The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council has announced plans to split civil penalties from BP's upcoming federal court trial.
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) - The Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Council has announced plans to split civil penalties from BP's upcoming federal court trial.
Al.com (http://bit.ly/UAucxn ) reports the council is unsure of how much money they'll have to work with. Officials say 80 percent of civil penalties from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill will be split among five Gulf Coast states.
Officials say 35 percent of the money will be split equally among Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Texas. Thirty percent will be split by varying degrees of impact the oil spill had on each state. Another thirty percent will fund an economic and environmental redevelopment plan. Five percent will fund research grants focused on restoring the Gulf Coast and create a science, observation and monitoring program with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.