The Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group is beginning the process of restoration planning for the 2018-2019 planning years and would like your input regarding natural resource restoration project ideas in Mississippi. Information about the restoration types we are considering, as well as the Oil Pollution Act criteria against which project ideas will be evaluated, can be found in the Trustees’ Programmatic Restoration Plan.

Restoration Plan II

Leading off our next years’ planning efforts we will be working on Restoration Plan II. We intend to focus on, and would like to receive your

Construction on the Shell Point Beach Nourishment project, which restored Florida’s Shell Point Beach with new sand, and included new and improved amenities, is complete and the destination is once again open to residents and tourists. 

The $550,000 construction phase, led by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and approved in Phase III of Early Restoration, focused on the county-owned portion of the beach in Wakulla County. The project is enhancing recreational opportunities and restoring lost recreational use due to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

Three thousand cubic yards

In response to public comment on our December 2017 Draft Recreational Use Plan, the Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group released proposed modifications to the Elmer’s Island Access Project.

The Trustees are committed to providing annual reports to the public to show our restoration progress, as well as how we’re spending settlement funds.

Each year in April, the Trustees produce an annual financial summary report which includes information on fund allocations and expenditures for each Trustee Implementation Group. Our 2017 Annual Financial Summary Report (PDF, 2 pg) and overview of 2017 projects, planning and other activities were released on April 20.

You can also find links to individual projects on each Restoration Area page and on our interactive map which will enable you

It’s been two years since we settled with BP and began implementing our programmatic plan to restore the Gulf. Since then, we’ve been busy planning, implementing restoration, and hearing from you about what restoration should look like. 2017 shaped up to be a success and we look forward to continued progress this year as well.

2017 Outreach and Planning

The Trustee Council held its second annual public meeting in November 2017. We gave an update on our work since the settlement and described restoration planning activities and opportunities for public engagement. This is one of many public

The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group released its Draft Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #4 (PDF, 472 pg), which proposes projects to restore lost public recreational uses and reduce agricultural nutrient runoff in Louisiana’s coastal watersheds injured by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

At this time, we are releasing the Draft Plan early and requesting public comment starting April 20, 2018, through May 21, 2018. We will update this web story and send a reminder email out once the public comment period has started. We are also hosting a public meeting at the Tulane River

The Alabama Trustee Implementation Group has released its Draft Restoration Plan II and Environmental Assessment (PDF, 508 pages). The restoration activities proposed in this draft plan are consistent with the Trustees’ Programmatic Restoration Plan, and will compensate the public for natural resource injuries in Alabama caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. We're asking for public comment until May 7.

Project Alternatives

The Draft Restoration Plan II evaluates 26 project alternatives, plus the no action alternative for each restoration type, and proposes 22 projects for funding. These

The Louisiana Trustee Implementation Group approved and released its Final Strategic Restoration Plan and Environmental Assessment #3: Restoration of Wetlands, Coastal and Nearshore Habitats in the Barataria Basin, Louisiana (PDF 167 pg). The Final Strategic Restoration Plan is consistent with the Trustee Council’s Programmatic Restoration Plan, and considers a comprehensive suite of restoration techniques and approaches to address ecosystem-level injuries in the Barataria Basin and the Gulf of Mexico caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

We included large-scale sediment diversion, marsh

The Florida Trustee Implementation Group approved its Phase V.2 Florida Coastal Access Project: Final Restoration Plan and Supplemental Environmental Assessment (Phase V.2 Final Plan, PDF, 188 pages).

The plan is consistent with the Trustees’ Programmatic Restoration Plan and proposes projects to compensate for a portion of the lost recreational use in Florida caused by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In the Phase V.2 Final Plan, we have selected to fund the Salinas Park Addition, the preferred alternative described in the Phase V.2 Draft Plan (PDF, 159 pages).

The Salinas Park Addition

In January, the Jeff Friend Trail at Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge in Gulf Shores, Alabama, was re-opened after closing for restoration last fall. The project includes new longer-lasting composite material boardwalks, several new viewing platforms, and easier-to-navigate trail materials. 

Replacement of this one-mile trail is one of the early restoration projects approved by the Trustees prior to the historic 2016 settlement with BP.  

The project will enhance recreational use of the refuge because in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a lot of gooey oil came ashore and