The settlement that was reached in the matter of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill provides the state of Mississippi with millions of dollars that it can use to fund a variety of efforts to restore the devastated environment and economy of the Gulf region. A Mississippi board recently recommended that more than twelve projects receive funding from the settlement in 2020.
One of the recommended projects involves creating a new Ocean Enterprise Center at the University of Southern Mississippi. The focus of the enterprise center would be the development and advancement of maritime engineering and technology. The Gulfport- Biloxi airport could also receive funding for expansion so that it can better serve the needs of businesses and visitors in the area.
The two projects mentioned above are just a part of what’s going to happen in the Gulf area in 2020. Last year, several other projects received over thirty-seven million dollars worth of funding. Those projects include the creation of new wetlands with materials dredged from coastal waters, road construction projects, worker training initiatives, and a marketing effort for Mississippi seafood.
Additional funds will be made available to the state in years to come, with an eventual estimated total of around seven hundred and fifty million dollars. Projects like the ones that were funded last year and the ones that will receive their funding soon are steps in the direction of restoring the Gulf Coast’s environment and economy. Recovery after the Deepwater Horizon disaster has been slow, but the area is healing. Some areas are recovering faster than others. For example, the beaches are no longer covered in oil, but contamination persists in areas of deep water offshore, causing continued harm to the ocean ecosystem. Wetlands continue to erode after the plants that held them together died as a result of the contamination. Deceased biodiversity continues to affect fisheries and wildlife populations throughout the area.
Fortunately, the danger of additional oil spills in the area could decrease as public interest in offshore oil and gas exploration wanes. The results of a public opinion poll indicate that eight out of ten Americans would either want the amount of drilling to decrease or to remain at its current level. For a region that is still hurting from the wounds of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the prospect of reduced drilling is a reason for the hope that the recovery of the Gulf’s economy and the environment will continue to move forward. Interestingly enough, the government is considering expansion of drilling, both offshore and in the western United States, despite an apparent lack of public support and amidst public concerns that the risk of additional oil spill disasters is not worth the oil and gas that would be produced by the expansion.
To learn more about past and present BP oil spill litigation, call the Mississippi BP Oil Spill Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC at 1 (800) 707-9577, to arrange an initial consultation.
