Gulf Oil Spill Fines Would be Dedicated to Gulf Restoration under New House Amendment

U.S. Rep. Ed Markey (D-Ma.) and some other House Democrats introduced an amendment to an updated oil spill response bill last week that “would implement a key recommendation by the bipartisan oil spill commission,” the Environmental Defense Fund reports. “The recommendation is for Congress to dedicate 80 percent of Clean Water Act penalties to be assessed for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to Gulf Coast restoration.

A number of nonprofit environmental advocacy organizations (Environmental Defense Fund, National Audubon Society, National Wildlife Federation, Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, Ocean Conservancy, and Oxfam America) were quite happy with this and expressed their gratitude to the Representatives.

“We thank the Louisiana delegation and House Democrats for their leadership on an issue that is vital to restoring both the Gulf ecosystem and the Gulf economy, which depends upon that ecosystem’s health,” said a joint statement by the eight groups. “We look forward to working with House and Senate leaders of both parties on securing legislation to send the oil spill penalties back to the Gulf region where they belong.”

Read the full story here: House Bill Amendment to Dedicate Gulf Oil Spill Fines to Gulf Restoration Praised

Related Story: U.S. Sues BP for Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

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