Earlier this year, the trustees for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill asked the public for input on the types of restoration needed to address impacts from the spill. The comments were collected as part of the Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) process. The PEIS will serve as the core planning document for restoration associated with the oil spill.
We collected comments at public meetings in the Gulf region and Washington, DC, as well as online and verbal submissions. A total of 7,773 comments were received, with nearly 70 percent of those coming from Gulf residents and organizations.
The comments focused on three main categories: implementation approaches, marine mammals and turtles, and offshore resources. See below for a breakdown of all the comments received:
The trustees are considering these comments as they create a draft PEIS, which should be available for public review in late 2011. Once comments on the draft are received, a final PEIS will be released in late 2012.
Learn more about the PEIS process or view the full summary (PDF, 4 pages) of the comments received. You can also view the comments that were submitted online, or look at the specific restoration project ideas we have received so far.