Tallahassee, Fla. /Florida Newswire/ — Governor Rick Scott visited Northwest Florida this week and remains committed to ensuring Florida’s natural resources are restored. After the initial success in getting $30 million from BP to promote tourism last week, Governor Scott is proud to announce the success of Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Secretary Herschel Vinyard and four other states to secure $1 billion to fund early Gulf Coast restoration projects.
Florida gets $100 million allocated to fund early restoration projects in our state. Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas will receive the same amount.
The Federal Resource Trustees, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Department of Interior (DOI) will each select and implement $100 million in projects and the remaining $300 million will be used for projects selected by NOAA and DOI from proposals submitted by State Trustees. In Florida, those trustees are DEP and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWCC).
“While there is still much more to be done to hold BP and other responsibilities parties accountable for the damage done to our state, this marks an important first step in restoring our natural treasures to pre-spill status,” Governor Scott said.
The agreement does not affect the ultimate liability of BP or others, and Governor Scott will continue to negotiate to ensure our state is treated fairly.