FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 5, 2014
CONTACT: media@eog.myflorida.com, 850.717.9282
GOVERNOR SCOTT JOINS MULTI-STATE LAWSUIT AGAINST BP AND OTHERS IN DEEPWATER HORIZON OIL SPILL CASE
~Florida Department of
Environmental Protection and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
filing addresses injuries to the environment~
PENSACOLA –Today, Governor
Rick Scott joined the multi-state federal litigation currently pending in the Eastern
District of Louisiana involving the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The
suit against BP and others was filed today by the Florida Department of
Environmental Protection and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in Pensacola. The complaint names BP,
Anadarko, and Transocean as defendants responsible for the environmental harm
caused by the oil spill.
Governor
Scott said, “Today’s action is another step in our efforts to hold the parties
related to the oil spill accountable for the environmental harm caused by the Deepwater
Horizon tragedy. Our main priority is to help the families of Florida’s
Panhandle recover, and we will continue our work to ensure that this goal is
reached.”
The Deepwater
Horizon oil spill occurred on April 20, 2010, and caused significant harm
to Florida’s natural resources and prevented citizens and visitors from
enjoying those resources. The Department of Environmental Protection and
the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission represent the State on the Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustee Council.
“I am proud
of the work being done to restore Florida’s Gulf Coast and provide additional
recreational and environmental opportunities to offset the losses suffered as a
result of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill,” said DEP Secretary Herschel
T. Vinyard Jr. “We will now focus on holding the responsible parties
accountable for the oil spill.”
“Joining the
lawsuit is an important step toward preserving and restoring Florida’s greatest
resource for the future,” said Nick Wiley, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Commission Executive Director. “We will make every effort possible to ensure
Florida is fully restored.”
The
case Florida filed today is separate from the suit filed by the Attorney
General’s Office last year. The Attorney General’s suit deals with
economic losses Florida suffered as a result of the Deepwater Horizon
oil spill. Today’s filing seeks to hold the named defendants accountable
for injuries to the environment the state suffered as a result of the oil
spill.
For more
information on the Natural Resource Damage Assessment process and what Florida
is doing to implement early restoration projects from the Deepwater Horizon
oil spill, visit www.deepwaterhorizonflorida.com.
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