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FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
October 5, 2011
Gulf Coast Task
Force Releases Ecosystem Restoration Strategy For Public Review
Agenda outlines
blueprint for reversing decline of Gulf Coast ecosystem
WASHINGTON - The
Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, chaired by U.S.
Environmental
Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson, today released for
public review and
feedback its comprehensive preliminary strategy for long term
ecosystem
restoration. The strategy, which will be presented to President Obama at
the
end of the public
review period, represents an historic opportunity for addressing
long-standing
issues contributing to the decline of the Gulf’s critical ecosystem. The
preliminary
strategy is the first effort of its kind to be developed with the
involvement of
parties throughout the region, including the states, tribes, federal
agencies, local
governments and thousands of interested citizens and organizations. The
plan strategy,
which builds upon on-going efforts underway in the Gulf Coast states
includes specific
steps for on-the-ground action and represents the Task Force’s
commitment to
putting Gulf coastal restoration on an equal footing with other national
priorities.
One year ago
today, President Obama established the Task Force by executive order, in
response to
recommendations from a report by Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, to
continue the
Administration’s ongoing commitment to the Gulf region. The group is made up of representatives from the five Gulf
States and 11 federal agencies, including the
Environmental
Protection Agency, Council on Environmental Quality, Department of the
Interior,
Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Agriculture,
Department of
Justice, Department of Transportation, Office of Management and Budget,
Office of Science
and Technology Policy and Domestic Policy Council.
"Even before
last year’s oil spill, the Gulf of Mexico endured decades of decline that
threatened the
environmental and economic health of this region. This strategy is
designed to
prepare the region for transitioning from a response to the spill into a
long-term recovery
that supports the vital ecosystem and the people who depend on it,"
said Administrator
Jackson. "The health of the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem starts and ends
with its people
and its communities. The individuals and families who visit the Gulf,
who work in the
region, who depend on its resources, and especially those who call it
home, know its
needs and challenges best. They will be integral to creating and
executing this
long-term strategy."
“The Task Force’s
draft strategy identifies fundamental obstacles that have plagued
restoration and
protection efforts in Louisiana and other states for decades. The
report attempts to
begin reversing 80 years of mismanagement,” said Garret Graves, Task
Force vice-chair
and chair of the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority of
Louisiana. “It identifies critical issues such as
changes in river management, the use
of dredged
sediment, navigation channel bank stabilization, and the need to expedite
the snail’s pace
process of implementing water resources projects. History has proven that being reactive on disaster mitigation
costs exponentially more. This report is
an
important first
step in moving toward a proactive strategy as recognized through the
implementation of
the state's coastal master plan. There
is much work still left to be done and
we look forward to continuing to work with Task Force agencies and our fellow
Gulf States to
finally stabilize our coast and protect the Gulf communities.”
The natural
resources of the Gulf’s ecosystem are vital to many of the region’s
industries that
directly support economic progress and job creation, including tourism
and recreation,
seafood production and sales, energy production and navigation and
commerce. Among the major initiatives with specific
actions recommended by the
preliminary
strategy to protect and restore those natural resources are:
• Stopping the Loss of Wetlands
Stopping the loss
of critical wetlands, sand barriers and beaches is a key
recommendation of
the preliminary strategy. Key habitats for a wide range of fish and
other animals are
being lost or reduced across the Gulf.
The creation of channels and
levees from
dredging in the Lower Mississippi often can “disconnect” the vast wetland
delta from the
source of sediments that built the delta over thousands of years. The
strategy aims to
restore the supply of sediments needed to build up eroding wetlands
and to ultimately
reconnect these valuable resources to their historic source of
sediments,
particularly in the Lower Mississippi.
To help do this, the strategy
recommends placing
ecosystem restoration on an equal footing with historic uses such as
navigation and
flood damage reduction by approaching water resource management
decisions in a far
more comprehensive manner that will bypass harm to wetlands, barrier
islands and
beaches. The strategy also recommends implementation of several
congressionally
authorized projects in the Gulf that are intended to reverse the trend
of wetlands
loss.
• Reducing the Flow of Nutrients into the
Gulf
The strategy calls
for working in the Gulf and upstream in the Mississippi watershed to
reduce the flow of
nutrients into the Gulf by supporting state nutrient reduction
frameworks, new
nutrient reduction approaches, and targeted watershed work to reduce
agricultural and
urban sources of nutrients. The strategy
recommends addressing the
complex issues
surrounding the transport of nutrients in excess to our Gulf coast by
broadly supporting
action-oriented innovations from all sectors that address both the
environmental as
well as the economics of effective nutrient management.
• Enhancing Resiliency Among Coastal
Communities
The strategy calls
for enhancing the quality of life of Gulf residents by working in
partnership with
Gulf with coastal communities themselves -- the living laboratories
for facing the
challenges posed. The strategy
specifically recommends working with
each of the States
to build the integrated capacity needed through effective coastal
improvement plans
to better secure the future of their coastal communities and to
implement existing
efforts underway.
Additionally, the
Task Force will begin immediately reviewing existing policies,
programs and
regulations that are slowing down restoration progress, particularly in
the habitat
restoration area. The Task Force will
also explore innovative ways to
implement
restoration, measure success and support the restoration with science.
The following are
statements on the release of the preliminary strategy from
representatives of
the member states on the task force:
N. Gunter Guy,
Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources said,
“The combined efforts of the federal and state members of the Task
Force have
resulted in the release of a preliminary strategy focused on restoring the
Gulf Coast
ecosystem. Alabama looks forward to
receiving feedback from the public on
the strategy and
commits to continue working to improve Alabama’s Gulf Coast
communities and
protecting its natural resources.”
Mimi A. Drew,
Florida’s representative on the task force and Special Advisor to the
Florida Department
of Environmental Protection Secretary Herschel T. Vinyard, Jr. said,
“Today’s release
of this important report is the culmination of more than a year’s
worth of
collaboration and hard work to identify priorities and a strategy to improve,
restore and
protect the fragile and vital Gulf ecosystem. The Gulf of Mexico provides
huge environmental
and economic benefits to Florida and we look forward to input from
the public to
refine this plan.”
Trudy D. Fisher,
Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Environmental
Quality said,
"The Task Force marked an unprecedented commitment at the federal and
state levels to
create a shared vision for a healthier Gulf Coast ecosystem. We are
confident that the
resulting strategy will set the stage for future cooperation and
success. Mississippi will be a critical partner as the
work continues."
Helen S. Young,
Deputy Commissioner of Coastal Resources in the Texas General Land
Office commented,
"The collaborative federal, state, and local process that involved
visits to the five
Gulf states and listening sessions with locals highlighted the
states' shared
issues and unique needs. For instance,
it emphasized the importance of
Texas's barrier
islands, which are the first line of defense against storm surge like
Hurricane Ike
produced in 2008, making it the second costliest hurricane in recent
times with damage
of $127 billion. The Strategy also
underscores the significance of
the Gulf of Mexico
to the national economy and identifies the issues of greatest
concern for the
region. Restoration efforts based on the
strategy will help ensure
that these
critical environmental and economic resources remain viable."
This preliminary
strategy represents the Task Force’s strong commitment to the
restoration of the
Gulf Coast. The strategy was developed
following more than 40
public meetings
throughout the Gulf to listen to the concerns of the public. It is
until 11:59 p.m.
EST October 26, 2011. The Task Force
will release the final version
in December.
_______________________________________Thanks to Anne Weinberg
weinberg.anne@epa.gov on behalf of:
U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency · 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW · Washington DC 20460 ·
202-564-4355
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