I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3096 
To restore the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife 
habitats, beaches, and coastal wetlands of Gulf Coast States, to create 
jobs and revive the economic health of communities adversely affected 
by the explosion on, and sinking of, the mobile offshore drilling unit 
Deepwater Horizon, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 5, 2011 
Mr. SCALISE (for himself, Mr. BONNER, Mr. MILLER of Florida, Mr. OLSON, 
Mr. PALAZZO, Mr. SOUTHERLAND, Mr. RICHMOND, Mr. ROSS of Florida, 
Mr. RIVERA, Mr. CRENSHAW, Mr. DIAZ-BALART, Mr. BOUSTANY, Mr. 
THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. LANDRY, Mr. ALEXANDER, Mr. ADER-
HOLT, Mr. BACHUS, Mrs. ROBY, Mr. ROGERS of Alabama, Ms. SEWELL, 
Mr. CASSIDY, Mr. WEST, Mr. BROOKS, Mr. HARPER, and Mr. 
NUNNELEE) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Com-
mittees on Natural Resources and Science, Space, and Technology, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To restore the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, ma-
rine and wildlife habitats, beaches, and coastal wetlands 
of Gulf Coast States, to create jobs and revive the eco-
nomic health of communities adversely affected by the 
explosion on, and sinking of, the mobile offshore drilling 
unit Deepwater Horizon, and for other purposes. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Resources and Eco-
systems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Re-
vived Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2011’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds that— 
(1) as a result of decades of oil and gas devel-
opment in the Gulf of Mexico, producing and non-
producing States in the Gulf Coast region have 
borne substantial risks of environmental damage and 
economic harm, all of which culminated with the ex-
plosion on, and sinking of, the mobile offshore drill-
ing unit Deepwater Horizon; 
(2) the discharge of oil in the Gulf of Mexico 
that began following the explosion on, and sinking 
of, the mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Hori-
zon has caused substantial environmental destruc-
tion and economic harm to the people and commu-
nities of the Gulf Coast region; 
(3)(A) in the report entitled ‘‘America’s Gulf 
Coast—A Long Term Recovery Plan after the Deep-
water Horizon Oil Spill’’, the Secretary of the Navy 
stated, ‘‘Together, the Gulf’s tourism and commer-
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cial and recreational fishing industries contribute 
tens of billions of dollars to the [United States] 
economy. More than 90 percent of the [N]ation’s 
offshore crude oil and natural gas is produced in the 
Gulf, and the [F]ederal treasury receives roughly 
$4.5 billion dollars every year from offshore leases 
and royalties. And it is in the Gulf of Mexico that 
nearly one third of seafood production in the conti-
nental [United States] is harvested. America needs 
a healthy and resilient Gulf Coast, one that can sup-
port the diverse economies, communities, and cul-
tures of the region.’’; 
(B) to address the needs of the Gulf Coast re-
gion, the Secretary of the Navy stated, ‘‘It is rec-
ommended that the President urge Congress to pass 
legislation that would dedicate a significant amount 
of any civil penalties recovered under the [Federal 
Water Pollution Control Act] from parties respon-
sible for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to those di-
rectly impacted by that spill.’’; and 
(C) to mitigate local challenges and help restore 
the resiliency of communities adversely affected by 
the spill, the Secretary of the Navy stated that the 
legislation described in subparagraph (B) should 
‘‘[b]uild economic development strategies around 
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community needs, and take particular efforts to ad-
dress the needs of disadvantaged, underserved, and 
resource constrained communities’’; 
(4) in a final report to the President, the Na-
tional Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon 
Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling— 
(A) stated, ‘‘Estimates of the cost of Gulf 
restoration, including but not limited to the 
Mississippi Delta, vary widely, but according to 
testimony before the Commission, full restora-
tion of the Gulf will require $15 billion to $20 
billion: a minimum of $500 million annually for 
30 years.’’; and 
(B) like the Secretary of the Navy, rec-
ommended that, to meet the needs described in 
subparagraph (A), a substantial portion of ap-
plicable penalties under the Federal Water Pol-
