RESTORE ACT PASSAGE APPLAUDED BY WILLIAM LOIRY

WASHINGTON – June 29, 2012. Congress passed the RESTORE Act today, mandating that 80% of fines to be paid by BP for the 2010 oil spill be directed to the five Gulf states affected by the historic disaster. Fines could reach $21 billion.

“With billions of dollars to be spent on the economic development and environmental restoration of Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas, this is a game-changer for the region,” stated William Loiry, organizer of the first national RESTORE Act conference in June. At the Summit, Loiry convened the Gulf Coast Restoration Leadership Task Force, comprised of senior Congressional staff, city and state officials, county commissioners and parish presidents, business leaders, and environmental experts. The first order of business for the Task Force was to recommend immediate passage of the RESTORE Act.

A similar Gulf Coast Restoration Summit is scheduled for New Orleans on August 17.

Sens. Mary Landrieu, D-La., and Richard Shelby, R-Ala., introduced the RESTORE Act in July 2011. Joining them as original cosponsors of the legislation were Sens. David Vitter, R-La.; Jeff Sessions, R-Ala.; Thad Cochran, R-Miss.; Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; Bill Nelson, D-Fla.; Marco Rubio, R-Fla.; and Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.

Sen. David Vitter stated, “This is a huge step toward vital, long-overdue coastal restoration work along the Gulf Coast in Louisiana and our neighboring states. The RESTORE language will go a long way in addressing the impacts of the environmental and economic damage from the oil spill, and we think it’s more than fair to have 80 percent of the fines for this event dedicated for restoration along the Gulf Coast.” Vitter was instrumental in making sure the RESTORE Act was included in the final version of legislation which passed Congress today.

Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., the lead House negotiator for the RESTORE Act stated,“The fact that the House and the Senate came together to iron out an agreement to include the RESTORE Act in the final transportation bill is a significant development for the restoration of Louisiana’s coast.  It’s only fair that the lion’s share of BP Clean Water Act fines are dedicated to the Gulf Coast states still dealing with the impacts of the disaster so we can rebuild our ecosystems and our economy.”

William Loiry Helps Bring Financial Relief to the People of the Gulf Coast

Destin, Florida - June 11, 2012. William Loiry hosted a regional and national summit in Destin, Florida today to help bring financial relief to the people of the U.S. Gulf Coast who continue to be hurt by the impact of the BP oil spill.

More than $30 billion is soon to be infused into the Gulf Coast, bringing new monies, programs, and contracts for jobs, economic development, environmental restoration, and much more.

Hundreds of conference participants listened to senior Congressional staff, state legislators, county commissioners, parish presidents, state and city officials, business leaders, environmental experts, health officials, and lawyers providing the latest information on:

* $21 billion in expected RESTORE Act monies

* $8 billion in BP lawsuit settlement monies

* $1 billion in BP early restoration monies

* New BP oil spill claims process

Loiry has been working to help the people of the Gulf Coast for the past seven years. Following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, Loiry organized four major conferences on the reconstruction of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. In 2010, Loiry worked to protect the Gulf Coast and its people by advocating non-toxic dispersants to combat the BP oil spill, helping small businesses along the Gulf Coast get compensation and other resources, and by convening a series of Gulf oil spill disaster response conferences. In April of 2011, Loiry convened a free first anniversary oil spill summit in New Orleans, bringing together more than 700 leaders to empower a healthy and economically vibrant Gulf Coast - speakers including Presidential Oil Spill Commission Chairman Bob Graham and GCCF Administrator Ken Feinberg. At the Summit, U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu announced $1 billion in new monies from BP to assist coastal restoration.