Immediately following the Deepwater Horizon explosion, crisis response centers were set up all along the coast. Now, nearly two years out and with oil still washing ashore, do you know who to call if you find oil?

Senate Bill 1400, or RESTORE (Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourism Opportunities and Revived Economy of the Gulf Coast) Act was introduced into the Senate with the support of Senators from all five Gulf Coast states.  This legislation would bring 80% of the Clean Water Act penalties back to the Gulf Coast for Restoration.  Without legislation from Congress, these penalties will go into the Federal Treasury, and we are excited to have a bill that would bring them back to the Gulf Coast where they are so critically needed for restoration.

Senate Bill 1400, or RESTORE (Resources and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourism Opportunities and Revived Economy of the Gulf Coast) Act was introduced into the Senate with the support of Senators from all five Gulf Coast states.  This legislation would bring 80% of the Clean Water Act penalties back to the Gulf Coast for Restoration.  Without legislation from Congress, these penalties will go into the Federal Treasury, and we are excited to have a bill that would bring them back to the Gulf Coast where they are so critically needed for restoration.

On Monday, I attended another meeting of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force (Task Force) in Galveston, Texas. President Obama, through an Executive Order, created the Task Force on October 5, 2010, in order to develop a strategy for long-term recovery of the Gulf Coast ecosystem following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster.