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.
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.”
