Title: Deepwater Horizon Oil Disaster/Penalties

Summary: Urges the Congress of the United States to dedicate penalties collected from parties responsible for the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster to repairing the environmental and economic damage caused by the disaster.

Full Text:
WHEREAS, this man-made disaster spoiled portions of Florida s coastline and waterways and devastated its fishing and tourism industries, and WHEREAS, this man-made disaster has directly resulted in the loss of jobs and business for Floridians, and WHEREAS, a preliminary study by the University of Central Florida predicted job losses of 195,000 and spending losses of $10.9 billion if Florida s counties along the Gulf Coast lose percent of their tourism and leisure jobs and spending, and WHEREAS, that preliminary study also predicted job losses of 39,000 and spending losses of $2 billion if those same counties lose percent of their tourism and leisure jobs and spending, and WHEREAS, despite clean-up efforts, oil remains buried in the sand on the Gulf states  coastlines and in the waters offshore, and WHEREAS, the amount of oil remaining in the Gulf waters is still unknown and some researchers have discovered oil below the sea s surface, including on the ocean floor, and WHEREAS, although seafood caught off of Florida s coast is safe to eat and approximately percent of the fishing closures in federal waters have been lifted, the long-term effect on the Gulf s sea life is still unknown, and WHEREAS, under current law, any civil penalties recovered pursuant to the Clean Water Act must be deposited into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to be used for clean-up and response efforts for future oil spills, and WHEREAS, United States Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, recommended that Congress dedicate a significant portion of any civil penalties recovered under the Clean Water Act to providing assistance for the region where the damage from the disaster occurred, NOW, THEREFORE, Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Florida: That the Legislature requests the United States Congress to enact legislation that permits any civil penalties recovered under the Clean Water Act due to the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster to be distributed in the following manner: (1) Deposited into a newly created Gulf Coast Recovery Fund, which is managed by a Gulf Coast Recovery Council and used to provide assistance for long-term environmental and economic recovery in the Gulf; (2) Directed to the five Gulf states to enable each state to pursue its own recovery efforts; and (3) Deposited into the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for future recovery efforts. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be dispatched to the President of the United States, to the President of the United States Senate, to the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and to each member of the Florida delegation to the United States Congress.