By DOTTY NIST
Billy Williams, Walton County RESTORE Act coordinator, and Melinda Gates, environmental specialist for Walton County Public Works, recently met with Walton Republican Women Federated (WRWF) members and their guests to discuss the complicated topic of funding opportunities resulting from BP’s 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Gates and Williams addressed the WRWF at its Aug. 19 luncheon meeting at Cantina Laredo in Grand Boulevard.
Williams said of the oil spill, “It was a very guttural punch to our quality of life.” He urged for what the area went through at that time not to be forgotten.
Following the oil spill, Williams noted, the RESTORE Act was passed by the U.S. Congress through a bipartisan effort, ensuring that 80 percent of the fines levied against BP as a result of the incident would be directed to the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund for the benefit of the five states impacted by the oil spill. The act was signed into law in July 2012.
RESTORE stands for Resources Ecosystems Sustainability Tourist Opportunities and Revived Economies.
In the $18.5 billion settlement between BP and the affected gulf coast states announced on July 2, Florida is to receive approximately $3.25 billion. Of that amount, damages associated with the Clean Water Act represent $572 million, with this portion to go into the Gulf Restoration Trust Fund set up through the RESTORE Act.
The RESTORE Act’s five “pots of money” were detailed by Williams and Gates. These include:
Pot 1 is known as the Local RESTORE Act fund. This 35-percent portion of the Gulf Restoration Trust Fund is to be split evenly among the five states. Eligible uses include restoration and protection of natural resources, damage mitigation, implementing a federally-approved consumer management plan, workforce development and job creation, improvement to state parks, infrastructure, coastal flood protection, related infrastructure, and planning assistance.
Seventy-five percent of Florida’s Pot 1 funding is to go to the state’s eight counties that are classified as having been disproportionately affected by the oil spill. These include Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf, Franklin, and Wakulla.
Pot 2 is known as the “council pot,” because the Gulf Coast Restoration Council will be enlisted to use funds from this pot to implement a comprehensive recovery plan for the entire gulf region. To do this, the council is to receive 30 percent of the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund.
The council includes representatives appointed by the governor of each of the five states, along with federal representatives.
Pot 3, the “consortium pot,” is to account for another 30-percent portion of the trust fund. Each state receiving funds from this pot will be required to submit a plan which will require approval by the Gulf Coast Restoration Council. In Florida, the Gulf Consortium, composed of representatives of the state’s 23 gulf counties, is to oversee the state’s portion coming from this pot.
Pot 4, to amount to 2.5 percent of the trust fund, is to be devoted to the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Science, Observation, Monitoring and Technology Program.
An additional 2.5 percent of the trust fund is to go into Pot 5, and this pot is to be split evenly among the states to establish Centers of Excellence, which will focus on research of oil spill impacts.
Williams and Gates discussed additional funding opportunities resulting from the oil spill, the first of those being the Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) program. NRDA is aimed at compensating the public in the affected states for natural resources and services that were lost as a result of the oil spill. Florida’s share of the July 2 settlement with BP includes $680 million for the NRDA program.
Also mentioned was funding through National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF). In another effort funded through the use of money from the oil spill, a science-based restoration plan is to be coordinated in the gulf coast area by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), with assistance from other agencies. Projects are to be identified for future funding from NFWF’s $4.5 million Gulf Environmental Benefit Fund.
In April, Walton County began taking project funding applications for over $4.5 million available from payment of fines agreed to by Transocean, one of the parties involved in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. These are RESTORE Act Pot 1 funds.
Gates said that 42 applications were received and are to be evaluated by Walton County’s Local RESTORE Act Committee for recommendations to the Walton County Board of County Commissioners.
Walton County is expected to receive additional Pot 1 funds upon finalization of the settlement with BP.
Williams discussed the $2 billion settlement announced by Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi on July 2 in connection with Florida’s economic damages related to the oil spill and the fact that 75 percent of that amount is required to be spent for projects in the eight disproportionately-affected counties, with the latter funds to be administered by the newly-appointed Triumph Gulf Coast, Inc., a five-member citizen board.
He observed that, unfortunately, none of the Triumph Gulf Coast members are from Walton County.
Williams emphasized the importance of protecting the $1.5 billion set aside for the eight-county area, as the temptation will be there for the Florida Legislature to “ring that pinata” for other purposes. He suggested strong local organization as a strategy to guard against this happening.
“We’re going to need all hands on deck to protect it,” he said of the $1.5 billion.
Williams spoke of the potential for these funds to be used to create jobs and pay for transportation alternatives, among other initiatives. “Where do we want Walton County to go both environmentally and economically?” he asked board members.
District 4 Commissioner Sara Comander, who serves on the executive board of the Gulf Consortium and with the coalition of eight disproportionately-affected counties, stated that officials from the eight counties are “all united.”
“The pots of money are incredible…it’s an awesome opportunity,” Williams observed.
WRWF President Lois Hoyt suggested that the organization form a committee to talk with the county about ways the members could assist.
The WRWF’s next regular meeting is scheduled for Sept. 16 at Cantina Laredo.