lution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) be 
dedicated to long-term restoration of the Gulf 
of Mexico; 
(5) taking into account the risks borne by Gulf 
Coast States for decades of oil and gas development 
and the environmental degradation suffered by the 
Gulf Coast region, the amounts received by the 
United States as payment of administrative, civil, or 
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criminal penalties in connection with the explosion 
on, and sinking of, the mobile offshore drilling unit 
Deepwater Horizon should be expended— 
(A) to restore the natural resources, eco-
systems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, 
beaches, barrier islands, dunes, coastal wet-
lands, and economy of the Gulf Coast; and 
(B) to address the associated economic 
harm suffered by the people and communities 
of the region; 
(6) the projects and programs authorized by 
this Act and the amendments made by this Act 
should be carried out pursuant to contracts awarded 
in a manner that provides a preference to individuals 
and entities that reside in, are headquartered in, or 
are principally engaged in business in a Gulf Coast 
State; and 
(7) Federal, State, and local officials should 
seek— 
(A) to leverage the financial resources 
made available under this Act; and 
(B) to the maximum extent practicable, to 
ensure that projects funded pursuant to this 
Act complement efforts planned or in operation 
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to revitalize the natural resources and economic 
health of the Gulf Coast region. 
SEC. 3. GULF COAST RESTORATION TRUST FUND. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 
Treasury of the United States a trust fund to be known 
as the ‘‘Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund’’ (referred to 
in this section as the ‘‘Trust Fund’’), consisting of such 
amounts as are deposited in the Trust Fund under this 
Act or any other provision of law. 
(b) TRANSFERS.—The Secretary of the Treasury 
shall deposit in the Trust Fund an amount equal to 80 
percent of all administrative and civil penalties paid by 
responsible parties after the date of enactment of this Act 
in connection with the explosion on, and sinking of, the 
mobile offshore drilling unit Deepwater Horizon pursuant 
to a court order, negotiated settlement, or other instru-
ment in accordance with section 311 of the Federal Water 
Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1321). 
(c) EXPENDITURES.—Amounts in the Trust Fund, 
including interest earned on advances to the Trust Fund 
and proceeds from investment under subsection (d), 
shall— 
(1) be available for expenditure, without further 
appropriation, solely for the purpose and eligible ac-
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‘‘(ii) 
LOUISIANA.—Of 
the 
total 
amounts made available to the State of 
Louisiana under this paragraph: 
‘‘(I) 70 percent shall be provided 
directly to the State in accordance 
with this subsection. 
‘‘(II) 30 percent shall be provided 
directly to parishes in the coastal zone 
(as defined in section 304 of the 
Coastal Zone Management Act of 
1972 (16 U.S.C. 1453)) of the State 
of Louisiana according to the fol-
lowing weighted formula: 
‘‘(aa) 40 percent based on 
the weighted average of miles of 
the parish shoreline oiled. 
‘‘(bb) 40 percent based on 
the weighted average of the pop-
ulation of the parish. 
‘‘(cc) 20 percent based on 
the weighted average of the land 
mass of the parish. 
‘‘(iii) CONDITIONS.— 
‘‘(I) LAND USE PLAN.—As a con-
dition of receiving amounts allocated 
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Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. 
App.). 
‘‘(ix) SUNSET.—The Council, or any 
other advisory committee established under 
this subparagraph, shall cease operations 
when all funds in the Trust Fund have 
been expended. 
‘‘(D) COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.— 
‘‘(i) PROPOSED PLAN.— 
‘‘(I) IN
GENERAL.—Not later 
than 180 days after the date of enact-
ment of the Resources and Eco-
systems Sustainability, Tourist Op-
portunities, and Revived Economies of 
the Gulf Coast States Act of 2011, 
the Chairperson, on behalf of the 
Council and after appropriate public 
input, review, and comment, shall 
publish a proposed plan to restore and 
protect the natural resources, eco-
systems, fisheries, marine and wildlife 
habitats, beaches, and coastal wet-
lands of the Gulf Coast region. 
‘‘(II) CONTENTS.—The proposed 
plan described in subclause (I) shall 
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