February
6, 2012
For
Immediate Release
Contact:
Eddie Scher, 415-815-7027
BP Legal Settlement Likely, Sierra
Club Calls on President Obama to Restore the Gulf Coast and Protect the Public
Interest
Today,
Michael Brune, Sierra Club Executive Director, called on President Obama to
take strong action in any settlement of claims under the Clean Water Act and
Oil Pollution Act from BP’s 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill to ensure
comprehensive restoration and recovery of the Gulf of Mexico’s ecosystem and
communities, and to protect the region from future oil spill disasters. With
the public largely shut out of the legal process, Brune weighed in directly in
a letter to the President, requesting that specific measures be included in any
settlement agreement over the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
Sierra
Club summarized six main points from their February 6, 2012, letter to
President Obama.
- Establish a Natural
Resource Damages Fund in an amount assessed by the Natural Resource
Trustees for comprehensive, long-term ecosystem restoration and monitoring
that satisfies NRDA regulations and prioritizes the public interest;
- Create a Fund of no
less than $10 billion to execute the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task
Force Early Restoration Strategy with $500 million dedicated to long-term
monitoring;
- Establish a Fund of
no less than $20 billion or an amount equivalent to the Clean Water Act
penalties assessment for “gross negligence” dedicated to Supplemental
Environmental Projects that enhance NRDA restoration, including long-term
monitoring and independent scientific studies;
- Include a broad
re-opener provision that allows the government to re-open the settlement
for at least 30 years and requires the responsible parties to reimburse
the United States for latent, unforeseen damages;
- Establish and fund
the operation of a Gulf of Mexico Regional Citizen’s Advisory Council to
ensure formal public oversight and industry accountability of offshore drilling
activities in the region; and
- Ensure that all
activities executed under a settlement comply with Executive Order 12898
on Environmental Justice.
The
full letter is available here.
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