Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker delivered remarks at the announcement of the resolution of federal and state claims against BP for the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, and the restoration of natural resources in the Gulf of Mexico. During her remarks, Secretary Pritzker emphasized the Administration’s unwavering commitment to securing justice for the Gulf communities and spurring economic growth across the Gulf states.
Secretary Pritzker was joined by Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy, Deputy Secretary of the Interior Mike Connor, Admiral Paul Zukunft, U.S. Coast Guard Commandant, and Assistant Attorney General John C. Cruden of the Environment and Natural Resources Division.
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery Thank you, Attorney General Lynch, for welcoming us all to the Department of Justice and for your leadership in reaching this remarkable settlement. I also want to thank my colleagues from across the Cabinet and all of your teams, who spent five years and thousands of hours working with our state partners on this effort.
Today marks an historic milestone for the people, businesses, and environment of the Gulf region. Five years after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, this settlement reaffirms our Administration’s clear, ongoing, and unwavering commitment to securing justice for the Gulf communities; spurring economic growth across the Gulf states; and ensuring that the Gulf Coast comes back stronger and more vibrant than ever before.
Home to ample energy resources and 10 of America’s 15 largest ports, the Gulf Coast is absolutely critical to the prosperity of our entire nation. From the start, the Department of Commerce has played a central role in local, state, and federal government efforts to restore the region’s ecosystem and revitalize its economy.
With our partners, we established the Restore Council, which I chair. This agency has made $183 million available for essential projects and programs such as skills training for local communities; improvements in water quality; and habitat restoration for fish, birds, and wildlife.
Through our Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, we have worked with our state and federal partners on the Natural Resources Damage Assessment team to invest over $800 million of BP early restoration funds in the Gulf’s natural resources.
Through our Economic Development Administration, teams were on the ground in the Gulf states to learn firsthand what local communities needed to revive their economies and draw investments to their markets. That information guided the investment of over $466 million in workforce development partnerships and assistance for entrepreneurs in high-wage, high-growth industries across the region.
These are only some of the steps we have taken, in close cooperation with our local, state, and federal partners, to reinvigorate the Gulf. But we know there is still far more to do. And with this settlement of more than $20 billion, our work continues.
Now, we can move forward with more effective restoration planning, large-scale projects, and smart investments in economic development and environmental resilience. Today, as part of this settlement, leaders from Commerce, from the agencies represented here, and from the five states of the Gulf region are proposing a natural resources restoration plan.
This proposal is rooted in the best available science and hard data – information needed to assess the damage from the oil spill, determine the best course of action, and make smart funding decisions throughout the Gulf. Our plan will make $8.1 billion of investments across the Gulf Coast and in the open ocean to restore coastal and near-shore habitats; improve water quality in coastal wetlands; protect and recover marine resources; and enhance recreational use opportunities.
Together, these efforts will build on our efforts of the last five years to move Gulf communities from recovery to restoration to resurgence. This unprecedented settlement offers an unprecedented opportunity to set a course for economic sustainability and resilience for the Gulf Coast, now and in the future; to ensure the health and prosperity of the Gulf region over the long term; to restore the environment, reinvigorate the economy, and create jobs in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas, Florida, and Alabama – in all of the communities affected by this disaster.
Seizing this opportunity will require coordination, partnership, and innovation across all levels of government, the private sector, and the people who live and work in the Gulf. Let’s work together to keep the Gulf Coast growing, thriving, and open for business. Thank you.
Source: U.S. Department of Commerce
