Jordan Macha

Image Courtesy of Environmental Law InstituteIt’s been five months since the $20 billionsettlementwith BP was finalized, settingforththe timeline anddollar amounts thatwill make its way downtothe Gulf Coast.Within that $20 billion, approximately$5.3 billionwent towards the funding of theRESTORE Act,which has been tasked withimplementingrestorationprojects andprogramsacross the Gulf.The RESTORE Council, afederal-state bodytaskedwith governing twosignificantportion’sof theRESTORE Act dollars,recently releasedtheir …

RESTORE Council Updates Comprehensive Plan Read More »

VICTORY! On February 16th, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Alabama barred the state of Alabama and federal trustees from using $58.5 million of Early Natural Resource Damage funds from the BP oil disaster to construct a hotel and convention center in Alabama’s Gulf State Park. This is a big win for …

Victory at Gulf State Park! Read More »

Trading in Bienvenue for Howdy is both bittersweet and exciting as I transition from the GRN headquarter office in New Orleans to begin a new chapter and open our Texas Office in Austin.As a Texas native, born and raised in Houston, I’m looking forward to furthering our engagement across the expansive Texas Coast. I have …

Texas Bound: GRN Opens Shop in Austin Read More »

Five years ago, the BP Deepwater Horizon rig exploded off the coast of Louisiana, claiming eleven lives and causing devastating harm to Gulf Coast’s communities and ecosystem. Today, BP, the Gulf States and the Department of Justice reached a settlement agreement on the fines associated with their Clean Water Act penalties and the Natural Resources …

BP Settles for $18.7 Billion Read More »

Today, across the Gulf, residents are marking 5 years since the beginning of the BP drilling disaster. 5 years later, the oil is still here and so are we. 5 years later, we’ve made progress but there is a long road to restoration still ahead. As we observe this milestone, Gulf Restoration Network and our …

Sunshine on Gulf Restoration Read More »

On December 1st, the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council released their list of proposed restoration projects for the Funded Priorities List (FPL). The proposed FPL is comprised of 50 habitat and water quality projects offered by the five Gulf States, the Corps of Engineers (Department of Army), Department of Interior, Department of Commerce, Department of …

Restoration Dollars Are On Their Way Read More »

On October 23rd, Gulf Restoration Network filed suit challenging the use of BP’s disaster restoration dollars for Alabama’s Beachfront Convention Center in Gulf State Park. To many, this should come as no surprise. For the last two years, GRN and our supporters have raised serious objections to this project as it’s not only wildly inappropriate …

What’s Not Restoration? Alabama’s Beachfront Convention Center Read More »

Black skimmers flying along the beach on Mississippi’s Ship Island.Today, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) and the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) announced an award of $3.6 million for coastal restoration planning for Mississippi. This grant funding is roughly one percent of the overall NFWF monies to be distributed to Mississippi.We applaud …

BP Disaster Funding Announced for MS Restoration Planning Read More »

As we approach April 20, 2014, four years since the Deepwater Horizon exploded off Louisiana’s coast in the Gulf of Mexico, communities across our Coast are reminded daily of the destruction caused by BP’s negligence. Last Friday (21 March), U.S. District Court Judge Carl Barbier announced the start date for the third and final phase …

Judge Sets Date for Final Phase of the BP Trial Read More »