History

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) mobile drilling unit suffered a catastrophic blowout in the Gulf of America and over the next 87 days approximately 4.9 million barrels of oil (206 million gallons) were released into the Gulf (U.S. District Court 2015), making the DWH disaster the largest oil spill in the history of the US. Furthermore, 11 workers were killed and 17 critically injured by the explosion and resulting fire. On June 15, 2010, President Obama issued a request to the people of the Gulf Coast and the rest of the nation to commit to the recovery of the region not only from the spill, but to address broader ecosystem challenges brought on by storms, development pressures and other stressors. He called on Ray Mabus, then Secretary of the Navy, to develop a long-term restoration plan for the Gulf Coast, entitled: America’s Gulf Coast: A Long Term Recovery Plan after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. The recommendations from that initial effort laid the groundwork for passing legislation to fund restoration efforts, as well as the development of strategies and plans to guide the region toward a comprehensive approach to restoration that takes into account the environmental, economic and cultural value of the Gulf Coast region.

On October 5, 2010, President Barack Obama issued Executive Order 13554 , which established the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force (Task Force) “to coordinate intergovernmental responsibilities, planning, and exchange of information to better implement Gulf Coast ecosystem restoration and to facilitate appropriate accountability and support throughout the restoration process.”

The primary charge of the Task Force was to create a unified, strategic approach to restore the region’s ecosystem. In October 2011, Task Force members published a Gulf of Mexico Regional Ecosystem Restoration Strategy (Strategy) and the Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Science Assessment and Needs that articulated an overarching vision for restoration. The Task Force developed the Strategy with the input of local partners, scientists, tribes, and the public

Spurred by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act (RESTORE Act) was signed into law by President Obama on July 6, 2012. The RESTORE Act calls for a regional approach to restoring the long-term health of the valuable natural ecosystem and economy of the Gulf Coast region. The RESTORE Act dedicates 80 percent of civil and administrative penalties paid under the Clean Water Act, after the date of enactment, by responsible parties in connection with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund (Trust Fund) for ecosystem restoration, economic recovery, and tourism promotion in the Gulf Coast region. This effort is in addition to the restoration of natural resources injured by the spill that is being accomplished through a separate Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) under the Oil Pollution Act. A third and related Gulf restoration effort is being administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) using funds from the settlement of criminal charges against BP and Transocean Deepwater, Inc.