New Team Effort to Restore Coastal Habitat Marred by BP Oil Spill

NOAA recently announced a multiyear partnership and a new project to help restore Gulf of Mexico habitats hurt by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

NOAA has teamed up with Ducks Unlimited in an initial cooperative agreement, in coordination with the State of Texas, to focus on marsh restoration at eight sites along the Texas coast.

The Dredged Material Planning for Wetland Restoration Project includes $1.8 million for restoration in the Gulf of Mexico, funding that will specifically support work on marine and coastal habitat conservation and restoration goals related to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, prioritizing and developing guidelines for restoration of these degrading intertidal habitats so they will support a diversity of fish and marine life important to commercial and recreational fisheries and other recreational industries.

The funding is part of a 2017 announcement of grants to implement projects restoring habitats and coastlines damaged by oil and chemical spills using funds recovered from those responsible for environmental harm. And this new chapter in NOAA’S partnership with Ducks Unlimited has potential for additional funding to support similar projects in other regions over a five-year time period.

NOAA’S Damage Assessment, Remediation and Restoration Program, which works across multiple offices, helps to restore natural resources after disasters like the Deepwater Horizon, bringing the habitat back to its condition before the incident. Partnerships like this provide NOAA and other natural-resource trustees additional options for projects to quickly address natural-resource injuries, and partners bring different perspectives and innovations that contribute to restoration goals.