Deepwater Horizon NRDA Resource Repository

Below are links to the resources we included in “A Guide to Participating in the Deepwater Horizon Natural Resource Damage Assessment Process,” as well as additional resources.

In general, the resources have been grouped under four different priorities. You can click on the priority you are most interested in to go directly to that section:

We have also included some examples of prior comments and letters that have been submitted to the trustees to give you a sense of what they look like.

If you have suggestions for resources to add to the repository, please email us at gulfofmexico@eli.org.


Stay Informed About the NRDA Process

NRDA Process: Background and Developments

Trustee Resources

  • Plan for Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Natural Resource Injury Restoration: An Overview (summarizes the damage assessment and restoration plan)

  • Final Restoration Plan for the Gulf of Mexico (four-page overview of the PDARP)

  • Story Archive (lists major developments dating back to 2010)

  • The Deepwater Horizon Administrative Record

  • The trustees' Story Map maps, describes, and tracks projects that have been approved

  • Sign up to receive email updates from the trustees

  • Monitor the trustees' homepage for new developments

  • View the trustees' Events Calendar

  • Note: State trustee agencies' websites and listservs can be sources of updates (and in some states, state-specific project tracking maps); visit ELI's trustee information page for links.

    Other Resources

  • ELI's Overview of the Natural Resource Damage Assessment Fact Sheet

  • ELI's TIG Fact Sheets

  • Ocean Conservancy's Flow of Deepwater Horizon Funds charts (includes sections on NRDA by state)

  • ELI's Public Participation Bulletin Board tracks public participation opportunities, including comment periods

  • ELI webinars (ELI and its partners periodically conduct webinars; sign up for our listserv to receive information on upcoming webinars and other updates)

  • ELI's Introduction to Gulf Recovery explains how the NRDA process fits into the larger Deepwater Horizon restoration effort

  • Follow NRDA Projects

    Trustee Resources

  • The trustees' Story Map maps, describes, and tracks projects that have been approved

  • Note: Find information about state-specific project tracking tools on ELI's trustee information page.

    Other Resources

  • The DWH Project Tracker

  • ELI's Restoration Projects Database

  • Understand
    the Environmental Impacts of the Spill

    Trustee Resources

  • Plan for Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Natural Resource Injury Restoration: An Overview (see the section on “Injury”)

  • NOAA's DIVER website (publicly accessible repository for technical information and monitoring data)

  • Other Resources

  • Sea Grant's publications and presentations provide information about science related to the oil spill

  • Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (focused on “[i]nvestigating the effect of oil spills on the environment and public health”)

  • Gulf of Mexico Coastal Training workshops are offered regularly and cover “priority issues” in the Gulf region (not limited to DWH and NRDA)


  • Help Get "Good" Projects in the Ground

    Identify "Good" Projects

    Other Resources

  • ELI will be releasing a “Good Projects Checklist,” which can help you identify “good” projects

  • Gulf Restoration Network’s “Sunshine on the Gulf II” sets forth a “criteria framework for evaluating and selecting projects” (focuses on RESTORE projects, but criteria may be more generally applicable)

  • Ocean Conservancy’s Framework for Ecosystem Restoration in the Gulf of Mexico sets forth criteria for selecting “the best and most appropriate” Gulf ecosystem restoration projects (p. 26)

  • Submit Comments to the Trustees on Projects

    Trustee Resources

  • The federal government's “Tips for Submitting Effective Comments” are intended to “help the public submit comments that have an impact”


  • Other Resources

  • ELI's "Tips for Public Commenting” include guidance for giving verbal and written comments

  • Note: For some examples of prior comments and letters to the trustees, see table at bottom of this page.


    Submit Project Ideas

    Trustee Resources

  • The trustees’ website includes an online form for you to submit your ideas

  • State websites may also provide information about submitting ideas to the state trustee agenc(ies) (you can find links on ELI's trustee information page). Note that these are generally for all the restoration processes, not just the NRDA process.


  • Share Information among Citizens and with Trustees

    Connect and Work with Other Citizens and Groups

    Other Resources

  • Recent public comments and open letters submitted to the trustees can help you get a sense of some of the groups working on the NRDA process and the issues they are focused on (for a few examples, visit ELI's resource repository; additional comments and letters can also be found on the Gulf Restoration Network's website)

  • Google Groups and Facebook Groups are examples of social networking tools you can use to create public or private groups for free

  • Reach Out to the Trustees

    A list of the trustees and trustee contact information can be found on ELI's trustee information page (ELI’s TIG fact sheets also provide contact information)


    Involve the Community

    Engage Your Community in the NRDA Process

    Trustee Resources

  • The trustees’ website includes fact sheets to help the community understand the NRDA process (e.g., “Intro to NRDA”)

  • Project-specific fact sheets may be available (e.g., there are fact sheets for the projects proposed in Alabama’s first draft restoration plan)

  • Other Resources

  • ELI’s public educational materials, which include a fact sheet on this NRDA, are intended to help you in your outreach efforts

  • ELI's "NRDA in Action" summarizes key lessons from public involvement in past NRDA cases

  • Help the Community Take Advantage of Participation Opportunities

    Trustee Resources

  • The trustees' online Events Calendar shows upcoming meetings

  • Sign up to receive email updates from the trustees to help ensure you’re aware of participation opportunities

  • The government’s “Tips for Submitting Effective Comments” are intended to “help the public submit comments that have an impact”

  • Other Resources

  • ELI’s Public Participation Bulletin Board tracks public participation opportunities, including comment periods (note that it tracks opportunities for other restoration processes as well)

  • ELI’s “Tips for Public Commenting” include guidance for giving verbal and written comments

  • See the “Submit Project Ideas” section above (under the "Help Get 'Good' Projects in the Ground" heading) for some resources that can help with submitting project ideas

  • Identify Opportunities for Ongoing Public Involvement

    Trustee Resources

  • The trustees' Story Map tracks the status of approved NRDA projects

  • Project descriptions (in restoration plans, on Story map, etc.) may indicate opportunities for public involvement (e.g., a public educational component)

  • NOAA’s DIVER website is a publicly accessible repository for technical information and monitoring data

  • Other Resources

  • The Public Lab website houses open source tools for “DIY environmental monitoring”


  • Examples of Comments and Letters to the Trustees

    Comments on Restoration Plans

  • Gulf Restoration Network's comment letter to the Alabama TIG on a Draft Restoration Plan (January 2017)


  • Joint comment letter from Gulf Restoration Network and other Gulf groups on Draft Phase IV Early Restoration Plan (June 2015)

  • Comments on Consent Decree and PDARP

  • Joint comment letter from National Audubon Society, Environmental Defense Fund, National Wildlife Federation, Ocean Conservancy, and The Nature Conservancy to the U.S. Department of Justice on Proposed Consent Decree and Draft PDARP (December 2015)


  • ELI's comment letter on the Proposed Consent Decree and Draft PDARP (December 2015)

  • Other Letters to NRDA Trustees

  • Joint letter to NOAA from Ocean Conservancy, Gulf Restoration Network, and Pew Charitable Trusts re: "recommendations for open ocean restoration strategic planning in the Natural Resource Damage Assessment" (April 2016)