Yesterday, members of Congress sent the important message that the impacts of last year’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill are not forgotten. The RESTORE Act cleared a major hurdle as it was passed out of the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. The Act would provide funding for restoration of the Gulf Coast, including Florida, using penalty funds from the BP oil spill. Eighty percent of the Clean Water Act penalties levied against BP would be divided evenly by the 5 Gulf Coast states for environmental restoration projects. Audubon of Florida is grateful for the support of Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) who both Co-Sponsored the bill, and for their recognition that in the aftermath of this tragedy, the Gulf Coast needs to be made more resilient to the threat of future impacts.

The next step for the RESTORE Act is passage by the full U.S. Senate. The Act has not yet been taken up by the House of Representatives and Audubon will continue working with members of Congress, educating them about the importance of this legislation.