Oil Spill Restoration Overseers Approve 1st Plan
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker says the committee that will oversee some of BP PLC's oil spill fines hopes to put money into restoration projects within 12 months.
Pritzker spoke as chairwoman of the federal-state Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council, which will oversee 80 percent of BP's Clean Water Act fines. On Wednesday, it approved its first blueprint using the money to restore the Gulf Coast's ecosystem and economy.
The plan says projects will be regional and science-based. It's short on specifics: state plans aren't yet complete and BP's fines are in litigation.
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said BP has spent more on public relations than it has on coastal restoration.
BP says it has spent $26 billion on cleanup, restoration and claims. A state official says cleanup isn't restoration.
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