Sent: Fri Dec 07 15:10:26 2012
Subject: TUESDAY: Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council to Hold First
Public Meeting in Mobile, Alabama
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, December 7, 2012
News Media Contact:
Department of Commerce Office of Public Affairs, (202) 482-4883
TUESDAY: Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council to Hold First Public
Meeting in Mobile, Alabama
Acting Commerce Secretary, EPA Administrator, Alabama Governor and other
Federal, State, Local Officials to Participate
WASHINGTON — On December 11, 2012, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration
Council (Council) will hold its first public meeting in Mobile, Alabama.
The Council, which was established by the Resources and Ecosystem
Sustainability, Tourism, Opportunities Revived Economies of the Gulf Coast
States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act), will develop and oversee implementation
of a comprehensive plan to help restore the ecosystem and economy of the
Gulf Coast region in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
The Council is comprised of governors from the five affected Gulf States,
the Secretaries from the U.S. Departments of Interior, Commerce,
Agriculture, and Homeland Security as well as the Secretary of the Army and
the Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Gulf
States selected and President Obama appointed the Secretary of Commerce as
the Council's Chair.
The Council will work with the State and local communities to identify
projects and programs that will restore the region's natural resources and
help benefit local businesses, boost their economies, and create jobs. In
order to ensure robust public input throughout the entire process, the
Council will hold several public meetings and listening sessions in each of
the Gulf States in the coming months.
Acting U.S. Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley and
other federal, state and local officials will participate in the meeting on
December 11. This meeting will give the public the opportunity to learn
about the Council and provide feedback on the Council's restoration
planning efforts during a designated public comment period.
To learn more about the Gulf Restoration Council and RESTORE Act, visit
www.restorethegulf.gov.
WHO: Dr. Rebecca Blank, Acting U.S. Commerce Secretary
Lisa P. Jackson, Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Governor Robert Bentley, State of Alabama
Harris Sherman, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and
Environment, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Mary E. Landry, Director, Incident Management and Preparedness
Policy, U.S. Coast Guard
Rachel Jacobson, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish
and Wildlife and Parks, U.S. Department of the Interior
J. Andrew Hagelin, Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant
Secretary for the Army (Civil Works)
Mimi A. Drew, Secretary, Florida Department of Environmental
Protection
Garret Graves, Chair, Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration
Authority
Trudy D. Fisher, Executive Director, Mississippi Department of
Environmental Quality
Toby Baker, Commissioner, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
WHEN: Tuesday, December 11, 2012
1:00 – 2:30 pm Remarks by participating Council member
representatives
2:30 – 4:30 pm Open microphone public
comment period
WHERE: Renaissance Mobile Riverview Plaza Hotel
64 South Waters Street
Mobile, AL 36602
RSVP: The meeting is open to media. To preregister
for the Council meeting, visit
http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventoeidk=a07e6po9rtw09ef560b&llr=hghxkyjab
.
RESTORE Act
The oil spill caused extensive damage to the Gulf Coast's natural
resources, devastating the economies and communities that rely on it. In an
effort to help the region rebuild, Congress passed the bipartisan RESTORE
Act, which dedicates 80 percent of Clean Water Act administrative and civil
penalties paid by responsible parties after the date of enactment of this
Act in connection with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to the Gulf Region
for ecological and economic recovery efforts. This law will likely generate
investments in economic development, tourism promotion, and science-based
natural resource restoration in the states hit hardest by the spill --
Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
The RESTORE Act sets forth the following framework for allocation of the
Trust Fund:
· 35 percent of the money divided equally between the five
Gulf States for ecological and economic restoration efforts in the
region;
· 30 percent of the money through the Council to implement a
comprehensive plan for ecosystem and economic recovery of the Gulf
Coast;
· 30 percent of the money for States' plans based on impacts
from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill;
· 2.5 percent of the money to create the Gulf Coast Ecosystem
Restoration Science, Observation, Monitoring and Technology Program
within the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA); and
· 2.5 percent of the money to the Centers of Excellence
Research grants, which will each focus on science, technology, and
monitoring related to Gulf restoration.
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