the east bank of Plaquemines Parish, and represent an investment in
restoration of areas that Governor Jindal called the most-injured by the oil
disaster, including:
- Caillou Lake Headlands Component, which is also known as Whiskey Island, in Terrebonne Parish. This $110 million component will restore beaches, dunes and back-barrier marshes.
- Cheniere Ronquille Component, which is on the west bank of Plaquemines Parish in Barataria Bay. In coordination with NOAA, this $35 million component will construct beaches, dunes and back-barrier marshes.
- Shell Island Component, which is on the west bank of Plaquemines Parish in Barataria Bay. This $101 million component will restore back-barrier marsh and dunes and beach on the east and west lobes.
- Breton Island Component, which is on the east bank of Plaquemines Parish in the Breton Sound. While the project configuration is still being finalized in coordination with DOI, this $72 million component will restore and protect beach, marsh, and dune in the Breton National Wildlife Refuge on some of the most important seabird nesting islands in the northern Gulf.
One of the world’s leading international nonprofit organizations, Environmental Defense Fund (edf.org) creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. To do so, EDF links science, economics, law, and innovative private-sector partnerships. With more than 3 million members and offices in the United States, China, Mexico, Indonesia and the European Union, EDF’s scientists, economists, attorneys and policy experts are working in 28 countries to turn our solutions into action. Connect with us on Twitter @EnvDefenseFund
Media Contact
Emily Guidry Schatzel
National Wildlife Federation
225.253.9781
Erin Greeson
National Audubon Society
503.913.8978
Elizabeth Skree
Environmental Defense Fund
202.553.2543
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