Public Offer Opinions about Post-Spill Gulf Restoration

The comments of environmentalists and Gulf Coast residents reflected the emotional distress the BP Oil Deepwater Horizon explosion continued to cause almost one year after the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

About 60 people attended a Monday evening listening session staff of the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force held at University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee.

Buck Sutter, deputy director of the task force, said the purpose of the meeting was to gather input for a report due on President Obama’s desk Oct. 4.

“We hope to get some good ideas,” said Sutter, who is with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The task force staff members not only received ideas of how the long-term restoration project should proceed, but strong opinions on BP’s negligence and the federal government’s response to the April 20, 2010 oil spill disaster.

Several people said the government continues to fall short by not promoting non-oil energy solution enough and issuing leases for more oil drilling in the Gulf.

St. Petersburg City Council member Karl Nurse asked how the restoration would be funded.

“It looks like BP’s money was still sitting in a bank account,” Nurse said.

Sutter said the task force proposed to the Congress that 80 percent of the Clean Water Act fines collected from the responsible parties be used for restoration.

Most of those offering their ideas focused on the efficiency of coordinating local efforts that have already proven effective, such as the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program.

A gentleman from Sarasota County said most federal plans are too complicated and cumbersome.

The plan needs to be broken down for local governments, non-governmental agencies and clubs to participate, he said.

“People are calling saying they want to do something,” he said.

Marianne Korosy, the important bird area coordinator for the Florida Audubon Society, said her main priority was coordinating efforts of local groups and agencies.

Korosy gave the example of the Audubon Society marking bird nesting areas on the beaches in the Panhandle and contractors hired to clean up the beach were landing helicopters in the posted areas.

“They thought there marked for landing areas,” she said.

Contractors also were running heavy equipment up into the dunes, Korosy said.

Cathy Tortorici, a program director for the task force took extensive notes of the suggestions and concerns the people voiced.

“I thought people are really interested and energized,” Tortorici said after the meeting. “They provided great suggestions and were honest with their feelings.”

Phil Compton, field organizer for the Sierra Club, said the turnout showed people have concerns.

“They’re concerned the government hasn’t restricted new drilling (in the Gulf),” Compton said. “They haven’t done anything to make it safer.”

For Mark Adlerson, executive director of the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program, which organized the listening session for the task force, said the people were very sincere and concerned about what happens to the Gulf of Mexico.

“They offered very good suggestions on how to proceed with restoration of the Gulf,” Adlerson said. “There was a good cross-section of attendees.”

Obama’s Executive Order he signed in October 2010 establishing the inter-governmental agency task force charged them with developing strategies to restore the Gulf ecosystem.

Chris Pease, from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and a member of the task force staff, said after the meeting, those responsible for the spill must return the environment to pre-disaster condition.

The task force will focus on a long-term plan improve the health of the Gulf, Pease said.

“If the Gulf is healthy it can recover faster (from these types of assaults),” he said. “It won’t be finished next year, or 10-20 years from now, but it’s started.”

More information about the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force can be found at www.restorethegulf.gov.