State and Federal Plans and Reports
This page contains links to important state and federal government documents that relate to the BP oil disaster and ongoing restoration and recovery in the Gulf. Documents are divided into two categories: Restoration Plans, Visions and Strategies contains forward-looking documents intended to facilitate restoration in the Gulf, and Incident Reports and Assessments contains reports pertaining directly to the oil spill and its impacts.
Restoration Plans, Visions, and Strategies
These documents are arranged by restoration process, and then by the government entity that created them. Where draft documents are listed, we will replace them with the final versions when those become available.
Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA)
Early Restoration
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Final Phase I Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment NRDA Trustee Council (Apr. 2012)
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Final Phase II Early Restoration Plan and Environmental Review NRDA Trustee Council (Dec. 2012)
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Final Phase III Early Restoration Plan, Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision NRDA Trustee Council (June 2014, October 2014)
RESTORE Act
Department of the Treasury
The U.S. Treasury Department was required by the RESTORE Act to establish procedures for administering RESTORE Act funds and for assessing the compliance of funded projects. The draft procedures, originally due on January 2, 2013, were released on September 6, 2013. They have yet to be finalized.
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Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund: A Proposed Rule by the Treasury Department on 09/06/2013 Treasury Department (Sept. 2013)
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RESTORE Act: Treasury Missed its Statutory Deadline for Establishing Procedures Governing RESTORE Act Programs and Activities Office of the Inspector General (Apr. 2013)
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council
The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council was created by the RESTORE Act in 2012 and is tasked with developing and implementing a science-based plan to restore natural resources in the Gulf.
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Council Member Proposal Submission Guidelines For Comprehensive Plan Funded Priorities List of Projects and Programs Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (Sept. 2014)
Final Initial Comprehensive Plan: Restoring the Gulf Coast’s Ecosystem and Economy and Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (Aug. 2013)
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The Path Forward to Restoring the Gulf: A Proposed Comprehensive Plan Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (Jan. 2013)
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Information about the Council, progress to date, and the proposal submission and evaluation process Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council (July 2013)
NOAA RESTORE Act Science Program
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Science Plan Framework NOAA (Dec. 2013)
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force (no longer acting)
The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force was created by an Executive Order of the President in 2010. The Task Force published a comprehensive Restoration Strategy for the Gulf of Mexico (and was ordered by a second Executive Order to disband within 60 days after the first meeting of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council). The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council must include information and findings from the Task Force in their proposed plan.
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Gulf of Mexico Ecosystem Science Assessment and Needs Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force Science Coordination Team (Apr. 2012)
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Gulf of Mexico Regional Ecosystem Restoration Strategy Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force (Dec. 2011)
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
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Vision for a Healthy Gulf of Mexico Watershed USFWS (June 2013)
Department of the Navy
Navy Secretary Ray Mabus put forth a restoration plan for the Gulf Coast several months after the incident. Many elements of the plan, which included a call for dedicated restoration funding, were ultimately included in the 2012 RESTORE Act.
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America’s Gulf Coast: A Long Term Recovery Plan after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill (the Mabus Report) Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus (Sept. 2010)
State Restoration & Management Plans
Several Gulf states have developed state-wide coastal restoration and management plans, either directly related to or in parallel with the ongoing Deepwater Horizon restoration processes.
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Mississippi GoCoast 2020 Final Report (Jan. 2013)
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Louisiana’s Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (May 2012)
Incident Reports and Assessments
A number of reports were produced to examine the causes and impacts of the Deepwater Horizon incident. These documents are arranged chronologically by publication date. We have limited the list to governmental or government-requested reports and assessments.
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An Ecosystem Services Approach to Assessing the Impacts of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico National Research Council (July 2013)
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Assessing Progress: Three Years Later Oil Spill Commission Action (Apr. 2013)
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Assessing Progress: Implementing the Recommendations of the National Oil Spill Commission Oil Spill Commission Action (Apr. 2012)
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Macondo Well Deepwater Horizon Blowout: Lessons for Improving Offshore Drilling Safety National Academy of Engineering and National Research Council (Dec. 2011)
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Assessment of Flow Rate Estimates for the Deepwater Horizon / Macondo Well Oil Spill Flow Rate Technical Group, U.S. Interior Department (Mar. 2011)
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Chief Counsel’s Report National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling (Feb. 2011)
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Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling (Jan. 2011)