On April 21, 2011, the Deepwater Horizon NRDA Trustees announced an agreement under which BP committed to provide
$1 billion toward implementation of early restoration projects. This early restoration agreement is the largest of its
kind ever reached and represents an initial step toward fulfilling the responsible parties’ obligation to fund the
complete restoration of injured natural resources.
These funds will be divided among the trustees pursuant to an early restoration allocation agreement:
- $500 million split equally among the Gulf state trustees (Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Texas)
- $200 million split equally among the federal trustees (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Department of the Interior)
- $300 million to fund state-proposed restoration projects
Early restoration provides an opportunity to implement restoration projects prior to the completion
of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA). NRDAs can be prolonged and complex, in some cases
lasting many years. Typically in a NRDA, natural resource trustees develop a restoration plan or series of plans
to compensate for the impacts following an assessment of the injuries. When opportunities arise, however, early
restoration projects may be developed in order to achieve restoration faster.
The long-term damage assessment will continue while early restoration planning is under way. BP and the other responsible
parties ultimately will be obligated to compensate the public for the entire injury and all costs of the NRDA. The State of
Louisiana is committed to restoring the coast.
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