Scalise RESTORE Act Amendment passes House of Representatives
The RESTORE Act Would Dedicate 80% of BP Fines to Restoring the Gulf Coast
Washington, D.C. - Congressman Steve Scalise today successfully passed a bi-partisan amendment modeled after the RESTORE Act to the energy section of the surface transportation bill, a major step forward in the fight to dedicate 80% of BP fines to the Gulf Coast region.
“This amendment is a crucial first step towards ensuring that 80% of the BP Clean Water Act fines will be dedicated to help Gulf States fully recover from the Deepwater Horizon disaster,” Scalise said. “We need to secure the fines from the Deepwater Horizon disaster for Gulf Coast recovery before a settlement is reached, and this amendment starts that process. I’m proud that we achieved this milestone and established a precedent for future votes on the full RESTORE Act. Now that the House is on record supporting the dedication of these fines to the Gulf Coast states and to fully restoring the ecosystems and communities of the region, we will continue pressing forward with our colleagues in the Senate to pass the entire RESTORE Act into law.
“It’s only fair that the lion’s share of BP Clean Water Act fines are dedicated to the Gulf Coast states still dealing with the impacts of the disaster for the purposes of ecosystem and economic recovery. I’m proud to continue working with my colleagues in the House and Senate to pass the RESTORE Act in both chambers and remain strongly committed to having the full RESTORE Act signed into law.”
The Scalise Amendment would establish the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund and dedicate 80% of the BP Clean Water Act fines to that trust fund for the restoration of the Gulf region from the spill. A copy of the Scalise Amendment can be found here.
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