FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Nov. 17, 2014
NFWF ANNOUNCES $34.3 MILLION FOR GULF RESTORATION PROJECTS IN FLORIDA
~Second round of grants from the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund~
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Governor Rick
Scott and The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) announced the
funding of $34.3 million for nine Florida projects that address high priority
conservation needs. The projects, developed in consultation with the Florida
Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Florida Department of
Environmental Protection and federal resource agencies, are designed to remedy
harm or reduce the risk of future harm to natural resources that were affected
by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Governor Scott said, “This $34.3 million in
funding is great news for families in the Panhandle. Florida’s natural
treasures must be protected so that future generations will be able to
experience all that our great state has to offer.”
The money is the second obligation from NFWF’s
Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund, created 18 months ago as part of the
settlement between the U.S. Department of Justice and BP and Transocean to
resolve certain criminal charges against both companies in relation to the spill.
Under the allocation formula and other provisions contained in the plea
agreements, a total of $356 million will be paid into the Gulf Fund over a five
year period for conservation projects in the state of Florida.
“The
model for the Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund is one of partnership,” said Jeff
Trandahl, executive director and CEO of NFWF. “In order to succeed, NFWF must
bring together state resource agencies, federal agencies, and other public and
private partners, all working in harmony to fund the best projects that will do
the most good for the Gulf of Mexico and the communities that depend on it each
and every day. The projects we announce today demonstrate the value of our
efforts to work in a collaborative fashion to select projects that will provide
significant benefits to wildlife and people for many years to come.”
In early 2013, a U.S. District Court approved
two plea agreements resolving certain criminal charges against BP and
Transocean related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Provisions within the
plea agreements direct a total of $2.544 billion to the National Fish and
Wildlife Foundation over a five-year period. The funds are to be used to
support projects that remedy harm or reduce the risk of future harm to natural
resources that were affected by the oil spill.
Florida’s 2014 Projects
Please click on the project title for more
specific information:
Restoration
and Management of Escribano Point Coastal Habitat – Phase II
Enhanced
Assessment for Recovery of Gulf of Mexico Fisheries – Phase II
Florida
Shorebird Conservation Initiative
Benthic
Habitat Mapping, Characterization and Assessment
Oyster
Reef Habitat Restoration in the Saint Andrew Bay
Restoration of
Florida’s Coastal Dune Lakes
Bayou Chico
Restoration
Destin Harbor,
Joe’s Bayou, and Indian Bayou Water Quality Improvement
Boggy Bayou
Watershed Water Quality Improvement
To learn more about Gulf Coast restoration in
the state of Florida, please visit www.deepwaterhorizonflorida.com.
To learn more about
NFWF’s Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund in Florida, click here.
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